Install El Capitan On External Drive

Quit Disk Utility and install El Capitan. If you already attached the SSD you can use Internet Recovery Mode (hold cmd R or alt cmd R while booting) to first partition the new internal drive and then restore the original system (10.7 Lion). Then - after configuring Lion - you can to upgrade to El Capitan. On the license page, click Continue and select Agree to continue. Now choose the USB Thumb drive you want to create bootable and click Continue. At this point, select the OS installation ( El Capitan) and click Continue. Now select the bootloader configuration UEFI Boot Mode then click Continue. Jul 22, 2020 The Mac Mini currently has El Capitan installed, plus when I upgraded to El Cap, I saved the installer. I tried to just run that from the Mac Mini with the OWC SSD hooked up via USB. It starts, checks the external drive, begins to install, and then stops at different points. Sometimes it stops when it has to reboot.

At the Unibeast menu, select your Unibeast USB drive (it will probably be represented by a picture of an 'External' drive) by using the arrow keys on your keyboard, and then press the enter key (or return key) to start the OS X El Capitan installer.

2. El Capitan Features
3. El Capitan Download & Install
4. OS X 10.11 Problems
5. Mac OS X 10.11 Tips
6. Software for OS X 10.11
7. Compare OS

Mac OS X El Capitan can be downloaded directly from the Apple website. The Beta version of the OS is available but the final version will be made available towards the Autumn season of 2015 as speculated by many Apple users. You can use your older Mac OS with the new El Capitan, all you have to do is to create a different partition for the new El Capitan if you have the Yosemite already installed. There are few steps you should consider in downloading the latest El Capitan and these are as follow.

Part 1. Preparing Mac Device for the Installation of Mac OS X El Capitan

Both Mavericks and Yosemite are easier to download and install on Mac devices, however, this is not the case with Mac OS X El Capitan. Just before you install the new Mac OS X El Capitan, you must perform few tasks to ensure that your Mac will be ready for the installation of the software:

Check Hard Drive Space - Make sure you have sufficient hard drive space for the installation of Mac OS X El Capitan. Yosemite will normally require a Hard drive space of up to 5GB, but the new El Capitan will require between 15g and 20gb of space on your hard drive for successful download and installation. Make sure you have Install OS X El Capitan.app in your Application Folder 2. Select 'On an external drive' on the main MCPF window. Then, choose the disk you want to install the El Capitan installer on. Click install and prompt your password. Boot the computer you want to install El Capitan on with 'alt' held and select.

Check Your Mac - Check whether your Mac will be able to run the new OS X 10.11. Apple has provided a list of the Mac supported by the new Mac OS X El Capitan and if you are already running the Mavericks or Yosemite, the same lists may also apply to the El Capitan. You can also check this list on the “Will your Mac run Mac OS X” article on Apple website.
Create Enough Space - Check that your Mac has sufficient RAM to run the software. You wouldn’t run into any hitches if your Mac device is listed on the acceptable Mac devices for Mac OS X El Capitan. Apple recommend that you have a minimum RAM of 2G, however, a minimum of 4G space of RAM is highly recommended. You will also need to delete some unnecessary files to create more space for the installation of El Capitan.
Check Hard Drive Space - Make sure you have sufficient hard drive space for the installation of Mac OS X El Capitan. Yosemite will normally require a Hard drive space of up to 5GB , but the new El Capitan will require between 15g and 20gb of space on your hard drive for successful download and installation.
Register - Register to access the Mac Apple store. You need to upgrade your Mac and get access to Mac Apple store for a small fee in order to get the most out of your Mac OS X El Capitan.
Updates - Make sure your third party Apps are updated before installing Mac OS X El Capitan. You can simply launch App store and click on “Updates” on the tool bar if you want to update the apps you bought from Apple store. For other third party apps, you may need some manual updates from manufacturer websites to complete such updates.
Backup Your Mac - Perform a backup before downloading and installing Mac OS X El Capitan- you need to protect your important documents and files, thus you may have to back them up somewhere before starting the download and installation process.

Part 2. Installing Mac OS X El Capitan Safely on Your Mac Device

You can install or upgrade to Mac OS X El Capitan as a dual boot partition. You may be able to download a test version if you register for the OS X Seed program from Apple, and you can also provide a feedback to Apple in order for the company to update the software before it is finally released. You can follow these instructions to install the Beta version of Mac OS X El Capitan. It is strictly recommended that you perform a backup before you begin this process. It is important you keep in mind that Mac OS X El Capitan is still in a Beta format, thus , not all your apps or programs will work on it.

