Installesd.dmg Missing Osxx Lion
The Mountain Lion install image that we need to create either the bootable DVD or the bootable USB flash drive is contained within the Install OS X Mountain Lion file we downloaded from the Mac App Store.
How to burn Lion InstallESD.dmg to Bootable DVDhttp://www.l2pages.org/install-lion-on-lenovo-g770-i5-sandy-bridge-laptop.html. Jul 26, 2012 Look in the “Shared Support” folder located under the “Contents” folder of the “Install Mac OS X Mountain Lion.app,” and copy the file named “InstallESD.dmg” to your desktop. This file is a bootable disk image of OS X with the Mountain Lion Installer already installed. You will need this file in step three.
Because the image file is contained within the downloaded file, we need to copy it to the Desktop to make creating the bootable image as easy as possible.
- Open a Finder window, and navigate to your Applications folder (/Applications).
- Scroll through the list of files and locate the one named Install OS X Mountain Lion.
- Right-click the Install OS X Mountain Lion file and select 'Show Package Contents' from the pop-up menu.
- You will see a folder named Contents in the Finder window.
- Open the Contents folder, and then open the SharedSupport folder.
- You should see a file named InstallESD.dmg.
- Right-click the InstallESD.dmg file and select 'Copy InstallESD.dmg' from the pop-up menu.
- Close the Finder window and return to the Desktop.
- Right-click on an empty area of the Desktop and select 'Paste Item' from the pop-up menu.
Pasting the item to the Desktop can take a bit of time, so be patient.
When the process is finished, you'll have a copy of the InstallESD.dmg file that we need to create bootable copies.
Next.
With Mountain Lion's InstallESD.dmg file copied to the Desktop (see previous page), we're ready to burn a bootable DVD of the installer. If you would rather create a bootable copy on a USB flash drive, you can skip this page and go on to the next page.
- Insert a blank DVD into your Mac's optical drive.
- If a notice asks you what to do with the blank DVD, click the Ignore button. If your Mac is set up to automatically launch a DVD-related application when you insert a DVD, quit that application.
- Launch Disk Utility, located at /Applications/Utilities.
- Click the Burn icon, located in the top right corner of the Disk Utility window.
- Select the InstallESD.dmg file you copied to the Desktop in an earlier step.
- Click the Burn button.
- Place a blank DVD into your Mac's optical drive and click the Burn button again.
- A bootable DVD containing OS X Mountain Lion will be created.
- When the burn process is complete, eject the DVD, add a label, and store the DVD in a safe location.
Creating a bootable copy of Mountain Lion on a USB flash drive isn't difficult; all you need is the InstallESD.dmg file that you copied to your Desktop on page 2 of this guide (and a flash drive, of course).
Erase and Format the USB Flash Drive
- Insert the USB flash drive into your Mac's USB port.
- Launch Disk Utility, located at /Applications/Utilities.
- In the Disk Utility window that opens, scroll through the list of devices in the left-hand pane and select your USB flash device. It may be listed with multiple volume names. Do not select a volume name; instead, select the top-level name, which is usually the name of the device, such as 16GB SanDisk Ultra.
- Click the Partition tab.
- From the Partition Layout drop-down menu, select 1 Partition.
- Click the Options button.
- Make sure that GUID Partition Table is selected from the list of available partition schemes. Click OK. Warning: All data on the USB flash drive will be deleted.
- Click the Apply button.
- Disk Utility will ask you to confirm that you wish to partition the USB device. Click the Partition button.
The USB device will be erased and partitioned. When that process is complete, the flash drive is now ready for use as a bootable device for OS X Mountain Lion.
Copy the InstallESD.dmg File to the Flash Drive
- Make sure the USB flash device is selected in the device list in Disk Utility. Remember: do not select the volume name; select the device name.
- Click the Restore tab.
- Drag the InstallESD.dmg item from the device list (it will be near the bottom of Disk Utility's device list; you may need to scroll down to find it) to the Source field.
