Reinstall Clean Version of Lion

Hello,
So, I received a MacBook Pro that my brother used for Christmas and that he bought earlier this year. I wanted to erase everything on the HD and start clean. There's no CDs, nothing to use to do this. There's no earlier backups that he made so I can't use recovery. Even tried to buy a fresh copy from Apple Store using my own Apple ID and can't even do that. I tried Command-R but it asks for the account in which I used to purchase Lion which I haven't done yet. Any way to do a fresh install? Suggestions? Thanks!

Is this MBP running Lion?
If it is when did your brother buy it, Did it come with Lion pre-installed?
If the above is true then you can boot into the Lion Recovery partition on the hard drive (it is a hidden partition) by holding down either the "Option" key at boot, that will give you a screen where you can select the partition to boot to, or the Command+R key and that will boot directly into the recovery partition.
Once you boot into the recovery partition you can use Disk Utilities to erase the Macintosh HD and then reinstall the OS. Be adviced that to reinstall the OS you will need to download it from the Apple website, this happen automatically when you choose to install, and it is a 3.5+ Gigabit download. So it will take awhile depending on your internet connection speed. And also be adviced that once the download and install finishes the downloaded file get deleted
There are ways to save this file for future use but I won't go into that. Just do a google search for the instructions on how to do this.
NOTE:
Before you do this save to an external drive all the program install files your bother has installed. They will be in the Downloads folder and will have either .ZIP or .DMG file extensions. If you don't do that before you reinstall the OS these programs may be lost to you as they are more then likely associated to your brothers Apple or other software venders site log on ID and you won't be able to download them and or run them without buying them again.
Also make sure you save any License key coded he may have for all the programs. Again without those License keys you would need to buy them again.
Good Luck.

Similar Messages

Simplest way to reinstall clean version of Yosemite

Hi,
Not the most technical guy when it comes to OS systems. I have a Macbook Pro from early 2013 which has Yosemite installed. It is running really slow and keeps freezing.
Have tried to remove lots of unwanted apps etc from the system but doesnt make much difference and would like to do a complete wipe and re-install to start with a clean slate
Anyone have any really simple instructions on how i do this?
Thanks!

There are a few different ways to do this, but this is what I do:
Download a new Yosemite installer from the app store.
Make a USB flash drive Yosemite installer with an 8 GB thumb drive and diskmaker X http://diskmakerx.com/
back up your documents.
I use iCloud keychain to back up internet passwords. If you have any other passwords, for example, network settings or mail accounts, write those down.
I find it helpful to make a list of everything I am planning on reinstalling.
Boot from the thumb drive installer.
Use the utilities on the thumb drive to erase (format) your HD.
Use the thumb drive to reinstall Yosemite.
reinstall your apps from scratch (from installers, not from backups).
Move your documents back to your HD.
Don't install any third party antivirus software, "cleaners", CleanMyMac, MacKeeper (or anything else that smells like that).
There could be a lot of other reasons why your Mac is not running well (like a HD that is too full, not enough RAM for the software you are trying to run, other crapware). If you reinstall bad software you'll just reinstall your problems.

How to Create a Bootable Flash Drive to do a clean install of Lion. I have tried to use the InstallESD.dmg but it still will not do a clean install so that I do not have to do a reinstall from the Recovery (That just re downloads and takes over 6 hours)?

How to Create a Bootable Flash Drive to do a clean install of Lion. I have tried to use the InstallESD.dmg but it still will not do a clean install so that I do not have to do a reinstall from the Recovery (That just re downloads and takes over 6 hours)?
The system I'm have is a Mac-mini that had SL on it and no SuperDrive. I have also call Apple Support and they have really have not been to much help over 1st did my up grade to Lion and Installed the Lion Server.... it lost my SSL that I paid for and kill almost on of my server setting, plus kill all my web servers (using apache vhosts), and not to say the LDAP will even let remote users login to your laptops.
PS: There is no way that I'm going to buy a Install USB from Apple... They have over billed me over $300.00 because the Apps Store still has bugs (Glad I did not write that App/Service)
If there is anyone that can give in the information to create a USB install stick, I would be very thinkful.

