Build a Bootable Rescue SD Card For Your Mac

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Hardy1

September 09, 2010 at 5:46pm

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greiss122

June 06, 2010 at 3:23pm

Hi,
I think I found a mistake...
in step 5, the instructions say:

"Under Volume information type the following:
Name: MPB13_SD_BOOT (13 represents the model MacBook Pro)"

However, in the picture it says for the name of the SD card,

MBP13_SD_BOOT

Is that intentional?

And does this work with a new 15" macbook pro by changing it to MBP15 (or MBP15, whichever's right)?
Thanks!

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tattoogunman

May 07, 2010 at 6:38pm

I'm creating the USB bootable drive on my new iMac I received today per your article.  It's at about 3 hours now and it's still going - how long is this supposed to take???  I know you say 90 minutes "or more", but yikes........

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silsurf

February 05, 2010 at 12:00pm

The final solution is that you HAVE to be using the proper install DVD to build from (Duh!)

Which is outlined by Apple here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2186

As long as the DVD yu are using will indeed boot the Mac you are trying to create the SD card for, it should work great.

But remember:

Format car as outlined above
Reset "ownership and permissions" which is NOT outlined above, but talked about in the thread.

Only use a install disc that will indeed boot your system.

Henry

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silsurf

February 05, 2010 at 10:41am

I was trying to create a bootable external source for my iMac 27 and came across a pretty odd scenario. One that Apple iteslef says they have never seen before. Love any feedback on how to create a external bootable source. Below are my notes from the 45 minute conversation I just had with Applecare.

My iMac 27 purchased in December, 2010 Will not boot from:

Apple Factory Install DVD (white printed with Snow Leopard)
TechTool Pro 5.06 DVD
SD Card with Bootlable installation
EXT HDD with previous bootable (Leopard 10.5.9) system on it
eDrive on an EXT HDD

I had a 45 conversation with Applecare and the tech has never heard or seen a situation like this one.

Every source shows up if I hold the "option" key down upon power up.

Every source shows up in the System Prefs Startup window (though there was one oddity that he had not seen before. I have to authenticate each and every time I try to change my startup disk in the Startup Disk Prefs)

Every source other than the internal has the same result if I try to boot into it, gray screen with dark gray Apple logo, no gears running, no optical accessing, just the gray screen forever.

We reset my PRAM and tried again. No change

Then the Applecare tech had to get off the phone in order to do some further research.

He came back and we tried to startup from the DVD that shipped with my iMac, not the white factory Snow Leopard I got from Amazon, but the gray install DVD from Apple.

This one booted.

We repaired permissions and checked the internal disk from the Apple Gray Install DVD.

That is as far as the tech could go. He is sending me out a new copy of Snow Leopard, but is unable to support me in my quest to boot from an external source.

I am going to try and create a bootable external source using the gray install dvd instead of the commercial Now Leopard one and see what happens.

Thanks,

Henry

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silsurf

February 04, 2010 at 10:17am

I tried a second version while I wait for someone from Mac Life to clarify this is.

I named the SD card:

IMAC27_OS_BOOT

No difference. What happens is that I come back from having started the installation process from the Snow Leopard install DVD and the screen is just a gray screen with he dark gray Apple logo in the middle. I have to force a reboot and then the card is there, but it still does not show up as a bootable device in the Startup Disk System Prefs.

Henry

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silsurf

February 04, 2010 at 9:13am

I have a new iMac 27"

I purchased the exact SD card outlined in this article

I followed the instructions, except one step that is not clear and differs slightly between the print and web version of the tutorial:

Print version:

2 Make It Bootalbe
"under volume information, name your car (we called ours MPB15_SD_BOOT, the 15 denoting our Macbook Pro

This implies that you can name the SD whatever you like, but you named yours MPB15_SD_BOOT

Online version
5. Under Volume information type the following:
Name: MPB13_SD_BOOT (13 represents the model MacBook Pro)
Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Size: 15.59 GB for 16GB SD Card (accept maximum the default)

This implies that the SD card has to be exactly named MPB13_SD_BOOT, which leaves out what to do if you have an iMac 27 like me.

In any event, the SD card I created does not boot or show up in the "Startup items" list of the System Prefs. Before I start over I would like to clarify this important issue.

What exactly do I need to call my SD card on a iMac 27?

Thanks very much,

Henry Cline

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NosenDove

January 14, 2010 at 11:50am

Does not work for a Power PC.

It would be nice to be able to do it though.

