Unable to hold down C key to boot an old 2008 MBP?

[Ant]

Hello.

A few days ago, I made/created a bootable USB PNY 64 GB flash drive with
El Capitan/Mac OS X v10.11.5 from a mid-2012 13.3" MBP+ with its Mac OS
X v10.8.5/Mountain Lion and
http://osxdaily.com/2015/09/30/create-os-x-el-capitan-boot-install-drive/
instructions.

On a very old (early 2008; A1260) 15" MBP, holding down C key while
powering it up does not boot up from this connected USB device. Holding
down option key, while powering on, does show the connected bootable USB
PNY 64 GB flash drive with its El Capitan Mac OS X on screen. I also can
select to boot it as well.

Does this old MBP model not support C key while powering on to boot?
Thank you in advance. :)
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[Neill Massello]

Ant <ANT...@zimage.com> wrote:

> On a very old (early 2008; A1260) 15" MBP, holding down C key while
> powering it up does not boot up from this connected USB device. Holding
> down option key, while powering on, does show the connected bootable USB
> PNY 64 GB flash drive with its El Capitan Mac OS X on screen. I also can
> select to boot it as well.
>
> Does this old MBP model not support C key while powering on to boot?

Contrary to Apple's support page
(<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201255>), my experience is that the
C key only works for optical drives. Other types of local devices
require the Option key.

[Jolly Roger]

That's been my experience as well. I was surprised to see Apple stating
C works for anything *but* optical drives.

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I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

[nospam]

In article <XJudnWYNKY-UjC3F...@earthlink.com>, Ant

<ANT...@zimage.com> wrote:

>
> On a very old (early 2008; A1260) 15" MBP, holding down C key while
> powering it up does not boot up from this connected USB device. Holding
> down option key, while powering on, does show the connected bootable USB
> PNY 64 GB flash drive with its El Capitan Mac OS X on screen. I also can
> select to boot it as well.

the c key is for a cd or dvd.

you want the option key.

[Ant]

Ah. I guess https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201255 is wrong then! I
was wondering why it didn't work!
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[Lewis]

In message <XJudnWYNKY-UjC3F...@earthlink.com> Ant <ANT...@zimage.com> wrote:
> On a very old (early 2008; A1260) 15" MBP, holding down C key while
> powering it up does not boot up from this connected USB device.

What gives you the idea it should? (it shouldn't)

--
"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching." - Mohandas
Gandhi

[Lewis]

In message <ncGdndas2pVaGi3F...@earthlink.com> Ant <a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
> On 2/24/2017 10:01 AM, nospam wrote:
>> In article <XJudnWYNKY-UjC3F...@earthlink.com>, Ant
>> <ANT...@zimage.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> On a very old (early 2008; A1260) 15" MBP, holding down C key while
>>> powering it up does not boot up from this connected USB device. Holding
>>> down option key, while powering on, does show the connected bootable USB
>>> PNY 64 GB flash drive with its El Capitan Mac OS X on screen. I also can
>>> select to boot it as well.
>>
>> the c key is for a cd or dvd.
>>
>> you want the option key.

> Ah. I guess https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201255 is wrong then! I
> was wondering why it didn't work!

Pretty sure "Such as macOS install media" means "macOS install media"

--
I've always had a flair for stage directions.

[Ant]

On 2/24/2017 11:07 PM, Lewis wrote:
...

>> Ah. I guess https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201255 is wrong then! I
>> was wondering why it didn't work!
>
> Pretty sure "Such as macOS install media" means "macOS install media"

A bootable USB flash drive of El Capitan isn't? :(
--
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before." --Oliver Smith

[Lewis]

In message <uYidnZJSSomQ2yzF...@earthlink.com> Ant <a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
> On 2/24/2017 11:07 PM, Lewis wrote:
> ...
>>> Ah. I guess https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201255 is wrong then! I
>>> was wondering why it didn't work!
>>
>> Pretty sure "Such as macOS install media" means "macOS install media"

> A bootable USB flash drive of El Capitan isn't? :(

When Apple stopped producing DVDs they briefly made available a USB
installer that you could purchase to stop all the whiners. It, as
predicted, sold about 47 units total and the product was quickly
retired.

It is also possible that much newer machines without CD drives might use
the 'C' key to allow booting from USB while a 2008 machine will not.

I am too lazy to check

--
"You're just impressed by any pretty girl who can walk and talk." "She
doesn't have to talk."

[David Empson]

Lewis <g.k...@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> wrote:

> In message <uYidnZJSSomQ2yzF...@earthlink.com> Ant
> <a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
> > On 2/24/2017 11:07 PM, Lewis wrote:
> > ...
> >>> Ah. I guess https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201255 is wrong then! I
> >>> was wondering why it didn't work!
> >>
> >> Pretty sure "Such as macOS install media" means "macOS install media"
>
> > A bootable USB flash drive of El Capitan isn't? :(
>
> When Apple stopped producing DVDs they briefly made available a USB
> installer that you could purchase to stop all the whiners. It, as
> predicted, sold about 47 units total and the product was quickly
> retired.
>
> It is also possible that much newer machines without CD drives might use
> the 'C' key to allow booting from USB while a 2008 machine will not.
>
> I am too lazy to check

Also some MacBook Air models came with restore media on a USB flash
drive before Lion - they booted from it via the C key. (Early MacBook
Air models came with a DVD like everything else, needing an external
drive to use it.)

Whether that works with other roll-your-own full installers is left as
an exercise for the reader. The theory that it is limited to models with
no built-in optical drive is plausible, but I haven't tested it either.

--
David Empson
dem...@actrix.gen.nz

[Happy.Hobo]

On 2/25/17 2:58 PM, Lewis wrote:
> When Apple stopped producing DVDs they briefly made available a USB
> installer that you could purchase to stop all the whiners. It, as
> predicted, sold about 47 units total and the product was quickly
> retired.

Which may have been from lack of interest or may have been because there
were ways to create your own for free.

[nospam]

In article <o944q4$1uut$2...@gioia.aioe.org>, Happy.Hobo

there was not enough interest to justify making it.

this is particularly true with netbooting.