Here you are bro, courtesy of "softpedia.com"....brilliant site!!!
If you ever had problems with your Mac OS X installation you know that the first thing you should do is to check the startup volume using Disk Utility.
After the check has ended and, if the errors exceed a certain level of seriousness, the Disk Utility application will require you to restart your Mac and use its Mac OS X Install disc counterpart.
Other users may have to reinstall OS X altogether, but will find, or already know, that their SuperDrive (a CD/DVD reader and write combo drive) is not functioning properly and it will not be able to read the Install disc.
Although this might happen to Mac OS X Leopard users due to faultyhardware, the vast majority of problematic SuperDrives will be encountered inside Snow Leopard running Macs.
This is due to the updated SuperDrive firmware included in either the Install disc or the software updates one has to install to reach the latest version of OS X, namely 10.6.6.
This can be fixed by flashing the SuperDrive’s stock firmware using free command line tools that one can find for free online (I will write about this process also, but at a later time because this article only focuses on allowing you to create your own alternative USB boot disc).
If you are reading this last bit of information with skepticism, than you should know that it happened to me too. Despite all my tries to make it work properly, the SuperDrive kept on munching any inserted DVDs and just popped them out in about twenty seconds.
The workaround to this issue was to create my own Leopard bootable USB memory stick. I am not suggesting a Snow Leopard bootable stick mainly because there are lots of users that have decided to buy the cheaper, Upgrade version, which I have not tested and, therefore, I’m not sure if it will work properly once written to a USB disk.
And now, here are the exact steps you should follow in order to obtain a fully bootable Leopard (or Lion) Install disc.
Step 1 (If you already have the Leopard install disc DMG file you can skip to Step 2)
Launch Disk Utility (you can find it inside /Applications/Utilities). Here select the Leopard Install disc in the list of drives on the left and click on the New Image menu entry at the top of the window. A save message will appear where you will have to select the Desktop as a destination.
Step 2
After Disk Utility has finished creating the Leopard DMG, insert your USB stick and erase all data and reformat the disk. To do this select the USB in the list of drives on the left and, after clicking on the Erase tab on the right side of the window, choose the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format and click the Erase button beneath.
Step 3
After the USB has been reformatted, download the SuperDuper app from HERE and launch it. Once SuperDuper starts, you will only have to select the DMG in the Copy drop-down menu, your USB memory stick on the right and hit the “Copy Now” button.
One can also use Disk Utility for this task but creating a bootable USB stick failed 2 out 4 times when copying the DMG to the stick (with the exact same settings each time). Creating the bootable stick using SuperDuper proved to be the perfect way to do it because it worked each of the 4 times I tested it.
The steps above can also be used to create a bootable Mac OS X Lion USB by using the InstallESD.dmg image you can find inside the Lion installer (named “Install Mac OS X Lion.app”) downloaded from the Mac App Store in the /Applications folder.
To locate the InstallESD.dmg right click the Lion installer, select the “Show Package Contents” entry, go inside the “Contents” folder, and from there into the “SharedSupport” folder. Inside this folder you can find the InstallESD.dmg you can use to create your own bootable Mac OS X Lion USB stick. To do so, go to the third step described above and use the InstallESD.dmg as the DMG to be copied to your USB disc.
That’s it! Once the process ends you will have a fully bootable Leopard (or Lion) USB disk that you can use as an alternative to the Apple’s DVD Install disc that comes bundled with all Macs.
To use your newly created bootable disk you will have to restart the Mac, press and hold the OPTION key until the StartupManager appears. Here, select the Mac OS X Install disk using your keyboard arrows and press return to start from the selected drive.

I upgraded to version 18, and it no longer works. I uninstalled, ran CCleaner registry cleaner, reinstalled full version and it still does not work., Windows 7

I have been running Firefox 17.x with no issues. Updated to Firefox 18 today, and it will not render a single web page. IE and Chrome work fine. Running on 64Bit Win7 Ultimate. 6 Core/16GB Ram. Latest updates for windows, as of this weeks release. I have done a complete uninstall, run both CCleaner and Norton 360 Registry cleaner to ensure previous traces removed. Reinstalled full version. Still cannot/will not render a web page. No noted activity within the browser window. No error codes to provide.

