Forum Discussion
How can I make or create a macOS Sonoma bootable USB installer?
My dad's iMac was broken and unable to get into the device now. He tried to reinstall macOS Sonoma from the Internet Recovery but it did not work at all. How can I create macOS Sonoma bootable USB dr...
Using dd with a bootable macOS installer image to create macOS Sonoma bootable USB on Windows 10 is theoretically possible but practically challenging due to the differences in image formats and the way macOS installer images are constructed.
Key Points & Challenges:
- macOS installer images are often in .app packages, .dmg, or .iso formats.
- The .dmg or .iso may contain multiple partitions, filesystem types, and EFI boot files.
- Simply using dd to write a .iso or .dmg directly to a USB drive may not produce a bootable installer unless the image is an exact, bootable image designed for USB creation.
- To create macOS Sonoma bootable USB on Windows 10. macOS installer images are often not raw images but rather disk images that need to be properly prepared and configured.
Considerations:
- The image must be a bootable ISO/DMG created specifically for booting macOS installer.
- Direct dd writing may corrupt or make the drive unbootable if the image isn't prepared correctly.
- Partition structure and EFI files are crucial; many images are not set up for direct dd burning.
- Legal restrictions: Ensure you have the right to use and create installer images.