Can you create a ventura bootable usb stick while on a Sonoma osx

[cygnuswy]

Only been using a MacBook for about 5 years at home so don't know how stuff works very well

I upgraded from Ventura to Sonoma 14.4 and yep all kinds of what is happening to everyone else. I am trying to make a bootable Ventura usb stick. downloaded the ventura installable from apple, formatted the stick and when I run the sudo command "sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Ventura.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/OSXRecovery". it says it can't find it .. or .. it doesn't seem to be a valid os installer application


I copied the InstallAssistant.pkg to the stick and try to run it from there and g"et installer cannot be used from the version of macOS you are running".

I can't sign into Apple Services so am concerned about when Apple does get this fixed how will I get the fix if I can't connect to them. Not a terrible big problem but I can't get to iCloud storage or mail
Have spent several hours browsing the internet but nothing that fits what I see.

Again not very good at OSX. spent 40 years doing DOS and Windows though so I know where the enter key is on the Keyboard

Any Help will be greatly appreciated
Larry

 

[Mike Boreham]

Yes you can. I always use the excellent free Mist app which avoids all the hassle of finding the right download and terminal syntax. It gets the installers from the Apple servers.

 

[cygnuswy]

I used mist to download ventura to a usb stick. the file is "Install macOS Ventura 13.6_22g120.ipsw"
Don't know if that is the correct type of file but.. Now trying to restart my MacBook M1 from the stick. I shut it down. Hold the power key until I see the loading boot options.

The options are Restore from Time Machine, reinstall macOS Sonoma, Safari, and Disk Utility. I have read a bunch more messages and I think I should have a choice to choose the stick but having gone through all the menu options don't see that. Am I missing something or is it the .ipsw file not being recognized and not letting the stick option appear.

TIA
Larry

 

[iStorm]

That .ipsw file is the firmware download, which is used when restoring an Apple Silicon Mac from another Mac using DFU mode.

You need to switch to the Installers screen and download from there.
(The left green button just downloads the installer, the right green button will download and create the bootable installer.)

 

[cygnuswy]

That worked great and created a volume that it booted from.

Then when I try to install it on the hard drive lI get "This volume can't be down graded". I found a message that says to start Disk Utility and Erase the drive, name the drive "Macintosh HD", chose APFS as the format, keep theGUID partition map, and then click erase, Then I am
"FREE' to install the macOS that I want as long as it is older than the original.

Well we'll see

Thanks
Larry

 

[cygnuswy]

Thanks to all I was able to downgrade to Ventura. Naturally as soon as it boots up it says I have an upgrade available to Sonoma 14.4. After 10 hours of figuring out how to get rid of that I don't think so.
I was able to restore all my stuff from Time Machine and it seems to work.

Thanks again
Larry