# No USB recovery drive included with new MacBook Air



## crawford (Oct 8, 2005)

This may have been mentioned in other threads, but I didn't see it...

You may recall that the original redesign of the MacBook Air released in 2010 included a USB key containing copy of Snow Leopard that could be used for recovery / disc utilities, etc. 

Well, no longer.

The refreshed Airs shipping with Lion do not include a recovery USB key; they rely on the recovery partition of the hard drive. But what if your hard drive is toast? Turns out that you can initiate the recovery process from Apple's servers over wifi. In all the talk about Lion's new features, this one passed me by. 



> In order to reinstall OS X Lion, you will need to be connected to an Ethernet or Wi-Fi network. The Wi-Fi menu item is in the upper-right corner of the screen. Click the icon to display all available Wi-Fi networks. Click your preferred network name and, if needed, enter a username and/or password.
> 
> _Lion Internet Recovery_
> 
> If you happen to encounter a situation in which you cannot start from the Recovery HD, such as your hard drive stopped responding or you installed a new hard drive without Mac OS X installed, new Mac models introduced after public availability of OS X Lion automatically use the Lion Internet Recovery feature if the Recovery HD (Command-R method above) doesn't work. Lion Internet Recovery lets you start your Mac directly from Apple's Servers. The system runs a quick test of your memory and hard drive to ensure there are no hardware issues.


Additional detail can be found here.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

Old news, but yes. No Mac from here on out (refreshes) will include disc(s) or USB keys.


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## Tech Elementz (Mar 15, 2011)

Lars said:


> Old news, but yes. No Mac from here on out (refreshes) will include disc(s) or USB keys.


They will not include USBs, but they will still provide USBs with the Lion installer for $69...


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

This all just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I like having options, not limited to just one way of doing things. Thankfully you can at least make a bootable DVD still, so that still works.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

App automates Lion boot disk creation on 4GB USB/DVD/FireWire/SDcard media

9 to 5 Mac



> The process of creating a bootable Lion USB or DVD is now a one-click affair thanks to a useful program by Guillaume Gete which automates the whole thing – you are only required to put the Lion Installer in your Applications folder (if you don’t have it, re-download the installer off the Mac App Store on a pre-Lion Mac). In addition, the Lion DiskMaker 1.1 script lets you work with a 4GB flash drive rather than the 8GB minimum requirement when manually burning the install disk image onto a DVD or USB drive. It also works with SD cards and FireWire/USB external drives. This is especially useful if you still have a Snow Leopard USB key lying around somewhere.


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## broad (Jun 2, 2009)

the download is BRUTAL. i am looking at 2hr 1 min ETA on a 30MB/sec pipe. who the eff has time for that? 

i hate the way things have gone lately. hate hate hate.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

broad said:


> the download is BRUTAL. i am looking at 2hr 1 min ETA on a 30MB/sec pipe. who the eff has time for that?
> 
> i hate the way things have gone lately. hate hate hate.


We're smart enough to never resort to using the download method.


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## broad (Jun 2, 2009)

kernel version i have is apparently incompatible with this machine

$%#^%

still doesn't change the fact that this would be a great solution for an emergency and thats about it. i mean...if this "download and install" thing was but one arrow in the quiver it would be amazing. forcing users into this? crapola


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## Digikid (Jun 22, 2010)

Tech Elementz said:


> They will not include USBs, but they will still provide USBs with the Lion installer for $69...



It is a money grab. Nothing else.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

Digikid said:


> It is a money grab. Nothing else.


$69 for an OS and USB is a money grab? Cripes what does that make Windows 7 then??? Extortion?

Read post #5 again if $69 is too much for you.


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## Tech Elementz (Mar 15, 2011)

screature said:


> $69 for an OS and USB is a money grab? Cripes what does that make Windows 7 then??? Extortion?
> 
> Read post #5 again if $69 is too much for you.


Well for an OS like this, $69 is still cheap compared to Windows 7.


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## Digikid (Jun 22, 2010)

screature said:


> $69 for an OS and USB is a money grab? Cripes what does that make Windows 7 then??? Extortion?
> 
> Read post #5 again if $69 is too much for you.


Actually yes I DO consider Windows a rip off as well. However I feel that you are completely missing my point screature.

Apple used to give these USB Drives away with the Air's.....Now they are not and they are charging for them....and they are charging too much.

Lion: $30.00
4GB USB Drive: $10.00

For those math illiterate.....that is $45.00. 

Yes I know that I am factoring out employees and the time to make them.....However it is still too much.

and yes screature.....I have already made my USB Recovery as you so blunty pointed out.


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## Guest (Aug 2, 2011)

Can you just imagine trying to re-install your computer from the internet in say, a hotel room with free wi-fi? You'd have to add an extra few days to your stay if it even worked at all. Also what happens if there's a hiccup in the download, I guess you start all over again ...

