Upgrade from Mavericks or clean install ?

Hi
I have an iMac mid 2007 and I always upgraded my OS, I never made a clean installation.
It's, in your opinion, more useful to make a clean installation ?
If yes, what could be the best and faster method to restore mail, accounts and settings various from a backup volume ?
thanks

I've also considered a clean install from Mavericks 10.9.5. I've read that upgrades over time leave unused settings/files from the earlier OS versions and they eventually clutter up your system. I'm not sure about that, but for me starting with a clean slate has some appeal. I clean install is more complicated and error prone, but if you're properly prepared and take your time I think it's relatively straightforward. There are step-by-step instructions at various Mac-oriented web sites.
As you say, once it's done you need to transfer your data to the new system. Besides my Time Machine and 10.9.5 clone disks I have a flash drive with my important folders along with specially created data that would be needed for the transfer such as non-Apple apps, mail folders (exported from the Mail app) and my third-party app data such as my password app database. You would also need to have a copy of your iPhoto library which I would hope you could simply copy over to the new system. I think that mail accounts may need to be recreated by hand - I've not seen a way to export/save them for import into the new system. My non-Apple apps would need to be reinstalled (copied?) and reconfigured. And then there are the system settings that I've made over time that I'd have to try to remember or will notice once I start running Yosemite.
I've tested Yosemite by installing on a flash drive and I've had no issues. My 2013 Air came with Mountain Lion and I've upgraded to 10.9.1 through 10.9.5 with no issues. Upgrade is the easiest process for sure. However I'd like to get some feedback on the true advantages of a clean install.

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Upgrade from Tiger - is Clean Install Necessary or Recommended?

Hi Everyone,
I'm going to be updating 3 computers to Snow Leopard from Tiger - 2 MacBook Pros and an iMac.
After talking with several people, I got the impression that the Snow Leopard install would automatically perform a clean install. But after reading several posts on here, I assume this is not the case? Is a clean install recommended?
On one of the MacBook Pros, I will be upgrading the drive to a 500 GB before doing the Snow Leopard update - I am having the drive replacement done professionally, but will do the software update myself. Can I install that directly on the new drive or do other steps need to be taken?

Snow Leopard does not automatically perform what some people mean by a "clean install" meaning that it erases the drive and starts completely from scratch. The standard installation is closest to what older versions of Mac OS X did when using the "Archive and Install", where a completely fresh set of operating system files are installed but all the applications and user accounts (including their settings and documents) are preserved. For most uses, unless you've been having problems with one of the computers, the standard installation procedure should be fine. You'll want to confirm compatibility of all your applications and peripherals before you upgrade, and of course you'll want good backups of the systems. Most of us recommend making a full clone, using a utility such as Carbon Copy Cloner, so that you can easily go back to a working installation should anything go wrong.
You can if you wish do a truly "clean" installation by running Disk Utility from the Snow Leopard installation disk and erasing the drive. But, again unless the systems have been having problems, it's probably not necessary unless you want to clean out the "cruft" of old apps and settings anyway.
Regards.

Since upgrading from Mavericks to Yosemite Mail, Spotlight,Mission Control and App-Store don´t work correctly. Is it possible to return to Mavericks?

Since upgrading from Mavericks to Yosemite Mail, Spotlight, Mission Control and App-Store don´t work correctly. Is it possible to return to Mavericks?

If you have an external drive with an OS X Time Machine backup, then do restore of your last backup. If you have an external drive with a bootable clone of your previous system, you can boot to that clone and re-clone the OS X on your external drive back to your Mac's internal drive.
If you do not have either of these available, then the reverting/restoring process becomes much more complicated and involves purchasing an external drive and backing up your current system to that drive, then erasing, reformatting your hard drive and now your only options to installng an OS X version is doing a clean install of OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, then upgrading, again, to either OS X 10.7 Lion or 10.8 Mountain Lion. OS X 10.9 Mavericks is no longer available for download and Apple has not made OS X 10.9 Mavericks available in any other form to be able to redownload and install.
Maybe it would be better to explain in detail your issues with Yosemite to see if any of us here can help you with your difficulties.
I am not running or using Yosemite, so I cannot help you with your Yosemite issues,
There are others here who can help you with Yosemite.
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After upgrading from Mavericks to Yosemite I can no longer find in Mail the icon (looks like the Add To Contacts icon without the mark) I used to press in order to obtain an e-mail address from my contact list. What procedure should I use now in or

