First your computer starts freezing infrequently, then crashing more often, and then it won’t start at all. It can happen to any of us, even those who own brand-new Macs. You’ll thank yourself for taking the time to complete this project. Carry it in your pocket or put it on your keychain so it’s available if the worst-case scenario occurs. What’s a maintenance-minded Mac user to do?Ĭreate your own bootable OS X USB drive, of course! It’s easy, and if you’ve already purchased OS X and have a USB drive that’s 1 GB or larger, it’s completely free. But OS X Mountain Lion is sold in the App Store as a digital download - no physical disk is provided. With previous versions of OS X, you could have used the installation DVD to fix problems. An emergency drive (also referred to as an OS X Recovery Disk) can help you repair the hard disk, reinstall the operating system, and restore from a Time Machine backup to get your computer back fast. It’s a good idea to have a bootable emergency drive on hand, just in case disaster strikes your Mac.
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