Mac Usb Startup

What is control alt delete on a mac. Dec 21, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

A Universal Serial Bus or USB Drive, also known as a flash drive is a portable data storage device that includes a memory which includes a USB interface. It is typically removable and much smaller than an optical disc. Any sort of data can be stored in this device. The drives are available in various sizes and as of to date, the 2TB(Tera-Byte) flash drives in terms of storage capacity are the largest ones available in the market.

Today, these drives are one of the most consumed used devices in the world. Thanks to their portable nature, affordability, and compatibility, USB drives are being used to send and receive endless information across a surplus of networks and platforms all around the globe. This small tool has opened the world to a stream of limitless options with respect to storing, transferring, copying data, and much more. One of them includes Booting the Mac from such a device.

Part 1. Reasons for Mac Boot from USB

Booting the Mac from USB in a way gives the power back to the user. The likeliest of the reason for choosing the boot from the USB method is that your Mac won't start which denies the user access to the computer. Using an external source like the USB drive helps the user get around the problem. It provides the user access to the contents of the internal drive, assuming the data is safe and not corrupted. It also helps to repair the Mac disk with Disk Utility and other tools. Here are the top reasons why the user should choose to Boot Mac from USB:

• Allows the user to install a different version of macOS.
• It allows the user to test a new version before you make the decision to upgrade.
• Allows risk-free testing of the Beta version.
• Faster and efficient.
• By installing older versions through USB, it permits certain Apps to run which are not compatible with the latest macOS.

During the Safe Boot, your Mac performs a directory check of your startup drive. If the drive directory is intact, the OS continues the startup process by loading only the minimum number of kernel extensions it needs to boot. If your Mac successfully starts up in Safe Boot mode, try restarting your Mac again in normal mode. Reset USB ports on Mac to detect a USB drive Step 1. Restart Mac computer, press the Command +Option+P+R keys until the Apple logo appears. The goal is to upgrade a Mac's hard drive to an SSD. Paint app for mac. Is it possible to boot Clonezilla from a USB stick on a Mac (iMac 2007/Mac 7,1) to clone a mechanical HDD to a SDD?I do not have access to the target machine in my home / office and will have very limited amount of valuable time on the target machine.

Part 2. Preparations for Booting Mac from USB

To ensure a risk-free procedure certain measure should be taken:

• The user should buy a name-brand flash drive.
• The USB should contain 16-32GB of free space.
• The user should scan the flash drive with some reputable Anti-Virus software.
• The user should check to see what size of ports they have on the Mac. A 12' Mac only contains a single C-Type port.
• Make sure to purchase the C port flash drive to avoid any inconvenience.
• It is advised that the user should go with a USB 3.0 supported drive, with a size of 16GB to ensure a swift transfer of data.
• The USB drive should be formatted with a supported GUID partition.
• It should contain an OS X installer or a usable operating system to work with.

Part 3. How to Create Bootable USB on Mac

There are a few general guidelines that can help get your machine started which are mentioned above, regardless of the OS the user prefers. Here are the methods to create a bootable USB drive on Mac.

Creating a Bootable USB Using Terminal

The terminal is the default gateway to the command line on a Mac. It is just like the Command Prompt feature works for MS Windows. The Terminal feature ensures a hassle-free experience for the Mac user without the conventional pointing and clicking, the user just has to type the commands and the computer does the rest. The user can find Terminal in the Applications > Utility folder or it can be checked in the finder utility.

Using the Terminal feature is the most simple way to create the bootable USB drive. The user just needs to follow one easy step which is renaming the MyVolume portion of the command with the name of the drive. The name of the drive can be changed using the Disk Utility of Mac. Here are the steps required after opening the Terminal feature to create a bootable USB drive.

• Copy and paste the command which is suited for the version of the operating system into the Terminal window.
• The command for MacOS Mojave is as follows:
  sudo/Applications/InstallmacOSMojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume/Volumes/MyVolume
• Press the Return key.
• Enter the password.
• Confirm to erase the USB drive by typing Y followed by the Return key.
• The terminal will erase all the data inside the drive and create the bootable USB drive.

Mac tool box warranty. If there is a need to install a different version of the operating system then the user just has to replace the above-underlined command with their desired version of OS. For example, if the user wants to install Mac OS Sierra instead of Mojave then they would have to replace 'Mojave.app' with 'Sierra.app' inside the command line.

