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How can I uninstall OS X Yosemite and return to OS X Mavericks?

How can I uninstall OS X Yosemite and return to OS X Mavericks?

Posted on Oct 17, 2014 3:09 PM

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Posted on Oct 17, 2014 3:17 PM

  1. You must have a fully bootable Mavericks system from which to boot the computer. You can then erase the volume with Yosemite, then clone the Mavericks system to the empty volume you just erased.
  2. You can erase the drive and reinstall Mavericks if you have a USB Mavericks installer flash drive.
  3. You can boot the computer via Internet Recovery and reinstall the original version of OS X that came with the computer. This is only feasible on models from 2011 to the present.
600 replies

Jan 12, 2015 4:06 PM in response to petermac87

petermac87 wrote:


Best to add a link direct to that post.

Agree, but I have not been able to find a way to do that since the last Jive update here. There used to be a little icon you could click on with that entries address, but now all I can find is a link to the OP and one to the person being replied to.


Have you found a way to easily reference a previous reply?

Jan 12, 2015 4:28 PM in response to MadMacs0

MadMacs0 wrote:


petermac87 wrote:


Best to add a link direct to that post.

Agree, but I have not been able to find a way to do that since the last Jive update here. There used to be a little icon you could click on with that entries address, but now all I can find is a link to the OP and one to the person being replied to.


Have you found a way to easily reference a previous reply?

I thought he was referring to a different thread where he posted it. I was talking about linking to that thread. I am the same as you in not referencing individual posts lately. But with Yuck's attitude, then the post was probably irrelevant or misinformed anyway.


Cheers


pete

Jan 13, 2015 12:53 PM in response to petermac87

Once installing Yosemite I lost the ability to print to the printer that was my default printer on my work network. I deleted the printer to try to start over and now it doesn't show up on the network as a printer to add. I don't know how to change software in the printer itself, if this is needed. I updated apps from the App Store and that didn't help. The only one that needed updating was Safari I think. I don't need to update Numbers or Pages because I don't use those programs. What a drag. I use Mac only for work and thank God I never got one for my own. It is the most frustrating piece of technology I have ever had to deal with.

Jan 13, 2015 1:57 PM in response to cjzurcher

After about two hours of searching and downloading things from the Brother (printer) site and installing those, and just intuitively going to the Wi-Fi settings on my machine (I happened to see the "Wi-Fi" on the printer when went to unplug it and plug it back in again to see if that did anything), then I noticed that after installing the Yosemite I was automatically connected to a different Wi-Fi network in my office complex. So as soon as I changed that, the printer then popped up on my "add printer" list in my Word printing preferences. Wow, what a rigmarole!!!!


Now I wonder what else the installation of Yosemite has changed on my machine and what other problems and delays I will run into.

Jan 14, 2015 5:28 AM in response to Allan Eckert

I have been trying to deal with this new SLOW Operating System, but it's becoming more frustrating day by day. It take what seems like forever to boot up. Something I left Microsoft for...2 times to enter my password from sleep...and it's like a 3 minute process to do that...In short I am fed up and I need to know how to get rid of this without losing everything on my computer. Apple made it easy to upgrade now it's time to make it easy to downgrade.

Jan 14, 2015 12:50 PM in response to DJ ViXXX

This from KAPPY page 1 of this thread.


Oct 17, 2014 11:58 PM Re: How can I uninstall OS X Yosemite and return to OS X Mavericks?
Re: How can I uninstall OS X Yosemite and return to OS X Mavericks?in response to Mikeysoch

Happy to do so:


Install Mavericks, Lion/Mountain Lion Using Internet Recovery


Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.


Boot to the Internet Recovery HD:


Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION- R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15-20 minutes - until the Recovery main menu appears.


Partition and Format the hard drive:


  1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
  2. After DU loads select your newly installed hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
  3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed. Quit DU and return to the main menu.


Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion. Mavericks: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion, Mavericks and click on the Install button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.


Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.


This should restore the version of OS X originally pre-installed on the computer.

Jan 14, 2015 10:37 PM in response to PFJ30

I've already tried that method, this is the issue I encountered.

I have a late 2011 MBP. I do not have the original disc. I am trying the Internet Recovery method.

So far, I've backed up my needed files and have erased the HD. The option to install osx is Yosemite.

So I tried doing the partition method. I set it to: 1 Partition / Mac OS Extended (Journal) / Option: GUID / left the name as Untitled 1.

I click 'apply', then click 'partition' but I get an error message "Partition failed with the error. Couldn't unmount disk".


What am I doing wrong?

How can I uninstall OS X Yosemite and return to OS X Mavericks?

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