Perform Clean Install with OEM 10.6.4 disk

moiphy wrote:
If the only install disk I have is the gray OEM one, is it possible to perform a clean install?

Welcome to Apple Discussions.

Sure, if it is from your Mac. The gray install discs are hardware specific and will only work with the Mac they shipped with.



-mj

Yes, but with Snow Leopard, the default is to reinstall the OS while still leaving your data on the machine.

If you want to erase and install and wipe everything clean, you need to boot to the disc, then under Utilities pick Disk Utility and erase the hard drive, then run the installer.

And yeah, the OEM disc will usually only work with the model it shipped with.

Yes. Steps detailed in the Everything Mac booklet that shipped with the machine. BTW, why? That's usually a useless procedure.

Thanks for the feedback. Good computing. BTW, since you're new to Macs, see these:

Switching from Windows to Mac OS X,
Basic Tutorials on using a Mac,
Mac 101: Mac Essentials,
Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts,
Anatomy of a Mac,
MacTips, and
Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Snow Leopard Edition.

Additionally, *Texas Mac Man* recommends:

Quick Assist,
Welcome to the Switch To A Mac Guides,
Take Control E-books, and
A guide for switching to a Mac.

THANK YOU! I've been frustrated trying to do a clean install on my mac mini. Normally it's an option one chooses during the normal course of installation. Why one must now go to the utilities and first erase the disk, I don't know. I guess progress does not always move in a forward direction! Thanks again!