Try to boot the computer in Windows Safe mode with network support (press F8 on the boot screen) as a test to see if that helps.
Start Firefox in <u>[[Safe Mode|Safe Mode]]</u> to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem (switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance).
*Do NOT click the Reset button on the Safe mode start window or otherwise make changes.
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Safe+Mode
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes
Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problems.
See "Creating a profile":
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Firefox#Profile_issues
If the new profile works then you can transfer some files from an existing profile to the new profile, but be careful not to copy corrupted files.
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_data_to_a_new_profile_-_Firefox

Which method to reinstall a clean version of Mavericks?

I'm getting thoroughly confused as to the method(s) afforded to me to reinstall Mavericks cleanly. My machine came pre-loaded with 10.9.0. Since buying a new customised iMac four weeks ago I've been struggling not only with a blurry display but also with myriad bugs. I've been so busy with all of that that I've not had time yet to acquire and install my own additional apps. I've tried one Mavericks update, from the Apps Store, bringing it to 10.9.2 but it made zilch difference to any of my problems.
Using the Web to bone up on how to download a fresh copy of Mavericks and then to put it on to a bootable USB drive has revealed that there are several methods for doing this. However, each involves multiple procedures and if you don't do them just right you risk ending up with a dead machine. But amongst the many articles I looked at was this:
http://www.macworld.com/article/2056561/how-to-make-a-bootable-mavericks-install -drive.html
in which Dan Frakes states in a section called 'A note on installer compatibility' that owners of Macs that came with Mavericks pre-installed aren't allowed to download a new copy of Mavericks with which to do as they wish. Instead, only an 'Internet Recovery' install is permitted.
Then, on these forums I've seen reference to this, which seems to suggest that a copy of Mavericks, other than the one being used, is stored on the Mac and simply needs to be envoked:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ph14243?viewlocale=en_US
Errh, or does it?
Going back to the macworld article, is Frakes's contention true? Could I only envoke an Internet Recovery (and that only), where presumably all control will taken away from me and a download-and-install done all in one operation? (There might be issues in my case, as my internal HD's partitioned).
I've of course been doing Time Machine backups along the way but TM backups will only deal with the system disk's contents as delivered initially, including any bugs or damaged files that might have been there at that time. Only a clean install of some kind, from a newly-acquired copy of the Mavericks file, will be the sensible thing to do, therefore, if I want to try the fix the current problems with my Mac.
But then there's the Apple Support note about using Recovery for reinstalling the OS. What makes this different to an Internet Recovery? In this case, is Recovery done from a good copy of Mavericks stored on the Mac (seems very unlikely), or is this in fact the same as Dan Frakes's Internet Recovery, except that the Apple Support note doesn't go on to say that the Internet will be automatically accessed?
Has anyone using these forums been in this situation yet and discovered the ins and outs of trying to download and install a clean version of Mavericks, when the current OS on their Mac is already Mavericks?
Going to the Apps Store (at which I've registered) and looking up the description of the Mavericks Installer file there, a small button on the webpage indicates that it's free and, certainly in my case, there's no wording there to indicate that I'll not be permitted to download it. But perhaps that won't happen until I actually try to do it?!

