Clean Install of Snow Leopard

diego898 wrote:
Hello,

I am new to mac. I just bought my macbook pro a month ago and purchased SL for $10. I want to do a clean install of SL

what do you mean by a clean install? do you mean an erase and install?
and why do you want to do this? is something wrong with your system? i don't think it's possible with a drop-in disk like yours as it checks to see if leopard is present before it allows you to proceed.
with a regular Snow leopard DVd to do an erase and install you boot from the SL dvd and erase your hard drive with disk utility. then quit disk utility and proceed with the install. but as i said, I don't think a drop in DVd will let you do this as it will most likely refuse to install on en empty drive. at least that's how it worked with leopard drop-in DVDs. I'm not certain about Snow leopard ones but I've seen posts indicating that they work in the same way.

but am unable to find out how to accomplish this task. Can anyone help me?

Thanks

The install options have changed and this is why you have to boot directly from the install disk to do a "Clean Install" or "Erase and Install" which are the same thing according to Apple Engineers...

No need to do an erase and install on a Mac only a month old. Just do the standard Snow Leopard update, it puts in a whole new system anyway.

Kevin

diego898 wrote:
Well I was able to boot from it and select the disk utility and see that I am able to erase my drive. However, I wasnt sure if this is the accepted way of doing it. Why am I not just able to select that option right from the installer?

this is the new way to do an erase and install. in part it was done to prevent people from choosing this option accidentally not fully understanding the consequences.

Hello diego:

The other people posting were gently trying to tell you that there is NO reason (based on your post) to do an erase and install. Apple/OS X is not a Windows world.

Barry

diego898 wrote:

I am new to mac. I just bought my macbook pro a month ago and purchased SL for $10. I want to do >a clean install of SL but am unable to find out how to accomplish this task. Can anyone help me?

Boot from the Snow Leopard Install disk, select Disk Utility, and partition the drive. Create a new single partition of the entire drive or however many other smaller partitions you'll need. I only use one.

When finished, quit Disk Utility and you'll be returned to the Installer where the only option is a new install of Snow Leopard. Choose the options you want and hit the "go" button, so to speak. 😉

That is what I do with every new machine I get. Trust is not an option when it comes to my operating system. Corrupted installs from the factory are not unheard of. Odd partitions on new drives are not unheard of. Clean installs on freshly-partitioned drives are the only way to go for new machines and new versions of the OS, if you ask me.

Cheers!

Welcome diego. Here you go:

In your place, I would move to SL if, and only if, I had an external drive with a bootable clone of my internal on it. I think that there is enough risk in going to SL that such conservatism is warranted. I would not use time machine alone for backup/restoring when moving to an OS upgrade or doing a point update. This app can be problematic and, consequently, its solo use is too risky for me in these cases. You will be able to extract your settings, files, and programs from your clone if you do an erase and install. You can erase and install (i.e., clean install) or upgrade with any SL disk except the gray ones that come with specific machines. I still prefer to erase and install since, afterward, I can restore my remaining software, etc., in such a way that I am less likely to carry lurking problems forward from my prior install.

To erase and install (see upgrade option below), start up to your DVD and stop after selecting your language. Use the menus to start Disk Utility and erase your drive. Quit Disk Utility and proceed with your installation. At the end, you will be able to choose to reclaim your settings, files, and apps from the clone (plug in the external at the point of the last install restart).

If you do not like SL, then you can restore your internal using the clone. I would do all cloning and related restoration with SuperDuper, Carbon Copy Cloner, or some other up-to-date cloning app, including Disk Utility. Your clone also will serve as an independent backup for your data.

Upgrading is a very sound process on a Mac. Still, I also would insist on having a bootable clone on an external before upgrading. An upgrade is performed by installing over your existing installation from the desktop or having started from your SL DVD. All your programs, data, and settings will be present after an upgrade, but incompatible programs will be archived.

Message was edited by: donv (The Ghost)

V.K. wrote:
what do you mean by a clean install? do you mean an erase and install?
and why do you want to do this? is something wrong with your system? i don't think it's possible with a drop-in disk like yours as it checks to see if leopard is present before it allows you to proceed.

Actually, it would appear that in the case of Snow Leopard the installer media are identical, whether the packaging is for a Family Pack, a standard installer, or an Mac OS up-to-date DVD. From what I've seen, the discs themselves all carry the same markings, and they all appear to work identically. Only the exterior packaging differs.

Correct, only the gray disks are tied to anything, the computers, or at least the computer types, they came with. Even the Leopard upgrade disk allows an erase and install.

Eric Westby wrote:

V.K. wrote:
what do you mean by a clean install? do you mean an erase and install?
and why do you want to do this? is something wrong with your system? i don't think it's possible with a drop-in disk like yours as it checks to see if leopard is present before it allows you to proceed.

Actually, it would appear that in the case of Snow Leopard the installer media are identical, whether the packaging is for a Family Pack, a standard installer, or an Mac OS up-to-date DVD. From what I've seen, the discs themselves all carry the same markings, and they all appear to work identically. Only the exterior packaging differs.

I've seen at least one post indicating that this might not be the case where a person with a drop in snow leopard DVD installed snow leopard ok and then could not reinstall it on top of the existing SL installation as the installer was demanding leopard to be present. i admit i don't have enough data to judge. i know that the $29 upgrade disks are the same as the ones that come with the mac box set but I'm not sure about the up-to-date disks.

That is what I do with every new machine I get. Trust is not an option when it comes to my operating system. Corrupted installs from the factory are not unheard of. Odd partitions on new drives are not unheard of. Clean installs on freshly-partitioned drives are the only way to go for new machines and new versions of the OS, if you ask me.

Massive overkill and hardly ever needed, best to save it for your last resort if things go wrong.

I always went with an Archive & Install but with Snow Leopard the standard upgrade does the same thing without archiving the system.

I've upgraded 3 two year old Macs without a single problem.

Kevin

In your place, I would move to SL if, and only if, I had an external drive with a bootable clone of my internal on it.

No one should EVER do a system upgrade without having a bootable clone.

I think that there is enough risk in going to SL that such conservatism is warranted.

There is always a risk when doing a system install but Snow Leopard looks like the most problem free upgrade Apple has ever done. No need to scare the guy, especially with a month old machine.

I would not use time machine alone for backup/restoring when moving to an OS upgrade or doing a point update.

I agree. For my everyday backup routine I still do a full, bootable clone about once every 2 weeks and use Time Machine to back up only files. No need for an hourly backup of the system and apps, they don't change that often, but Time Machine is unparalleled for backing up files you are actually working on.

Kevin

"No one should EVER do a system upgrade without having a bootable clone."

I can only speak for myself (I say if and only if), but there are other ways, e.g., a disk image. And, others are more risk tolerant on such things.

"There is always a risk when doing a system install but Snow Leopard looks like the most problem free upgrade Apple has ever done. No need to scare the guy, especially with a month old machine."

I think that cautioning is warranted. I don't scare except on halloween and when the moon is full. 🙂 What I see is a large variety and a large quantity of pretty serious, even debilitating, problems. Whether this the best Apple has ever done, I can't say. Acutally, I hope not. What's really scary is that so many of the problems have to do with Apple apps and really basic things that developers are right on top of. But, regardless, caution is warranted.

"I agree."

I don't think we really are that far apart on any of it. 🙂

Message was edited by: donv (The Ghost)