Part 4. How to Boot Mac from USB Media

After creating a bootable USB drive, the user simply needs to plug the created drive into the open port on the Mac. Here are the steps to boot Mac from the USB flash drive:

• Power on the system.
• Press and hold the Option (Alt) key on the keyboard when the computer starts.
• Select the USB drive as a startup disk when the option appears.
• The system will start the boot process off the USB drive.
• Install the operating system from the macOS utilities.
• Data can be restored by using the Time-Machine backup option.

Video Tutorial on How to Boot Mac into Recovery Mode

Part 5. How to Recover Data from Unbootable Mac

The Mac becomes unbootable when the BIOS which is a firmware that is used to perform hardware initialization during the booting process fails to recognize the startup process. It usually happens when there is a failed system update, system crash, damaged MBR, or when the drive becomes corrupt.

Recoverit Mac Data Recovery software is the most efficient option to recover all the lost data when Mac becomes unbootable. Developed by Wondershare, Recoverit is one of the most preferred recovery tools in the world. The tool provides an instant preview of what is recovered after a detailed scan. It allows us to connect almost every type of portable device and recover data from them. Data can be restored by performing the recovery and repair process. The process involves the installation of the Recoverit software that offers users the chance to get back the important data that they had lost.

Step 1. Create a Bootable Media

To recover data from an unbootable Mac, you need to create a bootable media first.

• Installation: Please Install Recoverit by clicking on the icon.
• Select an option: For your crashed Mac, please choose the 'Computer Crash Recovery' option.
• Initiate Recovery Process: Click on 'Start' for the recovery process to launch.

• Create Bootable Drive: Select the 'Create USB bootable drive' option and click on 'Create'.

• A pop-up dialogue will appear that will prompt the user to format the USB drive.
• Format the Drive: Click on 'Format' Now.
• Recoverit will show you the process of formatting the USB drive and creating a bootable drive.

• After a while, the bootable drive will be built up. And please follow the guides which Recoverit shows you.

Step 2. Recover Data from Crashed Mac

Here are the following steps required to recover data from an unbootable computer.

1. Select the Location

When you launch Recoverit, you can select a location to scan. In this case, we will be performing data recovery on Mac's internal hard drive (Macintosh HD) instead of any other connected source.

2. Scan the Location

As soon as you would click on the 'Start' button, Recoverit will take the needed steps for data extraction. If you want positive results, then try not to close the application in between.

3. Preview and Recover

When the data recovery process is completed, the application will display the results on the interface. You can go to any category of your choice from here and preview the retrieved content. Make the needed selection and click on the 'Recover' button to save your files to a secure location.

All hope gets lost when the computer becomes unbootable and the data gets deleted. Recoverit recovery software is the most convenient program when it comes to retrieving lost data from the computer.

Installing the macOS from a USB flash drive gives the user an instant solution when the Mac installer due to some reason refused to work. The method to create a bootable drive is easier than it sounds. Now, you know what to do whenever you want to upgrade your macOS from a bootable external source by following different methods to ensure a safe and hassle-free process. If you lose valuable data when the Mac becomes unbootable then you can easily recover the lost files by using the Recoverit recovery software. Recoverit guarantees data recovery in no time.

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Mac is a good option for whatever purpose you wish to use it. It won't let you down, most of the times. However, there are some instances when your Mac will pose a certain issue and stop starting up properly. In this case, being familiar with the Mac Startup keys can help you a lot. Therefore, in this post, I will demonstrate everything you need to know about the 20 Most Important Mac Startup Keys. After knowing about them, you can use them anytime you need and get rid of the unwanted trouble.

Let's begin our quest to learn about the Mac Startup keys.

Contents

• 1 What are Mac Startup Keys
  • 1.2 Some important things to remember

What are Mac Startup Keys

For a basic definition, using Mac startup keys simply means pressing a key or holding a combination of keys during startup to access certain features that are available at the time of booting.

Usually, your Mac works completely fine. Until the moment, it refuses to start up properly due to an unexpected system error, a poorly behaving app, a corrupted system component and some other threat. Also, if you consider a situation other than this, different people have different needs for starting up their computer.

