New iMac owner - How do I download ML installer?

Guys and gals,

I just set up my new iMac 2 days ago, and I'm very happy. One thing I wanted to do was download the ML 10.8.2 installer and store it on an external HD for convenience, but the App Store doesn't seem to want to give me a free copy of ML.

Am I correct in assuming I can download a free copy of ML because I've just purchased an iMac? If I am correct, how do I download ML without forking over the $20. ;D

Cheers,

Hi and welcome!
I've been through something similar. For me this wasn't possible (or at least I didn't find a way). See this thread
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os-x-operating-system/292621-trying-make-osx-recovery-flash-drive.html

In addition to MacDuck's excellent link, you might consider this LINK to Recovery Assistant:
OS X: About Recovery Disk Assistant
This describes a method of achieving a bootable installer from a pre-installed Lion or Mountain Lion iMac. NB it would only work for that specific iMac. See if this helps.

If you have read MacDuck's linked thread, the person there felt that an outlay of $20 was worth it to have a generic ML installer. If you thought the same, you could spend the money, download a fresh copy of ML and follow this LINK for instructions on how to do it: How to Make a Bootable OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion USB Install Drive

This requires that you do the work, but it takes little more than 5 minutes.

If you prefer to have an App do the work for you, you can download the free "DiskMaker" first then:
Download ML. It will wind up in your Applications folder. Drag it over to your thumb drive (copy or move, doesn't matter). Start Lion Diskmaker, as it will also work with ML. It will find Mountain Lion on your thumb drive and format it to be bootable, so make sure there's nothing on there you don't want to lose.

These are just additional ideas you might wish to consider.

Ian

IWT I looked at that process in your link before re-buying ML.
The problem is that the recovery partition does not contain OSX or its installer, but allows you to download them from Apple. I didn't know whether you could start that process then stop it once the download was completed, make a copy etc etc. I decided that this was unlikely, so bought it again.
I may have tried harder if the cost had been greater

As mentioned you can't download ML from the App Store without buying it a fresh.

But then you don't need to. If a situation arises where you need to reinstall just hold R at boot and you get an option to download ML and reinstall

I was planning for the worst and imagining a hard drive failure outside of warranty. And I like multiple methods of recovering

MacDuck said:

I was planning for the worst and imagining a hard drive failure outside of warranty. And I like multiple methods of recovering

Click to expand...

Smart move. Hard drives do fail, and if you can't access the recovery partition because the drive has crashed, what then? You did the right thing.

On new Macs like the OP has Internet recovery will download and install Mountain Lion - even on a brand new disk

That's useful to know mrplow.
However there's nothing quite like holding a means to recover in your hand ;D
Not to mention that I can use it elsewhere too!

Oh I agree. Better to have too many options than too few