This answer is summarized below.
- MBR partition a 16 GB or larger flash drive to contain a FAT32 volume and an ExFAT volume.
- Copy all the files, except
sources/install.wim, from the mounted Windows ISO file to the FAT32 volume on the flash drive. - Copy
sources/install.wimfrom the mounted Windows ISO file to the ExFAT volume on the flash drive. - Boot from the flash drive and enter a command to split the
install.wimon the ExFAT volume to two files placed on theFAT32volume. - The result is an USB flash drive which can be used to install Windows 11.
The steps are given next.
Goto Microsoft's Download Windows 11 website and download the Windows 11 disk image (ISO) for x64 devices. In my case, the
Win11_24H2_English_x64.isofile was downloaded to myDownloadsfolder. If your file name is different, then make the appropriate substitutions when entering the commands below.Insert a 16 GB or larger flash drive in an USB port on or connected to the Mac.
Open a Terminal application window.
Use the command below to determine the identifier for the USB flash drive. I my case, this was
disk2. If your identifier is different, the make the appropriate substitutions in the following commands.diskutil list externalEnter the command below to format the flash drive.
diskutil partitiondisk disk2 mbr fat32 MYFAT32 8G exfat MyExFAT REnter the command below to remove all extended attributes from the Windows ISO file. This will remove the quarantine placed on the file when it was downloaded.
xattr -c ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.isoEnter the command below to mount the Windows 11 ISO file. In my case, the output from the command shows the file was mounted on
/Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9. If your folder name is different, then make the appropriate substitutions when entering the commands below.hdiutil attach ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.isoEnter the command below to change the current directory to
/Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9.cd /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9Enter the commands below to copy the files from the mounted ISO to the flash drive. Note: Since the
install.wimfile is very large, thecpcommand can take a while to complete.rsync -r -t --exclude=sources/install.wim . /Volumes/MYFAT32 cp sources/install.wim /Volumes/MyExFATEnter the commands below to unmount the Windows 11 ISO file.
cd ~ hdiutil detach /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9Enter the command below to eject the flash drive. Afterwards, you can remove the flash drive.
diskutil eject disk2You can quit the Terminal application.
Using the computer where Windows is to be installed, UEFI boot from the flash drive. You should get a window similar to the one shown below. You can ignore the contents of this window.
Press the shift+F10 key combination to open Command Prompt window.
Enter the command below. From the output, determine the drive letters for the
MYFAT32andMyExFATvolumes. In my case, the wasCandDrespectively. If your letters are different, the make the appropriate substitutions forc:\andd:\when entering thedismcommand given below.echo list volume | diskpartEnter the command below to create the
install.swmandinstall2.swmfiles in thec:\sourcesfolder. Note: This command will take a while to complete.dism /split-image /imagefile:d:\install.wim /swmfile:c:\sources\install.swm /filesize:4000Enter the command below to close the Command Prompt window.
exitClose the window. When the popup shown below appears, select "Yes". The computer will reboot.
The next time you UEFI boot from this USB flash drive, you should encounter the following window. You then can proceed and install Windows 11.
