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.

Similar Messages

On new mbp should we upgrade or do a clean install

The title says it all. My friend just bought a new mbp and he is wondering if he should do one or the other or none. There are no third party anything yet on the machine. Has not yet turned it on
What do you all recommend, I cannot recommend anything I killed my mbp and I am on an imac that I cannot upgrade anyway.
Thanks in advance
Mireille

BTW, these are the options and recommendations from macfixit. There are four alternatives, in decreasing cleanliness order:
•Erase and Install: Deletes all your stuff and reformats the partition, giving you an absolute drop-dead guaranteed clean installation. This is recommended if you have a backup of all your stuff (made, for example, with Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper, though it can be done with Disk Utility instead) and are willing to restore your stuff manually from that backup afterwards.
•Archive and Install, and don't preserve users: This moves everything aside to a Previous Systems folder and installs a clean system and an empty fresh user. You then have to migrate all your stuff manually from Previous Systems. This is a good alternative if you can't make that backup; it is a clean installation, but the partition was not reformatted so if there are disk-level or file system-level problems, they will remain.
•Archive and Install, and do preserve users: This moves a lot of stuff aside to a Previous Systems folder, and installs a fairly clean system, but it preserves network settings and existing users and their files. This is very easy but a bit risky, since old preferences and other files are permitted to remain and can cause trouble later.
•Upgrade: Merges the installed system right into the existing system. Not recommended.

Installing FCS 3 (upgrade) on new MBP with Mountain Lion

Hi:
I just bought a new MBP with Mountain Lion installed. I have FCS3 upgrade, which I have now on my Mac Pro tower. I originally bought FCP version 1 back in 2000, so I've had it for quite some time.
When I insert the FCS install DVD into the MBP, the disc spins up and then spins down.... and nothing happens. Nothing opens, no dialogue box, not sign of any activity.
What am I missing here?

Open the finder window and click on the DVD to open it up. Make sure you have the first DVD disk...
I have FCS 3 (FCP 7) running in ML with no problems. I did a clean install of ML first... and installed the FCS 3 upgrade after that... But, make sure you install QuickTime 7 before you install FCS 3... FCS 3 with turn QuickTime 7 into the Pro version.
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL923
I installed LiveType from FCS 2 too...

Upgraded a new MBP from its updated 10.7.5 to 10.8.2, but no updates to get after it?

Hello.
I upgraded my client's new MBP from its updated 10.7.5 to 10.8.2. It appeared to be a success after the long wait (took a short nap). There are no updates found from both Software Updates and App Store? Did all the updating in 10.7.x's Software Update and App Store give me all the updates that are the same in the recently released 10.8.2? Or did something go wrong? I hope to get a yes, so I can start the users migrations and tweaks after my late lunch.
Thank you in advance.

cozar wrote:
antdude wrote:
Or did something go wrong? I hope to get a yes
No.
You have a new OS and you say you checked for more updates. Then you´re good to go. 10.7 is gone on your Mac, så don´t worry about it. BTW, all software update go through App Store now, either you check under the Apple menu or in App Store. It wouldn´t harm to verify disk/repair permissions in Disk Utility.
OK cool. I am currently migrating. Sheesh, both Macs wouldn't see each other until I found a correct network direct cable. Ugh! There is always problems. And yes, I did do a verify disk with a bootable Mac OS X 10.8.2 DVD DL (was going to do a clean install, but that got confusing and I decided to do an upgrade), and it was good.

New MBP and installed wrong administrator

Please help,
Yesterday I bought me a new MBP (lion) and wanted to transfer all the information from my previous MBP (died on me) from TimeCapsule.
First I could not get access with my administrator password which I use for years, so I reset the password. After that I let me access and did the transfer.
Problem is that there are 2 MBP's backed up on the TimeCapsule. Mine and my partner's.
When the transfer was finished, I freaked out as all the information from my partner's MBP was transfered to my new MBP instead of my data. Whatever I try, I cannot seem to be able to get my information. How can I erase my partners information and start all over again (clean start as if I just got it from the store ) and try to get my information from the TimeCapsule instead of my partners. I do not have a disc as it did not come with my new MBP (was already installed).
Is there a posibility to see what you are actually transferring from the TimeCapsule? It shows applications, documents which you can tick but not What information.
Bit annoyed as I am afraid that all my information is lost. I hope it is still in the TimeCapsule. I once did it before and everything went well in the past. Now I'm stuck with info from the wrong laptop.
Thanks in advance!

You'll need to boot to the recovery HD, included on the internal HD, by holding down Command+r key combo or the Option key.
Once booted to the recovery HD you can wipe the Macintosh HD section of the internal drive and then reinstall Lion from the Apple online server. You'll need to have the computer connected to the internat to do the re-install.

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.

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.

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.

What would be the cost of adding or upgrading brand new MBP from 2gb to 4?

I purchased a new 15" but only have 2gb - is the cost only $150 to upgrade to 4gb or does it need to be configured from the outset?

You probably have 2 x 1GB sticks installed ?
You can get two decent 2GB sticks from as little as US$50 each, e.g.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134832 (Kingston)
http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=C67D5D6AA5CA7304 (Crucial)
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/8566DDR3S4GP/ (OWC)
http://www.memorysuppliers.com/iram-2gb-ddr3-pc3-8500-1066mhz-204-pin-sdram-sodi mm-ir2gso1066d3.html?CAWELAID=293814548 (Samsung)

Upgraded to new MBP and now I can't bounce?

