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To make a bootable OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) installer, restore the installer’s InstallESD.dmg image to a USB drive in Disk Utility, then start a compatible Intel Mac from that drive. This is a legacy, Mountain Lion-specific process: Apple’s current instructions for newer installers use a different Terminal command and do not list a Mountain Lion command.
What you need before you begin
- The complete
Install OS X Mountain Lion.appinstaller, normally in the Applications folder. Some later Apple download packages require extracting the installer app first; the extraction steps vary by package. See Macworld’s Mountain Lion installation-drive instructions and Apple’s guidance for downloading and extracting older macOS installers. Download availability and compatibility depend on the Mac and account; do not assume every Mac can obtain or run Mountain Lion. - A USB flash drive. Apple says 16 GB is enough for most earlier macOS installers; this is general guidance, not a Mountain Lion-specific minimum. The restore process erases the destination volume, so copy off any files you want to keep.
- A compatible Intel Mac. A bootable installer does not make an unsupported Mac compatible with Mountain Lion. Mountain Lion is not an Apple-silicon operating system.
Make the Mountain Lion USB installer
1. Mount the installer image
- In Finder, open Applications.
- Control-click or right-click
Install OS X Mountain Lion.appand choose Show Package Contents. - Open
Contents, thenSharedSupport, and locateInstallESD.dmg. - Double-click
InstallESD.dmgto mount it. It should appear in Finder asMac OS X Install ESD.
2. Erase and format the USB volume
- Connect the USB drive and open Disk Utility.
- Select the intended USB volume and choose the erase option. Set the format to Mac OS X Extended (Journaled), then confirm.
Check the selected destination carefully: erasing removes data from that volume. The exact Disk Utility layout can differ across OS X versions; the essential requirement for this historical workflow is a formatted destination volume.
3. Restore the image to the USB volume
- Select the formatted USB volume in Disk Utility and choose Restore.
- Set
Mac OS X Install ESD, the mounted disk image, as the Source, and the USB partition as the Destination. - Start the restore. Confirm the erase prompt and authenticate if Disk Utility asks. Wait for the copy to finish before ejecting the drive.
This version-specific method uses Disk Utility’s Restore operation. Do not substitute a createinstallmedia command intended for a newer macOS installer; Apple’s current command list does not provide a Mountain Lion command. Apple’s modern bootable-installer guidance explains that the supported command and steps depend on the installer version: Create a bootable installer for macOS.
Start the Mac from the installer
- Leave the USB installer connected and restart the compatible Intel Mac.
- Immediately hold the Option key as the Mac starts, until the startup choices appear.
- Select the OS X installer volume and continue through the installer.
Startup-key procedures differ on Apple-silicon Macs, and Mountain Lion cannot be installed on Apple-silicon hardware. A bootable drive also cannot override the target Mac’s OS compatibility requirements.
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Lexar D40E 128GB Dual USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C Jump Drive, Champagne Silver
- USB-C 2-in-1 storage OTG: The Lexar JumpDrive Dual Drive D40E features USB Type-A and Type-C connectors in a slim, portable form factor for easy device compatibility
- Transfer speeds up to 100MB/s: Based on internal testing, performance may vary depending upon the host device, interface, and usage conditions. 1MB=1,000,000 bytes
- Plug and Play: Widely compatible with USB Type-C smartphones, tablets, laptops, Macs, and traditional Type-A devices, no software installation required. The 360° swivel design allows for easy switching between connectors without the hassle of losing a cap
- Durable & Compact: The Lexar D40E USB memory stick features a metal enclosure, withstands temperatures from 0° to 50° C (32°F to 122°F), and is lightweight at 26g with dimensions of 70.4 x 16.9 x 11.7mm
- Security & Warranty: Securely protects files using an advanced security software solution with 256-bit AES encryption. Backed by a Lexar 3-year limited warranty
When a bootable installer is useful
A USB installer can help when other installation methods fail or when you need to install OS X on multiple computers. It is not required for every upgrade or reinstall: Apple notes, “You don’t need a bootable installer to upgrade macOS or reinstall macOS.”
