Installing Leopard with an External Hard Disk

This is for those of you (like me) who tend to scratch disc media. To do this, you need a copy of Leopard, an external hard drive or old iPod (more than 6.4 GB) and Disk Utility (you have this, don’t worry).

First, insert the Leopard install DVD. Then open Disk utility. Click “Mac OS X Install DVD” from the box on the left. Then click “New Image” and let it do its thing (this could take a few hours).

In the end, you should have a file that looks like this:

Next, take your Hard Drive/iPod, and format it with Disk Utility. To do this, click on the hard drive, then go to the Erase tab and select “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” if it is not already preselected. Then all you need to do is click Erase and confirm you wish to do so

Afterwards, make sure you have your external drive highlighted and then click the Restore tab. Then for “Source” drag in “Mac OS X Install DVD.dmg” and make sure that the destination is still the external hard drive. When all this is confirmed, hit Restore.

Now you’re essentially done if all you wanted to do was back up your copy of Leopard. If you wish to install Leopard, open System Preferences -> Startup Disk, and select the drive you just restored Leopard onto. Then just restart your computer, and follow the installer’s instructions.

Similar Posts:

• Installing OS X On a PC
• How To Partition a Hard Drive
• Restore Your iPod to Factory Settings
• Using Macfuse To Mount FTP and SSH as “iDisks”
• Delete Language Files and Save Hard Drive Space

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Written by Michael Zhao on February 2, 2008 at 7:13 pm - Installing Leopard with an External Hard Disk has 5 comments - Categorized in Accessories, Advanced Tips, Gadgets, Hardware Tips, Laptops, Leopard Tips, iPod Tips

5 Responses to “Installing Leopard with an External Hard Disk”

1. 
   Zettt
   Will the data on the external hard disk be erased or will the Leopard DVD data just be added to it?
   
   Thanks. February 3rd, 2008 at 1:49 am
   
   
2. 
   encro
   Zett: Yes, restoring an image to a Hard Disc will erase the external harddrive.
   
   Other things worth considering since the image is only going to be about 6.4GB is to perhaps split the Hard Drive into a couple of partitions. That way you can still use the Install Image to quickly refresh a system and use all the leftover space for storage etc. February 3rd, 2008 at 7:07 am
   
   
3. 
   Zettt
   I already have that configuration. (Two partitions)
   But it is, you know, ugly. Because i have two hard drives on my desktop. One is the backup volume and the other one is "LeoDVD".
   Thought there is a special way to get rid of the second partition. :-/ February 3rd, 2008 at 7:30 am
   
   
4. 
   Michael Zhao
   you can always use a really old iPod you don't want.
   
   I also don't think there's any reason you can't have as many partitions as you'd like February 3rd, 2008 at 11:50 am
   
   
5. 
   frank1547
   I would kiss you for solving my problem but that would be gay. I have a macbook 17 with a bad dvd that i need to reinstall the os on it and tried a few other sites that somehow just didnt make sense... thanks a bunch.! August 23rd, 2008 at 1:16 pm
   
   

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