Q: time machine back up

Grant,

1.  I tried both options of  i) command-r - which gave me the message of "temporarily unavilable, try again later (it actually said that)" and ii) option-command-r which, after waiting awhile, said "connection failed."

2.  when I hit command-r, I had the choice of recovery HD or Mac HD to do the reinstall - I did not choose the recovery one, rather, I chose the Mac HD.  Perhaps I should be using the recovery one?

3.  When you explained the Wi-Fi requirements, is this necessary regardless of whether I use the recovery HD or Mac HD?  Again, perhaps I should be trying the recovery HD option to by-pass all of those Wi-Fi issues.

4.  I tried plugging in to both the modem and the router to bypass Wi-Fi and got the same error messages.  I also went to Staples to use their Wi-Fi and got the same error messages.

5.  I also need to clarify what you mean by "erase your drive"  - will my files be retained in all of this?  It doesn't matter too much because I did a time machine back up of all 489 GB - I just want to know if my computer is being wiped to original state or just the operating system.

6.  If I use the disk utility in recovery HD, is there anything I need to know about options to press so I'm not wondering in the middle of it?

Thank you.

The sound on my computer has been glitchy ever since I purchased and downloaded Boom volume enhancer.  I properly uninstalled it even with tech support who went into obscure locations to try to remove it, but the sound has not improved - tinny etc. - I can't use skype or listen to music and barely can understand youtube videos.  I was advised that reinstalling the operating system is the next thing to try.

I think I would prefer not to wipe the entire thing for now - I might do that at another time.  For now I'd like to do the simple-reinstall to try repair the sound.  What the heck should I do?  Do the command-r, click Recovery reinstall, then Mountain Lion should be available to click and download?  Is that all?

Where and how do I download "live" in Mac OS X?  Is this the option that was next to the recovery reinstall button?  I thought it just said "Mac HD" but I don't remember exactly.  There were two options sitting there from both the comm-r prompt and the opt-comm-r:  recovery reinstall and Mac HD.

If "live" is the same as the Mac HD option, that is the one I tried so many times.  I didn't actually try the recovery reinstall button.

Also, to be clear, if I run into connection issues, are you saying that using DiskMakerX on usb drive will bypass this issue?

So then merely finding ML in my purchases and downloading and installing it without doing anything else at all to my computer (not even using command r) will reinstall ML?

So I would need to have the installer on the USB drive and in the USB port before I interrupt.  When and how do I interrupt?  After the download and before the installation begins?  How do I initiate the making of the stand-alone installer?  I expect these questions will arise as I do this, so I should ask now.

Thanks for that, much appreciated.

In the event that I decide to do a full erase and reinstall, do I simply go to the Disk Utility and click erase hard drive?  Then after it is finished install from the USB?  After the erase, how will DiskMaker launch?

It's funny, after all these questions, I think I know what the problem was with connecting to reinstall ML:  I have been using my more recent gmail username with password when signing in with my Apple ID.  When I went to the App Store earlier today to find ML, it wouldn't take my password and I didn't know why, so I reset it.  Meanwhile the app store when resetting the password I noticed that the appstore had my older email address in the user name with a similar but different password.  So I suspect that when Apple ID prompted for my password when I was trying to get ML from command-r that it was linked to my older email address.  I thought when I changed my applie ID email to the recent one that the older one no longer existed.  So basically, I may not need DiskMaker, but it might be wise to make anyway incase I do the full install.

That's weird - I thought Disk utility gave the option to erase the entire drive?  Now I'm really confused.  But do understand using the DiskMaker.

If I do a full erase, will it not be like a blank computer with the original operation system, Lion, on it?  When I had a PC a few years ago I did a few complete reinstalls and it always just started up as if taking it out of the box.