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Note: Although Mac OS X 10.2 and later has asimilar feature called Archive and Install, this document applies onlyto Mac OS 9.x and earlier.
Sep 20, 2016 - macOS Sierra is a fantastic update arriving from Apple to make us love our Macs even more. It has plenty of new features, and also has the. Installing OS X Mavericks. Now, on the first install screen, before installing OS X Mavericks, on the menu bar at the top of the screen click on Utilities and select Disk Utility from the available options. On Disk Utility, select your Mac’s hard drive (as shown below) and on the Erase tab select the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.
A clean install replaces the System Folder, which containsall the vital parts of the Mac OS, instead of updating or modifyingit. Typically, the old
System Folder
is renamedPrevious System Folder
. A clean system install is usuallyonly necessary if parts of the system have become corrupt or damagedand cannot be repaired by utility programs such as Disk FirstAid or Norton Utilities.Note: In the following instructions, you will bedirected to boot your computer from your system installation disks.These are the media, either floppy disks or a CD-ROM, that have theinstallation software for your operating system. If you have floppydisks, insert the first system installation disk in your floppy diskdrive, then restart your computer. If you have a CD-ROM, put it inyour CD-ROM drive, restart your computer, and immediately press the
c
key. The computer will use the floppy orCD as its startup disk, and you should be able to begin your cleaninstall. For more information about booting from other media, see ARCHIVED: On a Mac, how do I change my startup volume or boot from analternative volume, disc, or device?Clean install for Mac OS 7.6 and later
- Insert the first system installation disk or the systeminstallation CD in the appropriate drive, then restart yourcomputer. (Mac OS 8.5 and higher are available only on CD-ROM.)
- Start up the installer, then click Options....
- Check the box for Perform clean installation. In Mac OS7.6, check Create new System Folder (cleaninstallation...). Run any needed updates.
List of the updates:
- Mac OS 7.6 updates to 7.6.1
- Mac OS 8.0 updates to 8.1
- Mac OS 8.5 updates to 8.6
- Mac OS 9.0 updates to 9.1
- Mac OS 9.1 and 9.2 update to 9.2.1 (This update is only availablefor computers that can run Mac OS X.)
Clean install for Mac OS 7.5.x
- Insert the first system installation disk or the systeminstallation CD in the appropriate drive, then restart your computer.
- Launch the system software installer, then press
Cmd-Shift-k
. - Select the option to do a clean system installation.
- Install the software and run any needed updates.
List of the updates:
- Mac OS 7.5 updates to 7.5.3 (with Update 2.0)
- Mac OS 7.5.3 updates to 7.5.5
- For Macintosh computers with PowerPC processors running Mac OS7.5.5, install the PowerPC interrupt extension
Clean install for Mac OS prior to 7.5
- Rename the
System Folder
toPrevious SystemFolder
. For more information, see ARCHIVED: In Mac OS X, how do I rename a file, folder, or volume? - Drop the
System
suitcase file into thePreferences
folder. - Insert the first system installation disk or the systeminstallation CD-ROM in the appropriate drive, then restart yourcomputer.
- Click the installer and install your system. Run any updates tothe system.
Note: After a clean installation, you will need tomove any third-party or non-standard software you have installed fromyour
Previous System Folder
to your new SystemFolder
. This includes any fonts, control panels, extensions,and other system software that is not a part of a standard Mac OSinstallation. Place this software in the appropriate folders insidethe System Folder
(e.g., fonts should be in theFonts
folder, control panels in the ControlPanels
folder). Make sure that third-party software iscompatible with any updates you may have installed. Alternatively,you may wish to reinstall third-party software from the originalinstallation disks as a way to insure that your system is free ofcorruption.If you use your Mac frequently, then you surely are excited about Yosemite, Apple’s latest version of OS X. The new system is not only the largest departure from past versions, but it also brings a new stunning look, both minimal and colorful.