As an example, you could be a geek who dual boots between OS X and Windows on a regular basis. On the other hand, there are users who want to boot a Mac from a disk other than their designated startup disk. Or, you are a casual user looking to isolate the cause of a software problem in the Safe Mode or, boot right into Recovery OS as the last option.

There can be several other scenarios too. Knowing about the Mac Startup keys will help you in all these situations.

20 Important Mac Startup Keys & Combinations

This is a quick guide of the keyboard shortcuts you can use to access useful Mac OS X features which are only available at the time of booting.

If you want to boot your Intel-based Mac into any of OS X's inbuilt startup modes, you must press and hold one or more keys detailed below after turning on the computer. Make sure you press the keys immediately after hearing the startup sound unless some other way is specified.

• Power (⎋): Manually restart
• C: Boot from CD/DVD
• Option (⌥): Startup Manager
• Command (⌘)—S: Single-User Mode
• T: Target Disk Mode
• Command (⌘)—V: Verbose Mode
• Shift (⇧): Safe Mode
• Command (⌘)—R: Recovery OS
• Command (⌘)—Option (⌥)—R: Internet Recovery OS
• D: Apple Hardware Test
• Option (⌥)—D: Apple Hardware Test over the Internet
• N: Boot from NetBoot server
• Option (⌥)—N: Boot from NetBoot server using the default image
• Media Eject, F12, mouse button or trackpad button: Eject removable media
• X: OS X Startup Volume- It will start up your Mac from an OS X startup volume when it'd otherwise boot from a non-OS X volume, like a Windows partition.
• Hold down the Shift (⇧) key after clicking the Log In button in OS X's login window until the desktop appears: Prevent Login Items from opening- It will override your current settings and prevent Login Items and Finder windows from your last session from opening when you log in.
• Hold the left Shift (⇧) key after OS X's boot progress indicator appears: Prevent automatic login- If you enabled the option to automatically log a specific OS X account every time your Mac starts up, you can override this setting with this shortcut.
• Command (⌘)—Option (⌥)—P—R, then release the keys after you hear the startup sound for the second time: Reset PRAM/NVRAM
• Shut down your Mac, and then press and hold the left-side Shift (⇧)—Control (⌃)—Option keys along with the Power (⎋) button, all at the same time, until the computer turns on. Now release the keys and then turn your Mac back on using the power button: Reset SMC

Some important things to remember

Create Mac Startup Usb

There are certain things which you should remember and know when you want to use the Mac Startup keys. These will make sure that you don't mess things up and also make you inform against the incoming issues. An aspiring pro should always acquire additional information. Take a quick look at these.

The Startup Sounds

You should never turn the volume all the way down before restarting your Mac. Hearing the startup tunes other than the familiar startup sounds is the initial step in determining what might be causing issues that your computer is experiencing.

Other than the diagnosis part, Startup sounds are also important for using some of the Mac Startup keys. So, you should always keep the Startup chimes up to the audible stages.

Startup Key Combinations Not Responding

There are some Mac notebook models on which the startup key combinations might not respond under certain situations. For example, if you are using an early-2015 12-inch MacBook model and have an Apple's Bluetooth keyboard connected to it, these key combinations will not work on your wireless keyboard.

To solve this problem, you can simply use the MacBook's built-in keyboard to get to Startup Manager, Recovery Mode, Single User Mode, Safe Mode and other features that are available at boot time.

Another solution is to connect any standard USB keyboard to your Mac via a USB-C adapter. This keyboard will make you able to use the Mac Startup keys without any hassle.

Mac is a good option for whatever purpose you wish to use it. It won't let you down, most of the times. However, there are some instances when your Mac will pose a certain issue and stop starting up properly. In this case, being familiar with the Mac Startup keys can help you a lot. Therefore, in this post, I will demonstrate everything you need to know about the 20 Most Important Mac Startup Keys. After knowing about them, you can use them anytime you need and get rid of the unwanted trouble.

Let's begin our quest to learn about the Mac Startup keys.

Contents

• 1 What are Mac Startup Keys
  • 1.2 Some important things to remember

What are Mac Startup Keys

For a basic definition, using Mac startup keys simply means pressing a key or holding a combination of keys during startup to access certain features that are available at the time of booting.

Usually, your Mac works completely fine. Until the moment, it refuses to start up properly due to an unexpected system error, a poorly behaving app, a corrupted system component and some other threat. Also, if you consider a situation other than this, different people have different needs for starting up their computer.