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IMEASON Swivel Design 16GB USB Flash Drive with Keychain, USB 2.0 Portable Thumb Drive Memory Stick, FAT32 Format Flashdrive for Data Storage, Photos, Music, Files (Black, 16 GB)
- 【16GB Flash Drive】USB flash drives with 16GB capacity, meet your needs of daily use on work, school, home and travelling for photos, music, videos, files storage and transfer. IMEASON thumb drives can be used to store different files, easy to data backup.
- 【Metal Swivel Cap Design】USB thumb drive is metal swivel cover provides extra protection for the usb thumbdrive connector, no usb drive cap to lose; keychain design makes it easier to carry without worrying lose it.
- 【Wide Compatibility】USB drive supports Windows 7/8/10/11 / Vista / XP / Unix / 2000 / ME / NT Linux and Mac OS, also Supports USB 2.0 and 1.1 ports. USB Stick support TV, desktop, notebook computer, car, audio and other device. The USB Memory Stick is your great data storage and transfer companion with traveling and working.
- 【Easy to use】usb memory stick is plug and play without any software installation. Just simply plug the Flashdrive into the port of your USB-compatible devices such as computer, laptop to start data storage or transmission.
- 【What You Get】16 GB USB Flash Drive Thumb Drive, The default format of the usb storage flash drive is FAT32.
Rank #4
SIMMAX 32GB Memory Stick USB 2.0 Flash Drives Swivel Thumb Drive Pen Drive (32GB Purple)
- GOOD VALUE PACKAGE - 1 Pack 32GB Memory Stick USB 2.0 Flash Drives with great cost performance and high quality.
- BIG CAPACITY - The available capacity: 29.10GB-29.8GB, You can save the data of movies, music, photos, designs, programs, manuals, handouts in a high speed.Good performance in digital data storing, transferring and sharing with families, friends, workmates, clients and machines.
- EASY TO USE & PLUG AND WORK - Support windows 7 / 8 / 10 / Vista / XP / 2000 / ME / NT Linux and Mac OS, Compatible with USB2.0 and below.
- TWISTTURN DESIGN & EASY CARRY - The metal clip rotates 360° round the ABS plastic body which with rubber oil skin feeling finish. The capless design can avoid lossing of cap, and providing efficient protection to the USB port.
- WARRANTY & SUPPORT - SIMMAX logo is laser printed on the USB connector surface, our products are of good quality and we promise that any problem about the product within one year since you buy.
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2 Pack 64GB USB Flash Drive USB 2.0 Thumb Drives Jump Drive Fold Storage Memory Stick Swivel Design - Black
- What You Get - 2 pack 64GB genuine USB 2.0 flash drives, 12-month warranty and lifetime friendly customer service
- Great for All Ages and Purposes – the thumb drives are suitable for storing digital data for school, business or daily usage. Apply to data storage of music, photos, movies and other files
- Easy to Use - Plug and play USB memory stick, no need to install any software. Support Windows 7 / 8 / 10 / Vista / XP / Unix / 2000 / ME / NT Linux and Mac OS, compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1 ports
- Convenient Design - 360°metal swivel cap with matt surface and ring designed zip drive can protect USB connector, avoid to leave your fingerprint and easily attach to your key chain to avoid from losing and for easy carrying
- Brand Yourself - Brand the flash drive with your company's name and provide company's overview, policies, etc. to the newly joined employees or your customers
Rank #2
SANDISK 128GB Ultra Flair, USB-A Flash Drive, Up to 150MB/s Read Speeds
- High-speed USB 3.0 performance of up to 150MB/s(1) [(1) Write to drive up to 15x faster than standard USB 2.0 drives (4MB/s); varies by drive capacity. Up to 150MB/s read speed. USB 3.0 port required. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending on host device, usage conditions, and other factors; 1MB=1,000,000 bytes]
- Transfer a full-length movie in less than 30 seconds(2) [(2) Based on 1.2GB MPEG-4 video transfer with USB 3.0 host device. Results may vary based on host device, file attributes and other factors]
- Transfer to drive up to 15 times faster than standard USB 2.0 drives(1)
- Sleek, durable metal casing
- Easy-to-use password protection for your private files(3) [(3)Password protection uses 128-bit AES encryption and is supported by Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, and Mac OS X v10.9 plus; Software download required for Mac, visit the SanDisk SecureAccess support page]
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