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Build a Bootable Rescue SD Card For Your Mac

David W. Martin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:24:32 -0600

The latest MacBook Pros and iMacs sport a new port, a Secure Digital (SD) memory card reader. The immediate assumption is that you will use the SD card slot for transferring videos and photos from a camera to the Mac. That's what a majority of users will use it for.

For the hardcore users out there, Apple decided to give the SD port super powers -- you can use it to build a bootable SD card. That bootable card can then become an awesome tool for performing emergency hard drive repairs, data recovery, recovering deleted files, and much more. This how-to will get you started on building your SD card offering you a few ideas along the way, but potential uses for this SD card are practically unlimited.

Difficulty level:
Medium

What you need:
> MacBook Pro or iMac 2009 model with built-in SD card slot

> Mac OS X installation DVD that shipped with your Mac.

> Recommended high speed 16GB or 32GB SanDisk Extreme III SD card; Minimum 8GB SanDisk Extreme III. Note: Other SD cards may work, but will be considerably slower. See this Apple support document for more information on compatible SD cards.

> Installation Disks for your favorite Mac OS X recovery utilities, applications or other tools.

> 90 minutes or more of free time.

Note: This how-to focuses on creating a personalized bootable rescue drive. You can use the retail Snow Leopard to create a bootable drive for any compatible Mac with an SD card port. Check with your OS X utility of choice to make sure it will work on a variety of machines after installation.

Create a Bootable SD Card

1. Insert the SD card you want to use into the built-in card slot on your MacBook Pro or iMac.

2. Launch Disk Utility from Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities

3. Select the SD card inside of the left pane in Disk Utility.

4. Click on Partition; then under Volume Scheme change it to one partition

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)

6. Click the Options button and select GUID Partition Table and click Ok.

7. Click Apply and then click Partition.

Disk Utility will prepare and format the SD card. Afterwards, you are ready to install Mac OS X onto the card.

Installing Mac OS X onto the SD Card

1. Insert the Mac OS X installation DVD that came with your MacBook Pro or iMac.

2. Double click the Mac OS X installation icon.

Note: The installation screen, for Mac OS X Leopard, will tell you that the installation will take approximately 11.6GB of space. This exceeds the space on an 8GB SD card by a wide margin. We'll resolve that problem shortly.

3. Select a Destination in this case that will be the SD card you prepared above.

4. Click Continue.

5. At the installation summary screen click Customize.

6. You will be presented with check list of items that will be installed. Uncheck all of the following: Printer Drivers, Additional Fonts, Language Translations, and X11. This will reduce a Mac OS X Leopard installation down to approximately 6.2GB. Click Done.

7. Click Install and Mac OS X will start to install onto the SD card. The installation will take an hour or more. Once it has completed click through any other screens that appear accepting the defaults on each one.

You are now ready to boot your Mac from the SD card. Restart your Mac while pressing and holding down the Option key. You will eventually be presented with the Startup Manager -- select your SD card and your Mac will boot from it as shown below.

Installing Your Favorite Disk Utilities, Tools and Other Applications

Once you've verified that your SD card is bootable you'll have to decide what applications you want to install and how you might need to customize Mac OS X on your new tiny postage sized Mac hard drive. Yes, believe it or not, your SD card is now a full fledged bootable Mac hard drive and it will act just like one. In fact, you can take it with you and boot any Mac of the same model as it was built on, which in this case was a 13-inch MacBook Pro.

We went to my software library and installed the following applications on our emergency SD rescue card: DiskWarrior, Drive Genius 2, FileSalvage, and TechTool Pro 5. They all installed just as they would normally, updated automatically, and accepted serial numbers as needed for activation. We then dragged their icons to the Dock for easy access after booting off of the SD card. In addition to that, we added icons for commonly used tools for trouble shooting: Activity Monitor, Console, Terminal, Disk Utility, and System Profiler.

From iMac to iPhone: A Video Trip Down Apple Announcement Memory Lane

Michael Delano — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:52:59 -0600

No one announces a product like Apple. To remind us of that fact, we've put together a video of Steve and company introducing products from the original iMac up to the latest iPod nano with video.

Never have the words, "One more thing," meant so much to so many people.

