Can't boot and install a new Mac OS from their APP files?

[ant]

Hello.

I downloaded Mac OS (Sierra, El Capitan, etc.) app installer from App Store recently. I read that Sierra 10.12.4 has known issues with VirtualBox v5.1.18, but I don't have v10.12.3 and earlier. So, I am going to try El Capitan v10.11.6 installer for now. I also have both of them on bootable my PNY 64 GB USB flash drives. They worked fine in installing onto old MacBook Pros' hosts a few weeks ago.

Is there no way to have to VirtualBox boot and install from the downloaded APP files and bootable USB flash drives? It seems weird that I have to use DMG, ISO (viewtopic.php?f=22&t=81443), etc. according to VirtualBox's new Mac OS X guest setups. VMware Fusion didn't have to do that.

Thank you in advance.

[socratis]

Is there no way to have to VirtualBox boot and install from the downloaded APP files and bootable USB flash drives?

Not for the 'Installer.app'. Not the way you're thinking at least; using the 'Installer.app' to boot a new VM. Not even a real Apple computer can boot from the 'Installer.app'. The 'Installer.app' is not a bootable anything, it's just an installer. You need a running OSX version to install OSX using that method. That definitely works in VirtualBox. Have you tried it?

Maybe for the bootable USB. I haven't personally tried the USB boot method, but in theory it should work, since VirtualBox introduced USB booting for EFI based VMs some time ago.

VMware Fusion didn't have to do that.

You're comparing a multi-platform virtualizer with a platform-specific one. Not a fair comparison. VirtualBox uses standard methods of booting a computer/VM. An 'Installer.app' is not one of them.

[erdeslawe]

The MacOS Install media downloaded from the AppStore is an app, i.e. it is not bootable media and so has to be run as an application from within a current installation of Mac OSX/MacOS, i.e. it has to detect that previous installation in a similar way to Windows 10 Upgrades. Hence, if you want to carry out a clean install of MacOS without using Apple's preferred recovery method (online), you have to create your own bootable media from the download app, i.e. an ISO or USB Installer. ISO is normally a far quicker for VM installation install is it can run from an internal drive rather than relying on the speed of any USB connection/external drive.

Apart from the guidance you've pointed to here, there is plenty on the Web, and at least one 3rd-party Mac Utility, "Diskmaker X", that can do the job.

[ChipMcK]

Or

check out [Howto] Create OSX ISO from the OSX Install app

[ant]

So, how do I boot from the USB Mac OS X flash drives I have that worked on real MacBook Pros? I manually connected the drives to VirtualBox, but it doesn't boot. I even checked its text boot screens, and didn't see anything about booting from USB devices.

[erdeslawe]

You have to learn how to use vboxmanage from the VirtualBox Manual. And there are numerous step-by-step guides on the net if you search "VirtualBox Boot from USB"; but I do not understand why you want to take the most complex route instead of the simplest, i.e. create an ISO.

[ant]

Thanks. I thought doing USB would be easier and faster like on real machines. Too bad it is not in VB.

[ChipMcK]

Did you check out viewtopic.php?f=22&t=81443 yet?

It is easy as pie.

[ant]

Did you check out viewtopic.php?f=22&t=81443 yet?

It is easy as pie.

Yes I did mention it in my original post (OP) but haven't tried it and will try later. I was hoping that booting from the host's installer app and bootable USB would work too.