What is createinstallmedia_yosemite? (Not SOLVED)

[DeltaMac]

Title says it. This file first showed up in the Big Sur installer app, and continues in Monterey beta installer apps.
I incorrectly used that file a few months ago (instead of the correct createinstallmedia file), as a drag-n-drop into the terminal to create a bootable installer, and that file apparently doesn't do that, as it threw out an error when I was expecting a bootable installer.

Anybody know what that file (createinstallmedia_yosemite) is really used for?
Or, at least how it is different from (createinstallmedia)?

 

[mikecwest]

It probably showed up with Yosemite. or the one before that.

But, what It does is create a bootable installer for Yosemite.

 

[DeltaMac]

The file, createinstallmedia_yosemite is not in any OS X or macOS installer before Big Sur. It is in addition to the usual (createinstallmedia) file, which is the normal file used to create a bootable installer.

And, it threw out an error when I first tried to use it, admittedly a few months ago - absolutely did not work...
So, tested it today, booted from Yosemite - both files worked to make a Big Sur installer.
Then booted to Mojave, and again tried both files, and both worked.

Seems to be an issue that was corrected, as I was curious to know if anyone else had questioned the two files.
Apparently not, and seems to now be a non-issue.
Appreciate quite a few views, and my (now nonsense) question has been answered.

 

[DeltaMac]

I come back to this thread, which I made a few months ago.
I still don't know what createinstallmedia_yosemite does.
Must be different from the createinstallmedia file, but I don't know how to find out what that difference might be (I don't know how to open up that file.
You can find both inside the Install macOS Monterey app package contents.

I was trying to reinstall Monterey beta today, made a USB installer, using the normal createinstallmedia file. And, the resulting bootable installer would crash the intel MBAir that I was having trouble with, tried the reinstall, and the MBAir would simply crash out of the installer, about half-way through. Did this 3 times, without succeeding. I made ANOTHER bootable USB, this time using createinstallmedia_yosemite file from the same Monterey installer app. This time, the USB installer completed the load, and the reinstall completed on that same MBAir, without any more drama.
SO - the question: What is the difference between createinstallmedia and createinstallmedia_yosemite ?
I don't know how to find out, except to test installs used with one, then the other. Sometimes one works, sometimes the other works.
So, the real question: Has anyone ever noticed those two files, which started appearing in Big Sur installer app, and continue in Monterey installer app - and does anyone have a clue how they are different? Both work to create a bootable installer that works, but I can't discover why there are two different files that seem to have the same purpose.

 

[allan.nyholm]

I have noticed it, but did not think to start a thread about it.. I'm glad that you did back then and I did notice your thread when you intially created the thread.

I have made a Big Sur USB drive using both the conventional

createinstallmedia

&

createinstallmedia_yosemite

Both made an OK USB and installed Big Sur just fine.
I installed Big Sur so many times, often with one or the other createinstallmedia.

Only thing I've noticed is that with Big Sur the usual createinstallmedia gave me a lot of errors in the Recovery Log when I booted from the USB drive.. Usually it's a whole lot of APFS errors that just kept coming.

These APFS errors have gone away with macOS Monterey.

I haven't understood what the entire difference between the two installers are either - they are not equal in size so something must be different in the way it makes the USB. If I were to guess it's related to APFS.

My assumption is that the

createinstallmedia_yosemite

creates an installer that is better compatible with older Macs - some that might have originally come preinstalled with Yosemite or Catalina.. or again... filesystem / drive compatibility

My 27" iMac from late 2015 is equally happy with both ways to create an installer when using macOS Monterey over macOS Big Sur

It's all speculation on my part of course.

 

[DeltaMac]

creates an installer that is better compatible with older Macs - some that might have originally come preinstalled with Yosemite or Catalina.. or again... filesystem / drive compatibility

But, I would like to discover what significance the name "yosemite" has to that file -- You even mentioned both Yosemite and Catalina together, yet there is 5 years between Yosemite and Catalina.

 

[dell2mac]

I like this thread, as of right now I am trying out the Yosemite create media file from Big Sur to see if it keeps me from having panics on my monitor, since my HDMI got broke from falling I have been using one that has the HDMI port on one end of the cable and VGA on the other and just a plan monitor attached, no graphics to it, and the MHz is like 80, and it is suppose to be 120, and then I also added the secondary hard drive with a splitter adapter and I think that might be causing the panic as well. 2019 iMac 18,2. The minimal 6,1 does not let the install of Big Sur.

I am going to lose all my apps from Catalina that I am on right now. Hope all goes well with this creator file of Yosemite in Big Sur.

 

[DeltaMac]

Can you explain what you mean by "minimal 6,1" ?