After yesterday upgrading from Mavericks to Yosemite I can no longer find in Mail the icon (looks like the Add To Contacts icon without the + mark) I used to press in order to obtain an e-mail address from my contact list. What procedure should I use now in order to quickly add an address to an e-mail that I wish to send?
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Mite, I addI just upgrade from Mavericks to Yoseed a new user to my computer , however it doesn't show up at startup. What's going on?

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I have just upgraded from MAVERICKS to YOSEMITE. My ageing EPSON CX3600 will no longer work. APPLE support gave me advice which did not work. How do I progress short of buying a new printer?

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Should I upgrade from Mavericks to Yosemite or go for a new install of Yosemite?

I just asked this, got an answer, but it shows as restricted. I can't access my question, so I'll repost. Dammit!
Macbook Pro 15.4” Retina, October 2012, 500g, 8g RAM.  In anticipation of the release of Yosemite, I have been ready to back everything up, screenshot all of my apps, print them so I can pick and choose after the install from where I have acquired everything. I am on a business scenario, not a typical home user. I use five external hard drives, so I can get it sussed.
  I am a Windows convert, I still Bootcamp Win 7 because of some Sony video software I need to use for business. Upper end Photoshop user. I will be installing Final Cut Pro X as a replacement for the video apps when everything settles. I have researched and see that my BluRay production will take a hit because I will have a learning curve and there seems to be a bug with Final Cut Pro X and BluRay production. I'm sure it will be resolved by the time I am ready to switch. No biggy. I will be cutting the Microsoft cord when that takes place. I'm just giddy over it. Seriously.  
What I want to know, and this is a very noob question, is, I want to erase and format my hard drive to accept Yosemite when it hits the release date. I want to go with a clean install rather than an update.
 To all of you seasoned and dyed in the wool Apple people, if you were two years into Apple as I am, would you install Yosemite, when it is released, as a stand-alone, fresh install instead an update install? I know it will wipe everything, but I want to build from the ground up as an OS install. Start over, as it sounds.
 Do you people think it an imprudent act to wipe everything and start over or a better idea to update with the Yosemite release over/on top of Mavericks?  I know there will be bugs. I dealt with the Mail bug in Mavericks, then they fixed it. I know there will be issues, there always are.  
Does it even matter?
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Kelly J.

kellyjdrummer wrote:
I had thought the fall release of Yosemite would be a release candidate (baked.) Am I wrong? I know it's hard to know.
Through my years as a Windows user, I always waited at least a year after their OS releases before jumping on them.
There is no good answer anymore. All of the responses you have had in this thread are excellent. But Apple keeps changing the plan. I say wait until the 2nd minor release of Yosemite. The first 10.10.1 will be a bug fix release, probably within 3 weeks. The second will be a security update two weeks later. That is the point where it will probably be safe to install. You'll have a good 8 months of usage before having to worry about upgrading again. Also, this strategy applies to all releases, not just major ones. Apple doesn't do "bug fixes" like you may have been used to in the past. Builds 10.10.1, 10.10.2, etc. will be designed not to break any public interfaces, but that is as far as it goes. Otherwise, Apple is liable to change anything. The old adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it" simply doesn't apply anymore. Wait a week or two after each incremental update to see if there are big changes. Since you are a heavy Photoshop user, always check the Adobe forums before updating the OS.

After upgrading to Mavericks, can't install programs from discs

I am unable to install photoshop elements 12. I've upgraded to Mavericks, and this is the first disc I've tried to install. The dvd drive does read regular dvds, but spins, then ejects the install disc. I've reset the PRAM and puffed air in the drive slot. The disc is just out of the box, no scratches. I tried to install Premier Elements too, but same spin, then ejection. Do I need to change some setting somewhere or has the dvd drive developed an issue.

