If you’re still using a Mac OS X the time will come when your computer won’t boot, or a problem may arise where you can’t take control of the device, and booting from an OS X installation media will be required.
This is why it’s recommended that you make a Mac OS X bootable USB when your Mac is in working conditions. However, if you find yourself on a scenario where your device (iMac, MacBook Pro, Air, Mac Pro or Mini) is not responding and you happen to have a Windows 10 device, then you can still be able to make a USB bootable installation media for your Mac OS X to reinstall the operating system using the Recovery Assistant.
By far the easiest way to create a bootable drive is to use the DiskMaker X application, which automates the entire process in the next method. To start out, download the newest version of DiskMaker X from its website. Currently, that's the Yosemite Beta version. Diskmaker will then ask you to select the drive you want to use as a Yosemite bootable drive. Once you select it, it will proceed to format the drive/partition and create a bootable disk. Depending on your Mac and USB type, this process can take from two to thirty minutes. Once done, click on Apply to create this partition. Step 3: Download OS X 10.10 Yosemite from Mac App Store. Once downloaded, quit the installer and make sure that the OS X Yosemite installer that you downloaded from the Mac App Store, is in Applications folder, and set to its default name; ‘Install OS X Yosemite.app’.
These instructions will also work for Windows users who are running Mac OS X on a virtual machine and need to upgrade to the latest version. For instance, to OS X Yosemite.
Requirements
Before you dive into this guide, you’ll need a few things:
- A broken Mac computer with Mac OS X.
- A trial copy of the TransMac software.
- One high quality USB flash drive with 16GB of storage.
- A copy of Apple’s macOS (DMG file).
Now that you have all the necessary ingredients, you’re ready to make a Mac OS X bootable USB using the DMG file of the operating system with the steps below.
Create Mac OS X bootable USB installation media
Before you can use TransMac, you first need to partition your USB flash drive with a GPT partition, as a normal MBR partition may not work. To do this, you’ll need to use the Diskpart command-line utility on Windows 10.
Setting up GPT partition
Use these steps to set up a USB drive with a GPT partition:
Open Start on Windows 10.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result and select the Run as Administrator option.
Type the following command to open Diskpart and press Enter:
Type the following command to determine the USB flash drive and press Enter:
Type the following command to select the storage and press Enter:
Quick tip: Theselect disk 1
command as an example, but you have to replace 1 with the number of the flash drive you want to use.Type the following commands to delete everything from the USB thumb drive and press Enter:
Type the following command to convert the drive into a GPT partition and press Enter:
Type the following command to select the new partition and press Enter:
After you complete the steps, the USB flash drive from MBR to GPT format, you can use the steps below to create a bootable USB installation media to install Mac OS X.
Create USB install media
Use these steps to create a bootable media to install Mac OS X:
Download and install a copy of TransMac.
Quick note: TransMac is a paid software, but it has a 15-day trial solution, that give us more than enough time to move the DMG files to the USB drive from Windows. (If you want to support the developer, you can purchase the full version.)Insert the USB drive that you’ll use to fix your installation of OS X. (Remember that all the data in the USB will be erased. Make sure you take off any important documents.)
Right-click the TransMac software icon and Run as administrator. (You’ll be prompted to Enter Key or Run, because we’ll be using it once, click the Run option.)
On the left pane, you’ll see all the Windows PC drives listed, right-click the USB drive that you’re intending to use to reinstall Apple’s OS X and select the Restore with Disk Image option.
In the warning dialog box, click the Yes button.
Use the Restore Disk Image to Drive dialog box to browse for the DMG file with the installation files for Mac OS X Yosemite in this case, and click the OK button to create a bootable USB of the operating system.
Now, you’ll have to wait a long time. No kidding. It could take one or two hours to complete the process depending on your computer and other variables.
Once your bootable USB installation media is ready, remove it and insert it into your Mac, power it on, holding down the Option key, and select the USB you just created to reinstall Mac OS X.
If you’re having issues trying to create a bootable media, you can get a USB flash drive that comes with Mac OSX ready to install.
Want to learn how to create a bootable USB installer for OS X Yosemite?. Here is the complete step by step guide which you can follow on your MAC create the bootable USB disc. We all know that Yosemite OS X is the latest operating system form Apple, which comes with lots of new features and improvement. If you are interested in new OS and want to try it then sign up for the OS X Beta Program here, which will allow them to test the new OS, if selected.
Once you have the installation app for Yosemite (Install OS X 10.10 Developer Preview), don’t install it directly, other wise you will lose the file and can’t make the USB disc. To get started all you nee a *GB or above USB drive, Apple computer with Mac App Store (10.6.8+) and OS X Yosemite installer.
Create OS X Yosemite Bootable USB Drive
Step 1. Insert the USB drive or Disc on youir MAC and run the Disk Utility app from the Applications > Utilities folder.
Step 2. Now in the app select the USB drive and Selct the Partition Tab.
Step 3. Under Partition Layout, select 1 Partition from the drop-down menu. And enter the Partition information Name: ”yosemite”, Format: “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)”.
Step 4. Click the Options.. button and Select GUID Partition Table. After that hit the “Ok” button then “Partition” button.
Step 5. Now the partition process will start and this will take some time to format and making USB drive as a 1 partition
Now the USB part is over and lets move to the OS X Yosemite installer package.
Step 6. Go to Applications again and find the Install OS X 10.10 Developer Preview app that you downloaded.
Step 7. Right-click the installer and select Show Package Contents from the context menu. See the Screenshot below:-
Step 8. Now navigate to Contents -> SharedSupport and open InstallESD.dmg
Step 9. This will start the verify process on your MAC. Wait for some time…….
Step 10. Once the verify process is done you will see the Package Folder.
How To Make Bootable Pendrive Mac Os X Yosemite
Step 11. Don’t do anything with this Packages folder just yet. First, we need to unhide the files located in this newly mounted OS X Install ESD image.
Step 12. Launch Terminal.app to enter a command to unhide the file and folder on your MAC.
Step 13. Enter the below mention two commands one by one:-
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
killall Finder
Step 14. Now you will see three more files next to the Package folder (Step 10)
Step 15. Switch back to Disk Utility.app to select the partition name created in step 3. Leap office 64 bit download iso.
Step 16. Now drag the partition from the device list to the Destination box. Also, drag the BaseSystem.dmg to the Source path
Hit the Restore button.
Step 17. Now a new popup screen appears. From here click on Erase to start the restore process, then enter in your admin password and hit OK to proceed.
Step 18. Once the restore process is done, you will see a new window son your screen. Like the screen below:-
Step 19. Here, open the “System” > “Installation” folders and move the Packages file to trash.
Step 20. Now copy the Packages folder from Step 10 and paste it into the Installation folder that you just opened in previous step.
Step 21. Now Hide the system files again using this command on terminal window
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles NO
How To Make A Bootable Usb Os X Yosemite
That’s it!. To perform a clean install on your MAC, simply insert the USB drive that you created, power on the computer, and hold down the [option] key to access the boot selection menu. From there, select the USB drive partition, and follow the prompts to install OSX 10.10 on your Mac.