Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core 8GB kit $232 / 4GB kit $116 / 2GB kit $72. New Macbook 2GB DDR3-$65. HARD DRIVES available -- Free shipping / LIfetime warranty.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, MacBook Pros and more. Optical Drives for Apple iBooks, Powerbooks, MacBooks, MacBook Pros in Stock. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.

OWC: Big Drives, High Performance - Not High Prices! SATA 3.5" up to 1.5TB. Notebook up to 500GB. FW up to 6.0TB. 1.0TB Drive Models from as low as $97.99 www.MacSales.com

Poker Mac Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

Mac Lab Report

How to Make a Bootable Emergency CD

- 2003.01.02

This article is about creating a master CD-ROM that can be used to return a computer to a standard configuration or repair a machine that is not booting.

If you do this very often, you have your own favorite software tools and special techniques. I am not going to get very specific here - just enough to get a determined power user going.

And it goes without saying that these instructions are OS 9 and lower. This is Low End Mac; we're allowed to do that, right? OS X is a whole other ball game, and the techniques are somewhat different. Further, let me warn you that some of these tasks may render a computer unbootable (giving you a flashing question mark), so don't attempt this on a mission-critical machine unless you're prepared to restore a backup and start from a blank hard drive.

What You Need

First, when preparing your master disk, it's best to have a legal copy of the Mac OS installer available. For example, if you are restoring machines that shipped with OS 8, then it's okay to use an OS 8 installer disk repeatedly on the machines. To be legal, don't use an OS for which you don't have a license.

You'll need a disk burner (CD-R/RW drive), at least one blank CD-R (of course), a copy of Disk Copy on the machine you will be using to burn the disks and construct the master, and a copy of ToastHREF=. Disk Copy is available from Apple's download site, and if you are preparing a disk for older Macs or Power Macs, you can use Apple's OS 7.5.5 installer. These software downloads are available from http://www.info.apple.com/support/oldersoftwarelist.html. This is a primary advantage of using Apple technology over Wintel - not only is Windows 3, for example, not available as a download, it's no longer supported by Microsoft (unless it's by accident, already compatible). The process is easier if you are creating the master from a machine which can run the OS you are using; a new iMac will refuse to run the installer for OS 8.1, for example.

Preparing the Master

First, use Disk Copy to create a disk image large enough to hold everything you intend to install. Choose the command "Create New Image" from the Image Menu, and pick the appropriate size. It has to be smaller than the capacity of a CD-ROM, of course; but if you're installing, say, OS 8.1 plus a few non-Microsoft apps, you should be able to fit everything within 200-250 MB. All your installers will be targeted to the disk image instead of the default boot drive, so make sure you pay attention to the destination of each install.

Next, install the OS to the disk image. When installing, make sure you select "install OS for any supported system." You may need to click an "options" or "custom install" button to make this happen; it's a little different from OS 7 to 8 to 9. You can make a slimmer install if you pick an install for the same kind of computer you are using to make the master, but in a hodgepodge lab it's best to be generic.

Then install all the software for which you have licenses. Throw in shareware you've registered, freeware, document templates, and so on. I install FoolProof security software complete with logins, user folders, etc. If you have sufficient licenses, AppleWorks is an excellent program to install on the master, because it does all the basics.

Finally, once everything is installed, open the mounted disk and arrange the icons the way you want them to appear. When you burn the CD, the icons will appear the way you left them in the image; so if they're disorganized and messy, the CD will look the same way.

Burn the Disc

Using Toast, burn the image to CD-ROM by selecting "Mac Volumes" and simply dragging the mounted image into the workspace in the Toast window. I found that some older Macs cannot read CD-RW, so CD-R might be required. Also, it took me about three weeks to figure out that in order to make a bootable CD-R, you have to select "Bootable" in the Toast setup window. Go figure.

Use Two Partitions

If you burn the CD-R with the "session" setting instead of the "disk" setting, you can go back and burn on it again, making a new pseudo-partition that mounts separately on the Mac desktop. What I do is make one partition a stripped down OS, with no applications - just utilities such as Disk Copy, Disk Tools, Apple HD Setup, Drive Setup, etc. The second partition contains the image of the drive I want to copy. The advantage is that you can boot off the "boot partition," use the utilities to erase the hard drive of the target computer (even zero it out if you like), and then copy the new System Folder, applications, etc., in one fell swoop.

Useful Tricks

To disable a System Folder, throw away the System file and the Finder. This makes the System Folder unbootable, so don't do it unless you're sure you need to.

If you have a computer with an un-blessed System Folder, drag the Finder and the System suitcase into the disabled System Folder to make it bootable.

To protect a target computer with At Ease or other security software, boot off the CD, try booting with the CD in the drive and hold down the "c" key as you boot the machine. Otherwise you might need to get the password from someone to make it disable the security software enough to allow you to disable the security, disable the System Folder, or run an installer.

Don't Forget the Sharpie

I've got a zillion CD-Rs with no labels. It's a pain in the neck. Buy a box of Sharpies* and label them. Trust me, it'll pay off later. LEM

* We have since learned that Sharpies and other solvent-based permanent markers may put the data on your CD-R or CD-RW at risk. Read Don't Use Sharpies on CD-R for more information and recommended alternatives. dk �

Jeff Adkins is a science teacher who isn't afraid to state his preferences in computing platforms. In his classroom he has everything from a beige All-in-One to a a G4 XServe, and they all work together nicely. He calls himself the "poster child for technology integration" in the classroom. He was the 2006 Outstanding Educator of the Year for the California Computer Using Educators (CUE) organization. He also maintains a site for astronomy teachers at www.AstronomyTeacher.com.

Recent Mac Lab Reports

Links for the Day

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Mac Lab Report copyright © 2000-08 by Jeff Adkins. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.


Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Video Cards
Email Lists

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Have a question?
Ask an expert!

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.