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How to clean install OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

Monday, July 16, 2012 · 10:45 am · 22 Comments

“With OS X Mountain Lion set to be released later this month, many Mac users are beginning to plan their upgrade to Apple’s latest desktop operating system. When upgrading to Mountain Lion, users will have two options (even though Apple presents only one): an upgrade over either Mac OS X Snow Leopard or Mac OS X Lion, or a clean install,” Brian writes for It’s All Tech.

“Since OS X Mountain Lion will be distributed over the Mac App Store, the easiest method of upgrading is installing it over your current OS. Upgrading over the current OS will keep all of your files, settings, and applications in place,” Brian writes. “The other method (clean installing), however, will erase your entire hard drive and give you a fresh copy of OS X Mountain Lion.”

Read more in the full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Fred Mertz" for the heads up.]

Categories: News

Tags: clean install, OS X, OS X Mountain Lion, OS X10.8, OS X10.8 Mountain Lion

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Comment Feed

22 Comments

Tom Maguire

Monday, July 16, 2012 - 10:50 am · Reply

Seriously? An 8 to 10 step process for a Clean Install. “Do Not Like.”
http://images.sodahead.com/polls/000170709/polls_samiam_4553_582673_answer_1_xlarge.jpeg
- PC Apologist
  
  Monday, July 16, 2012 - 3:03 pm · Reply
  
  Um, it’s a 7-step process, and:
  
  Step 1 = buy it. same as upgrading.
  Step 3 = Decide if you want to install from a DVD or external hard drive. Not really a step…
  Step 5 = Reboot. Again, not really much of a step.
  Step 7 = Install it. Same as upgrading.
  
  So, really.. just 3 additional actual steps:
  
  1. Show Package Contents to locate the .DMG file.
  2. Restore the DMG to a DVD or drive.
  3. Format your drive before installing.
iFan

Monday, July 16, 2012 - 11:00 am · Reply

Are there any advantages to doing a clean install versus an overlay install?
- dinjin201
  
  Monday, July 16, 2012 - 6:21 pm · Reply
  
  Yes. I wish I had done a clean install of Lion on my mac. I will rectify this when I get my hands on Mountain Lion.
  
  1. Eliminates Cruft
  2. Eliminates junk files.
  3. Eliminates any fragmentation that occurs (although OS X is very resilient to fragmentation, it’s not immune)
  4. Clean install = less bugs. Sometimes, there are migration errors that leave you with corrupt libraries.
  5. If you’re installing on multiple macs, having a copy of it means not having to re-download a 5GB file again and again.
  6. Having a copy means if you’re on the go, and your OS dies, you can use that same flash drive/ DVD to reinstall, even if you don’t have an internet connection.
  - dinjin201
    
    Monday, July 16, 2012 - 6:22 pm · Reply
    
    As with all updates / installs, BE SURE that you have WORKING backups available.
    
    Make two backups, just for the hell of it.
BoC

Monday, July 16, 2012 - 11:00 am · Reply

Right now you can get a mini USB stick from Apple for Lion for somewhere just north of $60.

I suspect Apple will offer the OS on a USB stick for Mountain Lion, as some people need to update a half dozen Macs in a family.

The idea of updating a hard drive just never occurs to me. I always get a new hard drive, or if it is an expensive SSD, I clone off the old OS to an external HD, make sure it works, wipe the internal drive and proceed with a “clean install”.

I’ve never been a fan of in-place upgrading to a new major OS release, because of the occasional glitch and the issues of 3rd party applications and utilities which all need to be checked out for compatibility.

Multiple bootable clones of your old OS is the only way to know you can survive if the new OS flops for any sort of reason.
- Spark
  
  Monday, July 16, 2012 - 11:07 am · Reply
  
  Good advice for a Mac Pro. Not as practical with an iMac where you have literally dismantle the machine to swap the drive .
- h2a
  
  Monday, July 16, 2012 - 12:01 pm · Reply
  
  I agree with all of that. If it were 10 years ago.
paul

Monday, July 16, 2012 - 11:08 am · Reply

For “Windos” a clean install is crucial. For OS-X…….Nahhh, Apples got you covered. I’ll do exactly as Apple recommends.
- mossman
  
  Monday, July 16, 2012 - 1:51 pm · Reply
  
  I thought that way and almost always updated (not necessarily upgraded) the day Apple made it available.
  
