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How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Posted July 21, 2011 at 9:15pm by iClarified
Chinese (Simplified)
These are instructions on how to make a bootable Mac OS X Lion USB install key.



Step One
Connect a 8GB or larger USB key to your computer then launch the Mac App Store from your dock.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]


Step Two
Click the Purchased tab at top of the window the hold down the Option key and click the Purchased tab again.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

**If you have not yet installed Lion then you can follow these instructions to buy it and begin downloading.

Step Three
Press the Install button for OS X Lion and wait while the operating system downloads. If the LaunchPad appears press the Escape key.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Four
Once the download has completed the Mac OS X Lion Installer will launch. Select Quit from the Install Mac OS X Lion to exit the installer.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Five
Click to launch a new Finder window from your dock.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Six
Navigate to the Applications folder and right click the new "Install Mac OS X Lion" icon then select Show Package Contents from the contextual menu.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Seven
Double click the Contents folder.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Eight
Then double click the SharedSupport folder
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Nine
Locate the InstallESD.dmg file then open a new Finder window by pressing Command + N on your keyboard.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Ten
Navigate to your Applications:Utilities folder then double click Disk Utility to launch the application
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Eleven
Select your USB thumb drive from the list on the left and click the Partition tab.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Twelve
Set the Partition Layout to 1 Partition, set the Name to OS X Lion, and set the Format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and then click the Options button.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Thirteen
Choose GUID Partition Table from the popup window then click the OK button.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Fourteen
Next click the Apply button to save your changes.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

When asked to confirm click the Partition button.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Fifteen
Once the USB drive has been partitioned correctly, select the new OS X Lion partition from the list on the left and click the Restore tab.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Sixteen
Drag the InstallESD.dmg file we located earlier from the Finder window into the Source field. Then drag the OS X Lion partition from the list on the left into the Destination field.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Seventeen
Click the Restore button then click the Erase button from the confirmation popup to begin building your install key.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Another popup will appear asking you to log in. Enter your administrative username and password then click OK.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]

Step Eighteen
When the restore is complete the Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key will be mounted and it will be ready to use.
How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key [Video]
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Comments (6)
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Keylon
Keylon - October 16, 2011 at 10:05am
If my problem was a Death Star, this atrcile is a photon torpedo.
Matias
Matias - August 18, 2011 at 3:00am
Does this work if i install it on a Mac OS X 10.5.8? it doesn't affect if i skip the snow leopard?
Guy
Guy - August 14, 2011 at 5:52am
Hi, As Apple have decided not to give with new laptops USB thumb drives for installation of OS X Lion (as they did with Snow Leopard), since people on the go might not have access to high speed internet when the system crashes, plenty of tutorials have surfaced about "How to Make a Bootable Mac OS X Lion USB Install Key" Such as https://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=16149 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2389178,00.asp These all assume you have upgraded to Lion from Snow Leopard thus purchasing the Lion on the App Store. Any ideas what people who have purchased brand new Mabooks do? As the system comes preloaded with the OS X Lion and it's not considered purchased on the App store. I think Apple's new policy to charge customers $69 for this thumb drive is wrong and outrageous since the price of the laptop includes a license for the OS!
Luis Ribeiro
Luis Ribeiro - July 23, 2011 at 12:22am
Does it really need to be 8gb pen? I follow this guide but the image is a bit less then 4gb! Can the partition be smaller?
luqshal
luqshal - July 21, 2011 at 10:24pm
nothing happen when hold down the Option key and click the Purchased tab again! any ideas? thanks
Mark
Mark - July 21, 2011 at 11:48pm
Hold the option key until the screen refreshes.
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