Kappy,
Sorry I've not responded for a few days. I've been busy with important issues outside of computing.
I've read your response many times over and although I still find it confusing, it appears that at long last you're beginning to agree with me - that machines that already have a copy of Mavericks pre-loaded are a special case, in that with them you can't just go to the OSX Mavericks Installer at the Apple Store and download the file there, with a view to performing a reinstall of it and/or to make a bootable copy of it, and then expect it to work. Instead, the only options available are to use what's called 'OSX Recovery', or 'Internet Recovery', two mechanisms that are especially built into the Mavericks Mac itself. Now, I might still have got this wrong but I think that the former will restore a copy version of Mavericks on the machine as loaded by the factory (not from Time Machine), whereas the latter will specifically download a new copy of Mavericks from a dedicated Apple server (not the same file as found at the Apps Store). Either mechanism will require the Internet to be accessed.
From all of the research on this that I've done by looking through other postings in these and other forums, there's widespread misunderstanding of this, in my opinion. From what I've read, I think the majority who've written about it have got it wrong and only one or two have realised that, for current post-Mavericks machines, what you're actually permitted to download is quite limited and specific. Indeed it's very easy to get this so wrong that if you attempt it without truly understanding it you can easily end up with a dead machine and no copy at all of Mavericks! Both OSX Recovery and Internet Recovery require the system disk to be erased before the replacement copy of Mavericks is added to it, but if something goes wrong with the download, for example, or you find you're not permitted to download the file anyway (because you've requested the wrong Mavericks file), you've basically had it!
Why on earth Apple has devised such a complex mechanism in the first place is quite beyond me. I can only presume that, because hard install media (CDs, DVDs) has now been consigned to the past, Apple's become paranoid about the possibility of people downloading copies of the OS to put on their own media and it then possibly getting illegally distributed. But Mavericks is hardly likely to work on a non-genuine Apple machine anyway, and Mac-ers are allowed to now update from earlier versions of the OS for free, so where's the problem? I just cannot fathom why Apple doesn't simply provide a ready-made USB memory stick with a copy of the OS on it when someone buys a Mac. There are surely ways of locking the stick both to keep it safe from erasure or corruption and to associate it, by way of serial.no., with only a specific machine?
Anyway, back to the problem in hand. My understanding - and I'll be the first to hold up my hands and admit that I'm a complete idiot if I'm wrong - is that post-Mavericks machines (such as mine) incorporate a normally-hidden zone on the system drive (or system partition) that holds: a presumed good copy of Mavericks, a Disk Utility, a minimal form of the Safari browser, and the Restore mechanism for Time Machine. If, therefore, you wish to reinstall the OS from this copy, then you would envoke specifically OSX Recovery. You'd type Cmd + R during a restart. You'd need to assume that the copy of the OS (not the copy you've been using) is therefore good and totally uncorrupted (which it might not be!), but at least this recovery method should be relatively fast. My guess is that the Internet access requirement for this is purely for authorisation purposes (reading the machine's serial no. and doing a quick check on the hardware) and nothing else.
Incidentally, for both recovery methods, Apple strongly advises that you ensure that your router is configured to DHCP. Look very carefully in:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4718
I assume this is because of the simplified nature of the Internet access by the minimal browser contained in the Recovery zone and also the presumed minimal status of the Network software on the machine. This unfortunately will mean a separate and very awkward additional task for those of us who are not using DHCP. And then a repeat of that later on, to put the router back to its normally-required state. Jeez, all this palaver just to try to end up with a decent copy of the OS on the machine!
My understanding is that OSX Recovery renders you effectively an on-machine backup copy of Mavericks but with all your files and settings remaining intact. (At one stage I had a suspicion that the backup copy was a download from an Apple server, but now I'm not so sure and instead I think it's from a copy of the OS kept in the Recovery zone on the HD from Day One). Bear in mind that if the Recovery zone, or specifically OSX Recovery, has become corrupted or there are bad files amongst the copy OS, all you'll end up doing is putting another corrupted version of Mavericks back. There's really no substitute, in my view, for a proper clean install, and so for this you need to envoke Internet Recovery instead, the alternative mechanism.
Internet Recovery follows a similar procedure, except that you use Cmd + Option + R during the first restart. You follow the instructions through, and before Recovery attempts to connect the machine with the Apple server you're required to wipe the entire system drive. Unfortunately if you've partitioned your system disk, then this will cause a problem, possibly causing the procedure to freeze (see the above kb article). So you've no real option but to save any precious files in them and to delete those partitions beforehand, reconstructing them later on, when hopefully the full Internet Recovery will have succeeded. After the server performs a couple of checks on your machine the 'guaranteed clean' version of Mavericks is then downloaded, straight into the system drive, along with a copy of the Recovery zone. My assumption is therefore that the Internet Recovery download will be at least 13GB, if not more. OSX Recovery, by comparison, should be in the region of 6GB. Anyone on a slow Internet connection will therefore experience some very frustrating hours, if not days, waiting for the Internet Recovery download to complete. Even after that there'll be many minutes before the whole process ends and the machine finally boots back up into the Welcome screen.
Incidentally, Apple seem to say that the version you're given in the download is the version found already on the machine. So, if you've originally had 10.9.0 and you've in the interim updated to 10.9.2, does the server give you 10.9.0 again, or 10.9.2? I guess it doesn't matter too much, as you're probably going to want to download the updates and any missing iLife apps again anyway - but it'd be nice to know early on. Another ambiguity, in my view.
Looking back at your last statement in your posting of 25th March, Kappy, what you've written there is of course true - you're not permitted to download the Mavericks Installer file from the Apps Store, and that any other non-legitimate copy elsewhere on the hard drive will ultimately fail - but with an important caveat: Yes, you're not permitted to download Mavericks from the Apps Store in that instance, but you are still permitted to get a different and bigger file (the 'full' file which includes all of Recovery) from a different Apple server elsewhere. And that's Internet Recovery.
Now, do tell me, have I understood this properly? If you reckon you're truly up to speed on this and you think I'm still wrong over one or two things, do point them out.
Actually, when I performed my recent update to 10.9.2 the screen went blank halfway through the download and remained so for some time. (The download took over 30 mins). It did nonetheless appear to complete. However, my working copy of Mavericks now seems even more buggy than the version supplied on the machine originally. So, this is why I'm seriously contemplating a full clean install now (Internet Recovery). At the time of the update, my router was configured to be using fixed addressing, not DHCP, so possibly that caused a big hiccup in the download. Somehow, I can't believe that that would be a requirement for everyday updating of the OS and apps, though. That'd be ridiculous.