- Drag the USB flash device's volume name from the device list to the Destination field.
- Some versions of Disk Utility may include a box labeled Erase Destination; if yours does, make sure the box is checked.
- Click Restore.
- Disk Utility will ask if you really wish to perform a restore, which erases all information on the destination drive. Click Erase.
- If Disk Utility asks for your administrator password, provide the information and click OK.
Disk Utility will copy the InstallESD.dmg data to the USB flash device. When the copying is complete, you will have a bootable copy of OS X Mountain Lion ready for use.
Credits to http://macs.about.com/od/macoperatingsystems/ss/Create-Bootable-Copies-Of-The-Os-X-Mountain-Lion-Installer_2.htm for a beautifull guide.
Installesd.dmg Missing Osxx Lion
So, you’ve decided to download an older version of Mac OS X. There are many reasons that could point you to this radical decision. To begin with, some of your apps may not be working properly (or simply crash) on newer operating systems. Also, you may have noticed your Mac’s performance went down right after the last update. Finally, if you want to run a parallel copy of Mac OS X on a virtual machine, you too will need a working installation file of an older Mac OS X. Further down we’ll explain where to get one and what problems you may face down the road.
A list of all Mac OS X versions
We’ll be repeatedly referring to these Apple OS versions below, so it’s good to know the basic macOS timeline.
Cheetah 10.0 | Puma 10.1 | Jaguar 10.2 |
Panther 10.3 | Tiger 10.4 | Leopard 10.5 |
Snow Leopard 10.6 | Lion 10.7 | Mountain Lion 10.8 |
Mavericks 10.9 | Yosemite 10.10 | El Capitan 10.11 |
Sierra 10.12 | High Sierra 10.13 | Mojave 10.14 |
Catalina 10.15 |
STEP 1. Prepare your Mac for installation
Given your Mac isn’t new and is filled with data, you will probably need enough free space on your Mac. This includes not just space for the OS itself but also space for other applications and your user data. One more argument is that the free space on your disk translates into virtual memory so your apps have “fuel” to operate on. The chart below tells you how much free space is needed.
Note, that it is recommended that you install OS on a clean drive. Next, you will need enough disk space available, for example, to create Recovery Partition. Here are some ideas to free up space on your drive:
- Uninstall large unused apps
- Empty Trash Bin and Downloads
- Locate the biggest files on your computer:
Go to Finder > All My Files > Arrange by size
Then you can move your space hoggers onto an external drive or a cloud storage.
If you aren’t comfortable with cleaning the Mac manually, there are some nice automatic “room cleaners”. Our favorite is CleanMyMac as it’s most simple to use of all. It deletes system junk, old broken apps, and the rest of hidden junk on your drive.
Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.4 - 10.8 (free version)
Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.9 (free version)
Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.10 - 10.14 (free version)
STEP 2. Get a copy of Mac OS X download
Normally, it is assumed that updating OS is a one-way road. That’s why going back to a past Apple OS version is problematic. The main challenge is to download the OS installation file itself, because your Mac may already be running a newer version. If you succeed in downloading the OS installation, your next step is to create a bootable USB or DVD and then reinstall the OS on your computer.
How to download older Mac OS X versions via the App Store
If you once had purchased an old version of Mac OS X from the App Store, open it and go to the Purchased tab. There you’ll find all the installers you can download. However, it doesn’t always work that way. The purchased section lists only those operating systems that you had downloaded in the past. But here is the path to check it:
- Click the App Store icon.
- Click Purchases in the top menu.
- Scroll down to find the preferred OS X version.
- Click Download.
This method allows you to download Mavericks and Yosemite by logging with your Apple ID — only if you previously downloaded them from the Mac App Store.
Without App Store: Download Mac OS version as Apple Developer
If you are signed with an Apple Developer account, you can get access to products that are no longer listed on the App Store. If you desperately need a lower OS X version build, consider creating a new Developer account among other options. The membership cost is $99/year and provides a bunch of perks unavailable to ordinary users.
