Originally Posted By: joemikeb
The problem is the installer checks the specific system model and only installs kernel extensions (.kext) and other bits parts and pieces that are specific to that particular machine and none other. Therefore the installed drive image will boot ONLY a Mac of that particular model. Whether that image will boot a a different model Mac is a crap shoot. The Recovery Drive image, on the other hand, is very limited but it can boot any Mac compatible with the particular version of MacOS but about all you can do from there is run Disk Utility, recover your system from a Time Machine or other backup, and install MacOS.

It's been my experience that the installer on the Recovery partition only installs kexts and libraries that are required by the hardware on the machine. The installer on the app store however, is a full installer that supports all of the macs that the version of software supports, to within a few months of the latest release at least. (so if 10.12 has been out for awhile, and apple releases a new iMac, it may take the app store a month or two to get 10.12 updated to support the new computers) But as long as you're not working with bleeding-edge hardware, the latest os installer on the app store will install a "universal os" that will boot on any supported computer.

I work in a very mixed environment, and have to make sure I get a universal install going for the images that I send to the various machines. Having to keep track of and maintain separate images for separate hardware would be a nightmare. As it is I have six specific load outs, and I don't want to have to multiply those by different hardware. So when we get in new computers the first thing I do is back up the factory install and go to the app store and download and run that to see if it will work on the new computer. (it usually does) If it doesn't, then that machine will require a custom image, at least until the App Store gets updated. Then I can download that and refresh my images to that newer OS so I once again have a small set of images that all work on any hardware on campus.

I work for the Department of Redundancy Department