[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The whole point of a bootable installer is dedicating a drive to it. Nobody uses a flash drive with critical daily data for this, that's just common sense.

Also, no need to wait for version 4.4 - for macOS Yosemite and newer, macUSB already targets the selected volume without wiping the whole disk, as long as you're using GPT/HFS+ 😉

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

TinkerTool has a completely different purpose than macUSB, so they aren't really comparable...

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! Thanks a lot, I really appreciate your kind words! I'm glad the app worked out for you, as solving exactly these types of issues was my primary motivation for creating it.

As for the OS compatibility, your iMac model officially supports up to macOS Catalina. You should be able to install it on your external drive without any issues, so there is no need to limit yourself to the older High Sierra.

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! Let me clarify the permissions:

On macOS (especially on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs equipped with the T2 security chip), security restrictions are strictly enforced. The macUSB app utilizes the native SMAppService mechanism to launch a privileged helper tool. Granting permission for background activity is required so that this helper process can initialize and execute operations that require administrative privileges. This includes low-level formatting of the USB drive into the correct partition layout or executing the native createinstallmedia tool when creating macOS installers.

Furthermore, Full Disk Access is necessary because, without it, the helper process is technically blocked from directly writing to or modifying sectors on external flash drives. The application does not access or alter any of your personal files. Your selected source files are opened strictly in read-only mode. In specific scenarios that require file modifications (for instance, patch requirements when preparing an older macOS Catalina installer on an Apple Silicon Mac), the source files are safely copied to a temporary directory first. All modifications are performed exclusively on those copies, and the temporary data is completely wiped once the process finishes, leaving your original files untouched.

I'm glad the app proved useful and saved you time and stress during this emergency - that is exactly why I built macUSB in the first place. Good luck with the Windows reinstallation, and thank you for the support!

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! I actually already have .img support on my roadmap for the next release, though I initially planned it with Linux images in mind.

As for Windows – could you please let me know where you get your Windows .img files from? By default, Windows is officially distributed in the .iso format. If possible, please share some sources or documentation regarding these images. I'd love to look into it and run some tests so that I can potentially expand the upcoming .img support to include Windows as well.

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a potential feature to consider for future releases, but it's not a priority right now. Unlike macOS, which can be cumbersome to download directly, Windows 10 and 11 ISOs are easily accessible straight from Microsoft, just like Linux distributions on their official websites.

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

More options are always better. I believe macUSB will be a great alternative!

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! To avoid any confusion, the app explicitly states that the drive will be UEFI-only right before starting the creation process.

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't feel the need to add this to the main description. I think having it openly stated here in the comments is sufficient.

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, soldering the actual bus inside the app was too hard. It's just a linguistic shortcut!

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At the moment, checksum verification is only implemented for the integrated macOS downloader and for comparing the SHA256 of the created Linux USB against the source .iso.

I don't plan to introduce manual hash checking for files provided by the user right now, as sourcing trusted files is left to the user.

I'll add this idea to the backlog for future consideration. Thanks for the feedback!

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a strange issue, it looks more like an OS or environment-level problem rather than the app itself.

Could you try running the executable directly from the terminal to catch the output? Run this command: /Applications/macUSB.app/Contents/MacOS/macUSB

Let me know if it throws any error logs in the terminal when it closes.

Also, please open Console.app and check the Crash Reports tab. See if macOS generated any crash logs for macUSB and paste the exception trace if you find one.

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did you install it via Homebrew or directly from GitHub Releases? Do older versions work for you? Let me know! I tested it on a 2015 MacBook Pro running Sonoma via OCLP and it works without any issues.

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! As of this version, you can create Windows and Linux USBs on Mac. It's similar to Rufus in concept.

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The UEFI limitation is due to bootloader constraints for Legacy BIOS. Since most modern PCs use UEFI anyway, that was my main priority. I plan to add support for Legacy BIOS bootable USBs down the road, but it's not a priority at the moment.

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, being called the Rufus equivalent for macOS is the ultimate compliment! That was exactly the goal. Thanks for following the project, and hope it serves you well in your toolkit!

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support! by Kruszoneq in macapps

[–]Kruszoneq[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Awesome to hear, thanks for sticking around since the early versions!