Should I do a clean install?

I recently bought a new Macbook Pro. I wanted to move all the files (pictures, music etc.) from my old G4 to my Macbook so I connected them using a firewire cable and used Migration Assistant to clone my machine.
I think I made a mistake. I had a 100g hard drive on the Macbook and I used over 80g. I dont think 20g is enough fro what I need (Windows etc.) and I may have overwritten some of the newer applications with older ones.
What is the best way to erase my Macbook Pro and return it to its "new" state. And then what is the easiest way to move just the files I want and not dump the whole machine on the new computer?
Thanks
Macbook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.7)

If I were you I would do a clean install on the MBP. You can do this by booting w/ your restore dvd.
Once you have it alive again, the "safest" way IMHO to transfer just the files you want is to copy & paste them via firewire. You just won't get things like preferences, address books and the like. But as you have a new machine you probably want to start fresh anyway if your'e like me.
That's how I moved my data from my last Mac to my new one. I booted the old one into target disk mode, connected the 2 machines w/ firewire and just copied what I wanted.
I'm not talking applications. I'm talking files like pictures, documents, music, downloads, etc. For applications I reloaded from the original disks or install files.
iMac G5 20" 2.1ghz iSight / iMac G3 400 Mac OS X (10.4.6) iPod Mini 6gb Silver

Similar Messages

How should I do a clean install?

I've been having problems since I got my Mini a few weeks ago, and I'm thinking that my use of Migration Assistant may have ported over some duff software.
If I do a clean install I hope to solve some of these issues.
Is there a recommended way to do this?
I plan to copy stuff onto an external disk first, but how should I 'wipe' the HD before starting the new install? Drag everything to the trash and empty it? Use Disk utility to write zero over everything?
Excuse the dumb questions but despite using Macs for years I've never had to do this before.
(Incidentally, the most annoying problems are very long logout times from user accounts and regularly experiencing frozen mouse when starting up from sleep.)

First off, there is no such thing as a "clean install". Mac OS X offers these installation options:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=607614
You can't just trash the files. You can use the installer's options button to erase and install, or you can use the installer's Disk Utility to erase the hard drive. The latter though requires an extra reboot.
An erase and install will eliminate all but potential hardware issues.
The the problems with logging out may simply be a permissions issue and require no erase and install. Secondly, Migration Assistant typically will only cause problems if you have insufficient disk space, or your Mac you are migrating from is different in the CPU manufacturer. I.e. you can't do an Intel/PowerPC migration, but you can do an Intel/Intel or PowerPC/PowerPC. If you tried an Intel/PowerPC migration, an erase and install will certainly clear issues that were caused by that, but I'd also make sure before erase and installing to have at least two backups in place*:
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html
And try the migration this time using this article:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=435350&tstart=30
- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.

My father has a 1.25 GHz Power PC G4 Mac Mini with 1 GB of memory. He is running 10.5.8. It is running very slowly. Should I do a clean install of his system?

His internet is very slow though is on a cable modem. Pages take forever to download. Mail doesn't get delivered. I've tried the usual unplug, plug.
Maybe it's time for a new machine. He bought his in 2006. The guy is almost 90 (old people and computers - there ought to be a law!) and is on a budget.

A clean install sounds like a good idea.
Watch those remarks about us old people. We might get insulted. Remember we have the experience and the money.

New iMac slow - should I do a "clean install"?

I recently bought an iMac 27 inch. I used the migration assistant to move my old accounts and stuff across to it from my old (now sold) Mac Pro. Which was updated using migration assistant from the previous Mac Pro.
I find it's not all that 'snappy'. And one thing I notice is that other Macs on my network see the iMac as Mac Pro (I guess a legacy of the old Mac Pro). I have it all backed up onto an external hard drive using Time Machine.
Is there a way to reinstall the system software while keeping my settings, accounts and stuff (if possible)? Something like a 'clean install'? Or some other way.
Cheers,
David

You've migrated old files from your Mac Pro that are not compatible. My suggestion is to reinstall:
Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
Do the following:
1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. 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 your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed with reinstalling OS X. Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files. After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.

Should I reformat and clean install to my iMac?

I have an 27" iMac that is about five years old. It was custom top of the line i7 hyper threading 16 GB of RAM yada yada but it's much slower to boot up and the 1 TB hard drive is almost full. I'm sure some of that is orphaned files and other junk. I'd like to think that reformatting the hard drive and doing a clean install of Yosemite followed by a Time Machine restore from an external disk would be helpful. Is there an article or something that can tell me how to do this safely? Any suggestions appreciated, thanks.