Reinstall Apple software after clean install of Lion on 2009 IMac

Completed a clean install of Lion on 2009 IMac, which initially reacted poorly to an upgrade (my first attempt to move to Lion). How do I reinstall iPhoto, Garageband, Aperture, Final Cut Express, iMovie, Logic Express? These were all preinstalled with original purchase. How would I find the serial numbers that will inevitably be asked for? The App store wants to charge for these items, and other non-Apple software I've purchased for the App store won't download again. Multiple issues! Any suggestions?

You'll need to use the DVD's that should have accompanied your system when you bought it.
Prior to the App Store when you purchased a system from Apple that included installed software such as iLile or Final Cut the DVD's were always included in the box. The serial numbers will be on the DVD boxes or DVD's themselves.
regards
Concerning the App Store purchases if you long into the APp Store using the same Apple ID you used when you bought the software you should be able to download again without charge. At least this is how it works for Apple software don;t know if 3rd party stuff has different rules

Reinstall Clean Lion

Now i have purchased and installed Lion.
So, how i can reinstall CLEAN this OSX?
Thanks for answers.

This link explains how to make a bootable DVD from your downloaded package:
http://www.eggfreckles.net/tech/burning-a-lion-boot-disc/

I just restored my 13" MBP i5 at the apple store to the newest version of Lion after issues with a previous Time Machine backup from Snow Leopard- this time I created a new account and just ported files and folders, and now MS Office doesn't work. Help?

I just restored my 13" MBP i5 at the apple store to the newest version of Lion after issues with a previous Time Machine backup from Snow Leopard- this time I created a new account and just ported files and folders, and now MS Office doesn't work.
^^ that's the main problem. Here's the full history.
I bought a new 13" i5 MBP, early 2011 edition. I had an old white Macbook 2.14 ghz core2duo on Snow Leopard. I attempted to port over my time machine backup, but encountered problems in that my User was inaccessible from the new computer after the import finished, and I had to go in and change the root password, etc, and for some reason or another, I couldn't install any programs at all from that administrator's account. By "couldn't" I mean I could install them, but upon installation they would never boot. So, I took it to the apple store and did a clean install from the most up to date Lion OSX. Then, I created a brand new admin account, instead of trying to import the old one, and things seemed great. Then, I just imported my old files from the TM backup, but not any system settings, permissions, or user data. Just my Docs, pics, vids, apps, and itunes stuff.
Here's where things get weird again. I imported this stuff under the name "old", but all of these folders have a red negative sign on them, marking them as restricted. So, from my main admin account, I cannot even peruse these folders. Since I didn't import user data, I can't sign in to the "old" account to change permissions. I already tried to change the permissions from system preferences, but that didn't change anything. And now, for whatever reason, of all the apps that were imported then, MS Office is the only set of apps that does not work. When I click on it, it just says there was a problem and asks if I'd like to send a report to apple. I tried reinstalling it to no avail. I'm an English student, so i really need access to Word. Can anyone help? The Apple store is a major detour for me and would like to fix this issue myself.