Example of Using the Terminal Window
Last login: Sun Mar 9 09:16:57 on console
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil list external
/dev/disk2 (external, physical):
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: FDisk_partition_scheme *15.9 GB disk2
1: DOS_FAT_32 MYFLASHDRV 15.9 GB disk2s1
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil partitiondisk disk2 mbr fat32 MYFAT32 8G exfat MyExFAT R
Started partitioning on disk2
Unmounting disk
Creating the partition map
Waiting for partitions to activate
Formatting disk2s1 as MS-DOS (FAT32) with name MYFAT32
512 bytes per physical sector
/dev/rdisk2s1: 15594504 sectors in 1949313 FAT32 clusters (4096 bytes/cluster)
bps=512 spc=8 res=32 nft=2 mid=0xf8 spt=32 hds=255 hid=2048 drv=0x80 bsec=15625000 bspf=15230 rdcl=2 infs=1 bkbs=6
Mounting disk
Formatting disk2s2 as ExFAT with name MyExFAT
Volume name : MyExFAT
Partition offset : 15628288 sectors (8001683456 bytes)
Volume size : 15370240 sectors (7869562880 bytes)
Bytes per sector : 512
Bytes per cluster: 32768
FAT offset : 2048 sectors (1048576 bytes)
# FAT sectors : 2048
Number of FATs : 1
Cluster offset : 4096 sectors (2097152 bytes)
# Clusters : 240096
Volume Serial # : 67cdc143
Bitmap start : 2
Bitmap file size : 30012
Upcase start : 3
Upcase file size : 5836
Root start : 4
Mounting disk
Finished partitioning on disk2
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % xattr -c ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % hdiutil attach ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso
/dev/disk3 /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % cd /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9
davidanderson@Davids-Mac CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9 % rsync -r -t --exclude=sources/install.wim . /Volumes/MYFAT32
davidanderson@Davids-Mac CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9 % cp sources/install.wim /Volumes/MyExFAT
davidanderson@Davids-Mac CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9 % cd ~
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % hdiutil detach /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9
"disk3" ejected.
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil eject disk2
Disk disk2 ejected
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ %
Example of Using the Command Prompt Window
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.26100.1742]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
X:\sources>echo list volume | diskpart
Microsoft DiskPart version 10.0.26100.1150
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.
On computer: MININT-NBNQP5I
DISKPART>
Volume ### Ltr Label Fs Type Size Status Info
---------- --- ----------- ----- ---------- ------- --------- --------
Volume 0 E DVD-ROM 0 B No Media
Volume 1 C MYFAT32 FAT32 Removable 7629 MB Healthy
Volume 2 D MyExFAT exFAT Removable 7505 MB Healthy
DISKPART>
X:\sources>dism /split-image /imagefile:d:\install.wim /swmfile:c:\sources\install.swm /filesize=4000
Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.26100.1150
The operation completed successfully.
X:\sources>exit
Answer from David Anderson on Stack ExchangeI recently acquired a Mid 2012 MacBook Pro that I want to use as it does all I need it to. However, it came without a Hard drive so I need to install OS on it. It’s my first Mac computer and I have a windows one already so need to know how I can make a bootable USB on there for free.
How can i create a macOS 10.15 USB installer from Windows 10?
macos - How do I create an OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) bootable USB drive using Windows? - Ask Different
How can I use Windows to create an OS X El Capitan or macOS Sierra USB flash drive installer from the disk image (.dmg) file downloaded from Apple? - Ask Different
Create Bootable USB installer for Monterey from Windows
Videos
This answer is summarized below.
- MBR partition a 16 GB or larger flash drive to contain a FAT32 volume and an ExFAT volume.
- Copy all the files, except
sources/install.wim, from the mounted Windows ISO file to the FAT32 volume on the flash drive. - Copy
sources/install.wimfrom the mounted Windows ISO file to the ExFAT volume on the flash drive. - Boot from the flash drive and enter a command to split the
install.wimon the ExFAT volume to two files placed on theFAT32volume. - The result is an USB flash drive which can be used to install Windows 11.
The steps are given next.
Goto Microsoft's Download Windows 11 website and download the Windows 11 disk image (ISO) for x64 devices. In my case, the
Win11_24H2_English_x64.isofile was downloaded to myDownloadsfolder. If your file name is different, then make the appropriate substitutions when entering the commands below.Insert a 16 GB or larger flash drive in an USB port on or connected to the Mac.
Open a Terminal application window.
