HOW TO: Install OS X From USB Flash Drive or HDD Using XP

Hey everyone. This is my first post here and hopefully many of you will find this useful. The following steps wiill allow you to install OS X from a USB device without having to use a working install of OS X.

1) Download all required software: I made a zip file that contains hp usb disk storage format tool, win98boot files, and Leopard hd install helper v0.3 http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=b07527105d08b17e1f8e0fff488e27e0e04e75f6e8ebb871 you also need your favorite install .iso I suggest iATKOS 5i
2) Extract Downloaded Archive
3) Install hp usb disk storage format tool (SP27608.exe)
4) Plug in USB drive and open hp usb disk storage format tool
5) Select Device, FAT32 File System, Check Create a DOS Startup Disk, Select the bubble for "using DOS system files located at:", browse to and select win98boot folder and hit start
6) Once the disk has formatted open up Leopard HD Install Helper v0.3 by running ddmac.exe
7) Familirise yourself with the interface by viewing English_GUI.png which is included in the folder.
8) Select ISO image, uncheck write box, select USB drive (ignore any errors generated), recheck write box, click start.
9) DONT DO ANYTHING! Don't even move your cursor untill finished (about 10-15mins) or the program will freeze. If this happens go back to step 3 and start again.
10) Once the image is coppied to the USB drive reboot with device in.
11) Enter BIOS setup and change boot order to boot from your USB drive.
12) Your machine should reboot and load OS X installer
13) From there follow the install directions listed for your distro, iATKOS 5i instructions can be found here http://www.aspireoneuser.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=7802&start=0

Troubleshooting:
The only issue i have seen using this method is that you may need to uncheck the boot.ini box in Leopard HD Install Helper v0.3

Shout Outs:
I was able to piece these instructions together by reading through this board, the insanelymac eee and MSIWind forums and scouring google so the credit goes out to those guys i only put the info together all in one place.

Final Notes:
I hope that this guide is easy to follow and successful for all who give it a try. Also i apologize of this is a repost but i was unable to find any guide here, if this info is useful please post results b/c IMHO it saves time and money by not having to buy an expensive USB DVD R/RW drive. Mods, after we see some feedback this could make a great sticky to get people on their way to running OS X on these awesome little machines.

GOOD LUCK! and post any Q's you have and I will try to answer them to the best of my knowledge in a timely fashion (I am a microbiology major taking 21 credits and teaching 2 labs so I'm a little strapped in the time department. I'm glad to see that there is a great, active community here and would love to see it become a comprehensive guide to using and modifying the AAO

Looking Forward To Seeing Your Results And Feedback!

-Mike

 

I was able to follow this guide, with one exception. I had to omit selecting the startup files. I was using an external IDE HDD (6 GB IDE drive from an iMac funnily enough) connected over a usb/ide adapter.

after trying to boot and failing, I found the solution.

so I suggest adding this step

9a) after the iso has been dumped, open a command prompt. Start>>Run>>cmd
9b) type DISKPART
9c) type "list disk" and make note of which one is your external drive
9d) type "select disk" and your disk number, in my case "select disk 1"
9e) type "list part" and make note of the partition number, there should only be one
9f) type "select partition" and your partition number, in my case "select partition 1"
9g) type "active" to set the partition as the active partition.


after that I was able to continue using the install guide here http://www.aspireoneuser.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=10197

 

Here's the message I got.

I've been trying to load OSX on to this AAO for a good month now, and I've used Diskpart to change the ID of the one partition on this USB flash drive to af in the past. I've since reformatted and repartitioned it many many many times in a lot of different ways, but I'm wondering if the thing I did with Diskpart has managed to persist. Is there something I could change it back to? Thanks!

 

Your disk is formatted in ntfs format. Format it in Fat32 and the files will transfer fine. I just ran into the exact same problem.

 

Hm, doesn't work for me
Using Win XP in VM. External HDD with FAT32, but i get the same error with "Not HFS". Same with Vista native and I also tried with my 8gb iPod nano.

Any help?

 

I'd been formatting in Fat32 and it had done nothing. What finally did it was using Diskpart to set the id to 07 (which I believe is HFS), and it was happy. Then, once I got my drive ready, I set the id to af again. So it looks like somehow the id did manage to persist through all my reformattings.

 

Thank you! this is just what i needed and it worked 100%!!!!
now i dont have to borrow my friends mac everytime i need to do a reinstall =]

 

Worked like a charm for me too! Thank you

 

"list disk" cannot list my external USB key... :?:
It list me just my HDD.

But I can see my USB key with : "list volume"

who can I select the usb disk... ?

regards.

