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David Siegel
Asked: 2010-07-29 12:06:56 +0800 CST

How do I create an Ubuntu live USB using a Mac?

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I'd like to create an Ubuntu live USB stick on a Mac to use to install Ubuntu on another machine. How do I accomplish this?

live-usb mac

5 Answers

  1. Taken from here:

    We would encourage Mac users to download Ubuntu Desktop Edition by burning a CD. But if you prefer to use a USB stick, please follow the instructions below.

    Note: this procedure requires that you create an .img file from the .iso file you download. It will also change the filesystem that is on the USB stick to make it bootable, so backup all data before continuing.

    Tip: Drag and drop a file from Finder to Terminal to 'paste' the full path without risking typing errors.

    1. Download Ubuntu Desktop

    2. Open the Terminal (in /Applications/Utilities/ or query Terminal in Spotlight)

    3. Convert the .iso file to .img using the convert option of hdiutil. Example:

      hdiutil convert -format UDRW ~/path/to/target.iso -o ~/path/to/ubuntu.img

      Note: OS X tends to put the .dmg ending on the output file automatically.

    4. Run diskutil list to get the current list of devices

    5. Insert your flash media

    6. Run diskutil list again and determine the device node assigned to your flash media
      (e.g. /dev/disk2)

    7. Run 

      diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskN

      (replace N with the disk number from the last command; in the previous example, N would be 2)

    8. Execute the following command while replacing /path/to/downloaded.img with the path where the image file is located; for example, ./ubuntu.img or ./ubuntu.dmg).

      sudo dd if=/path/to/downloaded.img of=/dev/rdiskN bs=1m
      • Using /dev/rdisk instead of /dev/disk may be faster.
      • If you see the error dd: Invalid number '1m', you are using GNU dd. Use the same command but replace bs=1m with bs=1M.
      • If you see the error dd:/devdiskN: Resource busy, make sure the disk is not in use. Start the Disk Utility.app and unmount (don't eject) the drive.

    9. Run diskutil eject /dev/diskN and remove your flash media when the command completes

    10. Restart your Mac and press Alt while the Mac is restarting to choose the USB-Stick
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  2. You can do it really easily with unetbootin which is available for Mac OS - the upside being it doesn't need more than a few clicks on a simple GUI.

    (note this is only for newer Intel Mac's, and won't work with older PowerPC machines unfortunately.)

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  3. You could try following the instructions on ubuntu.com.

    How to create a bootable USB stick on OS X

    Useful Links

    Additionally, you could try looking at some of these links for help:

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  4. Follow these steps:

    1. Download the latest Ubuntu ISO from here and UNetbootin from here.

    2. Insert your USB drive.

    3. Make UNetbootin executable from file properties.

    4. Run it.

    5. Now click in Diskimage. Give the path of the downloaded Ubuntu ISO.

    6. Then select your pen Drive from the list.

    7. Then press OK.

    8. Wait until finish.

    After that you are able to boot or install Ubuntu from that pen-drive.

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  5. You can use the Linux USB Creator. The Linux USB Creator for Mac has been released. This is the easiest way to create a live linux USB on a mac.

    If you use OSX Lion, you can Download this file, and if you use OSX Snow Leopard, you can Download this file

    For more information on the Linux USB creator, just visit the Website

    The other option is to use UNetbootin.

    If your Mac is a G4 or G5 take a look at this.

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