You can start by doing some basic resets such as a iMac SMC and PRAM reset, you may need to do the SMC reset 2-3 times. Also you can restart in Safe Mode to clear some caches. If you continue to have problems post back and there are other things to try such as cleaning the SuperDrive or using an external DVD drive.

Yosemite Upgrade from Maverick Fails

Recently attempted to upgrade my MacBook Pro 17" w/Retina from OS X Mavericks to OS X Yosemite. All components downloaded successfully and MacBook Pro was then restarted.
Upon power up, I'm presented with the grey Apple screen, and then immediately I see tiny Linux script fill the upper-left portion of the screen. The screen clears too quickly for me to read the text, and it takes me to the "Your computer failed to start properly, please press a button or wait a few seconds for your computer to restart" screen. Restart, or even powering down and restarting does not resolve this issue.
Rebooted into Recovery mode (Power button, then hold CMD-R until Apple appears), and launched the Repair utility. I verified permissions, and noted several problems. I repaired permissions. I then ran Verify Disk, and it found several errors and corruption. I ran Repair Disk, which repaired and verified the repairs were successful.
Restarted my machine...same gray screen and error loop as before.
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Restored to OS X Mavericks.
Any ideas?

marinko70 wrote:
imac late 2013 with SSD.
the upgrade path from mavericks to yosemiti works, but it permanently screws up users and permissions - so any app with a database or files you can't use. complete and utter waste of time.
poorly packaged upgrade that it changes your user name for reasons only known to apple - it is free after all!!
It sounds like something was not quite right with your Mavericks system before you tried to upgrade. I have a spare HD that I use as a guinea pig for new OS versions. This drive had Mavericks on it and a few apps (Little Snitch, Firefox, Pages, Pixelmator, CCC, Super Duper, Disk Warrior, etc.). Last night I installed Yosemite without any issues. No problems with permissions, and it certainly didn't arbitrarily change my user name. I was pleasantly surprised at how painless the process was. Internet settings worked fine, associated updates worked as expected, mouse settings were retained, etc.
However, there is no way that I can stomach using the wretched mess that is iTunes 12, except perhaps for syncing an iOS 8 device at some point in the future. What's been done with iTunes will keep me using Snow Leopard or Mountain Lion and iTunes 10.7 to manage my music collection.

Upgrade to CS4 with Clean Install of Mac OS

Hello. Hope I can find the answer here. I purchased the upgrade to CS4 as I had CS3 installed on my MacBook Pro. I made backup copies of the two install DVDs by creating a .dmg file and then burning to DVDs. So far so good -- I thought. I decided to do a clean install of Snow Leopard on my MBP and wiped the drive and reinstalled. Everything has gone well and all my other apps have been installed and are running great. I then proceeded to use my backup DVDs od CS4, made as .dmgs of the original DVDs. I get as far as the license code entry and it will not accept the license code. I have tried numerous times and even had someone else read and enter the code. Do I have to have CS3 installed first? Did I make a bad copy of the original DVDs? Do I have to install as a Trial and then enter the license key later?
[EDIT] -- I wonder -- the original DVDs are probably double layer DVDs so the image is larger than would fit on a single layer DVD right? I bet that when I burned to DVD via BURN FOLDER it did not warn me (or I didn't see it). Is this possible? If so, I guess I better buy some Dual Layer DVDS :-)
Any suggestions/advice would be helpful. I will try to install from the original DVDs tonight and see if they work.
Thanks!!
Message was edited by: mdrdsr

Have you tried installing from the original DVDs?
Personally I wouldn't put Snow Leopard on my computer until Apple fixes all the problems with it. Also my Adobe apps are always the first thing I install after a fresh install of the OS not the last. I never want to have some other application interfere with the installs. One more thing you might want to keep in mind people are having problems installing CS4 from the original media in SL.

How do I upgrade from Mavericks to Yosemite?

No matter what I do I seem to be going in circles. When I upgraded from OS X 10.6 to Mavericks it went smoothly. I have had no problems using Mavericks since that upgrade. I can't even get to the upgrade for Yosemite.
Help!
Thanks,
-Joe

I had, up to now, barely used the App Store for anything. I have continued to work on it and found the "key" to the App store. I have Yosemite and will install it today.
Thanks to those who tried to help me out with very little to to go on in my poorly worded question.
-Joe

Upgrading to new MBP - clean install?