I really don't like the way they have headed with this whole thing either. I know Apple wants to be fore-runners in the tech world and all but suck it up Apple and just include a damned USB recovery drive with the machines.

Also of note, the KB page also gives instructions on how to install Lion onto an external drive, and apparently, at least from what they say there, you MUST have only a single partition on that device, end of story. Who thought that one up I wonder? 

I'm afraid for what may be coming next with this whole approach from Apple ... maybe a "You must bring your machine to a certified shop in order to do an OS installation" ...


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## Guest (Aug 2, 2011)

Digikid said:


> Lion: $30.00
> 4GB USB Drive: $10.00
> 
> For those math illiterate.....that is $45.00.


 :clap:  :lmao:

That just says it all, no?


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## Digikid (Jun 22, 2010)

Hmm....Wonder how the Hackintosh community is gonna get around this.

They will of course but still......


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## Digikid (Jun 22, 2010)

mguertin said:


> :clap:  :lmao:
> 
> That just says it all, no?


Ah you caught onto that old joke eh? :lmao:


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## pm-r (May 17, 2009)

Lars said:


> We're smart enough to never resort to using the download method.


OK, I'll bite.  Not even downloaded once??? Hmmm...


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

Digikid said:


> Actually yes I DO consider Windows a rip off as well. However I feel that you are completely missing my point screature.
> 
> Apple used to give these USB Drives away with the Air's.....Now they are not and they are charging for them....and they are charging too much.
> 
> ...


Bluntly...? I pointed out a new one step App just posted today on 9 to 5 Mac... that is bluntly...? You must be very sensitive.

Anyway did you complain about the loss of a superdrive in the Mini which is a much more expensive loss to Mini buyers.? 

And anyway it is still a really inexpensive price for a major OS update anyway you figure it... even though I won't be updating any time soon, I can still see the that it is about 1/4 the cost of Leoprard... disc or no disc... disc cost is what $1... maybe $0.50?


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## Digikid (Jun 22, 2010)

screature said:


> Anyway did you complain about the loss of a superdrive in the Mini which is a much more expensive loss to Mini buyers.?


Actually yes I did.


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## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

pm-r said:


> OK, I'll bite.  Not even downloaded once??? Hmmm...


Yes, he means he bought the USB key cause it's worth it's money in gold or he has a new Mac already and cloned it from there.

Frankly I don't see what all the complaints are about a $69 USB key drive with the OS on it. It's alot better than paying over $100.



> Lion: $30.00
> 4GB USB Drive: $10.00
> 
> For those math illiterate.....that is $45.00.


If that's the actual price, consider the $24 a copying, handling, and shipping charge.


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

While it sucks to have to re-download the OS when needed, it's even worse for anyone who buys a MBP right now - as they have been imaged with Lion, and have the recovery partition, but if your whole drive borks, you're SOL. There's no recovery DVDs or USB stick in the package now... and "Internet Recovery" isn't (yet?) baked into the firmware of the MBP, so only choice is to get help at an AASP or Apple Store, or have a friend with a USB stick homemade Lion installer install the OS for ya.

Apple Updates All Mac Lines Packaging And Keyboards For OS X Lion | iPhone App/Game Reviews, iPad App/Game Reviews, Apple, Mac, iOS, and App News At AppleNApps


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## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

The other thing is, with Internet recovery, you can't lose the original system disk, and it should be more reliable than any other media. DVDs are prone to getting scratched or a bad copy ( I seem to remember a story about bad DVD install disks for some software). USB sticks can be easily lost, and can eventually die. There are problems with these existing media, too.


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## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

Lion USB Keys Available For Some via AppleCare - MacRumors.com


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## pm-r (May 17, 2009)

fyrefly said:


> While it sucks to have to re-download the OS when needed, it's even worse for anyone who buys a MBP right now - as they have been imaged with Lion, and have the recovery partition, but if your whole drive borks, you're SOL. There's no recovery DVDs or USB stick in the package now... and "Internet Recovery" isn't (yet?) baked into the firmware of the MBP, so only choice is to get help at an AASP or Apple Store, or have a friend with a USB stick homemade Lion installer install the OS for ya.
> ...


I was reading some pages and an Apple kb article yesterday, and it seems that the latest Lion-based released Macs, and specifically the MB Air, that the "normal" downloaded Lion installer cannot be used on those models as apparently it has the wrong build version.

So if that's true, the USB install method won't work and God knows what the fix will be especially if the hard drive goes kaput and bites the dust.

Edit: I gather that's the reason for the 'Lion Internet Recovery' option, but where is it located if a hard drive has been replaced???