HI ..
Make sure your Mac can run Yosemite > Apple - OS X Yosemite - How to Upgrade
You can reformat (erase) the drive then restore OS X using OS X Recovery.
Then upgrade to Yosemite.
Yosemite requires 5.16Gb's of drive space.
Click your Apple menu  top left in your screen. From the drop down menu click About This Mac > More Info > Storage
Make sure there's at least 15% free disk space.

Should I do a clean install of Mountain Lion on a late 2009 iMac or will I find hardware/driver issues?

I have a late 2009 iMac (2.93 Ghz Intel Core Duo, 4GB of ram, model id is 9.1) running Lion right now. I upgraded it all the way from Leopard using the standard keep-all-your-apps-and-settings way. After looking at the hardware requirements for Mountain Lion (and my success with running Lion) it seems that my good ol' iMac is still capable of running it fairly well. But I don't like the idea of "stacking" upgrade after upgrade (*coughs*, clean freak!). I like the idea of starting out clean this time because so many years of use has filled my mac with a lot of crap I no longer use.
So I would like to know your sane advice, and if there's anything I should check out before attempting this. Especially I'm concerned about hardware/driver related issues like for example: the webcam or speakers no longer working. Also, if there's something I'm overlooking please point it out.
Thank you in advance for any help you guys can give me. I'll be very grateful!

If it wasn't a Mac computer that originally came with either Lion or Mt Lion Pre-Installed by Apple when new you would not be able to connect to the Online Internet Recovery system. It is a Feature of the Mac EFI Firmware system. And it will only install whichever version of the Download only version of OS X that originally came on that system.
My MBP came with Lion Preinstalled. Even if I have Mt Lion installed on the hard drive the Online Internet Recovery system would always point my MBP to the Lion download as that was the original version of OS X that came on my Mac.
No real authentication needed. Since your Mac came with Mt Lion no matter what newer versionof OS X you ever install the OIRS will always point you to Mt Lion and ONLY Mt Lion.
It is something different, but not completely different, from the built in Recovery HD partition on the internal drive.
No worries as during the install of MT Lion on your SSD the installer will Recreate the Mt Lion Recovery HD partition on your SSD.

Have Elements 10 installed and want to install Elements 12. Should this be a clean install or, install over Elements 10?

I presently have Elements 10 installed on PC running Windows 7 and want to install Elements 12.
Should I first remove version 10 then install version 12? Or, does it matter?
Thanks,

It doesn't matter whether you unistall it or not because PSE12 will install in its own folder and you will have access to both versions on the machine. In fact, it is a good idea to keep both versions for a short perioid until you get used to the new software. PSE12 has changed a lot from PSE10 in terms of look and feel.
Good luck.

My Macbook pro is running slow. Should I do a clean install before installing Mountain Lion?

My Macbook Pro has been taking forever to start up, and open windows, plus I get a lot of the spinning wheel of slow death when I'm working in my design programs. I HATE messing with my systems, because something always seems to go wrong.
Also, I have an iMac too. Can I install it on both machines if it is downloaded instead of a disk? Is that allowed?

Fix your Machines BEFORE Upgrading the OS... Otherwise you will only compound your issues...
Basically... Make sure you have enough Free Hard Drive space for your Mac to Perform as expected...
Rule of thumb is about 25 GB +
This is what Apple has to say.
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10798
More Info Here...
ds store > Why is my computer slow?
Thomas A Reed > Mac Performance Guide
wildehair wrote:
Also, I have an iMac too. Can I install it on both machines if it is downloaded instead of a disk? Is that allowed?
You can install it on any computer you own... Providing the System Requirements are met...
Install Mountain Lion on multiple Computers
Log into App Store on your other Computer(s), being sure to use the Apple ID that Originally purchased ML...
http://applelife.tv/2012/07/install-mountain-lion-on-multiple-macs/

I think I need to do a clean install...