My 15" MBP is 3 1/2 years old and I'm about to upgrade to a new 15" MBP. In an earlier lifetime, when I was on Windows, I always did a fresh install when I moved to a new computer - re-installed all the software and just moved documents over. I know I don't have to do this on a Mac - that the migration process is very easy - but I'm wondering if there's any advantages to a clean install ... and any disadvantages to just letting Migration Assistant move me.
Advice? Suggestions? Warnings?
Thanks in advance,
roger

Roger,
FWIW, I actually think doing the clean install is a good idea. I'd estimate 80% of the visits on these forums are from people who have issues with old stuff carried forward through updates and upgrades that are causing conflicts. Tracking downs these bugs is a bear.
It's been 3 1/2 years since you last did such a clean install. You're bound to have a bunch of apps and things you don't use or want. At the very least you'll probably save yourself some HD space. I'd go clean and then just copy over your documents, iTunes library, etc. after you've installed all the apps you need.
Bonus, if you use MobileMe and utilize syncing, all your contacts, calendars, keychains, and bookmarks will sync to the new MacBook anyway taking care of the stuff that you usually need immediately.
Anyway, the advice to use Migration Assistant is good advice, I just prefer to go the clean route when moving to a new machine myself. I find the extra time up front can save a lot on the backend.

Mavericks, very clean install to fix permissions?

Ever since I got my iMac three years ago, my permissions have been wibbly. I'm pretty sure it's my fault for messing with the Home folder when I shouldn't have when I got the computer. So things have mostly worked since then, but permissions problems crop up more and more frequently in Mountain Lion. And I don't mean just Disk Utility finding errors, I mean actual problems. (One software license got messed up enough that the company told me they can't help me until my OS is fixed, my encryption and backups are not working properly anymore etc.) It's time to get this mess fixed, and I figure I'll go ahead and upgrade to Mavericks from 10.8.5 while I'm at it.
Clearly, migration is out. I've been assuming the best/only thing I can do is wipe my machine (after making clones and backups), install all software fresh, transfer Documents manually, restore the Aperture library from a vault, and figure out how to reinstate iTunes. Since my solid state drive is rather small, I'll also recover some space by getting rid of all the old cruft.
1. Am I right that wiping the machine is the best thing to do? I have all the app's licenses, and am ready to bite the bullet if this is the way to go.
2. Will permissions problems transfer over if I copy cloned Documents to the new OS? I have been assuming no problem with non-applications. I'd like to transfer select application preferences, also, so same question.
3. How to deal with email? My gmail and non-gmail accounts are IMAP, so I think I can enter the account logins and everything will download fresh (with the caveat about gmail and Mavericks not playing nice, and of course having backups in place).
Any advice on the best way to make this happen and get it behind me?

Try this first.
Permissions – Reset Home Folder (includes 10.6.8)
Permission Issues - Troubleshooting
You may need to rebuild permissions on your user account. To do this,boot to your Recovery partition (holding down the Command and R keys while booting) and open Terminal from the Utilities menu. In Terminal, type: ‘resetpassword’ (without the ’s), hit return, and select the admin user. You are not going to reset your password. Click on the icon for your Macs hard drive at the top. From the drop down below it select the user account which is having issues. At the bottom of the window, you'll see an area labeled Restore Home Directory Permissions and ACLs. Click the reset button there. The process takes a few minutes. When complete, restart.
Repair User Permissions

Since upgrading to Mavericks I cannot install the latest Flash Player

I upgraded to Mavericks and now cannot view video content. My screen says I do not have Flash installed. I have uninstalled the previous versions and installed Flash several times. Still no go. I have followed all of the Macromedia instructions for trouble shooting etc...Any suggestions?

I have since found out that the offending item is widgets running in the Dashboard application.
What you do is go into Activity Monitor - select Dasboard- then select force quit, close all other applications.
Restart the installation process which should now complete then restart computer and it should be done.
I have never had to do this ever with any update , but it does work , I think (hopefully).

Upgrade from Mavericks or clean install ?

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