Use the command below to determine the identifier for the USB flash drive. I my case, this was
disk2. If your identifier is different, the make the appropriate substitutions in the following commands.diskutil list externalEnter the command below to format the flash drive.
diskutil partitiondisk disk2 mbr fat32 MYFAT32 8G exfat MyExFAT REnter the command below to remove all extended attributes from the Windows ISO file. This will remove the quarantine placed on the file when it was downloaded.
xattr -c ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.isoEnter the command below to mount the Windows 11 ISO file. In my case, the output from the command shows the file was mounted on
/Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9. If your folder name is different, then make the appropriate substitutions when entering the commands below.hdiutil attach ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.isoEnter the command below to change the current directory to
/Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9.cd /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9Enter the commands below to copy the files from the mounted ISO to the flash drive. Note: Since the
install.wimfile is very large, thecpcommand can take a while to complete.rsync -r -t --exclude=sources/install.wim . /Volumes/MYFAT32 cp sources/install.wim /Volumes/MyExFATEnter the commands below to unmount the Windows 11 ISO file.
cd ~ hdiutil detach /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9Enter the command below to eject the flash drive. Afterwards, you can remove the flash drive.
diskutil eject disk2You can quit the Terminal application.
Using the computer where Windows is to be installed, UEFI boot from the flash drive. You should get a window similar to the one shown below. You can ignore the contents of this window.
Press the shift+F10 key combination to open Command Prompt window.
Enter the command below. From the output, determine the drive letters for the
MYFAT32andMyExFATvolumes. In my case, the wasCandDrespectively. If your letters are different, the make the appropriate substitutions forc:\andd:\when entering thedismcommand given below.echo list volume | diskpartEnter the command below to create the
install.swmandinstall2.swmfiles in thec:\sourcesfolder. Note: This command will take a while to complete.dism /split-image /imagefile:d:\install.wim /swmfile:c:\sources\install.swm /filesize:4000Enter the command below to close the Command Prompt window.
exitClose the window. When the popup shown below appears, select "Yes". The computer will reboot.
The next time you UEFI boot from this USB flash drive, you should encounter the following window. You then can proceed and install Windows 11.
Example of Using the Terminal Window
Last login: Sun Mar 9 09:16:57 on console
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil list external
/dev/disk2 (external, physical):
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: FDisk_partition_scheme *15.9 GB disk2
1: DOS_FAT_32 MYFLASHDRV 15.9 GB disk2s1
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil partitiondisk disk2 mbr fat32 MYFAT32 8G exfat MyExFAT R
Started partitioning on disk2
Unmounting disk
Creating the partition map
Waiting for partitions to activate
Formatting disk2s1 as MS-DOS (FAT32) with name MYFAT32
512 bytes per physical sector
/dev/rdisk2s1: 15594504 sectors in 1949313 FAT32 clusters (4096 bytes/cluster)
bps=512 spc=8 res=32 nft=2 mid=0xf8 spt=32 hds=255 hid=2048 drv=0x80 bsec=15625000 bspf=15230 rdcl=2 infs=1 bkbs=6
Mounting disk
Formatting disk2s2 as ExFAT with name MyExFAT
Volume name : MyExFAT
Partition offset : 15628288 sectors (8001683456 bytes)
Volume size : 15370240 sectors (7869562880 bytes)
Bytes per sector : 512
Bytes per cluster: 32768
FAT offset : 2048 sectors (1048576 bytes)
# FAT sectors : 2048
Number of FATs : 1
Cluster offset : 4096 sectors (2097152 bytes)
# Clusters : 240096
Volume Serial # : 67cdc143
Bitmap start : 2
Bitmap file size : 30012
Upcase start : 3
Upcase file size : 5836
Root start : 4
Mounting disk
Finished partitioning on disk2
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % xattr -c ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % hdiutil attach ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso
/dev/disk3 /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % cd /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9
davidanderson@Davids-Mac CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9 % rsync -r -t --exclude=sources/install.wim . /Volumes/MYFAT32
davidanderson@Davids-Mac CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9 % cp sources/install.wim /Volumes/MyExFAT
davidanderson@Davids-Mac CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9 % cd ~
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % hdiutil detach /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9
"disk3" ejected.
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil eject disk2
Disk disk2 ejected
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ %
Example of Using the Command Prompt Window
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.26100.1742]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
X:\sources>echo list volume | diskpart
Microsoft DiskPart version 10.0.26100.1150
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.