I recently upgraded my MPB and now for some reason, when I bounce, the file is empty/silent. I am using all the same gear and the same templates I used on my old computer. Nothing has changed except the computer. I went line by line through every setting with the old computer and everything is the same.
Any insights? I tried bouncing in every format both offline and online. Same results. I also opened the file on my old computer and it bounced just fine.
Help?

Have you tried trashing logic prefs? Or perhaps copy the prefs from your old computer to your MBP, and substitute the current prefs there.
Have you looked in System Preferences... and checked the sound settings?
As a last resort, you can try zapping the PRAM, although that resets every system setting to defaults. Before starting up, press shift-option-p-r (a 'chord') and lift after the second chime.

Upgrading Hard Drive with clean install, MS Office media problem.

My T61 notebook came preinstalled with MS Office software. No MS Office media (CDs/DVDs) was shipped with the T61 notebook. I want to upgrade the hard drive and clean reinstall OS and MS Office. I can create the Recovery Media using the ThinkVantage tool but that will not include MS Office.
After three calls to Lenovo help & support I am told that I have to directly contact Microsoft to get the Office CDs!
My current software setup has some corrupted ThinkVantage tools and I do not want to use the Back Up and Recovery option to reinstate Microsoft Office software because it will reinstall everything else with it too.
If I bought the Microsoft Office software along with the T61 Notebook in a single order from Lenovo, why do I have to contact Microsoft to get the Microsoft Office CDs? Any suggestions?
Sumit

Hi sumitk, and welcome to the Lenovo User Community!
Try here:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/backup/en-us/default.mspx
I don't work for Lenovo. I'm a crazy volunteer!

New MBP, cannot install XPproSP3

I ran the bootcamp assistant, partitioned 20GB in Fat32, windows started install, and got to restart point. Upon restart, press any key to boot from CD message comes up (and works), below that comes disk error, below that is press any key to restart (but no keys will restart). How do I get back into OSX, and how do I eject the windows disk? My MBP is down now due to this.

OK, I found a couple errors I made, and got it booted back up in OSX. Please disregard for now.

Upgrading to new MBP...

Hi All,
Around mid-december hopefully I will purchase a new 17" MBP to replace my 15". When I bought my iPhone I activated it on my 15" and have been syncing to that ever since.
What is the best procedure when I finally switch over to the new 17? What must I do to move the iPhone over? I will need to move my contacts (address book) over but that is about all I care about. Music/vids are on my home Mac which I move over manually to my MBP when I need them.
Any suggests would be appreciated.

As long as the phone is activated, it won't be a problem.
The first sync with the new mac will port over the addresses, etc - but you'll have to manually rebuild the playlists, etc you want to sync with it.
Of course - if you do a complete port of your iTunes library, you should be OK.
Here's how to do it:
http://hifiblog.com/past/2006/05/11/howto-move-your-itunes-music-while-preservin g-library-data-when-you-dont-let-itunes-manage-your-music-library/

Upgrading to Leopard or do a clean install?

Hi
I just bought Leopard and installed it like they show it in the Guided Tour. Of course it is very handy that all my files and settings are saved and used in Leopard as if I hadn't changed OS at all, but was just wondering if it would be good to do a back up of my files and do a clean i install of Leopard? The reason why I would consider this is because when I had a Windows computer after a few months of use all kinds of crap were on my disk and a fresh install of Windows could take care of that. But maybe Macs don't get "filled up" in the same way? Or if they do, maybe "all that crap" is removed even if you only do an upgrade and not a clean install?
Thanks

I have an external HD I can copy my files to so doing a clean install would not be a big problem, but I just don't know if I wanna go through all that if it doesn't even help. Leopard is running fine, though I was expecting it to be a little faster (I was told it would be faster partially because of the 64 bit anyway), the animations when using stacks for instance is not as smooth as they could be. But that could be caused by many other things to I guess and not necessarily because I didn't do a clean install.
By the way now we're talking back-ups, if I try out Time Machine and back up my HD using it, can I then, if I change my mind, do a clean install of Leopard and use the back-up created by Time Machine to get my files back into my HD?

Mail 3.0 cannot send email after clean install

mail does not manage to send mail after leopard was installed via a clean install. It seems to work for upgraded machines, but unfortunately for me, I prefer the clean install.
The problem is, that the SMTP-server simply rejects sending attempts from mail. mail then simply says "cannot send message using the server ...". I got suspicious when I entered a wrong password as then mail says that authentication failed (so the communication has to work somehow).
So I worked on getting the server logs and they say the following:
+Helo command rejected: need fully-qualified hostname; from=<[email protected]> to=<[email protected]> proto=ESMTP helo=<Core>+
Seems like my computer send only the computers name as hostname and not the .local part any more. Systems which have been upgraded instead of a clean install do it "right" meaning they send hostname.local instead of just hostname which gets accepted by the smtp-server.
So the question is, where is the problem here? I do not really know what would be the right behavior regrading the computers name and hostname but I realize that 10.5 differs here from 10.4 leading to the problem above. My workaround in the moment is using Thunderbird which is quite sad after buying and upgrading to the new system...

I am running into the same issue. My insightbb account wont send messages. My yahoo account on the other hand, works fine. Heck, Mail wont even let me setup the insightbb account. Sometimes i can, but it rejects my username. I have to use thunderbird to send email from my insightbb account

Upgrading to new MBP - clean install?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for