How to create Mac OS X Lion bootable DVD for native install?

Mac OS X Lion was unveiled during the WWDC 2011, by Phil Schiller. I just got my hands on the new Mac OS X Lion Developer Preview 4 and was wondering if there are any methods to do a native Lion install, instead of upgrading with Snow Leopard. After hours of searching and analyzing, I found this method to be the best and the easy way to do so.

This how-to article will help you create a bootable Mac OS X Lion install DVD, with which you will be able to install Lion on your Mac without needing Snow Leopard.

[alert_box]
Note: Please do not pirate the software and install DVDs. You will need to have Snow Leopard initially to download Mac OS X Lion from Mac App Store. [/alert_box]

[alert_box] Note #2: Check if your Mac is Lion compatible before you go ahead with this process. [/alert_box]

• Mac OS X Lion is available for download from Mac App Store. Download a fresh copy of it. It contributes to 4GB of your internet bandwidth.
• Once the package is downloaded, right-click (two finger tap if you’re on MacBook) and select Show Package Contents.
• Open the folder named SharedSupport
• Once you open the folder, find InstallESD.dmg file and make a copy of the file in another location.
• Fireup the DiskUtility and insert a blank DVD onto your DVD Drive.
• Select the copied InstallESD.dmg file and click Burn
• Now, backup your data and restart your Mac and Insert the newly burnt Lion DVD
• Keep pressing alphabet C on your keyboard when it boots.
• This will do all the magic and would give your Mac a Lion treatment. 🙂

After everything finishes, you will be booting into Lion successfully. Make sure you are connected to a power source before installing and also have your batter 100% charged before doing this. You might be interested in the complete feature list of the new OS X Lion. I’ve posted it here: [alert_box type=”Success”] All you need to know about Mac OS X Lion [/alert_box]

More Info: InstallESD.dmg is the installation file (the disk image of Lion)

Hope this was helpful. I will update you about other tricks to work with Lion soon. Until then, subscribe to the RSS or follow me on twitter (@ImKarthikK)