Creating a bootable macOS High Sierra USB installer offers a convenient way to deploy the OS across multiple Macs without repeated downloads. This guide details the process, providing options for both startup and non-startup drive installations.
Prerequisites for a Bootable High Sierra USB Drive:
- USB Flash Drive (16GB minimum): A blank USB drive with sufficient storage is essential.
- Reliable Internet Connection: Downloading the High Sierra installer (approximately 5GB) requires a stable connection.
- External Hard Drive (Recommended): Back up your data before proceeding to avoid data loss. The external drive should have at least the same capacity as your Mac's internal storage.
- Time: Allocate about an hour or two for the entire process.
Preparing Your Mac:
Begin by optimizing your Mac's performance. Removing unnecessary files and applications using a utility like MacKeeper can improve efficiency before backing up.
Backing Up Your Data:
- Connect your external hard drive.
- Access System Preferences → Time Machine.
- Enable Time Machine and select your external drive as the backup destination.
- Time Machine will prompt you to reformat the external drive; confirm to proceed.
A detailed Time Machine backup guide is available elsewhere.
Downloading the macOS High Sierra Installer:
- Open the App Store.
- Search for "High Sierra" and download the installer. The installer ("Install macOS High Sierra") will be in your Applications folder. Quit the installer after download.
- If you've already upgraded, locate the installer in the App Store's Purchased section.
- Alternatively, use a direct download link (if available).
Prepare your chosen external drive (an SSD is ideal, but a 16GB USB drive suffices). Rename it "HighSierra." The system will reformat it for Mac compatibility.
Creating the Bootable Installer (Using Terminal):
- Connect the "HighSierra" drive.
- Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities → Terminal).
- Execute this command:
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/HighSierra
- Enter your login password.
- Confirm the drive erasure (Y/N).
- Choose "Don't use" when prompted about Time Machine backups.
- Wait for the installer to copy to the drive.
Installation Options:
A. Installing on Your Startup Disk:
This method erases all data on your main drive. Back up your data first!
- System Preferences → Startup Disk, select the installer.
- Restart, holding Command (⌘) R for Recovery Mode.
- Connect your bootable USB.
- Select "Reinstall macOS" from macOS Utilities.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
B. Clean Install on a Non-Startup Drive:
This safer method requires a second drive or partitioned volume.
- Use Disk Utility to erase the target volume.
- Download the High Sierra installer.
- Launch the installer, click "Show All Disks," and select your prepared drive.
- Follow the installation instructions.
After installation, restore your data from your backup. For a more general guide on creating macOS bootable USBs, refer to other resources. Maintaining sufficient free disk space is crucial; use MacKeeper's Safe Cleanup to optimize storage.
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