As usual, Yosemite is free for anyone with a Mac that supports it. You can check if your computer qualifies below:
- iMac (Mid-2007 or later)
- MacBook (13-inch Aluminum, Late 2008), (13-inch, Early 2009 or later)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid-2009 or later), (15-inch, Mid/Late 2007 or later), (17-inch, Late 2007 or later)
- MacBook Air (Late 2008 or later)
- Mac Mini (Early 2009 or later)
- Mac Pro (Early 2008 or later)
- Xserve (Early 2009)
Downloading and performing a quick install is fairly easy as well: simply get Yosemite from the Mac App Store and double-click on it once it is done downloading.
However, it is recommendable to do a clean install instead of a simple upgrade, since a clean install gets rid of all the clutter of past operating systems and ensures Yosemite behaves like new.
That said, performing this type of install requires some extra care and a few additional steps. So let’s go through all you have to do in order to perform a clean install the right way.
Ready? Let’s get started.
Prior to Installation
Needless to say, if you are going to completely erase your Mac’s hard drive in order to install a fresh OS, you need to take a few precautionary measures. So before starting the clean install process, make sure you…
- Have a complete backup of everything in your Mac
- Remember the passwords of all the apps that you frequently work with
- Have all the licenses of apps you bought outside of the Mac App Store
- Export a backup of all your bookmarks and other browser information
Done with that? Great. Now let’s move on.
Create a Bootable Yosemite USB Drive
In order to perform a clean install of Yosemite, you will need to have a copy of just the installer on a USB. This is trickier than you think, since the original Yosemite file is a self-contained app that, when used, automatically performs a quick install (not a clean one) and then deletes itself.
This is convenient for most users, but it also makes the original Yosemite installer useless if you want a clean install. So in order to get only the installer file on a bootable USB drive, you have a couple of options.
Important Note: Make sure to download the Yosemite file from the Mac App Store and to plug your USB drive into your Mac before you begin.Use a Dedicated App
Step 1: This is definitely the easiest way to create your bootable Yosemite USB drive. To do it, first download the latest version of DiskMaker and start the app.
Step 2: Click on the Yosemite (10.10) button. The app will then search for the install file (that you should have already downloaded). Once it finds the file, it will prompt you to use it to create your bootable USB. Verify the location of the file and accept.
Step 3: After that, select the kind of USB drive you will use and then click the Erase then create the disk button for DiskMaker to do its magic. The result should be an install USB drive of more than 5GB in size.
Now, if for some reason this method doesn’t work for you or you just don’t want to use it, then here’s the second method, which makes use of the Terminal.
Important Note: Don’t forget to only use the Terminal if you feel comfortable with it, since it is quite advanced and you can mess things up in your Mac if you take the wrong turn.Use the Terminal
Step 1: Open the Terminal on your Mac. Then copy and paste the following code into it:
sudo /Applications/Install OS X Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install OS X Yosemite.app --nointeraction
Once you do, make sure your USB drive is plugged into your Mac, then authenticate with your password and press Return to run the command.
After a few minutes you should have your Yosemite installation USB drive ready to use.
Clean Install OS X Yosemite
Step 1: With your bootable USB plugged to your Mac, restart it while pressing the Alt key on your keyboard. This will prompt your system to display all the drives available. Select the orange one to start the installation.
Step 2: Next, you will be presented with a window showing the basic OS X utilities. Select the bottom option to open Disk Utility. It is time to erase your Mac’s hard drive.
Warning! Make absolutely sure all of the files you want to keep are backed up somewhere else; once you wipe your hard drive, there’s no turning back.Step 3: On Disk Utility select your Mac’s hard drive as shown in the image below and then click on the Erase tab. Then name your hard drive and make sure it is in the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.
Once you double check all of this, click the Erase… button to start formatting your Mac’s hard drive.
Step 4: Once this process is finished, exit Disk Utility and now select Install OS X to finally start installing Yosemite.
After several installation screens, the stunningly beautiful new version of OS X will be ready for you to start using.
Just configure the system, get all your favorite apps and info from the web, and you’ll be ready to go.
Top Image Credit:Mike Liu
Also See#OS X #yosemite Did You Know
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