COMPLETELY clean re-install

Question

Level 1

0 points

COMPLETELY clean re-install

Hello, I have to do a factory restore with my current SSD (to get rid of the windows partition I don't need anymore). I've done quit a few, probably 10 hard drive restores but every time there's still settings leftover from the previous install, namely Wallpapers (see this thread) and Bluetooth devices, and who knows what else is left over bugging my system that I can't see.

There's a console command to reset the wallpapers completely, is there a console command to completely erase all settings stored in the RAM or the motherboard or wherever else they are hiding that obviously isn't the hard drive, as if it were I was opening it up for the first time.

This would be so much appreciated as I restore fairly often for one reason or another.

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3), 15' - 2.3GHz i7 - 128 GB SSD

Posted on May 6, 2013 7:22 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

R C-R

Level 6

17,782 points

May 6, 2013 7:30 PM in response to yule&bellow

Resetting PRAM/NVRAM on startup returns the computer to factory defaults.

Reply

Answer 2

yule&bellow Author

Level 1

0 points

May 6, 2013 8:15 PM in response to R C-R

Sounds promising....is there a resource where I can find out how to do that?

Reply

Answer 3

May 6, 2013 8:22 PM in response to yule&bellow

Resets of the NVRAM will only adjust some settings in hardware like the system's default sound volume level, so while part of the solution you're asking for, it will not touch the software-based side of things, such as the wallpapers and any OS-specific settings.

PRAM reset instructions: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379

Beyond this, you can reset the system management controller, but the settings in here are even further removed from those in the PRAM, and mainly govern things like your power button's functions and LED lights on the system.

SMC reset instructions: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964

How do you know these settings that elude you are not stored on your hard drive?

Reply

Answer 4

yule&bellow Author

Level 1

0 points

May 6, 2013 11:35 PM in response to Topher Kessler

How do you know these settings that elude you are not stored on your hard drive?

#

I installed a brand new SSD and my wallpaper and bluetooth devices carried over from the last hard drive I had. I'm guessing there's other stuff that slipped through the cracks too

Reply

Answer 5

May 7, 2013 9:40 AM in response to yule&bellow

Did you migrate your files from the old drive or from a backup? This is the only way the files could be transferred.

Reply

Answer 6

yule&bellow Author

Level 1

0 points

May 7, 2013 2:07 PM in response to Topher Kessler

Nope, my previous wallpaper was on the screen the second I first booted it up with the new hard drive, the image file wasn't even present on the new hard drive. It was stored somewhere else.

My wallpaper also always reverted back to that initial wallpaper after reset too (keep in mind that the image file still wasn't even on the drive) until I ran that console command.

Reply

Answer 7

May 7, 2013 2:20 PM in response to yule&bellow

Perhaps its the way you're describing the issue that's not detailing some necessary fact, but if you format the hard drive and reinstall OS X as you claim to have done then it will not have any of your data on the drive. The process for doing this would be the following, so if you have not done exactly these steps then post back here with what you did instead, and that will help determine what is going on:

1. Reboot to the Recovery HD partition by holding Command-R at startup.

2. After choosing your language, select "Disk Utility" from the tools window.

3. Select your hard drive in Disk Utility and format it to "Mac OS X Extended (Journaled)" (optionally partitioning before doing this).

4. Quit Disk Utility and then select the Install OS X option from the tools window.

5. Proceed with the full installation of OS X, and then reboot.

At this point you should have a fresh copy of OS X installed, which will not have any user data besides a freshly created user account. At this point you may have been prompted to migrate your datat from another system or from a backup, which would restore you user data including your background settings, but this type of settings restoration is going to happen if you automatically restore your user data to the system.

Reply