... but I barely know what that means.
Still have the "lampshade" flat-panel iMac, running 10.4.11 -- which I believe is the latest one this computer will run ?? I love it and don't plan to get rid of it for quite awhile yet. The only reason I think about it is that it often has a hard time playing video.
Really haven't had many problems, except that it won't burn CDs anymore, so I can't do a backup that way. Now I can't even Repair Permissions, because Disk Utility closes as soon as it starts to open.
There are all kinds of useless things all over the computer, a lot of which were things I accidentally copied or aliased or something, all those times I didn't have a clue. Yes, I'm quite computer-illiterate. I've always had Macs because they're supposed to be so user-friendly.
Somehow there are multiple copies of every picture in iPhoto, including every stock photo. Usually, everything is really s-l-o-w, whatever the computer tries to do.
Should I do a clean install, and if so, how do I save the contents of Mail to a PC, so that I can put it back after the install? My son can transfer the music and photos, but he doesn't know what to do with Mail (I've saved a lot of important emails).
thanks

You should bootfrom your install disk and use
Disk Utility
   1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
   2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
      Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.
   3. Click the First Aid tab.
   4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
   5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
   6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk.
Then, if things haven't cleared up, you can do an Archive and Install which will give you a freah OS, but retain all your data and preferences.

Install old iLife from 10.3 disks onto iBook w/ a clean install of Tiger?

My ibook originally came with Panther 10.3. iLife was included on the install disks.
A few months ago, I did a clean install of Tiger. I then tried to reinstall iLife from the Panther 10.3 disks. However, only Garageband and iDVD show up ---iPhoto and iMovie don't show up at all. I've searched for these programs, but they are not installed.
I spoke to an apple rep and he said that I should NEVER install old programs from a Panther disk onto a clean install of Tiger. However, the guy did not seem confident in what he told me. He said my mac should be very unstable and that I shouldn't even be able to use Garageband....but I have had no problems with my mac or using Garageband for the past 4 months.
Is he correct? And if so, should I do a clean install of Panther, and then upgrade to Tiger? I wonder if this will correctly install the whole iLife suite?

My ibook originally came with Panther 10.3. iLife was included on the install disks.
A few months ago, I did a clean install of Tiger. I then tried to reinstall iLife from the Panther 10.3 disks. However, only Garageband and iDVD show up ---iPhoto and iMovie don't show up at all. I've searched for these programs, but they are not installed.
I spoke to an apple rep and he said that I should NEVER install old programs from a Panther disk onto a clean install of Tiger. However, the guy did not seem confident in what he told me. He said my mac should be very unstable and that I shouldn't even be able to use Garageband....but I have had no problems with my mac or using Garageband for the past 4 months.
Is he correct? And if so, should I do a clean install of Panther, and then upgrade to Tiger? I wonder if this will correctly install the whole iLife suite?

How to clean install/upgrade from9.1/9.2.2 to Panther and make HD space

Dear group,
After reading many posts looking for answers to my iMac problems, I've decided to make a post. I've an iMac from the 500 series (which came with 128Mb, 20GB HD and 500MHZ and a slot for cd's) which I bought in 2001. From the start I prefered using OS9.1 instead of the OSX 10.0.3 that also came with it. But during the years there were many conflicts between programs and a lot of websites are not viewable now. I added 512mb to the 128mb working memory, but since I added more programs too, the 20GB HD was getting rather full:-(. Also upgraded Os 9.1 to 9.2.2.
My idea was to buy a external HD and to copy the intern HD to the external HD. This way I wouldn't lose any programs (of which 1 I broke the cd of) and then install programs I want to work with on the internal HD. After informing with several Mac-stores, they said this is not possible:-(. So I could only use an external HD for files and docs. When I finally saw an external HD of my choice (WD) it said that minimum OSX 10.3 was needed. This I don't have on my Mac, so didn't bought it. Also my HD was almost full. So I've been copying files to cd's to make some space. Here I read about "firmware" and found out mine does not need update anymore.
Online I bought the Panther software. It's Mac Os X 10.3.2 cd version however it says "eMac" on the cd. The person who sold it said it would be no problem to run on an iMac though. Reading some posts here, I wonder..
So to my questions:
How to proceed from here?
Did I understood right that Os 9.1 or higher is needed to upgrade to Os X (Panher) ?
Should I do a clean install of 9.1 again to avoid future conflicts? Or should I chose another type of install (or maybe remove parts or all and if so, how)?
And how to remove other programs from the HD without forgetting plugins or other files of that program that are spread in different folders on the HD?
Or was the Mac store wrong and is it indeed possible to move all to an external HD? And which external HD's are compatible with Os 9.1/Os 9.2?
I've many more questions, but since my post is already lenghtly I'll leave these for another time;-0.
Kind regards,
'Vonne