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

screature said:


> App automates Lion boot disk creation on 4GB USB/DVD/FireWire/SDcard media
> 
> 9 to 5 Mac


I tried this app several times using a 4GB USB flash drive and it does not work. I get an error every time.


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## Niteshooter (Aug 8, 2008)

Walmart is selling Lexar 8GB USB keys for $8. Granted they screwed up a few months ago and had THREE packs of 8GB keys for $15.....


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

pm-r said:


> I was reading some pages and an Apple kb article yesterday, and it seems that the latest Lion-based released Macs, and specifically the MB Air, that the "normal" downloaded Lion installer cannot be used on those models as apparently it has the wrong build version.
> 
> So if that's true, the USB install method won't work and God knows what the fix will be especially if the hard drive goes kaput and bites the dust.
> 
> Edit: I gather that's the reason for the 'Lion Internet Recovery' option, but where is it located if a hard drive has been replaced???


Well, we're talking about two different things here.

For 2011 MBA/Mac Mini - they come with a special build of Lion (11A2063) than the GM/Retail which is 11A511. These machines have Internet Recovery in the firmware, so even if you start them with a new/blank drive, they'll connect to the internet, and download and install the right build of Lion.

For the 2011 MBPs that are now shipping without any sort of recovery media - a USB stick backup of the Lion available in the App Store (Build 11A511) will work just fine. And it's almost necessary - since there's no way to recover from a hard drive failure on those machines now (no restore DVDs or USBs included in the package anymore).


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## pm-r (May 17, 2009)

Thanks for the info fyrefly and I was assuming the 2011 MBA/Mac Mini models would have to have some sort of firmware to boot from.

I'm also guessing that any replacement hard drive would have to be partitioned/formatted with another Mac before installing unless the boot firmware has such an ability or utility embedded???


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

pm-r said:


> I'm also guessing that any replacement hard drive would have to be partitioned/formatted with another Mac before installing unless the boot firmware has such an ability or utility embedded???


When greeted with a blank HD/SSD, a 2011 Mac Mini or MacBook Air will present a "limited interface" - allows you to select a wifi network, mostly - and then download the ~650MB "recovery Partition" and partition it onto the drive.

Then the computer will re-boot into the recovery partition it's just created and you can re-download/install the 4GB full Lion install from there.

More info here:
What is OS X Lion Internet Recovery and how does it work? | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence


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## broad (Jun 2, 2009)

fyrefly said:


> Then the computer will re-boot into the recovery partition it's just created and you can re-download/install the 4GB full Lion install from there.
> l]


and while it does that you can go translate the frigging dead sea scrolls hahaha


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## jwootton (Dec 4, 2009)

I think this is pretty cool, being able to reinstall The OS from a blank drive and all you need is a wifi connection. Granted the 4gb is still a little large for downloads, but we'll get there. And the server will speed up once the OS is no longer very new.


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## broad (Jun 2, 2009)

i think if they had introduced it as an *option* it would have been incredible. i would be touting it from the rooftops as the most amazing idea ever

the fact that its the only way blows bigtime


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## pm-r (May 17, 2009)

broad said:


> i think if they had introduced it as an *option* it would have been incredible. i would be touting it from the rooftops as the most amazing idea ever
> 
> the fact that its the only way blows bigtime


Am I allowed to agree with you 100% and not get blasted for a post??


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

broad said:


> *i think if they had introduced it as an *option** it would have been incredible. i would be touting it from the rooftops as the most amazing idea ever
> 
> the fact that its the only way blows bigtime


"Choices are good" is the main criticism I seem to be hearing over and over and over again when it comes to Lion, in various different ways... but when you boil the complaints down to the most basic common ingredient that is what I seem to be hearing.

People do not like to be locked into one way of doing things or for the option to do things in an alternative way to be needlessly obscure, e.g. having to enter commands in Terminal to do that which should just take the click of a dialogue box...

If Apple can correct these problems I think Lion c/would soar/roar/fly with the established base of long time users... that is if they care... regretfully I'm not so sure that they care in the least about us.


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

screature said:


> "Choices are good" is the main criticism I seem to be hearing over and over and over again when it comes to Lion, in various different ways... but when you boil the complaints down to the most basic common ingredient that is what I seem to be hearing.
> 
> People do not like to be locked into one way of doing things or for the option to do things in an alternative way to be needlessly obscure, e.g. having to enter commands in Terminal to do that which should just take the click of a dialogue box...
> 
> If Apple can correct these problems I think Lion c/would soar/roar/fly with the established base of long time users... that is if they care... *regretfully I'm not so sure that they care in the least about us.*


That seems to be the growing trend with Apple and the way they've been doing things as of late.


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## Digikid (Jun 22, 2010)

Truth is...they DON'T. All they care about is profits sadly.

Sadly that is all 90% of companies are like.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

New Neighbour + 3-year-old thread = SPAM


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