How can I get the Mountain Lion Installer?

[PatriotInvasion]

So I purchased Mountain Lion on my iMac last year, but I since sold it for a 13" rMBP with Mountain Lion preinstalled of course.

I'd like to create a bootable install disk on my external drive, but I read that the installer file I have from last year will not boot up a newer rMBP.

So, I figured I could just redownload ML from the App Store, but when I try to do so I get a message saying "We could not complete your purchase. OS X Mountain Lion is not compatible with this computer."

I also read the only way to get the dmg installer file now is to execute some weird trick in ML Recovery Mode, but there has to be an easier way

 

[Quad5Ny]

Your probably going to have to wait for the Mountain Lion App on the App Store to be updated to 10.8.3. After that it should be compatible because it would contain all the kexts and settings needed to boot your Mac model.

As for right now you can just backup the Recovery HD partition onto a external drive. - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4848

I know it's not the full disk image but its better than nothing.

 

[Nermal]

I also read the only way to get the dmg installer file now is to execute some weird trick in ML Recovery Mode, but there has to be an easier way

I believe that that's the only way at present. These instructions should do it, although I haven't tried them myself.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

Your probably going to have to wait for the Mountain Lion App on the App Store to be updated to 10.8.3. After that it should be compatible because it would contain all the kexts and settings needed to boot your Mac model.

As for right now you can just backup the Recovery HD partition onto a external drive. - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4848

I know it's not the full disk image but its better than nothing.

I want the full dmg so I don't need to download then 4GB file every time I want to reinstall the OS. Are you saying 10.8.2 still doesn't have all the necessary data to be compatible with a 13" MacBook Pro Retina? I don't understand why that is.

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I believe that that's the only way at present. These instructions should do it, although I haven't tried them myself.

Thanks for the link. Yea, this is what I read but I'm just not comfortable doing it that way. I'll hold off for 10.8.3 and see if it allows me to download it from the App Store.

 

[chrfr]

Are you saying 10.8.2 still doesn't have all the necessary data to be compatible with a 13" MacBook Pro Retina?

It's because 10.8.2 was finished before the 13" Retina was released. It's this way with every Mac that gets released. When 10.8.3 gets released your Retina will be unified with the main channel of the operating system.

 

[talmy]

I want the full dmg so I don't need to download then 4GB file every time I want to reinstall the OS.

Yours is not the first thread here with this same issue. But what I'd want to know is why you are so concerned with reinstalling the OS? I've personally never done this and why I can see reinstalling it after a drive failure, that's about it, and even then it isn't necessary.

I'd just suggest cloning the internal drive to an external, and recovering from that if necessary. That's how I handle drive replacement. With 40+ OSX*years I've never had the OS become corrupted and needing reinstallation.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

Yours is not the first thread here with this same issue. But what I'd want to know is why you are so concerned with reinstalling the OS? I've personally never done this and why I can see reinstalling it after a drive failure, that's about it, and even then it isn't necessary.

I'd just suggest cloning the internal drive to an external, and recovering from that if necessary. That's how I handle drive replacement. With 40+ OSX*years I've never had the OS become corrupted and needing reinstallation.

I like to reinstall OS X every year or so as a fresh start, clearing out dated plist files, settings that stray away from default, etc.

It then feels like a brand new machine again every year. Not a necessity, but just something I enjoy.

I can also just wait for 10.9 which I would do a clean install for anyway.

 

[talmy]

I like to reinstall OS X every year or so as a fresh start, clearing out dated plist files, settings that stray away from default, etc.

It then feels like a brand new machine again every year. Not a necessity, but just something I enjoy.

I can also just wait for 10.9 which I would do a clean install for anyway.

Yes, if you are doing this once a year, there will be 10.9 at that time.

 

[benwiggy]

I like to reinstall OS X every year or so as a fresh start, clearing out dated plist files, settings that stray away from default, etc.

It then feels like a brand new machine again every year. Not a necessity, but just something I enjoy.

Rather than delete everything and put back the OS, why not leave the OS, and just remove the plist files?

In 10 years of using OS X, I've reinstalled twice, and one of those probably wasn't necessary. The separation of user files from the OS means most problems can be solved by sorting out the user Library folder, rather than replacing the OS with identical files.

 

[talmy]

The separation of user files from the OS means most problems can be solved by sorting out the user Library folder, rather than replacing the OS with identical files.

Which brings up another approach -- just create a new user account and then delete the old (after archive all important data first!)

Still, my account on my latest machine is my original that has been migrated repeatedly for through 4 OS upgrades and several computers. It certainly has some cruft in it, but it doesn't seem to effect operation.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

Rather than delete everything and put back the OS, why not leave the OS, and just remove the plist files?

In 10 years of using OS X, I've reinstalled twice, and one of those probably wasn't necessary. The separation of user files from the OS means most problems can be solved by sorting out the user Library folder, rather than replacing the OS with identical files.

Because I want to start fresh by removing more than just plist files. I'm talking about old log files, "previous iTunes Libraries", and all of that application data for apps that have been installed and then deleted with traces left all throughout the bowels of the OS.

Plus, after months of adjusting preferences and settings, you lose track of what was the factory default setting. A clean install of the OS allows you to start from scratch as if you just unboxed the machine. It's more OCD than anything, but it's worth the time for me to copy all my files back over.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

With the release of 10.8.3 I was able to create a bootable install partition on my external Thunderbolt drive since the Mac App Store version of ML is now compatible with the 13" rMBP.

Now I can reinstall OS X with speed if I choose to. No waiting for the 4GB installer from Apple's servers.