Hi, Vonne -
Now how do you 'boot' /make an ext. HD a boot drive?
A boot drive is the drive containing the OS from which the the machine boots. If you install a valid OS (an OS of adequate version and one whose install is compatible with that machine) on a external drive, and the machine is capable of booting from that kind of drive, all you need do is one of the following -
• select the OS on that drive in Startup Manager (control panel in OS 9, or control pane in System Preferences in OSX) and Restart.
• use Startup Manager to select the OS/drive which you want to use for that startup at the start of the boot process. This article describes using Startup Manager -
Article #HT1310 - Startup Manager: How to Select a Startup Volume
I used the phrase "one whose install is compatible with that machine" carefully. It is certainly possible to replicate (via copying in the case of OS 9, or cloning in the case of OSX) an OS from another machine onto an external drive, and then connect that drive to your machine. However, if the machine that was used as the source for the replication is not the exact same model as yours, it is unlikely that the OS will be viable - although the OS may be of adequate version, OS installs are usually tailored by the installer to match the hardware of the machine upon which it is being installed. A different model will probably have different hardware, and so the replicated OS will not have files in it to support the different hardware.
So I can also chose to remove the whole Os 9 and only put Os X on it? I thought I read somewhere you need to have Os 9 on it before you could
Correct. An install of OSX is stand-alone. Using a full-install disk set for OSX, there is absolutely no requirement at all that any prior version of any OS already be there.
Note, though, that most OS 9 programs are not compatible with OSX. This means that if you remove OS 9, you will not be able to run those programs which are not OSX-native. Some few are compatible with both OS's, such as later versions of AppleWorks 6.
The reason for this is that OS 9 and OSX are not written in the same language, do not have the same roots. OS 9 shares its roots with previous OS's, all the way back to OS 1. OSX is a new critter, written from scratch (although it is, I understand, based somewhat on Unix). The way OSX handles stuff (processes, routines, toolbox calls, etc., as well as the concepts of extensions and control panels and more), are not at all like OS 9 and earlier.
There is a solution for that - OS 9 can be used in the Classic mode under OSX. As Classic, OS 9 is used as a program (not as an OS) in order to provide an environment in which many OS 9-only programs can be run. To be used as Classic, OS 9 must be OS 9.1 or later, preferrably OS 9.2.x.
An install of OS 9 can be used for Classic and still retain its ability to boot the machine as an OS. Many folk have found that when possible it is better to have two installs of OS 9 - one dedicated for use as an OS, the other dedicated for use as Classic. This necessitates having more than one volume available. since it is near impossible to have two installs of OS 9 on the same volume and have them usable without conflict. In this context, a "volume" = an unpartitioned drive, or a partition of a partitioned drive.
Do you've brand names for me? The Mac stores only have the newest types that go from Os X 10.3 or greater
The brand names I have are somewhat outdated. At present I have four bootable firewire drives, three connected full time (the fourth is set up as an emergency boot-and-repair drive for both my G4s). Of those, three are VST brand; VST was bought out several years ago by SmartDisk. The fourth is even older, a FireDrive from MacTell - I have no idea what became of that company.
I have a hunch that most any drive that is connectable via FireWire 400 will be suitable for OS 9, provided that it is reinitialized after receipt. The requirement for OSX 10.3 may pertain to any formatting or backup software that is bundled with the drive. With regard to compatibility with OSX, I understand that using a drive with an Oxford chipset is preferred.
Perhaps someone else more familiar with current drive offerings will post in with more specific info.
How do I verify the drive works as a boot drive?
Same way any piece of hardware is verified - by trying it out. Boot the machine to the drive to verify it is bootable.
They said drag and drop can't be done.
They're wrong, with regard to OS 9. They're right, with regard to OSX.
OS 9 stuff - programs as well as OS's - is eminently copyable via drag and drop.
OSX stuff needs to be cloned using a cloning utility.
Have you experience with booting an internal drive to an ext. drive?
Yes. As I mentioned, I have four bootable firewire drives. Three are connected full time to my G4/500 AGP model; the fourth is an emergency disk. All have bootable OS's on them, of various kinds - a recent duplicate (via drag and drop) of the OS 9.1 on my primary internal drive; OS 9.2.1; and OSX 10.1.5 (which I have rarely used); and (on the emergency disk) a universal install of OS 9.2.1. How do I know they are bootable? Because I tested them by booting the machine to them.
Os X 10.0.3 is on my internal drive, so why should I use the OsX install CD to boot? Or do you mean the install cd of the new OsX (Panther) version?
Because the later versions of OSX have a better version of Disk Utility. The one that came with OSX 10.0.3 may be adequate; however, OSX 10.0 was a public Beta version - the first real release (one classed as a complete OS, not a Beta, i.e. trial, version) of OSX was 10.1.
I wasn't able to see the new cardreader I bought (which should be for Os 8.6 and higher). Could it be something is broken within Os 9.1/9.2.2 and it would be wise to do a reinstall anyway so to fix bugs like that?
If the card reader was not connected when the OS was installed or updated, the set of drivers needed by the card reader were probably not installed. OS 9 installers are sometimes too clever - they read what hardware is available, and install any software available which is needed by that hardware. This means they often do not install software which is not needed at that time; later changes or additions to the hardware can result in an apparent incompatibility, but that oes not mean something is broken. A re-install of the last version installed will sometimes take care of it.
Specifically, see this User Tip (although it addresses USB PCI cards, the same set of extensions is often needed for things like card readers) -
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=607556&
Ok, so it looks like I don't the right Panther software. So maybe good reinstall Os 9? In the 'Help' I find the option to re-install parts or remove parts of the systemprogram. Another option is the so called 'clean install'. And there's the possibility to use the recovery cd. I've no clue which option is best.
As Allan mentioned, it is unlikely that the eMac OSX 10.3.2 disk you got will work - disks that are shipped with a machine are usually model-specific to that machine model. If a disk states a model name on it, it is intended for use with that model. The retail disk sets, those for both OS 9 and OSX, contain a universal installer, one which has assets available to it which allow the installer to place a full, complete OS on any machine model supported by Apple for that OS version.
A Clean Install of OS 9 can be performed only using an original Software Install CD for a machine, or by using a retail OS 9 Install CD of adequate version. A Clean Install neither disturbs nor removes anything - it installs a brand new OS 9 System Folder, renames any previous one to Previous System Folder, installs a standard set of utilities if those are not already present, and does little else. A Clean Install is the only relatively convenient way to change the inherent language of an OS 9 install, or to downgrade the OS version. This Apple KBase article disusses it further -
Article #TA43881 - Mac OS 8, Mac OS 9: Performing a Clean Installation
A Software Restore CD can be a dangerous disk to use. The primary purpose of an OS 9 Software Restore CD is to return the drive to its original "as-shipped" configuration. Although its installer can be set to retain all info already on the drive, it is very easy to accidentally erase the entire drive. I do not think that a Software Restore CD will serve the purposes you have described.
The main difference between a Software Restore CD and a Software Install CD is that a Software Restore CD uses a disk image of the drive as originally shipped as its source, while a Software Install CD uses a library, an archive, of individual software components from which the installer selects as needed to match the machine's hardware configuration. In this context, a retail OS 9 Install CD is much the same as a Software Install CD, except that its archive of software somponents is usually more extensive.
A Software Install CD (and a retail OS 9 Install CD) can also be used to install or re-install individual OS software components. This is accomplished by selecting the Custom button on the Start page of the installer, then the group, then individual items as needed. The requirement here is that the version of the OS 9 on the hard drive must match the one the CD is intended to install.

