OK, my turn to ASK a question!
In the old days i'd start from DVD, format away, and do a nice, clean install. Never a problem.
Now its mysterious. Ho do i do that when i need to use the app store to download the Mavericks installer and run it from an operating computer.......
yea, i have full bootable backups on a 1394 drive
Grant
MacBook Pro (13-inch Early 2011), Mac OS X (10.6.8)
Once you have the 10.9 installer downloaded, you want to run DiskMaker X. You will need at minimum, an 8GB USB stick. DiskMaker X will hunt for the Mavericks installer and then automatically format the USB stick and build a bootable Maverick installer on it.
Hmmm, are you saying there is no provision from Apple to do this?
Also, Diskmaker X (interesting to now about anyway) states that it does not work with 10.6.8, whcih is what i have.
Kind of amazing that Apple does not support any clean install.
PArt of waht I'm looking for is:
1. what happens when i download mavericsk from the app store? Just makes a DMG file? Launches? What?
2. If its just a DMG file, can i open it from ANY OS/Disk combo (seems that would slove my problem right there)
2. What options are present in the installer?
Grant
Missed that 10.6.8 bit.
Both of the early-2011 MacBook Pro 13 inch came with 4GB ram standard. This is fine for 10.6.8. Depending on how you use your MBP, you may prefer that 4GB was 8GB when using Mavericks. On my mid-2011 Mac mini, Mavericks is using 2GB with a terminal window open.
If you haven't already, you should verify that the apps you use (and kernel extensions if any) on 10.6.8, have newer versions compatible with Mavericks. Snow Leopard was the last OS X release to support PowerPC applications with Rosetta technology.
What you do is download the Mavericks installer from the App Store. Decline to continue if it prompts you. Copy it to another disk for safe-keeping. If you are satisfied that your system is backed up, then run the Mavericks installer and upgrade your machine to Mavericks. Now, you can run DiskMaker X and make that bootable Mavericks USB stick. Optionally, you can perform a second, clean install of Mavericks if you wish.
Mavericks will also create a 600+ MB hidden partition, called a Recovery partition, that you can boot from to repair or reinstall Mavericks itself on the main disk partition.
With the advent of the App Store, physical media has gone away, leaving us with upgrade-only OS X solutions from Apple.
There is no need for any third-party software to create a Mavericks boot disk. See:
Is there any reason i can;t simply boot from my 10.6.8 clone and run the OSX installer from that?
Grant
I think the Apple Installer will try to upgrade the 10.6.8 clone when you do that. Not certain though.
In what way do you thing do that will help you?
Allan
The installer gives you a choice of available disks.
admittedly, that was my fear.....
I think that is exactly what i wanted to know. So i just boot from my backup and proceed, just likethe "ole days.
Grant
Allan - who are you directing your query to? Me (the OP)?
if so, i dont know exactly how to answer. But if i can simply run from an eternal drive and install on whatever volume i choose, all of this is irrelevant chat and i can simply proceed - no USB to make, nothing to lose, etc.
From what i see from Andy Ball the answer to my original post should have been:
"Boot from any drive but your main drive, download the installer, its a disk image, run it, and it lets you choose the install time and location"
None of this thread would have bene necessary.
now, if that's not true, please elaborate.
Grant
Yes. In your original post you said you wished to do a "clean" install and I was curious as to what you thought tiy would be gaining by doing that.
Allan
to Allan-
The nested threading here is lacking ....
Thanks for clarifying.
So, what do i [think i will] gain by doing a clean install?
My experience, from 0S6 --> OS 10.6 is that update installers somehow make mistakes. I dont know what, and i dont knwo why, but they result in less-than-optimum installs. Sometimes.
When i do a clean install, onthe other hand (or the old archive and insatll, nto sur eif that still exists), i know that EVERYTHING is instaleld just as intended. None of this "that's the same rev, let it be" or "that wont cause any troubl;e, why remove it?"
I've seen many postings here too that people who are upgrading Mavericks over the top of older versions are having ahigher incidence of slow or weirdness than those who do a clean install. That reinforces my beliefs.
I know how hard doing really good undates is in my business, when thigns have to run 5-9s. Somehow i dont see the same leve of care here.
Do you disagree? Would you just upgrade over the top of SL? (actually, i may and see how it goes, i can alway go nuclear).
Always open to solid opinions.
Grant
Yes. I disagree. I have not done a "clean" install in years. I run the installer and have not had any problems with it as far back as 10.4.
The only time I did a "clean" install is when I am selling the Mac.
I see it as a waste of time to go through all of the work of reinstalling all of my applications.
Allan
The biggest difficulty with upgrade installs is that there are typically a number of apps already installed, and some of them may be incompatible with the new system. The probability is higher when jumping up by three full system versions (as in 10.6 -> 10.9).
However, if you're careful and do your homework, you can avoid that. In which case, just upgrading can save you a lot of time.
Still, there's never any harm in doing a clean install, if you've got time to kill and are willing to do the work.
How to do a clean install (10.9) with no DVD