Visit the Apple Beta software program page and log unto the page using your Apple ID. Simply click on “Enroll your Mac”.
Click on the download link that shows up, and enter the personal redemption code given to you.
Open the downloaded Mac OS X El Capitan software and preview the file in the Applications folder. Click “Continue” and then select “Agree”.
Click on “Install” and then enter your admin password. You're all set!

Part 3. Installing Mac OS X El Capitan Safely on an External Drive

Install Mac Os X El Capitan On New Hard Drive

You don’t have to install Mac OS X El Capitan on your Mac device, you can also install it on an external hard drive, most especially when you want to access the OS quickly. You can consider Thunderbolt drives which are similar to the internal drives on Mac, or you can simply use the USB 3.0 external drive if you don’t have the Thunderbolt on your Mac. You will have to format an external drive before installing Mac OS X El Capitan, this will help to install the Mac OS X El Capitan safely on the hard drive and at the same time the configuration of your device will not be changed.

Step 1. Launch Disk Utility

Install Os X El Capitan On New Hard Drive

Connect the external drive to your Mac device and make sure it is detected. Launch the Disk Utility tool ( go to “Utilities” and you will find it there). Choose the drive- it is located at the side bar.

Step 2. Partition

Simply click on “Partition”. Make sure the partition layout reads “1 partition”. Name the partition. You can use a name like “Mac OS X El Capitan”. Click on “Options” and ensure that the Guide partition table is chosen, and then click on “Ok”.

Step 3. Options

Click “Apply'. Open the preview file from your Mac’s application folder. Click on “Continue”. Click on the “Agree” button.

Step 4. Open

Click on “Show all disks”. Simply highlight the “External Hard Drive” on which you have just install the Mac OS X El Capitan

Step 5. Install

Click on “Install”, and enter the admin password.

My MacBook Air is running a 120GB SSD drive so I don’t want my hard drive full of excess things I don’t need. I just noticed after El Capitan that I lost a lot of space. I only had 10GB free. To run well a mac hard disk needs at least 20% free. Here’s how I freed up some more space.

I ran Disc Inventory X to see where the excess space was taken.

1. Remove old iPhoto library.

Look at this screenshot from Disk Inventory X: The pink section surrounded by the yellow line is my old ‘iphoto’ library. The large turquoise section to the left is the new ‘Photos’ library. El Capitan came with a new app called ‘Photos.’ The new Photos app imported my old iPhoto library, but it didn’t delete it! They are the same photos, the entire library has been duplicated. Deleting my old iPhoto library released almost 7 G of space!

To find the file just right click on the box and select ‘reveal in finder’:

This took me to the following folder:

I just dragged this to the trash and saved 6.6GB.

While I was at it I went to my ‘Applications’ folder and deleted the old ‘iphoto’ app which took up 1.7GB.

I could do this pretty confidently because my macbook air is my second machine, all my photo’s are only home computer if anything goes wrong.

Install El Capitan On External Drive

2. Gmail ‘All Mail’

This huge multicoloured box turns out to be the Gmail ‘All Mail’

I discovered 15GB of gmail data in Apple Mail. Yes Apple mail now by default seems to download the gmail ‘All Mail’ folder which included every email you’ve ever deleted on gmail. The ‘All mail’ folder had over 17,000 emails in it. No wonder my internet usage was high last month – my laptop must have downloaded the entire 15GB of emails from gmail.

Fraps 2.7.2 crack. Thankfully it was a simple fix.

Here’s how to disable the ‘All mail’ folder from being downloaded to your Macintosh.

Go into Gmail.com, then go to Settings on the top right menu, then under the ‘Labels’ tab I changed ‘All Mail’ to ‘Hide’

I still needed to delete the files from the hard disk manually.

I am using OSX El Capitan, and Mail version 9.1. I am not sure what other versions of mail have this problem.

Other items…

The were some other files I found with Disk Inventory X, (Old installers, old apps, some movies) and when I deleted them all in total I recovered 30GB!

These advanced steps are primarily for system administrators and others who are familiar with the command line. You don't need a bootable installer to upgrade macOS or reinstall macOS, but it can be useful when you want to install on multiple computers without downloading the installer each time.

One of the most well-known errors that most users encounter when installing macOS is “‘install.nsh’ isn’t recognized as an internal or external command, operable program, or script file”. If you’ve attempted to install macOS Catalina on VirtualBox and encounter this error, here’s the scenario. On macOS 10.15 and above, the system will prompt you for permission if iMazing attempts to access an external drive, a network drive, the Documents folder or the Desktop. This only happens if you have configured iMazing to back up to one of these protected locations, or to load backups from them.

