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I have a Mac mini which appears to be a 2014 model with an Intel processor.

The internal disk has failed completely and has been replaced with a known-good 1 TB SATA SSD.

I have access to Linux hosts, a Windows VM, and an ancient 2007 iMac, but not a more-modern Mac with a working macOS (OS X) installed.

Linux and Windows do not give a download link, they say "use the App Store".
My old Mac says "this machine cannot run this version of macOS".
The instructions at the Apple website "How to create a bootable installer for macOS" assume one has a working Mac.

Is my only option to find someone else with a working modern mac who can download and create a disk for me? How can I generate an install disk?

David Anderson
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Criggie
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    Have you tried booting to Internet Recovery? If so, then which version and can you install from there? In other words, do you even need an installation disk to install some version of OS X or macOS? If so, explain why? – David Anderson Jan 29 '22 at 02:24
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    @DavidAnderson No - I was unaware of its existence, not being particularly au fait with the newer apple way of doing things. Last time I installed OSX it was off a CD! Now that I have the name, a google shows me what it is. You should definitely make that an answer, because while it doesn't answer the question, it solves the underlying problem perfectly. That would help future readers find an answer, who like me didn't know the right name but can describe the requirements. – Criggie Jan 29 '22 at 03:38
  • Only downsides so far - it uses up bandwidth every time I might want to install, and I don't get to choose what version. Right now its installing Sierra, presumably it will offer to upgrade later. – Criggie Jan 29 '22 at 03:39
  • Your question has be asked before in various forms. See: How can I download an older version of OS X/macOS?. Your question will probably be flagged as a duplicate. I am glad you found a solution. – David Anderson Jan 29 '22 at 05:17
  • @DavidAnderson not one answer on that suggested dupe says "internet recovery" so I'd not see it as a duplicate. – Criggie Jan 29 '22 at 05:47
  • Internet Recovery is the first option mentioned in the accepted answer – nohillside Jan 29 '22 at 06:38
  • @nohillside It says "recovery" not the exact phrase "internet recovery" My point here is that without knowing the right words to search for, it can be extremely hard to find something relevant and useful. Hopefully the existence of this question will help future readers find their answer. – Criggie Jan 29 '22 at 08:23
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    Criggle: Under applicable circumstances, Apple has used Recovery, OS X Recovery and macOS Recovery to mean Internet Recovery. Apple has also used OS X Internet Recovery, macOS Internet Recovery, OS X Recovery over the Internet and macOS Recovery over the Internet to mean Internet Recovery. So, if you did not find "internet recovery", then look for one of the others. – David Anderson Jan 29 '22 at 08:23
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    Not sure I understand the problem. People who already know about "Internet Recovery" will most likely not benefit from the answer, people who don't know but can phrase their question to have either the one above or the one we linked to show up in search results will find everything relevant in the answer. – nohillside Jan 29 '22 at 08:48
  • @nohillside fair enough. I consider myself somewhat technically competent, but I'm not an apple initiate. I did not find the above question when searching before posting. Not my problem apple hasn't been consistent in their wording. Making answers accessible and find-able is useful. – Criggie Jan 29 '22 at 09:29
  • Agreed. But if you don‘t know the term Internet Recovery, it doesn’t help to have it in the question. If you do, you find https://apple.stackexchange.com/search?q=Internet+Recovery – nohillside Jan 29 '22 at 09:54
  • I don't believe this is a duplicate question because you can create installation USB sticks without a real mac using a virtual machine. Are you able to re-open the question? – sickcodes Jan 29 '22 at 13:58
  • @sickcodes: Using a virtual machine has already been posted as an answer. This answer can be found through links from this webpage. – David Anderson Jan 29 '22 at 16:50
  • @DavidAnderson No worries, I had an answer typed out, and have posted it here instead: https://sick.codes/how-to-create-a-macos-recovery-usb-installer-without-macos-on-linux-windows/

    Since the linked question, Big Sur and Monterey only allow those versions (APFS) to edit or modify the disk.

    For Big Sur, Monterey, or higher, you'll need an equivalent or higher recovery disk to modify the disk, which has changed since the other answer, specifically for Big Sur Monterey. Sorry I'm new here and tapped send early.

     – sickcodes Jan 30 '22 at 18:43

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