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dre2662831

January 08, 2010 at 5:13pm

Do all of the programs that are listed in step 6 need to be added to the SD card?

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rexrzer77

January 04, 2010 at 3:24am

I found an A-DATA 16GB Turbo SDHC Class 6 in my camera bag for the Pentax equipment, that I'd forgotten about, and used that. Took about 75 minutes to do the whole deed. Pretty nifty! It takes a while to boot up, maybe 2 minutes vs normal 30-second boots in the new MBPro, but it do work! Thanks for the tip, just adjust your sights a little higher on the necessary GB for this install...with the newest MBPro's it's apparently 8.01GB space that is needed, and that doesn't work with an 8GB SDHC card.

rexrzer77

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rexrzer77

January 03, 2010 at 10:54pm

I was planning on using an 8GB SDHC Class 6 card for this little task, with the encouragement from your article in the current MacLife and the one here online...however...the SL installer for a new 13.3" MBPro wants 8.01GB minimum space to do this little job, not 3.6GB (your magazine), or less than 6.1GB (this article online)...so I don't know where you folks got your data but it won't work the way you all planned this out.

If there were any way to pare down the installer to less than 8GB I would do that, but the above is the minimum it wants with EVERYTHING unchecked in the options tabs, no fonts, no printers, no QT, no nada just the OS.

Please advise, thank you very much...I'd really like to use my 8GB SDHC card for this, as I have a spare and wouldn't have to go out and buy something new! Tell me how to do this, and I'll be forever grateful...but I don't know how it can be accomplished considering the situation here with this Snow Leopard installer for the MBPro 13.3" (brand new).

rexrzer77

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arcadial

December 31, 2009 at 1:37pm

It is doable with a USB flash drive; I did this with a Kingston 16GB USB flash drive using Snow Leopard, and it ONLY took just over 5-1/2 hours. If you do this, I'd recommend using the fastest flash drive available, or using an SD card which I understand only takes about 90 minutes.

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yitzhaky@me.com

November 29, 2009 at 7:44pm

I would like to know what happened to the so called two free magazines i suscribe Please dot waste your time and money purchasing Rescue Tool that software is JUNK

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SpaceTrucker

November 24, 2009 at 1:10pm

Why does it HAVE to be called "MPB13_SD_BOOT (13 represents the model MacBook Pro)" Why can't I just call it, "SNOW_LEOPARD" or "LEOPARD_105/106" or some other name?

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FineTunes

November 21, 2009 at 9:01pm

I have a SSD installed in my MBP instead of a HDD . Do the utilities that you loaded onto the SD card ie DiskWarrior, Drive Genius 2, FileSalvage, TechTool Pro 5, and Disk Utility work on a SSD? Is it necessary to optimize or defragmentize a SSD?

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keeyan

November 18, 2009 at 9:30pm

Does this appy for the aluminum MB?
Thanks.

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gregmeach

November 16, 2009 at 7:57pm

I have been using an SD card with an ExpressCard on my 15" MBP since Leopard. I also create the card after I get my laptop setup with a fresh install and and sync w/MobileMe. Once finished I use Carbon Copy Cloner, much faster than the whole repeat the entire install. It's amazing how much you can get onto a 16GB card and Snow Leopard is even smaller than 10.5.

Tip: When you install select only the languages, printers, etc you really need.

It's also very easy to keep updated, just boot with SD card and then run software update.

:-)

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darnocs

November 12, 2009 at 4:42pm

Ye, 'tis. This is basically possible with any type of external media, however an SD card is just small and easy to use. Your ExpressCard/32 slot should work.

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FineTunes

November 11, 2009 at 1:02pm

Is this possible with a 17"MBP  which has a ExpressCard/34 slot? I believe there's a ExpressCard/34 that you can plug in a SD card.

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MacMike1000

November 10, 2009 at 7:27pm

Just get the SD card adapter, no need for the Macbook Pro w/sd card slot.

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mac_daddy

November 10, 2009 at 4:41pm

Is it possible to do this with a USB flash drive?

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Quayzar

November 10, 2009 at 7:32pm

Yes, see above.

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kbounce

November 10, 2009 at 4:36pm

i wish i had waited a few months to get the macbook pros with the sd card slot. is it possible to do this using a usb stick?

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Quayzar

November 10, 2009 at 7:31pm

Yes you can do this via USB on any Intel Mac. In fact in the new MacBook Pros the SD card reader is actually just attached to the USB bus internally so it works the same as an external reader or your USB stick.

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kbounce

November 11, 2009 at 3:16pm

awesome. thanks for the info!

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