On computer: MININT-NBNQP5I
DISKPART>
Volume ### Ltr Label Fs Type Size Status Info
---------- --- ----------- ----- ---------- ------- --------- --------
Volume 0 E DVD-ROM 0 B No Media
Volume 1 C MYFAT32 FAT32 Removable 7629 MB Healthy
Volume 2 D MyExFAT exFAT Removable 7505 MB Healthy
DISKPART>
X:\sources>dism /split-image /imagefile:d:\install.wim /swmfile:c:\sources\install.swm /filesize=4000
Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.26100.1150
The operation completed successfully.
X:\sources>exit
User Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight posted the following comment.
I'm leaving this as a comment since without access to a Mac I don't feel I could write a complete answer. Instead of directly creating a bootable windows installer USB, create a Ventoy bootable USB. Once you do that you can copy bootable drive images in all the major formats on as ordinary files, and then start them from a basic menu system that Ventoy shows when it boots. It's slightly more work the first time, but as long as you don't reformat the USB it'll make any future uses much easier since it reduces the operation to a simple copy/paste. ventoy.net/en/index.html
I decided to post this answer in response to the above comment. Note that the question does not explicitly rule out posting a solution which uses third party tools.
This answer is summarized below.
- Download Ventoy live CD image (ISO) file, then copy this file to an 8 GB or larger flash drive.
- Boot from the flash drive and install Ventoy to the same flash drive.
- Download the Windows 11 ISO file and copy to the flash drive.
- Boot from the flash drive and install Windows 11. If necessary, first enroll the key in MOK manager.
The steps are given next.
Goto SourceForge's Ventoy project files website and download the Ventoy live CD image (ISO) for x64 devices. In my case, the
ventoy-1.1.05-livecd.isofile was downloaded to myDownloadsfolder. If your file name is different, then make the appropriate substitutions when entering the commands below.Insert an 8 GB or larger flash drive in an USB port on or connected to the Mac.
Open a Terminal application window.
Enter the command below to remove all extended attributes from the Ventoy live CD image (ISO) file. This will remove the quarantine placed on the file when it was downloaded.
xattr -c ~/Downloads/ventoy-1.1.05-livecd.isoUse the command below to determine the identifier for the USB flash drive. I my case, this was
disk2. If your identifier is different, the make the appropriate substitutions in the following commands.diskutil list externalEnter the commands below to copy the Ventoy live CD image (ISO) file to the flash drive. Note: Using
rdisk2instead ofdisk2usually results in a quicker copy.diskutil unmountdisk disk2 sudo dd if=$HOME/Downloads/ventoy-1.1.05-livecd.iso bs=1m of=/dev/rdisk2Enter the command below to eject the flash drive. Afterwards, you can remove the flash drive.
diskutil eject disk2Using the computer where Windows is to be installed, UEFI boot from the flash drive.
Note You will need to disable Secure Boot. When the following Grub menu appeared, I choose the first entry, which is the default.
Ventoy2Disk is loading completely into RAM disk. This allows the flash drive to be overwritten. In my case, to install to the same flash drive, I just needed to select "Install" button shown below, then the "OK" button in the following popups.
After installation to the flash drive has successfully completed, the following is displayed.
At this point, either manually shutdown the computer or reboot by closing the window. If you choose to reboot and are successful, then the following will appear.
Shutdown the computer by pressing the F5 key, then selecting "Power" and finally selecting "Halt".
Remove the flash drive.
Goto Microsoft's Download Windows 11 website and download the Windows 11 disk image (ISO) for x64 devices. In my case, the
Win11_24H2_English_x64.isofile was downloaded to myDownloadsfolder. If your file name is different, then make the appropriate substitutions when entering the commands below.Insert the same flash drive in an USB port on or connected to the Mac.
Use the same or a new Terminal application window to enter the following commands.
Enter the command below to remove all extended attributes from the Windows ISO file. This will remove the quarantine placed on the file when it was downloaded.
xattr -c ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.isoUse the command below to determine the identifier for the USB flash drive. I my case, this was
disk2. If your identifier is different, the make the appropriate substitutions in the following commands.diskutil list externalEnter the command below to copy the Windows ISO file to the ExFAT formatted volume named
Ventoyon the flash drive.cp ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso /Volumes/VentoyEnter the command below to eject the flash drive. Afterwards, you can remove the flash drive.
diskutil eject disk2If necessary, enroll key in MOK manager as described in this step.
