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Can a friend use my Yosemite installer file?
#44644 05/17/17 08:41 PM
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I have an interesting question about transferability of OS X installers. I have a friend who neglected to download Yosemite when it was available in the Mac App Store, and now would like to upgrade to it. Since Apple no longer makes it available, can I give him my copy on a USB drive for him to copy to his Applications folder, and will it work? I was thinking it might be tied to my Apple ID somehow, and if he tried to launch it, it would not allow him to use it because it would verify that he never downloaded it in the first place.

I know I could just make him a bootable USB Yosemite installer with DiskMaker X, and I will do that if need be, but I'm curious if he can just use the file by itself.

Re: Can a friend use my Yosemite installer file?
Rick Deckard #44645 05/17/17 08:56 PM
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I've asked the same question, and as I recall, the answer was that even though there's no "hard" media involved, Apple's EULA is still applicable, and if your Yosemite download is still running on one of your Macs, giving it to your friend will be a violation.

If you're no longer running Yosemite...if your installer is just a relic that's lying around, you should be OK giving it away, and since I've never seen any indication that an OS X d/l is identifiable by user, that shouldn't be an issue.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Can a friend use my Yosemite installer file?
artie505 #44647 05/17/17 10:07 PM
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Thanks for your reply. I was ignoring the EULA implications since Apple gives their OS's away for free these days.

I noticed there are many people selling the free versions of OS X/mac OS on eBay these days, with a few just being the download itself hosted on cloud services. I would hope Apple would be far more concerned about those folks than me giving one copy to a friend.

Re: Can a friend use my Yosemite installer file?
Rick Deckard #44650 05/18/17 01:10 AM
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Originally Posted By: Rick Deckard
I noticed there are many people selling the free versions of OS X/mac OS on eBay these days, with a few just being the download itself hosted on cloud services.

I must be missing something here. Why would would anyone pay a third party for something they could easily get from the original source for nothing? Not only that why would they risk getting software from a source that might come with malware?


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Can a friend use my Yosemite installer file?
Rick Deckard #44654 05/18/17 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted By: Rick Deckard
I noticed there are many people selling the free versions of OS X/mac OS on eBay these days, with a few just being the download itself hosted on cloud services. I would hope Apple would be far more concerned about those folks than me giving one copy to a friend.

People have been selling bootleg OS X/macOS installers, even grey discs, on eBay for years, and Apple has never so much as blinked, and while I agree with you that their attitude towards bootlegs should, by implication, certainly make your benign plan "kosher", the EULA still prohibits it. confused frown

I find the matter really amusing, because a few years ago I listed a Mac package including backup installer discs on eBay, and believe it or not, the Business Software Alliance actually made eBay take my listing down until Apple opted to not rebut my letter to their legal department in which I pointed out that the EULA not only allowed me to make such backups, it actually obligated me to include them in any transfer of the Mac. tongue


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Can a friend use my Yosemite installer file?
joemikeb #44655 05/18/17 08:01 AM
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Originally Posted By: joemikeb
Originally Posted By: Rick Deckard
I noticed there are many people selling the free versions of OS X/mac OS on eBay these days, with a few just being the download itself hosted on cloud services.

I must be missing something here. Why would would anyone pay a third party for something they could easily get from the original source for nothing? Not only that why would they risk getting software from a source that might come with malware?

Because grelber isn't the only Mac owner who's got neither sufficient bandwidth to accomplish the downloads nor access to any other d/l means; because there's any number of Mac users who aren't technically proficient enough to save the d/l's and create their own backup installers; because...


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Can a friend use my Yosemite installer file?
joemikeb #44665 05/18/17 08:11 PM
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Originally Posted By: joemikeb
I must be missing something here. Why would would anyone pay a third party for something they could easily get from the original source for nothing? Not only that why would they risk getting software from a source that might come with malware?

As I mentioned in my original post, my friend failed to download Yosemite when it was available on the Mac App Store, so now there is no way for him to get it from Apple. Apple only keeps the latest version of mac OS online and available to you, unless you had the foresight to download a previous version at least once. From then on it will be available in your Purchased tab in the Mac App Store and you can download it again.

Sellers on eBay are simply taking advantage of that situation and making previous versions available.

Re: Can a friend use my Yosemite installer file?
Rick Deckard #44666 05/19/17 12:29 AM
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Virtual 1 will have to second this, but I think he once posted that you can call Apple and get versions of OS X that you can't get on line despite the fact that they really want everybody to be up to date.

(I dunno what's up with the App Store; I've d/l'ed Sierra while logged in, and it didn't turn up in my "Purchased" tab.)


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Can a friend use my Yosemite installer file?
artie505 #44667 05/19/17 01:40 AM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
Virtual 1 will have to second this, but I think he once posted that you can call Apple and get versions of OS X that you can't get on line despite the fact that they really want everybody to be up to date.

(I dunno what's up with the App Store; I've d/l'ed Sierra while logged in, and it didn't turn up in my "Purchased" tab.)

I believe I've read elsewhere they will only do that if your Mac is too old to take the latest version of OS X and you can convince them of that. I didn't think to have my friend try that tactic, but it's just as easy to give him the file now that we're going that route.


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