You can download the Mavericks App from the App Store and make a bootable USB drive. There are tons of guides available online.
I personally have never used the recovery partition. I keep an image ready and load it up on a USB drive whenever I need to reinstall the OS.
Raptor
When you press command + R for the internet OS recovery install there is the option to go into disk utilities and you can wipe out the disk. This would essentially give you a clean install of 10.9.3 unless I missed the point and you want the older version for some reason?
Thanks Raptor. I've seen the guides but I was under the impression that a clean installation would not work because it would not be the "special" build that the computer came with.
Just so I understand - are you saying this will work and that the only potential drawback is that the recovery partition will not be installed? Thanks in advance.
As I have understood it, this will install the "fresh" installation that the computer came with. It will include pre-installed software. This will not allow the installation of a clean, bare bones installation.
P
As I have understood it, this will install the "fresh" installation that the computer came with. It will include pre-installed software. This will not allow the installation of a clean, bare bones installation.
The OS installer Internet Recovery downloads is basically the same you get from Mac App Store. It does not include iWork or iLife, which have to be downloaded separately.
Theres a catch here, however: What if youve never purchased OS X from the Mac App Store? For example, what if you own Mavericks only because you bought a Mac that shipped with it preinstalled? Recent Macs are designed to let you reinstall the OS using Internet Recovery. So if you buy a new Mac post-Mavericks, and you havent purchased Mavericks for another Mac, you cant download the Mavericks installer from the Mac App Store. For Lion, I explained how to create a bootable install drive for newer Macs. That procedure also worked for Mountain Lion. Once Apple starts shipping Macs with a Mavericks version of Internet Recovery, I'll publish details on performing the same task for Mavericks.
I'm lost here. My late 2013 MBPr came with iMovie, etc.
I recently made a copy of 10.9.3 on a bootable USB and reinstalled it completely.
This time around, no garage band, iMovie etc.
Of course I downloaded Numbers, Pages, etc later on.
But that's as "clean" as it gets. It wipes out everything and you start like the computers refurbished.
As I've understood it, for a Mac that came with Mavericks and pre-installed software, the recovery and internet recovery functions will re-install the OS build that the computer came with, thus including the pre-installed software. This is at least what I was told over at Apple Discussions a while back. So using the recovery functions I would not be able to do a clean install, which I would prefer since I like to set up computers from scratch.
In that Discussions thread a link was posted to a Macworld article about how to make a bootable Mavericks drive. In that article, there was a warning note (which I included in the Discussions thread) this would not work for those who had received Mavericks with their computers. This was the "warning":
Thanks very much for the exhaustive explanation. I'm very grateful. I'm thrilled I can get a fresh installation.
Thanks again
P
Thanks very much. Just for the idiot of the group (me), why would I need a USB if I cmd-r to the recovery partition to install afresh from the internet onto the just-wiped computer?
I did clean install to my rMBP later 2013 yesterday. I check the version and it's OS X 10.9.3
So does my computer came with 10.9.3 in the beginning?
Either follow this official guide from Apple or just use this free app
No... when you do a clean install the latest version gets downloaded from Apple's servers. So for example if your Mac came with 10.9.1 and you do a clean install now you will get 10.9.3 like you did.
Does anyone know how to install iLife and iWork after the clean install? I'm selling my MacBook Pro and the buyer wants to have those free apps on their Apple ID.
I can't figure it out how as it doesn't come with any software from the recovery. My situation is the opposite to OP.
Thanks in advance,
Henry
I'm lost here. My late 2013 MBPr came with iMovie, etc.
I recently made a copy of 10.9.3 on a bootable USB and reinstalled it completely.
This time around, no garage band, iMovie etc.
Of course I downloaded Numbers, Pages, etc later on.
But that's as "clean" as it gets. It wipes out everything and you start like the computers refurbished.
Does anyone know how to install iLife and iWork after the clean install? I'm selling my MacBook Pro and the buyer wants to have those free apps on their Apple ID.
I can't figure it out how as it doesn't come with any software from the recovery. My situation is the opposite to OP.
Thanks in advance,
Henry