Most likely you have Office 2004 which are PPC-only applications and will not work in Lion. Upgrade to Office 2011. Other alternatives are:
Apple's iWork suite (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.)
Open Office (Office 2007-like suite compatible with OS X.)
NeoOffice (similar to Open Office.)
LibreOffice (a new direction for the Open Office suite.)

Since update to later version of Lion, some applications don't work?

Since I updated to a later version of Lion, the following things have stopped working:
-Safari
-VLC Media Player
-Java based things (chatrooms don't work for example)
I did a combo update that someone suggested and this did nothing.
Here are my specs:
Macbook Pro
Mac OS X Version 10.7.4 (11E53)
2.4 GHz Intel Core i5
4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
Intel HD Graphics 3000 384 MB
I have tried removing VLC and reinstalling but no luck.
Please help? I am tempted to just wipe my Macbook clean and start again but that will take forever to get back and my internet is awful.
I hope you can help!

Facetime doesn't go fullscreen...
As has been mentioned you must be connected to a FaceTime session to be able to enter Full Screen.
... there is no iPhoto option in Address Book...
I'm not entirely sure what you mean but if you are looking for this:
You can find it by double-clicking the photo area in an AB contact. Mine says Aperture because that is my default photo manager.
... the Social Profile and birthday options show in preferences but are aren't working so well...
I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Can you be more specific?
...I just can't see or use the Versions browser...
For the moment only a few applications support Autosave + Versions. They are mainly Pages, Numbers, Keynote and TextEdit. So depending on what application you are using you may not have that feature available yet. But you can enter the Version UI a couple of ways:
1. Pull down the window name and choose "browse all versions;"
2. Or, pull down File > Revert to Saved.

Reinstalling Mac OS X Lion from Recovery problem

So I've decided to sell my 2007 Macbook (Black) to someone else, but when I tried to
wipe it (I already did it successfully) and reinstall Mac OS X Lion, it comes up with
"This item is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later"
It happened today, I'll try again tomorrow since it says "Please try again later"
but I need a quick solution because I need the money! Help please!

If you plan to sell or give away this computer, then you must install the original version of OS X that it came with pre-installed. That was 10.4.9 or 10.5 depending upon which model you have. Get out the installer discs that came with the computer and use them to erase the disk and install a fresh copy of OS X. Or you can do the same using the retail Snow Leopard DVD.
Clean Install of OS X
     1. Boot the computer using the OS X Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came
         with your computer. Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer.
         After the chime press and hold down the "C" key. Release the key when you see
         a small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.
     2. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue
         button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
         After DU loads select the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive
         size.) Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window. Set the number of
         partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, click on Options button
         and select GUID, click on OK, then set the format type to MacOS Extended
         (Journaled, if supported), then click on the Apply button.
     3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed
         with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
     4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup
         Assistant. Before it restarts just shut it down.
Be sure you also de-authorize the computer and sign out of your iCloud account.

How can I reinstall Quicktime X in Lion?

OK, to make a long story short, I had a new audio problem in the Quicktime X Player after installing Lion (that I oddly enough didn't have in QuickLook, QuickTime Player 7, or VLC), and I assumed a reinstallation was in order (because I also assumed I had mucked something up by trashing some "orphan" files with TrashMe). I thought I couldn't reinstall Quicktime X Player from the Lion installation package without another two-hour-plus download, so I reinstalled it from my Snow Leopard installation disc using Pacifist naively assuming Software Update would bring me back up to date. Well, that didn't work, and now I have a copy of Quicktime X Player that won't run on Lion. I tried redownloading the Lion installation package and reinstalling the correct version of Quicktime X Player with Pacifist again, but Pacifist can't handle Lion's installation package (it crashes when you try to install or extract anything). Well, I don't have a backup, so that's not an option, and I don't have any external devices large enough to back up my files and applications, so a clean install with Lion Recovery isn't an attractive option either. Is there any way I can install Quicktime X Player on my computer again without wipping my hard drive? Is it safe to let the original Lion intallation process I downloaded from the app store run again? Will it simply replace the relevant existing files no-harm-no-foul, or will I just further muck things up?