Enjoy the trip down memory lane.

Note: Be sure to turn up the volume of the video player. By default, it's on mute.

For fun, drop the products you've purchased that are announced in this video in the comments below.

MacBook Pros to Receive New Processors in the Coming Weeks?

Andrew Villa — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:46:50 -0500

According to an Applesana message board poster, there is a report that the newest build of OS X 10.6.2 10C531 contains references to new MacBook Pros. The current version of MacBook Pros are at 5_5, the screen shot shows MacBook Pros 6_1 and 6_2.

Could a new MacBook Pro be coming with the introduction of the 10.6.2 update?

There is also speculation that Apple Store Geniuses are being trained on the new Quad-Core processors, which could be in MacBook Pros. Delivery could be timed with the new intel Core i5 and i7 iMacs in November.

Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard Troubleshooting Roundup Two

David W. Martin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:37:31 -0500

Apple's Mac OS X v10.6 was released two weeks ago and for most of us the transition from Leopard to Snow Leopard went by without incident. However, we've spent part of the last few weeks scouring Apple's discussion boards and support site for solutions to problems people have been reporting with the upgrade.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.1 Security Content

The first update to Snow Leopard, according to Apple, only contains one security update. That update is an upgrade to Flash Player plug-in for Safari. The upgrade brings the plug-in to version 10.0.32.18. You can find more information about the plug-in at Adobe.com.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.1 Update

This update released last week and Mac|Life covered it here.

Problems with MAMP and MAMP PRO

Mac|Life recently published a how to for this incredible tool that you can use to design and code web applications that rely on a webserver running Apache, MySQL and PHP on your Mac. Problems with the older versions prompted the developer to release version 1.8.2 of MAMP and MAMP Pro that is compatible with Snow Leopard. You can download the update from the vendors website.

Installing Snow Leopard and finding 'System Events.app'

When we installed Snow Leopard Mac OS X v10.6 over v10.5, and then after restarting the last time, a window came up right after logging asking for us to locate 'System Events.app. '

We called AppleCare and asked about this issue and their advice was just to hit Cancel on the prompt. We did this and on subsequent reboots the message never reappeared. It was theorized that this belonged to some app that have been previously installed, but could not be identified. The file is part of Mac OS X and it is located at: System/Library/CoreService/System Events.app and appears in some user accounts in Account preferences under Login Items.

MacBook Pro Display Gamma Fix

We found a problem with how colors display on the latest 13-inch MacBook Pro models. The problem, with a suggested work around, can be found on Apple's discussion board. Expect a fix for this in a future OS update where appears to be an accidental omission of settings for a particular display panel used in 13-inch MacBook Pros.

Where are my ODBC and Server Admin Tools?

Snow Leopard does not include the ODBC utility as part of its installation so you must download and install it yourself now. In addition to that if you had the Leopard Server tools installed previously, their updates don't appear in Software Update. You must download and install them yourself if you still need them.

SuperDrive Update 2.1 Unexpectedly Quits

Apple has released a support document on what to do when running the SuperDrive 2.1 update that can affect your computer after it updates and then restarts. The fix prevents the Update from reloading and then crashing on subsequent restarts.

VoiceOver Command Changes for Snow Leopard

Apple has published a support document that details the differences in VoiceOver keyboard commands between Mac OS X v10.5 and Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard. OS X v10.6 includes new keyboard commands and support for standard gestures on Macs with a multi-touch trackpad. If you've used this feature previously you might find yourself having problems since two VoiceOver keyboard commands are completely different in Mac OS X v10.6.

MobileMe Sync Log Changed

If you are trying to troubleshoot MobileMe in Mac OS X Snow Leopard the filename has changed from "dotmacsync.log" to "mobilemesync.log" and it is now located in ~/Library/Logs/Sync ("~" equals your Home folder). This Apple support document gives you all the details including the steps needed to view the log inside of the Console application.

Apple Releases HP and Canon Printer Drivers

If anything Apple's Snow Leopard fails pretty badly out of the box for printer support. While it was a good idea not to load all those drivers by default, to save disk space, it turned out to not be such a hot idea. In some cases the system wasn't going out automatically to Internet or the Snow Leopard Install disk and getting the drivers when they were needed. Some of these problems were addressed in the v10.6.1 update and others were not. Now Apple has posted downloads for Hewitt-Packard (HP) and Canon printers.