Using the computer where Windows is to be installed, UEFI boot from the flash drive.
Note You should have Secure Boot enabled before UEFI booting from the flash drive. If you encounter the following display, select
OK, otherwise proceed to the step 7.The next display should appear as shown below. Before the timer expires, press any key.
Select
Enroll key from disk, as shown below.Select
VTOYEFI, as shown below.Select
ENROOL_THIS_KEY_IN_MOKMANAGER.cer, as shown below.Select
Continue, as shown below.Select
Yes, as shown below.Select
Reboot, as shown below.Install Windows 11.
If you have not already done so, UEFI boot the computer where Windows is to be installed from the flash drive.
Note You should have Secure Boot enabled before UEFI booting from the flash drive. When the display below appears, press the F5 key.
Select
Temporary Control Settings, as shown below.This answer assume Windows 11 is being installed on supported hardware. Normally, when booting from the Windows 11 installer, the following would be set to
0, as shown in the image below. You need to decided whether the following need to be set to0or1.Bypass CPU/TPM/SecureBoot check when installing Windows 11This allows includes bypassing the 4 GB RAM check.Bypass online account requirement when installing Windows 11
When finished, press the esckey twice.
Select
Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso, as shown below.Select
Boot in normal mode, as shown below.Note When message Press any key to boot from CD or DVD.appears, you may need to press any key.When the display shown below appears, proceed with the installation of Windows 11.
Example of Using the Terminal Window
Last login: Thu Mar 13 17:46:02 on ttys001
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % xattr -c ~/Downloads/ventoy-1.1.05-livecd.iso
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil list external
/dev/disk2 (external, physical):
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: FDisk_partition_scheme *15.9 GB disk2
1: DOS_FAT_32 MYFLASHDRV 15.9 GB disk2s1
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil unmountdisk disk2
Unmount of all volumes on disk2 was successful
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % sudo dd if=$HOME/Downloads/ventoy-1.1.05-livecd.iso bs=1m of=/dev/rdisk2
186+1 records in
186+1 records out
195702784 bytes transferred in 4.038241 secs (48462383 bytes/sec)
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil eject disk2
Disk disk2 ejected
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % xattr -c ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil list external
/dev/disk2 (external, physical):
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: FDisk_partition_scheme *15.9 GB disk2
1: Windows_NTFS Ventoy 15.8 GB disk2s1
2: 0xEF 33.6 MB disk2s2
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % cp ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso /Volumes/Ventoy
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil eject disk2
Disk disk2 ejected
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ %
According to the first answer here, https://superuser.com/questions/383235/create-a-bootable-usb-drive-from-a-dmg-file-on-windows, there's a tool with a free trial called TransMac that can do it. Just make sure the USB drive is formatted with GPT and not MBR.
What might be easier, however, is that that model has support for Internet Recovery. If you boot holding Command-R and you have a WiFi connection, it can actually boot into recovery mode without a recovery partition on a drive (or even without a working drive).
Having said that, your description of a crash right after the boot chime could signify a more serious hardware problem and you may not be able to boot anything. If you boot holding the option key down, the startup disk selection screen should appear. If it crashes anyways, you may be looking at a hardware problem.
I know this question is old but it is still valid. I was never able to write a Mac installer image to my Flash Drive and have it bootable, unless I did it on a Mac. Using Michael D. M. Dryden's Link, I was able to use the Diskpart command to clean and prep a GPT partition on a flash drive for an OSX Mavericks install image.
I used TransMac on Windows 7 to restore the image file I had to the Flash Drive, it created a bootable Mac image on my flash drive. Someone had reported that the method for using DISKPART did not work, but I have done this twice and it works remarkably well, and it's the only method I could find to create a Mac-Bootable Flash. I've been trying to post this to confirm that it works for some time, I just hope it helps someone else, because it is a very easy solution.