Yeah, I don't feel like taking any more risks. Obviously, I don't know what I'm doing.
On the support.apple.com article on Lion Recovery, it says "These steps will erase and reformat the storage device. This article will instruct you on setting up the storage device to use the GUID partition scheme and the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format, which are required to install Lion and an Internet Restore partition on your external storage device. You should back up any important files that are on the device to a different drive."
I understand the necessity of a backup option, but I need to replace a failed superdrive, and that gets budget priority over reinstalling Quicktime. (My MacBook Pro, bought in Japan, shipped with a defective superdrive that could read but not burn - it could never burn and was just plain broken. I wasn't willing to part from my laptop long enough to get it replaced while it was still under warranty, let alone deal with Japanese Apple support, but now I have something that I need to burn by the end of the week.)

Clean Install of Lion problems...

Hi,
I did an upgrade from Snow Leopard, and ever since I upgraded my iMac has been running like a dog.
So eventually I have decided to do a clean install, and I followed the instructions to re-download the software and burn the dmg image onto a disk.
Did that, wiped my HD, then when I was booting from the disk it took ages to get to the screen where I could start the installation, actually it was stuck with the panel saying "checking disks" for far too long to not be an issue. So when I restarted to the installation again, it worked - started installing and then it stopped saying that it couldn't continue with the installation as it needed additional components.
No idea what it means. Anybody know of anything that could help here?

Here's the basic process:
1. Boot from the Recovery HD. If you no longer have a Recovery HD on your drive, then boot from the DVD you made. In either case you should start with the main menu.
2. Select Disk Utility and click on the Continue button. Use DU to erase your OS X volume. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
3. Select Reinstall Lion from the main menu and click on the Continue button. Follow instructions and be sure you select the proper volume for the installation target.
Be patient as the installation may require downloading some parts from Apple. This should result in a clean install of Lion. The version will be the version on your DVD, if you use it.

Clean install of Lion in Recovery Mode - Easy?

I've been looking at different ways of getting a clean install of Lion on a machine that:
Has Lion already installed
Can boot into Recovery Mode
Is there a problem with the following, simple procedure:
Boot into Recovery Mode with the usual cmd+R; connect to WiFi.
Open Disk Utilities and erase/reformat the 'main' Partition on the Hard Disk
Once a new, fresh partition has been created, get back into the main Lion Recovery dashboard
Choose the Install Lion option pointed at the fresh partition.
Can someone confirm, please, that this should work, and that I won't be left with an empty partition on which Lion will refuse to re-install....?!
thanks
mark
PS If this makes a difference, I'm likely to need to do this on an iMac that was purchased with Snow Leopard, then updated to Lion in the usual App Store way; it's been reinstalled via Lion Recovery but not a clean install; the problems it has still persisted and I think it's time for a clean slate

It isn't, and its potentially problem-causing unless you know you've had one good, trouble-free install from that .dmg.
I went that route the first time I downloaded Lion, had troubles with my first install and continued having troubles with every install afterward made from my USB installer. The light finally went on in my head that it was the original .dmg that I'd downloaded and saved to USB that was corrupt.
Another point is that even if you have no problems with that .dmg, you'll be stuck with that version of Lion everytime and have to do laborious software updates. If you download directly you get whatever version is currently in the App store (10.7.4 right now).
The only advantages I can see of doing it Cattus' way is if you either have a cap on your available downloads per month or a slow connection. Otherwise, not worth it, IMHO.