MacBook Pro Owners Experience More Hard Drive Problems

Cory Bohon — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:20:34 -0500

MacBook Pro owners seem to be getting the shaft when it comes to hard drive problems. First it was the noises, which Apple fixed in a recent software update, but that update might have spawned another problem with the 17-inch MacBook Pro.

According to 9to5 Mac, many 17-inch MacBook Pro users are unable to upgrade their hard drives to SATA II disks after installing the update. From system crashes, freezes and other problems, people are annoyed that they are unable to upgrade their drives after the update. Some are reporting that the MacBooks don't recognize third-party drives when attempting to install OS X.

The fix? 9to5 reports that some Apple Genius Bar techs are using tools to reinstall a previous firmware version on affected MacBook Pros.

It will be interesting to see if Apple will provide another fix for these ongoing hard drive problems.

Apple Delivers 17" MacBook Pro HDD Fix

Cory Bohon — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:17:53 -0500

Apple delivered their 17-inch MacBook Pro hard drive fix today, relieving the many Mac users who heard the annoying clicks and beeps. We reported about the problems last Monday and Apple said they were working on an update. Several 17-inch MacBook Pro users with 7200 rpm drives reported clicking sounds followed by an unresponsive MBP.

Apple's "Hard Drive Firmware Update 2.0" supposedly resolves all the issues by "[reducing] certain infrequent noises made by 7200-rpm drives." The affected drives were shipped with the June 2009 MacBook Pros.

You can download the new firmware from the Apple Support Downloads website or through Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update). If you have one of the affected machines and find this update fixes it, be sure to let us know in the comments!

haul RON Sleeves

Ray Aguilera — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:38:10 -0500

Obviously, we’re big fans of MacBooks. We take them everywhere. And while Apple makes pretty sturdy gear, we’ll admit that we still like to give our machines a bit more protection. There are tons of laptop sleeves on the market, but unfortunately, a lot of them strike us as a bit—well, blah. Haul’s line of MacBook sleeves, on the other hand, are anything but boring. Made from recycled billboards, each is a one-of-a-kind piece that can transport your laptop in singular style.

Haul’s RON laptop sleeve is designed to fit a 13-inch MacBook, and there are JOHN and DIRK models sized for 15- and 17-inch ’Books. The sleeves feature a full zipper along three sides and are lined in soft black neoprene to cushion your Mac as you schlep it along during the day. There’s also an internal flap, which you tuck the computer into, to protect the long edge from being scuffed up by the sleeve’s zipper.

We'll probably never know what this billboard once said, but the giant letters left us with a cool striped pattern.

As nice as the inside is, it’s the outside that sets haul’s sleeves apart. They’re made from heavy-duty vinyl recycled from billboards. So rather than a standard array of colors, you can choose a one-of-a-kind sleeve in a wide range of strange and funky colors and patterns. Billboards are printed using dithered patterns to create full-color images from a limited number of inks, so the patterns can be quite abstract. While we were mesmerized by the thousands of dots of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks on our review model (and plenty of others you can choose in haul’s online store), control freaks and persnickety-types might not take as well to their nonstandard designs. But for folks with a certain design sense, haul’s sleeves are useful, eye-catching conversation starters.

Apple MacBook Pros

Ray Aguilera — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:27:08 -0500

Pee-wee MacBook joins the Pro family.

Like everything Apple does, the new MacBook Pro lineup spawned a great deal of Internet chatter among Mac faithful. Some welcomed the new 13-inch Pro with open arms, remembering the well-loved 12-inch PowerBook—and happy to have a small MacBook with pro-level features as an option. Others were less than pleased with the loss of the ExpressCard slot in most MacBook Pro models (see “MacBook Semi-Pro?” below), which Apple replaced with an SD Card slot in all but the 17-inch model. With no fewer than six different models available—not to mention BTO options—there’s a wide range to choose from. And with a $1,300 price spread across all the MacBook Pros, it’s clear that Apple is targeting the new Pro models at a wider audience than ever.

What’s the same?