Here are the Diskpart commands used to prep the Flash Drive, just to have them here in case my Link does not work:
diskpart
DISKPART> list disk
(Find the disk number)
DISKPART> select disk x (from result of List Disk)
Disk x is now the selected disk.
DISKPART> clean
DiskPart succeeded in cleaning the disk.
DISKPART> convert gpt
DiskPart successfully converted the selected disk to GPT format.
DISKPART> create partition primary
Note: I use "Rufus" for all other USB writing and formatting for Windows systems, it's a great app, but I had previously tried to format the drive as GPT using that, as a Fat32 partition. When I tried to inject the image, Transmac told me that the drive was "write protected". So basically, the USB drive cannot have any high level formatting, the Windows system should detect the drive as "not formatted" for this to work, which it will if prepped right with Diskpart.
Use TransMac, which has a 15-day trial period and works flawlessly.
In the left pane, right click the USB Drive and select Format Disk for Mac
In the left pane, right click the USB Drive and select Restore with Disk Image
Point to your .dmg (or choose All Files to select an .iso) file and click Open.
It will take a few minutes depending on size of .dmg and speed of USB drive, but once done you can pop it into your mac, hold down the option key when turning on the mac and choose the USB drive.
TransMac worked for me, but first you need to partition your USB drive with GPT. It will not work if partitioned as MBR. diskpart on Windows can do this:
diskpart
DISKPART> list disk
(Find the disk number)
DISKPART> select disk 2
Disk 2 is now the selected disk.
DISKPART> clean
DiskPart succeeded in cleaning the disk.
DISKPART> convert gpt
DiskPart successfully converted the selected disk to GPT format.
DISKPART> create partition primary
OK. Here are some instructions from Gizmodo that will put the ISO onto the flash drive with a Mac... they won't make it bootable though... read on...
Open a Terminal (under Utilities)
Run
diskutil listand determine the device node assigned to your flash media (e.g., /dev/disk2)Run
diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskN(replace N with the disk number from the last command; in the previous example, N would be 2)Execute
sudo dd if=/path/to/downloaded.iso of=/dev/diskN bs=1m(replace /path/to/downloaded.iso with the path where the image file is located; for example, ./windows7.iso)Run
diskutil eject /dev/diskN, and remove your flash media when the command completes (this can take a few hours on slower drives)
Now... after you read all that, on the Gizmodo page it says that if you want to make it bootable you should use a utility called Live USB helper they link to (which isn't there any more) and use a Mac mounting tool (which isn't there either!) to force the ISO to mount on the Mac so you can copy the files over. So... that article may prove useful, but probably not. I can find other copies of Live USB helper out there, but they are all Windows executables.
One method that will work is to swap the hard drive out of the PC and into the Mac. Put your Windows 7 installation disc into the Mac optical drive, and install Windows 7 on that drive. Once it is up and running (don't worry about drivers yet), follow these steps.
- Run Command Prompt as administrator
- Type to Command Prompt:
%windir%\System32\Sysprep\Sysprep.exe, and hit Enter - In sysprep dialog that opens, choose “System Cleanup Action” as “Enter System Out-of-Box-Experience (OOBE)”, select “Generalize”, and select “Shutdown Options” as “Shutdown”. Click “OK”
- Sysprep generalizes now your Windows 7 setup and shuts down your computer. Do not run any other programs during this phase!
- Remove the drive from your Mac. Put it back into the PC.
- Boot the PC from sysprep generalized hard disk. You will notice Windows booting as if it was the first boot after installation, installing default and updating registry. One or two reboots are needed, depending on your system specifications
- When Windows finally boots up, you will need to enter all information as if this really was a new, fresh installation
All that is from here, but it applies in this situation a well, since you would be moving a Windows 7 installation from one computer to another. Considering that trying to make a Windows bootable USB stick with a Mac requires tools that either don't exist any more or are not being developed any more... this second method will most likely prove more dependable.
