LanceJ's Ultimate Mac Boot Stick

After a few years of fooling around, I decided to make up my own ultimate Mac Boot USB stick.

My goals: When I administrate computers, I want to have most everything I need on a single boot device so I don't have to fool around downloading, installing, or searching.

My boot stick includes the software that I need most frequently. It isn't that complicated, but it took a while to actually figure it all out. Best of all, you can easily make your own!

Required Stuff:

A 32 GB (or larger) USB 3.0 "thumb drive". These devices are inexpensive, portable, fast, and readily available. I use something like this PNY USB 3.0 stick.

What not to use:

Small thumb drives. You may be able to get away with a 16 GB device, but anything less than 16 GB will limit your flexibility.
Hard disks or SSDs. They're more expensive, bulky, and HD's are less reliable
SD Cards. An SD card is an option, but the truth is that a standard USB 3.0 thumb drive is more universal. They work on just about all Macs produced over the past 10+ years.

Partitions:

I created four partitions to on my Ultimate Mac Boot USB stick:

El Capitan Installer (6.5 GB)
Lion Installer (6.5 GB) (if you deal with 1st generation Intel-based Macs)
Memtest Partition (50 MB)
Installable Software Partition (Remaining Space)

For very old Macs (like a 2005-vintage PowerBook) , I still lug around a Leopard DVD. Oh well, old school equipment demands old school procedures!

Fixing a SodaStream Jet, part 1: Disassembly Guide

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My Soda Stream Jet's fill button broke, which means I can not longer carbonate water by pressing the pushbutton. This caused all sorts of grief in my household. Here is how I managed to repair my Jet to give it another 10 years of life (hopefully). First, a look at the button The fill button on the top of the SodaStream is actually a simple lever. Pressing down on the button moves a pin that does the actual work of pressing open the Carbonator's valve. Unfortunately, the axis point is fairly thin and can see a lot of stress. That's where my Soda Stream button cracked. [ I think the usage tip here is "don't over-press the button like a gorilla, it doesn't do anything but put high stress on the button."] Cracked levering point of the button The Pesky Lever Retaining Pin The Fix It was pretty easy for me to replace the button: Take off the back of the Soda Stream and remove the carbonator. Push out the the button lever's steel retaining pin. This takes qu...

Fixing my Wahl 9918 Groomsman Beard and Mustache Trimmer

Not everyone would bother repairing a $25 beard trimmer, but why not fix something for under $5 instead of spending another $25? My Wahl 9918 Groomsman Beard and Mustache Trimmer has admirably performed its beauty duty for many years, but the time came when the battery just wasn't holding a charge any more. Most people would just put the trimmer in the trash and buy a new one, but I figured I could repair my otherwise excellent Wahl and save some money. In fact, even high priced trimmer and rotary shaver brands, like Norelco and Remington, can be easily repaired using a process similar to the one I used to fix my Wahl. Read on to find out how. I opened up the Wahl by popping off the black plastic faceplate with a tiny flathead screwdriver, which revealed two screws. By removing the two screws I was able to easily open up the unit, revealing the guts of the device. Backplate off, Revealing the screws The internals are rather simple: a motor, a...

Robust Installation of an HDHomeRun Networked TV Tuner. 64 OTA channels!

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The Lance J. Technoweb

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