The new Pro models all feature the aluminum unibody design—only the single remaining MacBook model still sports the white polycarbonate case. They all feature AirPort, Bluetooth, multitouch trackpad, iSight, and other standard Apple features. And for the first time, there’s a 13-inch Pro model. All but the 17-inch model sport a new SD card slot, which we found more useful than an ExpressCard slot, although we certainly understand the chagrin of Mac users who already have a significant investment in ExpressCard gear. The LED-backlit screens are beautiful, showing brighter, more saturated colors than the previous generation. We just wish Apple would relent a little and offer an option for matte screens once again.

The 15-inch MacBook offers an improved display, better battery life, and an optional discrete graphics card for demanding applications.

MacBook Pro models feature a new, nonremovable battery, which Apple claims can give you seven hours of “wireless productivity” on the 13- and 15-inch models. In our tests, Apple’s results held true—we were able to get almost all the way through the workday on battery power, under normal-use conditions. The drawback, of course, is that the batteries aren’t swappable, so if you’ve been holding out hoping Apple would bring them back, you’re still out of luck. Although for some, the increased battery life may negate the need to pack a spare anyway. In our power-intensive DVD rundown test, the 2.8GHz 15-inch Pro and the 2.26GHz 13-incher lasted an impressively long 3 hours, 39 minutes, and 3 hours, 29 minutes, respectively.

Choices, choices.

Since the majority of users will be choosing between 13- and 15-inch models—if you need the behemoth 17-inch model, you probably already know exactly why—we focused our testing on those machines. We were also curious to find out what an additional $1,100—the price difference between the entry-level MacBook Pro and the high-end 15-incher—nets you in the way of performance and features.

For day-to-day tasks (email, Internet, productivity apps), we found that the new MacBook Pros are all pretty sweet. They’re plenty fast, and the choice of what to buy will most likely come down to how much screen space you need—especially since RAM and hard drives are user-upgradable across the whole line. When we ran some of our more heavy-duty benchmarks, the differences began to stand out. The 2.26GHz 13-inch model sports Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics, as do all the MacBook Pros. On higher-end 15-inch models, however, you can choose to kick in the 9600M GT graphics card, which comes with its own memory. Battery life will take a hit, but for certain tasks, the performance boost is worth it. On our 2.8GHz test unit, we averaged 41.2 frames per second using Call of Duty 4 with the 9600M enabled, versus 24.4fps with standard graphics engaged (the 2.26GHz Pro model also hit 24.4fps). For gamers, video editors, and the like, the secondary discrete graphics card is probably a worthwhile investment, but everyday users don’t need to spend the extra scratch.

In our Photoshop Actions test, the 2.8GHz unit with 4GB RAM was 88 percent faster than its 2.26GHz sibling, which comes with only 2GB of RAM. This memory deficit was also apparent in our H.264 video-conversion test, where the 15-inch configuration was 32 percent faster. In our WAV-to-AAC audio-conversion test, speed gains were more modest, but the 15-inch model was 22 percent faster than the base MacBook Pro. Still, the base model posted respectable times across all our tests, and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a laptop that strikes a balance between power and portability.

MacBook Semi-Pro?

—Scott Rose

Does the new 15-inch MacBook Pro snub Pro users?

Although the new 15-inch MacBook Pro has the word “Pro” in its name, Apple removed its most pro-level feature: the ExpressCard/34 slot. The fastest interface on the machine, the ExpressCard slot passed data to the system at up to 2.5Gbps through its direct connection to the system bus, enabling blazing fast speeds and almost unlimited expansion capabilities. Compare this to a maximum speed of 0.36Gbps for an SD card slot, which could have been added for a miniscule cost with an ExpressCard adapter anyway. Professional videographers and photographers depended on the ExpressCard slot to connect eSATA drives (whose theoretical speeds could reach 3.0Gbps, while real-world usage usually hovers around 1.5Gbps), to add extra FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 ports onto their own dedicated buses without interruption from additional peripherals, and to add comprehensive card readers that could read dozens more types of cards than just SD. We hope that Apple brings back the ExpressCard slot to future 15-inch MacBook Pros. In the meantime, perhaps Apple should rename this machine the MacBook Semi-Pro.