What you need to create a bootable installer

A USB flash drive or other secondary volume formatted as Mac OS Extended, with at least 14GB of available storage
A downloaded installer for macOS Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, or El Capitan

Download macOS

Download: macOS Big Sur, macOS Catalina, macOS Mojave, or macOS High Sierra
These download to your Applications folder as an app named Install macOS [version name]. If the installer opens after downloading, quit it without continuing installation. To get the correct installer, download from a Mac that is using macOS Sierra 10.12.5 or later, or El Capitan 10.11.6. Enterprise administrators, please download from Apple, not a locally hosted software-update server.
Download: OS X El Capitan
This downloads as a disk image named InstallMacOSX.dmg. On a Mac that is compatible with El Capitan, open the disk image and run the installer within, named InstallMacOSX.pkg. It installs an app named Install OS X El Capitan into your Applications folder. You will create the bootable installer from this app, not from the disk image or .pkg installer.

Use the 'createinstallmedia' command in Terminal

Connect the USB flash drive or other volume that you're using for the bootable installer.
Open Terminal, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
Type or paste one of the following commands in Terminal. These assume that the installer is in your Applications folder, and MyVolume is the name of the USB flash drive or other volume you're using. If it has a different name, replace MyVolume in these commands with the name of your volume.

Big Sur:*

Catalina:*

Mojave:*

High Sierra:*

El Capitan:

* If your Mac is using macOS Sierra or earlier, include the --applicationpath argument and installer path, similar to the way this is done in the command for El Capitan.

After typing the command:

Press Return to enter the command.
When prompted, type your administrator password and press Return again. Terminal doesn't show any characters as you type your password.
When prompted, type Y to confirm that you want to erase the volume, then press Return. Terminal shows the progress as the volume is erased.
After the volume is erased, you may see an alert that Terminal would like to access files on a removable volume. Click OK to allow the copy to proceed.
When Terminal says that it's done, the volume will have the same name as the installer you downloaded, such as Install macOS Big Sur. You can now quit Terminal and eject the volume.

Use the bootable installer

Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, then follow the appropriate steps:

Apple silicon

Plug the bootable installer into a Mac that is connected to the internet and compatible with the version of macOS you're installing.
Turn on your Mac and continue to hold the power button until you see the startup options window, which shows your bootable volumes and a gear icon labled Options.
Select the volume containing the bootable installer, then click Continue.
When the macOS installer opens, follow the onscreen instructions.

Intel processor

Plug the bootable installer into a Mac that is connected to the internet and compatible with the version of macOS you're installing.
Press and hold the Option (Alt) ⌥ key immediately after turning on or restarting your Mac.
Release the Option key when you see a dark screen showing your bootable volumes.
Select the volume containing the bootable installer. Then click the up arrow or press Return.
If you can't start up from the bootable installer, make sure that the External Boot setting in Startup Security Utility is set to allow booting from external media.
Choose your language, if prompted.
Select Install macOS (or Install OS X) from the Utilities window, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions.

Learn more

For more information about the createinstallmedia command and the arguments that you can use with it, make sure that the macOS installer is in your Applications folder, then enter the appropriate path in Terminal:

Big Sur: /Applications/Install macOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
Catalina: /Applications/Install macOS Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
Mojave: /Applications/Install macOS Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
High Sierra: /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
El Capitan: /Applications/Install OS X El Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia

A bootable installer doesn't download macOS from the internet, but it does require an internet connection to get firmware and other information specific to the Mac model.

After months of waiting, macOS Big Sur was released in November 2020. No matter how great macOS Big Sur is, you can experience performance issues as you update your Mac. The good thing is you can downgrade to the previous macOS version.

There are two ways to revert from Big Sur to Catalina. The first one involves restoring a Time Machine backup. The second, which is a bit lengthy, explains how to downgrade to Catalina using a bootable installer. Whichever way you choose, we'll provide step-by-step instructions to help you downgrade.

Open this article on your phone to make sure you do everything step-by-step.

How to downgrade from macOS Big Sur using Time Machine

If you’ve backed up your Mac with Time Machine before upgrading to Big Sur, downgrading to Catalina will be easy. Here’s how to downgrade from macOS Big Sur to Catalina using Time Machine.

1. Back up your data

First, back up everything. Your Mac probably contains your personal data and documents that you don’t want to lose. So, to keep those alive after the downgrade, you need to back up your data.

You can use Google Drive, iCloud Drive, or any other cloud you prefer. After the backup is done, you can move on to the next step.

Before you begin reverting your Mac to macOS Catalina, it’s worth trying fixing performance issues on macOS Big Sur. Maybe you won’t need to downgrade at all.

