11 ms·

Run OS X from a USB Drive

89 points by patrickk 16y ago

Groxx 16y ago
I have a feeling they're doing things entirely incorrectly. 1) this is for Hackintoshes (should be in the title here, but isn't), and it uses a 10.6.2 hackintosh distribution, not your standard install disks. 2) they're using CopyCatX, a drive duplicator, instead of the disk utility. Does this matter? 3) CopyCatX is a $60 piece of software, though it shows it in what appears to be the disk image containing the portable 10.6.2 image... I wonder if this could be construed as supporting piracy. 4) If you're running on Mac hardware, you can just install to an external drive of any type, or image your drive to another, and it all works happily. CopyCatX isn't necessary there, why would it be necessary for copying a disk image in another case? It's an image.
- malnourish 16y ago
  Many LH posts support piracy, albeit indirectly.
- Zev 16y ago
  2) they're using CopyCatX, a drive duplicator, instead of the disk utility. Does this matter? It matters; Disk Utility doesn't create a bootable image.
  - borism 16y ago
    it doesn't matter $ man bless
    - Zev 16y ago
      It matters because you need the extra step and the article didn't mention doing so. Not that there isn't a way around it.
      - Groxx 16y ago
        Actually, it does: >Hit Options and make sure you're using the Master Boot Record option. Then hit Apply to format the drive.
        Zev 16y ago
        That doesn't say anything about making a bootable partition. Just that it involves the MBR (rather than EFI, which Mac uses by default), somewhere.
adolph 16y ago
I'm trying to imagine why anyone would find this useful. Does anyone have any idea?
- radicaldreamer 16y ago
  To repair your disk using DiskWarrior etc.
  - adolph 16y ago
    DiskWarrior has a live CD/DVD that has just enough OS to run DiskWarrior. A full distribution of OSX isn't needed. Thanks for reminding me that I need to update DiskWarrior for 10.6!
    - radicaldreamer 16y ago
      The Diskwarrior CD/DVD currently doesn't boot some 2010 Macbooks, even with the latest version. The only way to run it on these Macs is to boot from a SD card/USB key or in target disk mode.
- oniTony 16y ago
  Supposedly to "LiveCD" onto random hardware. I have lost my ability to function productively in a Windows environment...
- watchandwait 16y ago
  I would love to be able to build my own PC that runs OSX.
  - jacquesm 16y ago
    No need to, they sell them at the apple stores.
    - bane 16y ago
      Not the "build my own PC" part.
thought_alarm 16y ago
Short version: % sudo ditto -VX / /Volumes/My\ USB\ Drive
hackermom 16y ago
This is for "hackintosh" setups, just to point out. Mach/OS X itself, on a real machine, actually treats all block devices identically - without hacking around, you can boot a Mac off of anything, be it a USB stick, a harddrive attached over USB or FireWire, even booting one Mac from another Mac's internal storage by directly linking the two via FireWire (so-called Target Mode).
- GeneralMaximus 16y ago
  I've successfully installed Snow Leopard from a USB drive. You can also install it to a USB/FireWire drive. If you're particularly adventurous, you can put the installer on a partition of an external USB/FireWire drive and, from there, install it to a partition of another USB/FireWire drive. You will, of course, need a Mac to do all that. In some cases you might also need a working OS X install. EDIT: I realize everything I mentioned above is possible with a Linux distro, but doing this is far easier on a Mac. You just go to System Preferences, select a boot volume and you're good to go.
aristus 16y ago
Hey, cool. I used a thumbdrive as my primary Mac for a few months in 2009: http://carlos.bueno.org/2009/12/soul-of-portable-machine.html http://carlos.bueno.org/2009/12/soul-of-portable-machine.htm... It was pretty nice, not having to lug a machine around. But there were enough minor annoyances that I gave up. I think eventually your computer will be an image you carry around on your phone.
xentronium 16y ago
It's not that easy to launch a hackintosh. And to launch a snow leo hackintosh from a USB stick means to take your experience to a whole new level of pain. I'm fairly certain you should not try this if you value your time and aren't going to use this with a mac. And if latter applies, you don't need that guide at all, effectively rendering whole article pointless. YMMV.
- alnayyir 16y ago
  Tried to insist that I'd been there done that with Hackintoshes to a kid that saw me in the hostel lobby using my macbook and that it wasn't worth my time to fuck around. (Only reason I'm not using Arch or FreeBSD) He didn't seem to 'get it'. Maybe it's a contractor thing, I don't know.
NiloParedes 16y ago
Has anyone one found a solution for older Macs not running on Intel? I've been successfully with a firewire external HD but not a USB key. (The machine could still be useful with a USB.)

