fittipaldi Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Hi all, I want to install Mac OS X on my Lenovo T61, but I don't want to delete (or touch in any case) my WinXP, since Mac OS X is still not supporting the Intel 3945abg. That's why I want to install it on a usb stick. The problem is that I don't have Mac OS X nearby and I can't use pacifist (is there a version for XP?) to make it smaller. My question is: If I buy myself an 8gb falsh disk will this be enough to directly install Mac OS X on it? Will the setup recognize it as a hard driver (Disk Utility I mean)? Thanks in advance for all answeres. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrupted Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 If you're going to install it on something external, why not pick up a cheap USB external hard drive? It'd have a longer life than a USB stick, and more space to boot, even if it'd be bigger in physical size.. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-585195 Share on other sites More sharing options...
fittipaldi Posted January 19, 2008 Author Share Posted January 19, 2008 Because it's more expensive than USB stick. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-585231 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzaw Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Because it's more expensive than USB stick. but not very much .... and youll get soooooo much more milage out of an external hd on usb example 8GB usb stick prices vs usb hd's external usb hd prices note the small 2.5" lacie drives ... if you want to keep to a smaller footprint im not advertising this dealer ... please find your own source ... its merely an example for a few £'s more you get soooo much more value for money and installation will be very much easier but always the choice is yours to answer your initial question yes - if your mobo supports usb stick booting but 8GB might be a bit tight Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-585286 Share on other sites More sharing options...
fittipaldi Posted January 19, 2008 Author Share Posted January 19, 2008 yes - if your mobo supports usb stick booting but 8GB might be a bit tight I think it supports it (not checked it exactly, but it's a new laptop so it must support it). What do you mean under "a bit tight"? I have installed a while ago a Mac OS X on a 6GB hard and I had 1.4 GB free I think. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-585339 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJMoose Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 If your system supports booting from USB then as long as you don't install anything but the basic system, you should be fine. I have Tiger on a usb stick, but that only requires 4.2gb...Leopard will pretty much fill up the stick. I don't think you'll have room to put iLife on there, although you might be able to fit iWork. Hey, if you've already got the stick...just try it and find out. What can it hurt? If you don't already have the stick, I would follow the other advice here and spend a couple more dollars on a cheap external usb drive. Much more flexible and even a 5400rpm 2.5 inch drive will be considerably faster than a thumb drive. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-585370 Share on other sites More sharing options...
fittipaldi Posted January 19, 2008 Author Share Posted January 19, 2008 First of all I think USB sticks are faster than HDDs. It's only a chip inside you know. Second, I need a Leopard, but if not I could install Tiger. I need it for some development, so I'll have also to install XCode ... Tiger + XCode = 8GB? Leopard + XCode = 8GB? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-585443 Share on other sites More sharing options...
macgirl Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Doesn't the usb sicks has a limit of writing times? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-585516 Share on other sites More sharing options...
fittipaldi Posted January 19, 2008 Author Share Posted January 19, 2008 Yes, around 10 000 000 times ... I don't need to use it as a primary OS, just for development a little bit. So as conclusion ... will Disk Utility in setup recognize my USB device as a disk??? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-585520 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlbrown23 Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I can't say for sure for your exact setup, but I can tell you that I was able to do a bootable install of Tiger on a 4GB USB stick with an IBM X40, and it worked great. The IBM/Lenovo machines seem to be pretty amenable to osx86. You have to hold down one of the function keys(F10? F12?) & sometimes have to alt-ctrl-del to reboot before the laptop sees the USB drive but not to onerous. And I would probably recommend going with Tiger at this point - I have been looking around about Leo installs on the IBM/Lenovos, and it looks like WiFi isn't working yet(but it is flawless on Tiger). The 4GB didn't give much wiggle room even for Tiger, you more or less had to stick with the basics or be out of space. With 8GB it would be fine, but Leo might be a little tough. I know the desire to have the latest and greatest is strong, but most of the good stuff is around in 10.4. The boot time is not all that great. I think that whatever gains you get from the SS you lose in the USB connection. One last thing - I pulled my hard drive out while doing the install. It's my work computer, so I didn't want to mess anything up. There were no problems with this - the installer recognized the USB stick & I was able to do everything without the HD in. Of course I was also doing the install from a USB DVD drive(no internal optical drive for the X40, so I am already prepared for the MacBook Air!), so there is a small chance that could make a difference. Good luck! Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-585733 Share on other sites More sharing options...
fittipaldi Posted January 19, 2008 Author Share Posted January 19, 2008 Thanks, for the long reply. I am interested, how could you unplug a hdd from a laptop? I am sure my wifi card is not workin in mac - Intel 3945abg. I'll buy me a stick on monday, so I hope I'll manage to install it. Could someone post how much does the basic installation of Mac Leo take? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-585832 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrupted Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 5GB is the smallest. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-585973 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlbrown23 Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 For the X40 there is just a screw in the front right corner(on the bottom). Just unscrew it & pull. I am not sure where it is on other Lenovo/IBM's, but usually you see a screw and section of the casing on one of the sides that is split away in a ~2.5" section. I almost have OCD when it comes to taking apart things that I own, so I usually figure this kind of thing out! The good news is that it has been a long time since I haven't been able to put something back together(or blown a fuse!). You might be surprised about your WiFi. I was doing some searching(I get a new work laptop in a month and I was looking to see if a T60 or an X60 was more osx86 friendly) and did see some posts about WiFi on the T models working in 10.4 (but not 10.5). So if wifi is important to you it might pay to take a look at JaS's 10.4.8(probably the most rock solid osx86 distro). If your heart is still set on Leo, I think that iAtkos is the smaller install(& for me the only one that worked right). Not sure how many Mac OS installs you have done, but be sure to uncheck install for printer drivers & X11 to save a little space. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-586201 Share on other sites More sharing options...
fittipaldi Posted January 20, 2008 Author Share Posted January 20, 2008 Yes, some of the Lenovo T-Series use Intel 4965 or 2200 cards, for which there are already drivers, so the WiFi works. Actually what I want to do is help the development team for 3945 driver, since that's one of the most used wifi cards today. And since I have some experience in Linux device drivers and a lot of experience in C++ I think I could help but I need Mac+XCode. OK, I'll try to find 10.4.8 but another question ... if I delete X11 wouldn't that leave me without a graphical system? I mean under Linux X11 IS the GUI? I have made a several Mac OS 10.4.7 JaS installs and always turn off fonts and printers ... Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-586245 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJMoose Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 First of all I think USB sticks are faster than HDDs. It's only a chip inside you know.Second, I need a Leopard, but if not I could install Tiger. I need it for some development, so I'll have also to install XCode ... Tiger + XCode = 8GB? Leopard + XCode = 8GB? Yeah, you'd think that! But not true in real life for OSX86. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-586330 Share on other sites More sharing options...
fittipaldi Posted January 20, 2008 Author Share Posted January 20, 2008 OK even if it's slower, as I said I wouldn't use it for primary work, I mean it's just for development in the next 2-3 weeks :censored2: . Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-586333 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzaw Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 fittipaldi a cheap usb stick will be no where near as fast as a usb hd even expensive ones struggle to match hd speeds the same is true for sd cf and other flash memory cards and the number of r/w cycles is far less than you think im still very amused and confused as to why you resist a laptop sized hd in a small external usb enclosure youd have max speed max space and no question as to whether something will fit or not total portability you could test multiple installations in different partitions and you can use it for backups later simply by spending £10 more but as ever the choice is yours Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/82421-mac-os-x-on-a-8gb-flash-drive-without-pacifist/#findComment-600823 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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