Assuming you have burnt your Windows CD into a ISO file with the tools like:
http://burn-osx.sourceforge.net/Pages/English/home.html
1. Jump into a folder here http://sourceforge.net/projects/unetbootin/files/UNetbootin/
2. Get the latest version of zip archive with the keyword "mac" in the filename.
3. Download and open it up on your Mac OS X desktop.
4. On Unetbootin interface, choose [Diskimage]->[ISO] and then select the Windows ISO file on your local hard drive.
5. Select the right USB Drive and then click [OK] to start writing ISO data onto your USB drive.
Once done, you're ready to boot your computer with this bootable USB drive, like a DVD installation disk.
Note: Links to instructions for other versions of OS X/macOS can found here.
User Josué Mpindi posted a question, where this answer was confirmed to work for macOS Sierra in a comment. Note that where necessary, you would need to substitute Sierra references for El Capitan in the instructions.
Note: A version of this answer, which uses macOS to create the USB flash drive OS X El Capitan installer, can be found here.
Using Windows to create an USB flash drive OS X El Capitan installer requires third party software beyond just TransMac. The steps below outline one possible method for creating an USB flash drive OS X El Capitan installer using Windows and other free third party tools.
Note: These instructions will not work for Yosemite. For the correct Yosemite instructions, see this answer.
Use Microsoft Edge (or some other web browser) to download the following installers to your Downloads folder. The file names are current as of September 22, 2022. If both 32 bit and 64 bit versions are available, the 64 bit version is given in the table.
Product Use Installer Type El Capitan 10.11† Free for use on Mac computers InstallMacOSX.dmgMac Disk Image 7-Zip Free 7z2201-x64.exeApplication TransMac 15 day free trial tmsetup.zipCompressed (zipped) Folder Paragon Partition Manager Community Edition 64bit Free for personal and home use Paragon-1081-FRU_WinInstallDemo_x64_17.9.1_000.exeApplication †If you get the message “InstallMacOSX.dmg can't be download securely”, then select “Keep”, as shown below.
Install all downloads except “El Capitan 10.11”. If you wish, the installed downloads can be uninstalled from the Windows Control Panel after use.
Use a 7-Zip File Manager application window to extract the
OS X Install ESDfolder and theInstallAssistant.icnsfile to your Downloads folder. From a File Explorer window, start by navigating to your Downloads folder. In this window, right click on theInstallMacOSX.dmgMac disk image file, then select "7-Zip" > "Open archive". This should open a 7-Zip File Manager application window. In this window, right click on each file or folder in the order given in the table below, then select the corresponding action. When finished, close the 7-Zip File Manager application window.File or Folder Action Type Comment Install OS XOpen Folder InstallMacOSX.pkgOpen Inside * Package File InstallMacOSX.pkgOpen Folder InstallESD.dmgOpen Mac Disk Image File OS X Install ESDCopy To… Folder See footnote ‡ OS X Install ESDOpen Folder BaseSystem.dmgOpen Mac Disk Image File OS X Base SystemOpen Folder Install OS X El Capitan.appOpen Folder ContentsOpen Folder ResourcesOpen Folder InstallAssistant.icnsCopy To… Apple Icon Image File See footnote ‡ ‡The destination should be your Downloads folder. If this Downloads folder exists on a volume that is not NTFS formatted, then see this answer.
Insert a 16 GB or larger flash drive into an USB port. If prompted, you do not need to initialize the flash drive.
Open the TransMac application with Administrator privileges. (In other words, right click on the TransMac icon, then choose "Run as administrator" or "More" > "Run as administrator".) In the TranMac application window, take the following actions.
Select "Tools" > "Settings" from the pulldown menu. In the "General" tab of the "Settings" popup, select the same copy options as shown below.
Select
OKwhen finished.Right click on the USB flash drive icon in the treeview pane, then select "Restore with Disk Image". In the "Restore Disk Image to Drive" popup , choose to "Open" the
OS X Install ESD\BaseSystem.dmgMac disk image file in your Downloads folder as the Disk Image to restore, then select theOKbutton. Next, selectYesin the "Last Warning!" popup.
Open the Paragon Partition Manager 17 CE application. Select to resize the partition with the Apple HFS volume on the USB flash drive to maximum size, as shown below. Next, select the "Change now" button. When finished, select the "Close" button.