CleanMyMac X can help identify and solve performance problems on your Mac. It’s a dedicated Mac cleaner that clears old junk and runs optimization tasks. It’s notarized by Apple, which means it’s safe for your Mac. Get CleanMyMac X for free to run a quick performance scan.

2. Erase your Mac’s hard drive

The first step is plugging your Mac into power (the downgrade process may take a while, and you don’t want your Mac to power off unexpectedly).

You’ll need to erase your Mac’s drive. This will remove everything from your Mac, but you can restore your data later from a Time Machine backup.

Restart your Mac (Apple menu > Restart).
Hold Command-R when your Mac’s rebooting. The Utilities menu should appear.
Choose Disk Utility.
Click Continue and select Startup Disk (usually located at the top of the list ).
Press Erase.
Select the APFS file format.
Choose GUID Partition Map and confirm.

Wait for the process to complete. Only after every piece of data is removed, can you clean install macOS Catalina.

3. Use Time Machine to restore your backup

Cleanmymac x 4.5. You can now restore all your files and data and bring your Mac back to the condition it was in before you installed macOS Big Sur.

If your Time Machine backup is stored on the external drive, plug it in your Mac.

So, to restore your Time Machine Catalina backup:

Restart your computer and hold Command-R when it reboots.
Select the Restore From Time Machine Backup option on the Utilities window.
Press Continue.
Choose your Time Machine backup disk.
Select the backup you want to restore from. Choose the most recent backup that occurred before you installed macOS Big Sur.
Then, select a destination disk, where the contents of your backup will be stored.
Click Restore and press Continue.

The process may take some time. Your Mac will restart running macOS Catalina.

How to downgrade from macOS Big Sur using a bootable installer

If you didn’t back up your Mac with the Time Machine, it’s too bad. But, you can still downgrade to the previous OS version. Just follow the instructions.

1. Back up your files and data

Backing up your data is important. It prevents you from losing all the files and data that have existed on your Mac's drive for a while. So, don’t forget to back up your Mac before you start downgrading to Catalina.

2. Create a bootable installer

A bootable installer will help you safely roll back to Catalina. Here’s how to create a bootable installer:

You can go to the App Store and search for Catalina, then download it. Quit the installer, if it tries to install the OS.
If your Mac already runs macOS Big Sur, download the macOS Catalina here.
Get an external hard drive that has at least 12 GB of available storage and plug it in your Mac.
Launch the Disk Utility app and erase your hard drive selecting Mac OS Extended format.

Now, it’s time to transfer your Catalina installer to your hard drive:

Install Mac Os Catalina On External Drive

Install Mac Os El Capitan On External Drive

Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities).
Paste this command and press Enter:

sudo /Applications/Install macOS Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume

The downloaded file, which is your bootable Catalina installer, should be in your Applications folder. MyVolume is the name of the hard drive; if your hard drive or flash drive has a different name, replace MyVolume with the name of your hard drive.

If prompted, enter your administrator password and press Enter again. Terminal won’t show anything when you type your password.
Follow the instructions that appear in the Terminal.
When Terminal says “done”, your hard drive should have the same name as the installer you downloaded (for example, Install macOS Catalina).

Create Bootable Usb El Capitan

Quit Terminal and eject the hard drive.

Install macOS Catalina

Install Catalina On External Drive

Now, you can roll back from macOS Big Sur using the bootable installer.

How To Install El Capitan On External Drive

Plug your hard drive (which is now your bootable installer) into your Mac.
Open System Preferences > Startup Disk. Choose your bootable installer as a startup disk and press Restart.

Your Mac should start up to macOS Recovery.
Make sure your Mac has an internet connection to download firmware updates (you can use the Wi-Fi menu in the menu bar).
In the Utilities window, select Install macOS.
Click Continue and follow the on-screen instructions.

Your Mac will then start installing macOS Catalina and will restart when it’s done.

Mac runs slowly after the update?

Linux Usb Download

If your Mac is slow after the update, but you don’t want to perform this lengthy process and revert to the previous OS, you could try a quick solution. CleanMyMac X has a helpful Maintenance feature that could fix all possible problems on your Mac.

Open CleanMyMac X.
Go to the Maintenance module.
Press View All 9 Tasks.
Check the boxes next to the maintenance tasks you want to run.
Press Run.

Wait till CleanMyMac X runs the set of fixes to speed up your Mac.

Install El Capitan On External Disk

Reverting to the previous macOS may seem like a terrifying task. But if you open this article on your phone or another device and follow the instructions, it will be much easier and faster. Don’t forget to clear your Mac before the backup – you will save a lot of free space and remove old clutter that slows down your machine.