How To Create A Startup Disk For Mac El Capitan

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The Disk Utility app received a major overhaul in OS X El Capitan, but Apple removed one key feature that is crucial to many Mac power users: RAID support. Thankfully, there's a workaround, at least for now. Here's how to create and manage RAID volumes in OS X El Capitan. Many Mac users like to make a bootable installer drive for installing OS X El Capitan, whether for performing a clean install, or for making it easier to install OS X 10.11 onto multiple Macs. We will walk through creating a bootable install flash drive from OS X El Capitan with the final public version.

This guide deals with how to make a bootable disk of either OSX 10.11 El Capitan, 10.10 Yosemite or 10.9 Mavericks. It is done via the Terminal from a command Apple introduced since OSX Lion called createinstallmedia , all you need is the original OSX app installer and a spare external drive to make a copy of the new OS installer on which you will be able to boot from.

This can be useful for downgrading an OS to an earlier version, some older machines don't run El Capitan that well which users discover after they have upgraded.

Getting the OSX Installer App

If you have previously downloaded either OSX 10.11 El Capitan, 10.10 Yosemite 10.9 Mavericks it should be in your top level Applications folder.

If it's not there check in your purchased tab of the App Store app and you can click Download.

Best free mac clean up app. If in the instance it already says ‘Downloaded' and it's not in your /Applications folder, first of all try a search on your machine for it, if still no go, launch LaunchPad in Applications and find the installer, in this instance ‘Install OS X Mavericks' and move to the Trash – now you should be able to download from the App Store app.

Attach your USB external stick/drive.

Launch the Terminal from /Applications/Utilities and enter the command below and then your password when prompted, be sure to change the ‘MyVolume‘ name in the below command to your external disk name.

OSX 10.11 El Capitan

OSX 10.10 Yosemite

How To Create A Startup Disk For Mac El Capitan Mac

How To Create A Startup Disk For Mac El Capitan

OSX 10.9 Mavericks

Mac hard drive on windows 10. Let it do its thing and it will say done when complete, there you have it one bootable Mac OSX 10 drive.

Whatever your feelings are about the 'download only' delivery method Apple imposes for its operating system updates you would be well advised to ensure you have a bootable version of the OS for future emergency use. Especially important as the installer automatically deletes itself once it has installed meaning another huge download if you need to reinstall.

By far the easiest way to create a bootable installation disk for OS X is using DiskMaker X from http://diskmakerx.com/. DiskMaker X is free app created with AppleScript that can be used to create a bootable install disk.

Download El Capitan from the Mac App Store

El Capitan is a free update to previous versions of OS X and is available from the Mac App Store.

Download DiskMaker X

Install DiskMaker X

Run the downloaded DMG file and drag and drop DiskMaker X to the Applications folder.

Run DiskMaker X

Run DiskMaker X and the first dialog box prompts you to select which version of OS X you want to make a boot disk for. The options include:

  • Mavericks (10.9)
  • Yosemite (10.10)
  • El Capitan (10.11)

Locating the Downloaded El Capitan Installer

By default El Capitan is downloaded to your Applications folder but it doesn't need to be in that location for the following process to work.

In fact the best practice would be to move the installer to a permanent location rather than let OS X delete it from the drive after installation.

DiskMaker X makes an attempt to locate the installer. However, if it can't find the installer or you would like to use a different version from the one it does locate use the 'Use another copy…' button and select the installer you require.

Choose a Disk Type

The penultimate step is to select the drive or device to be used as the basis of your installer.

Choosing the Output Location

DiskMaker will display disks it finds. Select the disk you wish to use.

Create the Installation Disk

Finally it's a simple matter of clicking the 'Erase then create the disk' button and waiting for the process to complete.

Administrator Password

The next step warns you to expect to be prompted to enter an administrator password and confirm you wish to continue.

Copying Files

Completing the Process

How To Create A Startup Disk For Mac El Capitan Installer

How to access screenshots on mac. When the copying is complete the installer is displayed in the Finder window.

How To Create A Startup Disk For Mac El Capitan 10.11

You're Done!

It's not a complicated process to undertake manually but you might as well save any time you can … all the better spent investigating the new options available in El Capitan.

How To Create A Startup Disk For Mac El Capitan Dmg

Watch the Process on Video

If you want to follow the process check out this video:





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