Lion clean install broke existing windows xp bootcamp partition

Hi all,
I have been trawling to get educated on this but haven't found an answer yet (except purchasing windows 7-not interested, but thanks in advance for telling me that I should abandon XP because it's over 10 years old). And also dont tell me to just virtualise, i will, but i also want to use bootcamp for better performance. Lots of people theorizing what might work, but here's your chance to see what's not working in reality (and help get it to work please!).
I had snow leopard with a working bootcamp partition running xp (also using parallels), on a late 2006 Mac book pro. Things were getting very slow so I really wanted a clean install of lion (and it has made a world of difference!)
I didn't want to lose my xp partition so here's what I did:
1-used disk utility to create disk images to backup both partitions to an external drive (using spare space on my time machine drive)
2-used my lion USB stick to perform a clean install of lion on another external drive
3-erase and restore new lion installation to my internal Mac partition (previously snow leopard)
4-use migration assistant to bring back my data and settings (not applications-doing that manually)
5-download & install relevant software updates
(note that the bootcamp partition is untouched in all of this)
I noted that at first there was no lion recovery partition on my internal drive, but it has since appeared (presumably when I used software update to install an update to lion).
I didn't test the boot camp immediately but when I try to load it now the partition shows up and I can select it but windows presents me with the boot options screen (safe mode etc). It fails under all options (starts to load then flicks a blue screen before rebooting). From the safe mode log screen it appears to me that the issue could be the partition numbering (the new lion recovery partition has changed the partition number for the windows partition and it's freaked windows out).
Question is, what's the best way to fix it? I'm reluctant to try bootcamp assistant 4.0 because I know it doesn't support xp.
In hindsight maybe I should have done a clean install of snow leopard onto the external drive, erased and restored to the internal, updated snow leopard to 10.6.8 (or whatever was necessary for lion install), checked that the boot camp partition still worked (if not fix it with boot camp assistant), then upgraded to lion (seeing as upgrading to lion when there's a working xp partition on bootcamp is supposed to work).
I could still do all that but I wonder if there is a better / cleaner / easier solution.
Thanks in advance (& sorry for the long description!)

