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    help: external hard drive setup for mac, 2 bootable disk image installer partitions, 1 exFAT storage

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by masterchef341, Dec 15, 2010.

  1. masterchef341

    masterchef341 The guy from The Notebook

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    Lets figure out how to do this.

    What I Have:

    1x apple computer (macbook pro)
    1x custom built desktop (runs windows and linux, not mac)
    1x portable usb hard drive

    What I Want:

    To format this usb hard drive so that, at a bare minimum, the following criteria are met:

    1. contains 1 bootable partition of the snow leopard disc image that came with my mac

    2. contains 1 bootable partition of my windows 7 disc image for use with bootcamp, and, if possible, with my normal desktop.

    3. contains 1 storage partition (preferably formatted in exFAT for cross compatibility)

    ----

    Anyone have this setup already or similar? Lets figure this out please!

    Edit: solved, but complicated.
     
    masterchef341, Dec 15, 2010
    #1
  2. masterchef341

    masterchef341 The guy from The Notebook

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    Let me know if you guys want this stickied. If you do, I will flesh it out.

    How to do a clean install of a dual boot setup with windows and snow leopard using an external hard drive and WITHOUT an optical drive

    This would be useful for anyone who doesn't want to track DVD media, anyone with a macbook air, anyone with a broken superdrive, anyone who wants to back up their DVD media and use the backup instead of the DVD... etc.

    Also, all the new macbook pros can ONLY BOOT FROM THE DISC THEY SHIPPED WITH AS OF DECEMBER '10. The drivers on the latest retail disc, sold today, aren't compatible with the i5 machines. So, if you lose that disc, or it gets scratched, etc, you are SOL. You will have to purchase a replacement, and no, they won't just give it to you.

    Backing up snow leopard is relatively easy, as is backing up windows if you don't mind burning a disc to boot from.

    If you want everything to happen from an external hard drive, it's much more difficult.

    Requirements:

    - apple computer (optical drive not necessary)
    - snow leopard disc image file (obtainable from the DVD)
    - windows disc image file (obtainable from the DVD)
    - flash drive (any size, just used temporarily during restore for a small file)
    - external hard drive (storage drive)
    - internet connection

    ---

    [Insert moderately lengthy but straightforward method here if wanted]
     
    masterchef341, Dec 16, 2010
    #2