As an example, you could be a geek who dual boots between OS X and Windows on a regular basis. On the other hand, there are users who want to boot a Mac from a disk other than their designated startup disk. Or, you are a casual user looking to isolate the cause of a software problem in the Safe Mode or, boot right into Recovery OS as the last option.

There can be several other scenarios too. Knowing about the Mac Startup keys will help you in all these situations.

20 Important Mac Startup Keys & Combinations

This is a quick guide of the keyboard shortcuts you can use to access useful Mac OS X features which are only available at the time of booting.

If you want to boot your Intel-based Mac into any of OS X's inbuilt startup modes, you must press and hold one or more keys detailed below after turning on the computer. Make sure you press the keys immediately after hearing the startup sound unless some other way is specified.

• Power (⎋): Manually restart
• C: Boot from CD/DVD
• Option (⌥): Startup Manager
• Command (⌘)—S: Single-User Mode
• T: Target Disk Mode
• Command (⌘)—V: Verbose Mode
• Shift (⇧): Safe Mode
• Command (⌘)—R: Recovery OS
• Command (⌘)—Option (⌥)—R: Internet Recovery OS
• D: Apple Hardware Test
• Option (⌥)—D: Apple Hardware Test over the Internet
• N: Boot from NetBoot server
• Option (⌥)—N: Boot from NetBoot server using the default image
• Media Eject, F12, mouse button or trackpad button: Eject removable media
• X: OS X Startup Volume- It will start up your Mac from an OS X startup volume when it'd otherwise boot from a non-OS X volume, like a Windows partition.
• Hold down the Shift (⇧) key after clicking the Log In button in OS X's login window until the desktop appears: Prevent Login Items from opening- It will override your current settings and prevent Login Items and Finder windows from your last session from opening when you log in.
• Hold the left Shift (⇧) key after OS X's boot progress indicator appears: Prevent automatic login- If you enabled the option to automatically log a specific OS X account every time your Mac starts up, you can override this setting with this shortcut.
• Command (⌘)—Option (⌥)—P—R, then release the keys after you hear the startup sound for the second time: Reset PRAM/NVRAM
• Shut down your Mac, and then press and hold the left-side Shift (⇧)—Control (⌃)—Option keys along with the Power (⎋) button, all at the same time, until the computer turns on. Now release the keys and then turn your Mac back on using the power button: Reset SMC

Some important things to remember

Create Mac Startup Usb

There are certain things which you should remember and know when you want to use the Mac Startup keys. These will make sure that you don't mess things up and also make you inform against the incoming issues. An aspiring pro should always acquire additional information. Take a quick look at these.

The Startup Sounds

You should never turn the volume all the way down before restarting your Mac. Hearing the startup tunes other than the familiar startup sounds is the initial step in determining what might be causing issues that your computer is experiencing.

Other than the diagnosis part, Startup sounds are also important for using some of the Mac Startup keys. So, you should always keep the Startup chimes up to the audible stages.

Startup Key Combinations Not Responding

There are some Mac notebook models on which the startup key combinations might not respond under certain situations. For example, if you are using an early-2015 12-inch MacBook model and have an Apple's Bluetooth keyboard connected to it, these key combinations will not work on your wireless keyboard.

To solve this problem, you can simply use the MacBook's built-in keyboard to get to Startup Manager, Recovery Mode, Single User Mode, Safe Mode and other features that are available at boot time.

Another solution is to connect any standard USB keyboard to your Mac via a USB-C adapter. This keyboard will make you able to use the Mac Startup keys without any hassle.

Mac Os Startup Items

Don't use the Startup Keys if you are in confusion

This might seem pretty obvious but it is actually important. If you have any kind of confusion in your mind or if you are unaware of the Startup keys, just don't try to use them unless you have cleared the mist. Take a picture, screen capture it, screenshot it or put a bookmark at the Quick Guide of the Mac Startup keys present above, so you can use it as a reference any time you wish to use the keys.

Support Apple Mac Startup

Conclusion

Knowing about the Mac Startup keys is very important if you want to explore the functionalities of Mac that are only available at the booting time. These were the 19 Most Important Mac Startup keys. For any doubts, queries or suggestions, feel free to visit the Comments section. Hope I helped you in some way.

Mac Os Startup