For future reference cloning can be the easy answer to preserving a BootCamp partition. I used the following procedure to upgrade 2 MBPs to Lion from SL.
Use Yasu and Diskwarrior to prepare existing Mac OSX 10.6.8 HDD.
Clone 10.6.8 Mac partition to an ext HDD with SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner.
Restart from the cloned ext HDD and select it as the startup volume via System Preferences / Startup Disk.
Install 10.7 Lion on the cloned ext HDD
Install Lion 10.7.2 update on the ext HDD
Restart the ext HDD now with OSX 10.7 and test and adjust the preferences if needed.
When satisfied, clone the OSX 10.7 ext HDD back to the existing Mac HDD.
The Boot Camp partition will not be altered as to drive id which appeared to cause problems for a few people.
The recovery partition will be on the ext HDD and can be used for trouble shooting. A more convenient way to have the recovery/reinstallation environment is to have or create a Lion install USB thumb drive.

[TP Newbie] TP "As Is" vs Clean Install

Another questions for TP experienced users. I read that TPs come preloaded with a lot of software, mostly to manage the basic functions of the system, like power and updates. I also read the hard drives come with a Lenovo partition that is supposed to contain the disk image and the software, in case we need it for recovery. So my question is: would you recommend I use the system as it is, or should I start a clean install of Win7 or Linux in order to improve the system performance? Thanks @All
Solved!
Go to Solution.

the bootable media is the rescue media it will boot unbootable system to the recovery environment to create it you can click on the link in win start menu or open R&R & click the botton create rescue media. the recovery media is the product recovery media (windows, APPs & drivers) to create these use the link in start menu or double click the partition in my computer this media will restore your system to factory out of box state
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Clean Install Process

I have a couple questions about doing a clean install of Lion. I upgraded from Snow Leopard to Lion right after Lion was released. I am now on 10.7.3. I have a 2 and a quarter year old iMac. I think it is time for me to do a clean install of my system. My iMac isn't as fast as it used to be (however, it is still pretty fast). Should I do a clean install? Will a clean install speed up my computer significantly?
I haven't used Time Machine before. I just now got an external hard drive. If I backup my computer, does it back everything up and are all user accounts transferred?
If I do a clean install, here's what I thought the process would look like:
1.Boot into Lion Recovery mode. (Cmd-R)
2.Erase main partition.
3.Reinstall Mac OS X Lion. (Will this install 10.7.3 or 10.7.2?)
4.Restore backup from Time Machine. (Will it restore all my data? Or is there a chance I will lose data?)
5.Restart.
Will this process work correctly?

Dj Tech42 wrote:
I am now on 10.7.3. I have a 2 and a quarter year old iMac. I think it is time for me to do a clean install of my system. My iMac isn't as fast as it used to be (however, it is still pretty fast). Should I do a clean install?
Probably not, if you then migrate your /Users you'll be back in the same boat. If you do a clean install and re-install your apps from scratch, you might see a slight improvement.
I haven't used Time Machine before. I just now got an external hard drive. If I backup my computer, does it back everything up and are all user accounts transferred?
Yes, as long as you exlude nothing. System Preferences > Time Machine > Options.
But IMO better to use SuperDuper or CarbonCopy Clonerto create a bootable clone, so if you run into a problem you can boot from the clone. TM is not bootable.
If I do a clean install, here's what I thought the process would look like:
1.Boot into Lion Recovery mode. (Cmd-R)
2.Erase main partition.
3.Reinstall Mac OS X Lion. (Will this install 10.7.3 or 10.7.2?)
4.Restore backup from Time Machine. (Will it restore all my data? Or is there a chance I will lose data?)
5.Restart.
Will this process work correctly?
Yes.
3. You may need to use 10.7.3 combo updaterafter install and migration.
Do your migration in Setup Assistant when first prompted.

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.

Should I do a clean install?

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