89 points by patrickk 16y ago

Groxx 16y ago

I have a feeling they're doing things entirely incorrectly. 1) this is for Hackintoshes (should be in the title here, but isn't), and it uses a 10.6.2 hackintosh distribution, not your standard install disks. 2) they're using CopyCatX, a drive duplicator, instead of the disk utility. Does this matter? 3) CopyCatX is a $60 piece of software, though it shows it in what appears to be the disk image containing the portable 10.6.2 image... I wonder if this could be construed as supporting piracy. 4) If you're running on Mac hardware, you can just install to an external drive of any type, or image your drive to another, and it all works happily. CopyCatX isn't necessary there, why would it be necessary for copying a disk image in another case? It's an image.

malnourish 16y ago
Many LH posts support piracy, albeit indirectly.
Zev 16y ago
2) they're using CopyCatX, a drive duplicator, instead of the disk utility. Does this matter? It matters; Disk Utility doesn't create a bootable image.
- borism 16y ago
  it doesn't matter $ man bless
  - Zev 16y ago
    It matters because you need the extra step and the article didn't mention doing so. Not that there isn't a way around it.
    - Groxx 16y ago
      Actually, it does: >Hit Options and make sure you're using the Master Boot Record option. Then hit Apply to format the drive.
      - Zev 16y ago
        That doesn't say anything about making a bootable partition. Just that it involves the MBR (rather than EFI, which Mac uses by default), somewhere.

adolph 16y ago

I'm trying to imagine why anyone would find this useful. Does anyone have any idea?

radicaldreamer 16y ago
To repair your disk using DiskWarrior etc.
- adolph 16y ago
  DiskWarrior has a live CD/DVD that has just enough OS to run DiskWarrior. A full distribution of OSX isn't needed. Thanks for reminding me that I need to update DiskWarrior for 10.6!
  - radicaldreamer 16y ago
    The Diskwarrior CD/DVD currently doesn't boot some 2010 Macbooks, even with the latest version. The only way to run it on these Macs is to boot from a SD card/USB key or in target disk mode.
oniTony 16y ago
Supposedly to "LiveCD" onto random hardware. I have lost my ability to function productively in a Windows environment...
watchandwait 16y ago
I would love to be able to build my own PC that runs OSX.
- jacquesm 16y ago
  No need to, they sell them at the apple stores.
  - bane 16y ago
    Not the "build my own PC" part.

thought_alarm 16y ago

Short version: % sudo ditto -VX / /Volumes/My\ USB\ Drive

hackermom 16y ago

This is for "hackintosh" setups, just to point out. Mach/OS X itself, on a real machine, actually treats all block devices identically - without hacking around, you can boot a Mac off of anything, be it a USB stick, a harddrive attached over USB or FireWire, even booting one Mac from another Mac's internal storage by directly linking the two via FireWire (so-called Target Mode).

GeneralMaximus 16y ago
I've successfully installed Snow Leopard from a USB drive. You can also install it to a USB/FireWire drive. If you're particularly adventurous, you can put the installer on a partition of an external USB/FireWire drive and, from there, install it to a partition of another USB/FireWire drive. You will, of course, need a Mac to do all that. In some cases you might also need a working OS X install. EDIT: I realize everything I mentioned above is possible with a Linux distro, but doing this is far easier on a Mac. You just go to System Preferences, select a boot volume and you're good to go.

aristus 16y ago

Hey, cool. I used a thumbdrive as my primary Mac for a few months in 2009: http://carlos.bueno.org/2009/12/soul-of-portable-machine.html http://carlos.bueno.org/2009/12/soul-of-portable-machine.htm... It was pretty nice, not having to lug a machine around. But there were enough minor annoyances that I gave up. I think eventually your computer will be an image you carry around on your phone.

xentronium 16y ago

It's not that easy to launch a hackintosh. And to launch a snow leo hackintosh from a USB stick means to take your experience to a whole new level of pain. I'm fairly certain you should not try this if you value your time and aren't going to use this with a mac. And if latter applies, you don't need that guide at all, effectively rendering whole article pointless. YMMV.

alnayyir 16y ago
Tried to insist that I'd been there done that with Hackintoshes to a kid that saw me in the hostel lobby using my macbook and that it wasn't worth my time to fuck around. (Only reason I'm not using Arch or FreeBSD) He didn't seem to 'get it'. Maybe it's a contractor thing, I don't know.

NiloParedes 16y ago

Has anyone one found a solution for older Macs not running on Intel? I've been successfully with a firewire external HD but not a USB key. (The machine could still be useful with a USB.)