Apple releases tool to create external Lion recovery disk

Apple has released a tool called Lion Recovery Disk Assistant that gives users recovery options that can be started via an external storage medium. The tool backs up the recovery partition.

Because Apple only distributes the Mac OS X Lion update online, the Lion Recovery Disk Assistant help users if problems arise with the operating system on the internal drive. The 1.1 MB heavy tool can create a backup of the recovery partition on an external storage medium, such as USB hard disks and USB sticks.

The tool offers the same possibilities as the normal recovery possibilities of Lion on the internal hard drive. For example, the operating system can be reinstalled, the Lion Recovery Disk Assistant offers repair options and a backup created with Time Machine can be restored. The Internet can also be accessed with the Safari browser.

The Lion Recovery Disk Assistant requires a minimum of 1GB storage capacity on an external storage medium. In addition, Apple warns that if the tool is installed through a machine that came with Lion as standard, it will only work on that system. If the Lion Recovery Disk Assistant is run on older Macs that have recently upgraded from OS X Snow Leopard to Lion, the tool can also work on other Macs with Lion.

Apple released Mac OS X Lion last month. According to the company, the successor to Snow Leopard was downloaded more than a million times within a day. Apple will soon also release a USB stick with OS X Lion. It should cost $69.