Last updated: Apr. 12, 2017
Until macOS 10.15 Catalina, Mac users knew: their startup volume was a single volume, just as it appeared! (Okay, for Fusion drive users, there are two physical drives managed by software to.
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As a Mac fan, you know the significance of data backups. Time Machine, Apple's built-in backup software, makes it easy to save multiple copies of your Mac data to an external hard drive (HDD or SSD) or to an AirPort Time Capsule. There are also dozens of online backup services you can choose from if you prefer not to carry a physical drive around.
- Dec 03, 2019 When it comes to the cloning topic, what do you expect from the process? If you are planning to clone Mac hard drive to SSD, let us take a close look at what is the cloning process all about.Generally, it is recommended to clone the hard drive of your Mac in case you decide to upgrade the hard drive with a solid state drive (SSD), replace an old or corrupted drive with a new one or if you are.
- Apr 26, 2016 Once it is available to the guest OS you can then go to the Utilities tab within your OS X installer and select 'Disk Utility' and from there you can clone from the USB drive to your virtual drive. Once the clone is finished you can then exit Disk Utility, exit the installer and reboot your machine into the cloned version on the VM.
Aug 07, 2019 Therefore you can clone GNU/Linux, MS windows, Intel-based Mac OS, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Minix, VMWare ESX and Chrome OS/Chromium OS, no matter it's 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x86-64) OS. For these file systems, only used blocks in partition are saved and restored by Partclone. Cloning Mac drive is a good way to keep your entire Mac in your pocket. Although via disk utility Mac drive can be cloned but that will not be a bootable clone. So there are many reliable software like Stellar Drive Clone, CCC etc. For creating a bootable clone of Mac OS X with in few clicks.
But, let's be honest, when data loss disaster strikes, are you going to be patient enough sitting in front of your Mac for hours even days (yes, it can take that long) only to wait for the recovery process to complete? We bet you won't, right? How about online or cloud backup options? The main drawback is that it would take ages to finish backup if your Internet connection is slow.
So is there any better backup solution out there? There is — clone your Mac hard drive!
We recommend Stellar Drive Clone, a fantastic Mac utility that is designed for this purpose. The app makes Mac disk copy much easier and best of all, it enables you to perform immediate recovery whenever you need.
In short, this Mac drive clone tool stands out for efficiency. That's all what we need, isn't it?
Why Clone Mac Hard Drive & When You Need It?
In the nutshell, cloning your Mac hard drive provides you with additional secure backups and saves you time restoring the data if needed, especially when your main boot drive fails to start and you are unable to enter the first screen of the desktop.
Like any other types of storage media, hard drives just come and go. In particular, if your Mac is equipped with a spinning hard disk drive, somehow its life tends to end earlier compared to an SSD (solid-state drive). If your Macintosh HD fails, it could cause a number of problems — one of which is data loss. Even if you have set up Time Machine backups, most likely you still need a trip to Apple Store or a computer repair shop because you'll need to set up a startup disk that contains macOS operating system.
In fact, I learned the lesson the hard way. One day my mid-2012 MacBook Pro hard drive died, and I couldn't turn on my Mac after pressing the start button. Then I scheduled an appointment with Apple Genius bar and took the machine for a diagnosis. It turned out the 750GB Hitachi hard drive was totally down, based on what Apple Mac technical support guy said. I was instructed to purchase an SSD drive from Crucial online. I did it. But that was not all. When I successfully replaced the dead hard drive with the new SSD, I realized that I didn't have a Mac reboot disk. Another trip was made to Apple Store and the guy installed OS X El Capitan for me. Ah...it was not over yet. Since I had Time Machine backups, I had to select a snap and restore all my data. Oh mine, it took me almost an entire day!
Lesson learned the hard way — Time Machine is not that efficient to restore data. That's why I'd strongly encourage you to try cloning your Mac hard drive just in case.
Mac Drive Clone App: What to Look for?
- Security: this is the number one thing you need to make sure when using any apps on your Mac. Sure, Macs are less prone to viruses and malware. But it's no longer the case. There are annoying adware bundled in the programs you install. They tend to slow down your Mac system as well as cause other damages.
- Reliability: a great Mac cloning app should be able to perform several standard functions such as create an exact, identical replica of any Mac disk, clone drives formatted with Master Boot Record (MBR) partition, and quickly extract volume image file to recover all your data, etc.
- Compatibility: it must be compatible with all commonly used OS X versions including latest macOS Sierra. Also, it should support operations on Macs with either a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD).
- Ease of Use: the software must be easy and simple to use, even if you are not experienced at all with Apple macOS operating system.
What's The Best Hard Drive Clone Tool for Mac OS X?
Stellar Drive Clone stands out for two reasons: it's powerful, and simply to use. The app supports cloning OS X Yosemite/El Capitan/Sierra boot volume including Recovery HD, which ease your life in case your Mac hard drive is totally down. Besides Macintosh HD, you can also use it to clone an exFAT-formatted drive. Here's a screenshot.