Next, select to change the volume label on this Apple HFS volume from "OS X Base System" to "Install El Capitan", as shown below. Next, select the "Change now" button. When finished, select the "Close" button.
When finished, close the Paragon Partition Manager 17 CE application window.
In the existing TranMac window, take the following actions.
Select "Tools" > "Refresh Drive List" from the pulldown menu.
Navigate to root folder on the USB flash drive volume labeled
Install El Capitan, as shown below.In the listview pane, right click, then select "Copy Here", as shown below.
Select to copy the
OS X Install ESD\BaseSystem.chunklistandOS X Install ESD\BaseSystem.dmgfiles in your Downloads folder. Repeat to copy theInstallAssistant.icnsfile in your Downloads folder.In the listview pane, right click on the
InstallAssistant.icnsfile, then select "Rename". Change the name to.VolumeIcon.icns. When finished, the treeview and listview panes should appear as shown below.Navigate to
System\Installationfolder on the USB flash drive labeledInstall El Capitan, as shown below.In the listview pane, right click on the
Packagesfile, then select "Delete". When prompted, select theYesbutton in the popup to confirm.In the listview pane, right click, then select "Copy Here", as shown below.
Select to copy the
OS X Install ESD\Packagesfolder in your Downloads folder. (This may take a while to complete.) When finished, the treeview and listview panes should appear as shown below.Close the TransMac window.
Use the File Explorer to delete the
OS X Install ESDfolder andInstallAssistant.icnsfile in your Downloads folder. If you wish, you can also delete the downloaded files. When finished, close the File Explorer window, then empty the Recycle Bin.
References
- How do I create El Capitan installer on a Catalina (or post-El Capitan) installed Mac for use on USB boot installer?
- TransMac Help
- Paragon Hard Disk Manager Version 17 User Manual
- Apple Disk Image Utilities
- HFSExplorer
- DMGExtractor
- dmg2img
- HFS+ for Windows
- Tar and Curl Come to Windows
- dd for Windows
- SuperDuper
- HOW TO QUICKLY CREATE A MACOS BOOTABLE USB ON WINDOWS 10
The instructions for using Windows to create an USB flash drive OS X El Capitan installer are given in my first answer. This answer addresses concerns posted by user Fred - with respect to my first answer.
My first answer used the "Copy To…" action to extract the OS X Install ESD folder to the users Downloads folder. Here, this Downloads folder is assumed to be in a NTFS formatted volume. However in a now deleted post†, Fred - stated the following.
And yes, my Downloads folder is NOT on the system drive and NOT NTFS but ExFAT. One reason for changing the Downloads directory is that my system drive is way too small for all the smaller or bigger downloads. I am convinced, quite a lot of people use non‑default system setups, for instance do not install programs on the system drive but on another partition (as I do whenever possible). ExFAT comes in handy for various reasons, of course not for program installations and things that require NTFS permissions, but for downloads and shared drives this is very good.
BTW, I believe the "system drive", that Fred - referred to, is actually called the "Windows partition" in Microsoft documentation.
In this answer, I used the "Copy To…" action to extract the OS X Install ESD folder to a dma\downloads folder I created on an exFAT formatted drive E:. I received the following popup with a single error message.
This message is repeated below.
Cannot open output file : The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect. : E:\dma\Downloads\OS X Installer ESD\BaseSystem.dmg:com.apple.diskimages.recentcksum
By examining the string BaseSystem.dmg:com.apple.diskimages.recentcksum, one can determine this string is referring to an alternate data stream. Since exFAT does not support alternate data streams, an error message was generated. After further testing, I can state the following.
This answer and my original answer do not require any alternate data streams which can or can not be copied from the
InstallMacOSX.dmgfile downloaded from Apple.
So, if this is the only error message in the popup, then you can ignore the message and proceed with creating the USB flash drive OS X El Capitan installer.
†Actually, Fred - originally posted an answer which was edited by Fred -, then me and finally a moderator. At the time of this posting, the moderator converted the answer to a comment, then deleted the answer.