How to do a Clean Install of Lion

Hope this will help someone.
I recently did a clean install of Lion on my Mac Pro (after doing an earlier Lion upgrade) and the performance difference is absolutely amazing. Before my Mac Pro was laggy and there all kinds of little glitchy bugs (I'm sorry I can't explain it better than that) with a lot of my applications. Since I use that machine to also administer the network, that just wasn't acceptable.
I'm convinced, after this experience, that a clean install of Lion is the best thing for me, so, this morning I decided to do the same thing to my MacBook Air (IMHO the best laptop ever invented).
Here's what I have done.
1. Download and install Carbon Copy Cloner to the laptop.
2. Clone the laptop hard drive to an external hard drive. I have a Seagate 500GB USB drive which had a 500GB partition with Lion already installed on it. There are instructions all over the web on how to install Lion to an external drive. I used disk utility to add a partition, effectively splitting the partition in two with Lion still installed on one of the partitions and the other partition "clean".
3. Donate to Mike Bombich's site. Carbon Copy Cloner is a remarkable program - I've paid a heck of a lot of money over the years for similar programs and they didn't work 1/2 as good.
4. Go into System Preferences, select the "Startup Disk" applet and select your Lion install on the external hard disk drive as the startup disk. I SUSPECT you could also set the cloned laptop partition as your startup disk, but since the Lion install was already on my external drive, I used that.
5. Reboot the laptop
6. Hold down Command + "R" during the startup process to boot to the recovery partition of the Lion install on the external disk.
7. When the menu pops up, select Disk Utility
8. Repartition your laptop hard disk drive. This will also erase everything on the laptop. You can not repartition your hard drive unless you are booting from an external install of Lion. The recovery partition is hidden so repartitioning the drive will fail if you try to do a clean install from your laptop.
9. When the partitioning is finished, quit Disk Utility and return to the previous menu.
10. Select "Reinstall Lion" and select your laptop hard disk drive as the target.
11. You'll have to authenticate to Apple with your Apple ID, so there should be no problem with downloading and reinstalling Lion.
12. Wait for the download and install to finish. The download will take longer than the install.
13. During the setup, use the Transfer Assistant to transfer the cloned drive items to the new Lion install.
When the TA and install is finished, you should be back to where you started with everything intact.
Good luck!

Hope this will help someone.
I recently did a clean install of Lion on my Mac Pro (after doing an earlier Lion upgrade) and the performance difference is absolutely amazing. Before my Mac Pro was laggy and there all kinds of little glitchy bugs (I'm sorry I can't explain it better than that) with a lot of my applications. Since I use that machine to also administer the network, that just wasn't acceptable.
I'm convinced, after this experience, that a clean install of Lion is the best thing for me, so, this morning I decided to do the same thing to my MacBook Air (IMHO the best laptop ever invented).
Here's what I have done.
1. Download and install Carbon Copy Cloner to the laptop.
2. Clone the laptop hard drive to an external hard drive. I have a Seagate 500GB USB drive which had a 500GB partition with Lion already installed on it. There are instructions all over the web on how to install Lion to an external drive. I used disk utility to add a partition, effectively splitting the partition in two with Lion still installed on one of the partitions and the other partition "clean".
3. Donate to Mike Bombich's site. Carbon Copy Cloner is a remarkable program - I've paid a heck of a lot of money over the years for similar programs and they didn't work 1/2 as good.
4. Go into System Preferences, select the "Startup Disk" applet and select your Lion install on the external hard disk drive as the startup disk. I SUSPECT you could also set the cloned laptop partition as your startup disk, but since the Lion install was already on my external drive, I used that.
5. Reboot the laptop
6. Hold down Command + "R" during the startup process to boot to the recovery partition of the Lion install on the external disk.
7. When the menu pops up, select Disk Utility
8. Repartition your laptop hard disk drive. This will also erase everything on the laptop. You can not repartition your hard drive unless you are booting from an external install of Lion. The recovery partition is hidden so repartitioning the drive will fail if you try to do a clean install from your laptop.
9. When the partitioning is finished, quit Disk Utility and return to the previous menu.
10. Select "Reinstall Lion" and select your laptop hard disk drive as the target.
11. You'll have to authenticate to Apple with your Apple ID, so there should be no problem with downloading and reinstalling Lion.
12. Wait for the download and install to finish. The download will take longer than the install.
13. During the setup, use the Transfer Assistant to transfer the cloned drive items to the new Lion install.
When the TA and install is finished, you should be back to where you started with everything intact.
Good luck!

How do I do a clean install from Lion download

how do I do a clean install from Lion download ?
My old tower will only stretch to Lion which I have had to download and installed it following the instructions.
My local Applestore genius has told me to do a clean install but I don't have or can't find a copy of the Lion osX to use.
Applegadge

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
If you are already using OS X Lion, use OS X Recovery to reinstall OS X and erase the disk. See > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718
Follow these steps:
1. Make a backup of the data you don't want to lose after erasing the hard disk.
2. Start your computer holding Command and R keys to start in OS X Recovery, and open Disk Utility.
3. Choose "Macintosh HD" or the OS X partition in the sidebar, go to the Erase tab and erase the disk.
4. Close Disk Utility and reinstall OS X

Reinstall Clean Version of Lion

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