Chris is a computer geek for a decade. He loved talking to computers via codes, and now he finds it more interesting communicating with the real people. He now writes everything related to computer issues and loves helping people solve problems.
Jul 10, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
Creating a bootable drive for your Mac certainly seems to be a wise decision to make. Even though MacOS recovery partition can take care of all your recovery requirements in times of need, it’s still worthwhile to have a bootable installer.
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Why Do You Need to Create A Bootable Drive For Your Mac?
- The Mac installer gets deleted as soon as you download it and use it by installing the Mac operating system. Once the installer gets deleted, it means that you can no longer use it to install the MacOS on another Mac device. You will have to again download the installer on the latter Mac to install the MacOS. This can take a lot of time and become inefficient if you have multiple Macs.
- Clean installs can be performed by installers which are very helpful in overwriting your start-up drive. You can also use this function for other troubleshooting issues as well.
- When you have a bootable installer, it ensures that you are well guarded in an emergency scenario by making use of some of its helpful utilities.
- A bootable installer can allow you to install an earlier version of MacOS and also let you temporarily boot into the previous version of the MacOS.
What Do You Need Before Creating Your Bootable Drive?
Before you begin the process, you will need the following:
- USB Stick / External Hard Drive: If you are planning to use a USB for downloading the bootable version of the installer, make sure that it is 8GB in size or larger than that. In the case of Sierra, 12GB is recommended as the minimum requirement. Ideally, 32GB to 64GB is a good size to have as it is not only cost-effective but also gives a better performance. In the case of an external drive, you can use any spare one that you are not going to use for any other work.
- Download MacOS High Sierra Installer: It is important to note that once you have downloaded the installer, it will begin with the installation process on its own. You can close the installer just like you quit any Mac app. In the case of the macOS version being older than the current one, you can click on ‘ok’ once the message flashes that the version is too old to install. You can find the old installer file in your ‘Application Folder’. Don’t forget to take a backup of your Mac to be on a safe side.
Part 1. How to Create a Bootable Drive Using Terminal
There are two ways of creating a bootable copy of the installer. You can either use Terminal or get the job done through a free software like Recoverit to do it for you. First, let us look at how to create a bootable drive using Terminal.
Steps to create a MacOS Siera beta boot disk:
- The first step in the process is to connect your external hard drive to your Mac. You need to name your external drive ‘untitled’ for the Terminal command to work.
- Launch Terminal. You can find this in the 'Utilities' folder of your Applications folder.
- Copy the following instructions now:
- In this step, you have to paste the copied instruction on the screen by going back to the Terminal.
- You will be required to feed in your user password now and then hit ‘Return’.
- Now, the Terminal will ask for your permission to erase the drive. To continue, type ‘Y’ and again hit return.
- After the Terminal has erased your drive, your Mac will prompt you if you wish to use the drive for Time Machine. Click ‘Don’t Use’.
- Next, the installer file will be copied by the Terminal to your drive. This might take some time, so be patient.
- Once the copying is completed, a ‘Copy complete’ message will be displayed on your screen. You can now quit the Terminal and use your drive.
sudo /Applications/Install macOS Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS Sierra.app
Part 2. How to Create Bootable Media for Mac with Recoverit Mac Data Recovery
Recoverit Mac data recovery software is one of the most impressive and easy-to-use data recovery software in the market, and it has lots to offer with its varied utilities and functions. With Recoverit to create bootable media, you can access your system easily without the need to reinstall the MacOS to recover your lost data.
Step 1 Launch Recoverit and get to select 'Computer Crash Recovery'. Click 'Start'.
Step 2 Choose your connected external hard drive as the bootable media, and click 'Start'. You will receive a requirement of formatting the device. Before the formatting, remember to back your drive data up.
Step 3 Wait for a while, and Recoverit will format your drive and start creating the bootable media.
Step 4 Once it finishes, follow the next steps to restore data back.
Part 3. How to Set the Computer Boot from the Bootable Media
Step 1 Connect your external drive to your unbootable Mac.
Step 2 Press down on the ‘Option’ key after restarting your Mac.
Step 3 Once the booting has finished, your Mac will display the Startup Manager to show you the available boot drives. Select your external hard drive and hit ‘Return’.
Step 4 If you want to install Sierra but keep your data untouched, you can select 'Install OS X'. However, if you wish to delete all your data, then you can select Disk Utility to format the entire drive and wipe away all your data to reformat the internal drive first and then install MacOS Sierra.
You now have a bootable copy of the MacOS Sierra installer, and you can use it on multiple Macs to install the Mac OS. If you are familiar with the command line, you can opt to create a bootable drive using Terminal. For others, you can simply opt for reliable Mac hard drive recovery software like Recoverit and assist you in recovering your data as well from crashed systems in case of emergencies.
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