Nevertheless, keep in mind that if you visit developer.apple.com/downloads, you can only find 10.3-10.6 OS X operating systems there. Newer versions are not available because starting Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.7, the App Store has become the only source of updating Apple OS versions.
Purchase an older version of Mac operating system
You can purchase a boxed or email version of past Mac OS X directly from Apple. Both will cost you around $20. For the reason of being rather antiquated, Snow Leopard and earlier Apple versions can only be installed from DVD.
Buy a boxed edition of Snow Leopard 10.6
Get an email copy of Lion 10.7
Get an email copy of Mountain Lion 10.8
The email edition comes with a special download code you can use for the Mac App Store. Note, that to install the Lion or Mountain Lion, your Mac needs to be running Snow Leopard so you can install the newer OS on top of it.
How to get macOS El Capitan download
If you are wondering if you can run El Capitan on an older Mac, rejoice as it’s possible too. But before your Mac can run El Capitan it has to be updated to OS X 10.6.8. So, here are main steps you should take:
1. Install Snow Leopard from install DVD.
2. Update to 10.6.8 using Software Update.
3. Download El Capitan here.
“I can’t download an old version of Mac OS X”
If you have a newer Mac, there is no physical option to install Mac OS versions older than your current Mac model. For instance, if your MacBook was released in 2014, don’t expect it to run any OS released prior of that time, because older Apple OS versions simply do not include hardware drivers for your Mac.
But as it often happens, workarounds are possible. There is still a chance to download the installation file if you have an access to a Mac (or virtual machine) running that operating system. For example, to get an installer for Lion, you may ask a friend who has Lion-operated Mac or, once again, set up a virtual machine running Lion. Then you will need to prepare an external drive to download the installation file using OS X Utilities.
After you’ve completed the download, the installer should launch automatically, but you can click Cancel and copy the file you need. Below is the detailed instruction how to do it.
STEP 3. Install older OS X onto an external drive
The following method allows you to download Mac OS X Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks.
- Start your Mac holding down Command + R.
- Prepare a clean external drive (at least 10 GB of storage).
- Within OS X Utilities, choose Reinstall OS X.
- Select external drive as a source.
- Enter your Apple ID.
Now the OS should start downloading automatically onto the external drive. After the download is complete, your Mac will prompt you to do a restart, but at this point, you should completely shut it down. Now that the installation file is “captured” onto your external drive, you can reinstall the OS, this time running the file on your Mac.
- Boot your Mac from your standard drive.
- Connect the external drive.
- Go to external drive > OS X Install Data.
Locate InstallESD.dmg disk image file — this is the file you need to reinstall Lion OS X. The same steps are valid for Mountain Lion and Mavericks.
How to downgrade a Mac running later macOS versions
If your Mac runs macOS Sierra 10.12 or macOS High Sierra 10.13, it is possible to revert it to the previous system if you are not satisfied with the experience. You can do it either with Time Machine or by creating a bootable USB or external drive.
Instruction to downgrade from macOS Sierra
Installesd.dmg Missing Os X Lion 10 7 5
Instruction to downgrade from macOS High Sierra
Instruction to downgrade from macOS Mojave
Instruction to downgrade from macOS Catalina
Before you do it, the best advice is to back your Mac up so your most important files stay intact. In addition to that, it makes sense to clean up your Mac from old system junk files and application leftovers. The easiest way to do it is to run CleanMyMac X on your machine (download it for free here).
Visit your local Apple Store to download older OS X version
If none of the options to get older OS X worked, pay a visit to nearest local Apple Store. They should have image installations going back to OS Leopard and earlier. You can also ask their assistance to create a bootable USB drive with the installation file. So here you are. We hope this article has helped you to download an old version of Mac OS X. Below are a few more links you may find interesting.