 

I followed all the points but, after the 9th I receive:

Image file:F:\iATKOS_5i.iso
Type: iso/hfs.
File size:2831122432 Bytes
Image size:2830565375 Bytes
Driver d: not empty,try another!
Dump image file to driver,please wait...
Change partition type to AF: not a HFS partition
Load boot1h: not a HFS partition
Load startupfile: not a HFS partition
Add boot.ini menu: Success
All done, have fun!

And nothing has been done!! How can I solve this problem?

 

is the flash drive formatted fat32?

 

I'm having the same problem. How exactly did you do this using diskpart? I can run it in command prompt but am not familiar with the diskpart commands and so don't know how to change the id.

 

I have the same problem too.
If I format my usb hdd with FAT32 and doesn't do the "HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool" step then "Leopard hd install helper" starts to copy the iso. But if I make it bootable with the HP tool and then run the hd install helper I get this:

Driver x: not empty,try another!
Dump image file to driver,please wait...
Change partition type to AF: not a HFS partition
Load boot1h: not a HFS partition
Load startupfile: not a HFS partition
Add boot.ini menu: Success
All done, have fun!

 

Has anyone does this with the ideneb's .iso? Should this work for ideneb's distro?

 

Just to confim, i have now try this process with the "iDeneb_v1.4_10.5.6.iso" image, and it does not work. This is what i get on ddmac log output:

Image file:C:\Documents and Settings\user1\Desktop\iDeneb_v1.4_10.5.6.iso
Type: iso/hfs.
File size:4629370880 Bytes
Image size:4516048895 Bytes
Driver f: not empty,try another!
Dump image file to driver,please wait...
Change partition type to AF: Success
Load boot1h: Success
Load startupfile: Success
All done, have fun!

When I try to boot up with this USB drive, my Asp.1 gets this:


H0000003F
]-00000041
=00000001
}*!-0077BFDF
=0077007E
Y

and does not boot. I have try 4 or 5 times now. Is this process only for the other distros?

Thanks for your time and help,
Nick

 

ok I've solved the problem; follow THAT guide:

1) Download all required software: I made a zip file that contains hp usb disk storage format tool, win98boot files, and Leopard hd install helper v0.3 http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=b075 ... f6e8ebb871 you also need your favorite install .iso I suggest iATKOS 5i
2) Extract Downloaded Archive
3) Install hp usb disk storage format tool (SP27608.exe)
4) Plug in USB drive and open hp usb disk storage format tool
5) Select Device, FAT32 File System, DON'T Check Create a DOS Startup Disk and hit start
6) Once the disk has formatted open up Leopard HD Install Helper v0.3 by running ddmac.exe
7) Familirise yourself with the interface by viewing English_GUI.png which is included in the folder.
8) Select ISO image, uncheck write box, select USB drive (ignore any errors generated), recheck write box, click start.
9) DONT DO ANYTHING! Don't even move your cursor untill finished (about 10-15mins) or the program will freeze. If this happens go back to step 3 and start again.
10) Once the image is copied to the USB drive, open un command prompt (as an administrator for vista) and type:
"list disk" without quotes;
then type the command "sel disk #(number of the usb external disk listed previously)"
then write "sel partition 1"
type "active"
type "SET ID=AF"
reboot with device in.
11) Enter BIOS setup and change boot order to boot from your USB drive.
12) Your machine should reboot and load OS X installer
13) From there follow the install directions listed for your distro, iATKOS 5i instructions can be found here viewtopic.php?f=14&t=10197 ; follow it by the point B - INSTALLING, PART 1


cheers!

 

I have not succeeded yet. Maybe it is because of my USB memory stick. But Stefanello correction is very helpful. I only want to add a precision that step 10. Before doing "list disk", you have to run "diskpart.exe" in command prompt (if not, list disk command will not be recognized).

 

:-( It doesn't work!
When I boot I see:

H0000003F
]-00000041
=00000001
}*!-0077BFDF
=0077007E
Y

I think it is because the "Leopard HD install helper" doesn't find the DOS system files on C:/ (option: boot.ini) and I don't know where to find those files in Vista.

 

I'm having the same problem. It because the newer distro's of OSX is not compatiable with "Leopard hd install helper v0.3". It looks like the newer distro's are using a different bootloader to boor program then the older ones.

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index. ... pic=110388

Nick

 

did you follow my tutorial under vista? Because I used a win vista x32.. If you want I can help you all guys; I can make an image of my external drive that can be booted with OSX on it; I could make it with Acronis True Image Home 10 and then upload it on some bittorrent site..

EDIT:

the acronis image is available:

http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4813225

if you are interested in, please keep this torrent alive!