Clean Install Mavericks and Restoring files

there appears to be a wide range of issues when either trying to restore or transfer files backed up to time machine

TimeMachine doesn't have a clean install option. It's why I don't use it and prefer bootable clones instead as they are direct accessible in case I do just want grab files and change permissions to the new account, dumping the rest.

With timed clones on seperate hardware, makes it easier to revert from a previous OS X version or optimize and defragment your boot hard drive for better performance using a clone, booting from it and reverse cloning.

Make a bootable clone of your boot drive

Most commonly used backup methods

Why is my computer slow?

How to safely defrag a Mac's hard drive

I'm primarily worried about restoring my email (googlemail), My 500gb itunes library and my significant library of photographs in Aperture.

To fresh install, you need to backup files manually to external drive (not timemachine), then wipe everything and set the machine up like brand new, with new user accounts, preferably with the same drive name (MacintoshHD) user account names, then return files to each account and do a #6 Repair Users Permissions on the files.

..Step by Step to fix your Mac

iTunes shouldn't be much of a problem, provided you tag the songs in the playlist with the playlist names (attaches to the song files themselves) and use the same drive name and user account name on the fresh install so the pathnames in the itunes database matches where your files are at.

Aperture shouldn't be much of a problem for the same reason, as long as you copy the contents of your home folders direclty back into the new account folders of the same name, again to match the pathames where your files are at.

Gmail has a online website, so your emails are there, make sure you have the password. They should redownload to your machine once you set up mail in the new account (with the same name)

Local email files on the existing system will be erased with the fresh install method because they are likely seure and hidden in the invisible User/Library folder, which doesn't get restored with the fresh install method. (but will with TimeMachine restores as it copies everything)

Follow the A2 method here for a fresh install of OS X, your just targeting the existing MacintoshHD partition, a full drive wipe isn't necessary.

Reset your Mac

You also might want to read this also, it can be used for the fresh install method.

How to revert OS X back from Mavericks

Hi ds store, i have a old macbook pro 17" running Mountain Lion and recently bought a new one that came already with Mavericks. Now i want to move my mail manually to the new one... I think with i move the mail and mail downloads folders from library and then the com.apple.mail.plist file to the new macbook it will work but i don't know for sure. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Hi ds store,

I read a couple of your posts about backing up/cloning, and while they were useful and informative, I would like to still get some advice from you. Here is my situation.

I have a late 2012 Intel Core i7 2.3 GHz Mac Mini, with a 1 TB, 5400 rpm internal hard drive. The total amount of space being utilized on the drive is only 151.03 Gig, of which 138.25 Gig is for the "primary" partition (OS 10.9 and my applications), .65 Gig for the Recovery HD partition, and 12.13 Gig for the eDrive partition created by TechTool Pro. (I can probably reduce the amount of space within my primary partition, as there are some folders containing movies that I also have on an external drive).

I will soon be purchasing a Samsung 256 Gig SSD. It will initially be placed inside an external enclosure (very easy to "install": in fact, basically plug and play). I will then connect the SSD to my Mac Mini via a USB 2.0 cable. What I want to do next is to get the SSD ready to be used as the internal, boot drive on the Mac Mini (will remove the 5400 1TB drive). Here are the steps I was planning on completing:

1. Use Disk Utility to Erase the Samsung SSD, selecting the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.

2. Not sure if I need to then use Disk Utility to "partition" the drive, as I will just want to "clone" everything on the 1 TB 5400 rpm drive. Please advise what is necessary here.

3. Use either Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper to make a bootable backup of everything on the 1 TB drive onto the SSD. From what I understand, Carbon Copy Cloner will "clone" all 3 partitions, whereas Super Duper can only backup the primary partition. (If I use Super Duper, i would need to go through some eventual steps to create the Recovery HD partition, but TechTool Pro can easily create the eDrive partition). Is all this valid?

4. Boot from the Samsung SSD.

5. Apply the TRIM software to the Samsung SSD. (I guess I can do this after steps 6 and 7 below).

6. Install the Samsung SSD inside the Mac Mini, and remove the 1 TB External Drive (will place it inside the external enclosure).

7. Hopefully, the Mac Mini will successfully boot from the Samsung SSD.

Please let me know if all this is valid, and/or if I need to do anything else.