  Then there was an iTunes update in 2001 with a bug that completely erased hard drives with a space as the first character (http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2001/11/48149). This was a somewhat common practice among Mac power users, to make drives appear at the top of the open/save dialog windows, and also quickly select the drive after clicking the desktop and pressing the spacebar (obviously Quick Look later killed the latter trick).
  
  My system was set up that way, and it was pure luck that I wasn’t home that weekend to apply the update. Sure I had backups, but any unplanned system restore as a result of malware or update bug is a serious waste of one’s time.
  
  Ever since then I’ve always waited at least a few days before applying any updates that ask for an admin password.
  - dinjin201
    
    Monday, July 16, 2012 - 6:26 pm · Reply
    
    Also, this. I am always afraid something will go horribly wrong
- dinjin201
  
  Monday, July 16, 2012 - 6:25 pm · Reply
  
  I still prefer clean installs, because some developers still don’t know how to make their applications into a package so that i just drag the app to the trash.
  
  Instead, they litter my User/Library folder with random database files and other utter bullshit….
  
  Yes, apple has us covered, if you use nothing but apple apps. But because some idiot developers decide not to stick to the proper procedures… we all get f*cked.
MizuInOz

Monday, July 16, 2012 - 11:13 am · Reply

There is an alternative to sitting and hoping that your new upgrade won’t be a bad decision because of glitches, (Not that has ever happened with an OSX upgrade):

Wait until the shakedown cruise has been at least midway or back in port, if you can wait that long.

I am now giving major upgrades an at least two week hiatus.

Just a thought.

As for clean install: most definitely. 8 steps – geez, anal much?
tbone

Monday, July 16, 2012 - 11:52 am · Reply

There is no scientific or technical reason to prevent you from doing an upgrade in place. Back up your drive. You do back up your drive, don’t you?

All this desire for clean installs went out the door with System 9. All the voodoo you hear from “experts” is a bunch of self-aggrandizing chatter.
- h2a
  
  Monday, July 16, 2012 - 12:03 pm · Reply
  
  I agree. I’ve always done in-place upgrades and have never had trouble. I know that some people have had problems. Of course, those are the ones you hear about because obviously if it’s working fine there’s no need to post about it in the support forums.
  
  That being said, I’m with you… a backup of your drive and an attempt at an in-place upgrade that will more than likely be successful, is all you really need.
- iFan
  
  Monday, July 16, 2012 - 4:02 pm · Reply
  
  Everything is backed up via Time Machine. I too have also done the “upgrade” / overlay option and never had a problem. I was just wondering if there any advantage to a “clean” install – it doesn’t sound like it though.
- enzos
  
  Tuesday, July 17, 2012 - 3:36 am · Reply
  
  Generally true. But last year I got a bunch of permissions problems (and even crashes!) with Snow Leopard (originally Leopard) and upgrading to Lion didn’t fix it. But a clean install and careful migration of info, accounts and folders fixed it.
Mark

Monday, July 16, 2012 - 12:45 pm · Reply

Just get a new Mac along with Mountain Lion, fresh and clean
The Other Steve

Monday, July 16, 2012 - 1:14 pm · Reply

Or . . . . . .
You can just just run Lion Recovery before upgrading to Mountain Lion.
Restart your Mac and hold down Command-R.
kentkd34

Monday, July 16, 2012 - 2:26 pm · Reply

After my Lion experiences, I am going to not do a clean install, and am going to wait 3-6 months.

User since 1988 and this is the first time I have not jumped all over an OS upgrade.
- dinjin201
  
  Monday, July 16, 2012 - 6:26 pm · Reply
  
  what happened with lion for you?
Tom Maguire

Monday, July 16, 2012 - 11:40 pm · Reply

On second thought, having a bootable external Hard Drive or flash drive handy or burning an install disc isn’t too big of a deal.
Guess I’m still stuck in the mindset of: buy new OS, insert disc, clean install.