Mac OS X Marvericks: create a boot stick - how it works

If you want to reinstall Mac OS X Mavericks, you can create a boot stick and start the installation. It is also always good to have a prepared USB stick on hand if the hard drive breaks.

Mac OS X Mavericks: Create bootable USB stick

First you need to download Mavericks. You can get it for free in your Mac's app store:

1. Open the app store via the spotlight.
2. Enter "Mavericks" in the search box at the top right or navigate to "Mavericks" via the "Apps by Apple" category.
3. Click on "Load" there. If you have already installed Mavericks, a warning will appear. Confirm the dialog to start the download. Depending on the internet connection, this can take a long time.
4. Once the download is complete, the Mavericks installation starts automatically. But you can end it directly.

Create bootable USB stick with "DiskMaker X"

The fastest way to create a bootable USB stick is with "DiskMaker X". The free tool does all the work for you. For this you need a USB stick with at least 8 GB memory.

1. Install the free tool "DiskMaker X" and start it.
2. Select Mavericks as the version of OS X you want to install.
3. DiskMaker X automatically searches for the location where the installation file is saved. If you downloaded Mavericks from the app store, this is your program folder. Confirm the question with "Ok".
4. In the next step, the app asks for a USB stick on which Mavericks should be installed. To do this, plug your stick into the computer and select it.
5. "DiskMaker X" now deletes your USB stick and copies Mavericks to it. This may take several minutes.

For professionals: create a boot stick via the terminal

If you do not want to install a separate program, you can also create the bootable stick via the terminal:

1. Start the terminal using the spotlight.
2. Enter the command "sudo / Applications / Install \ OS \ X \ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume / Volumes / Name-des-USB-Sticks / --applicationpath / Applications / Install \ OS \ X \ Mavericks.app/ --nointeraction ". Replace the "VOLUME_NAME" part with the name of your USB stick. The dashes are two hyphens (- -).
3. Then enter your password to confirm the changes. Note that all files on the USB stick will be deleted.
4. You can now delete the installation file in the "Programs" folder.

If you have to restart the Mac, you can restore your data from a time machine backup.