Submit Hint Search The Forums LinksStatsPollsHeadlinesRSS
14,000 hints and counting!

10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility System 10.4
Tiger only hintThis is the Tiger version of a previously submitted hint. Basically, it allows Disk Utility to create disk images in many additional formats. Some are pre-OS X formats, and some others are new to Tiger. Plus, there is a strange (at least for me) ".ipodimage" format available.

To activate the hidden formats, just open the Terminal and enter this command (make sure Disk Utility is not running):
defaults write com.apple.DiskUtility advanced-image-options 1
Now launch Disk Utility and try to create a disk image from folder, or convert an existing image (the advanced options are not available for new blank images). In the Save dialog (after choosing a folder), pop up the "Image format" menu and see the additional formats listed. To know more about various formats, try to consult the man page for hdiutil (man hdiutil in the Terminal). Anyone know something more about the iPod image format?
    •    
  • Currently 3.67 / 5
  You rated: 5 / 5 (3 votes cast)
 
[43,932 views]  

10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility | 17 comments | Create New Account
Click here to return to the '10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility' hint
The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
Authored by: DaMacGuy on Jun 20, '05 11:11:04AM

I haven't run this hint, but that's because I already have these options available. Maybe this is because I have XCode installed?

The full list, that at least I have, available in Disk Utility is...
  • Disk Copy 4.2
  • NDIF read/write
  • NDIF read-only
  • NDIF compressed
  • NDIF compressed (KenCode)
  • read-only
  • compressed (ADC)
  • compressed
  • compressed (bzip2)
  • entire device
  • iPod image
  • UDIF stub
  • read/write
  • DVD/CD master
  • sparse
  • ---
    -DaMacGuy

    [ Reply to This | # ]

    10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
    Authored by: Tetonne on Jun 20, '05 12:02:24PM

    great but how did U do that
    further information & explanation would be great don't U think so? :-)



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
    Authored by: jorn_k on Jun 20, '05 12:11:45PM

    Along the same lines, what are you asking when you state "How do you do that?"

    What's "that?" The hint explained it. Are you asking how to do something else? Maybe we need a better explanation from you, first. :)



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
    Authored by: lpp on Jun 20, '05 12:24:19PM

    His point is that he probably has Developer Tools installed but did not get the extra options by default in Disk Image.app. He is wondering how GP managed to get the options if he did not do what the OP did.

    I have the same experience. I have Developer Tools, but the advanced options aren't available. If I perform the defaults operation indicated, I get the options.

    So what did GP do if he didn't change the defaults?



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
    Authored by: riccard0 on Jun 20, '05 12:48:32PM

    Maybe it has to do with wich version of OS and XCode one has installed. For example, I have 10.4.1 and XCode 2.1 and can see all options.



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
    Authored by: lullabud on Jun 20, '05 12:57:13PM

    That is the same software I have and I didn't have to do this hint to get the extras. Funny, I just noticed this the other day, I'm used to creating disk images with `hdiutil`.



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
    Authored by: SandManMattSH on Mar 23, '06 02:26:55PM

    Sometimes I believe that the most obvious answer is most likely the correct one...
    I think it is safe to assume that either:
    - He ran this command in terminal a while ago and just doesn't remember.
    - Someone else did and he dooesn't know.
    - He ran a system mod utility like "TinkerTool" and used an option in there (there is one to do this in TinkerTool). [or someone else did]
    - Aliens have abducted his computer and did t themselves (although this is redundand, because it would full under the second category).

    It is also possible that he stared using Tiger with a clean install of a developer build. As far as I know, the first two beta releases had the advanced formats in Disk Utility enabled by default. All GM versions should have it disabled BY DEFAULT, with or without the dev tools installed.

    ~Matt SH



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
    Authored by: diamondsw on Jun 20, '05 02:43:03PM

    Where in Disk Utility do you see this list?



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
    Authored by: juz10mac on Jun 20, '05 06:23:23PM

    When you choose 'Convert' at the top and under 'Image Formats.' (You have to have a disk image selected first).



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    Run it from the user you want to use it from.
    Authored by: juz10mac on Jun 20, '05 06:17:55PM

    I figured it out. I was trying to run this command as another user and using sudo. Just run the command from your current user, as-is (not sudo'ed). Now you should have the additional image formats to choose from in Disk Utility.



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
    Authored by: dcclark on Jun 20, '05 08:09:39PM

    This also works in 10.3.8, as I just tried.



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
    Authored by: bdog on Jun 20, '05 01:42:27PM

    I believe TinkerTool can enable this...



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
    Authored by: delGrey on Jun 20, '05 03:21:54PM

    It certainly can.



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
    Authored by: Mike F. on Dec 15, '07 02:45:59PM

    FYI: This hint also work on Mac OS X 10.5.1.



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.4: Enable hidden disk image formats in Disk Utility
    Authored by: DigiDemon on May 29, '08 06:22:53AM

    This works on 10.5. Also you can enable debug menu with:

    defaults write com.apple.DiskUtility DUDebugMenuEnabled 1

    cheers



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.6.2: Enable hidden disk image formats and debug menu in Disk Utility
    Authored by: mael on Dec 08, '09 05:05:03AM

    Still works in 10.6(.2):

    defaults write com.apple.DiskUtility advanced-image-options -bool true
    defaults write com.apple.DiskUtility DUDebugMenuEnabled -bool true


    Especially the debug menu has some interesting items like the "Thousand Minute Countdown"...
    :-)



    [ Reply to This | # ]
    10.6.2: Enable hidden disk image formats and debug menu in Disk Utility
    Authored by: interested1 on Jun 05, '10 08:00:58PM

    This works in 10.6.3, too.



    [ Reply to This | # ]