How to clean install Sonoma

Question

Level 1

11 points

How to clean install Sonoma

I ran into a problem when I tried to use the erase assistant.

I have a Time Machine Backup made with Ventura, but I wanted to start fresh because of a number of otherwise unexplained glitches. So,

1. I upgraded to Sonoma.
2. I logged in when my Mac rebooted
3. then tried to use the Erase Assistant to delete everything but the OS.

After I entered my Mac User Name and Password, and accepted all the warnings, and granted the permissions, the Erase Assistant insisted I use an obsolete Apple ID to log out of the FindMy service. Of course, that failed, but there’s no way to back out of the Erase assistant. I had to quit the Assistant at the point where it failed.

When I tried again, I found the password for the old Apple ID and entered it when asked. The next panel informed me that the Apple ID was invalid. Of course it is, I changed it in June 2023. Again, there was no way to proceed except to quit the Erase Assistant at the point of failure.

On my next login, I was signed in to my Mac, but without access to iCloud and with no way to sign back in to it. However, I still have access to my Photos, and apps. I tried reinstalling Sonoma with the Recovery tool, but everything is just as it was before re-installing.

At this point, what I want is a fresh installation of Sonoma without any of my apps or previous settings; I can restore my Documents, install my apps as I need them and enter new settings as needed. What I need now is detailed instructions because it’s been a very long time since I last did this, and that was on a Windows machine.

I will be grateful for any help you can provide.

Thanks,

Gerry

Mac mini 2020 M1 16 GB 256 GB HD

Mac mini, macOS 14.0

Posted on Sep 30, 2023 12:53 PM

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Answer 1

Oct 1, 2023 6:22 AM in response to MadMonk

FWIW, not signing out of everything associated with your AppleID including "Find My Mac" if not done before changing your AppleID is the root cause of your problem.

With that said, do you have the ability to make a bootable installer on a USB stick?

If so, create one for Sonoma and you could try booting to it, and try installing that way. It has a version of Disk Utility on it so you could erase the Mac and install from that.

The other option if you know someone with another Mac that can run Apple Configurator 2, you can use that to completely remove everything from your computer and it will install a fresh version of an OS that is compatible. I believe you can get this done at an Apple Store as well as long as you have proof of ownership, for obvious reasons.

In either of these methods I am still not quite sure if it will remove the info that is used for the previous AppleID associated with Find My Mac. For obvious security reasons it has been made difficult. So, if you did not properly sign out of the old AppleID and associated apps that require you to sign out, like Find My Mac, before changing to the new AppleID, things are going to be messed up.

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Answer 2

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

Sep 30, 2023 4:42 PM in response to MadMonk

Start up from macOS Recovery

Option-⌘-R

Upgrade to the latest macOS compatible with your Mac.

In Disk Utility>View, select Show all Devices, highlight the top left entry. ERase the DRive to APFS.

What has often worked for others is to use this Restore Method instead of CMD+r keys...

Option-⌘-R

Upgrade to the latest macOS compatible with your Mac.

Messed up Factory Reset on MacBook Pro Mi… - Apple Community

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254793247?answerId=258936149022#258936149022

Clean Install of High Sierra: Multiple Fa… - Apple Community

An Error Occurred While Preparing The Ins… - Apple Community

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Answer 3

MadMonk Author

Level 1

11 points

Sep 30, 2023 1:57 PM in response to MadMonk

I ran into a problem when I tried to use the erase assistant.

I have a Time Machine Backup made with Ventura, but I wanted to start fresh because of a number of otherwise unexplained glitches. So,

I upgraded to Sonoma.

I logged in when my Mac rebooted

then tried to use the Erase Assistant to delete everything but the OS.

After I entered my Mac User Name and Password, and accepted all the warnings, and granted the permissions, the Erase Assistant insisted I use an obsolete Apple ID to log out of the FindMy service.

Of course, that failed, but there’s no way to back out of the Erase assistant. I had to quit the Assistant at the point where it failed.

When I tried again, I found the password for the old Apple ID and entered it when asked. The next panel informed me that the Apple ID was invalid. Of course it is, I changed it in June 2023. Again, there was no way to proceed except to quit the Erase Assistant at the point of failure.

On my next login, I was signed in to my Mac, but without access to iCloud and with no way to sign back in to it. However, I still have access to my Photos, and apps. I tried reinstalling Sonoma with the Recovery tool, but everything is just as it was before re-installing.

At this point, what I want is a fresh installation of Sonoma without any of my apps or previous settings; I can restore my Documents, install my apps as I need them and enter new settings as needed. What I need now is detailed instructions because it’s been a very long time since I last did this, and that was on a Windows machine.

I will be grateful for any help you can provide.

Thanks,

Gerry

Mac mini 2020 M1 16 GB 256 GB HD

Reply

Answer 4

Oct 1, 2023 5:55 AM in response to BDAqua

FWIW, @BDAqua, if in fact the OP has a 2020 M1 MacMini as stated in his post, none of those key combos work. They only work on Intel machines.

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How to clean install Sonoma

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