Clean Install Question

macuser1232 · Oct 2, 2012

Ok, so soon I will be getting an external hard drive for my Macbook Pro and I was wondering how I would be able to delete all my files, reinstall the OS, and then add some files from my external hard drive back onto my Mac.
NOTE: 1 reason why i'm doing this is to relieve my paranoia that something is wrong with my MBP

Thanks

mrapplegate · Oct 2, 2012

macuser1232 said:
Ok, so soon I will be getting an external hard drive for my Macbook Pro and I was wondering how I would be able to delete all my files, reinstall the OS, and then add some files from my external hard drive back onto my Mac.
NOTE: 1 reason why i'm doing this is to relieve my paranoia that something is wrong with my MBP

Thanks

Clone your drive using CCC and then install ML. Bring back the files you want when done installing.

macuser1232 · Oct 2, 2012

mrapplegate said:
Clone your drive using CCC and then install ML. Bring back the files you want when done installing.

Is CCC the best for transferring files to external hard drives? Also how would I reinstall the OS while deleting everything at the same time?

mrapplegate · Oct 2, 2012

macuser1232 said:
Is CCC the best for transferring files to external hard drives? Also how would I reinstall the OS while deleting everything at the same time?

That's a matter of opinion. Most use CCC or SuperDuper to clone a drive. I use CCC.

I've never done a clean install in ML. I would boot into recovery mode by holding command R down while rebooting. Once in recovery mode use Disk Utility to erase hard drive then re-install ML. Like I said I've never done it with ML so I am not sure. The concept should work though.

laudern · Oct 2, 2012

I've done it, and it works!

macuser1232 · Oct 2, 2012

Ok, so go to disk utility and delete hard drive. Then reinstall OS.

mrapplegate · Oct 2, 2012

macuser1232 said:
Ok, so go to disk utility and delete hard drive. Then reinstall OS.

Well yes, format your hard drive and reinstall.

macuser1232 · Oct 2, 2012

mrapplegate said:
Well yes, format your hard drive and reinstall.

I gotta reformat it? I need a tutorial or something.

mrapplegate · Oct 2, 2012

macuser1232 said:
I gotta reformat it? I need a tutorial or something.

Yes, you need to reformat the hard drive after you clone it.
I would search Google for Clean install Mountain Lion. Several results look good. Here is one:
http://macs.about.com/od/MountainLi...-Of-Os-X-Mountain-Lion-On-A-Startup-Drive.htm

macuser1232 · Oct 2, 2012

mrapplegate said:
That's a matter of opinion. Most use CCC or SuperDuper to clone a drive. I use CCC.

I've never done a clean install in ML. I would boot into recovery mode by holding command R down while rebooting. Once in recovery mode use Disk Utility to erase hard drive then re-install ML. Like I said I've never done it with ML so I am not sure. The concept should work though.

Wait, isn't time machine a backup application?

mrapplegate · Oct 2, 2012

macuser1232 said:
Wait, isn't time machine a backup application?

Yes, you can use Time Machine to make a backup.

mmomega · Oct 2, 2012

Also the sticky at the top of this topic should give you all the information you need.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1404860/

mrapplegate · Oct 2, 2012

mmomega said:
Also the sticky at the top of this topic should give you all the information you need.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1404860/

Oops, I hate overlooking the obvious. It should help the OP a lot.

macuser1232 · Oct 2, 2012

mrapplegate said:
Oops, I hate overlooking the obvious. It should help the OP a lot.

Don't worry I saw the obvious before that person posted the link. I'm not stupid

.

mrapplegate · Oct 3, 2012

macuser1232 said:
Don't worry I saw the obvious before that person posted the link. I'm not stupid .

You took my comment the wrong way. I did not see it myself. I was not implying you did not see it. I'm glad you saw it and I hope it helps.

avbeilby · Oct 10, 2012

Hey, I've done a clean install of ML to my Mac, using an external hard drive to save the installer during the whole process. This external hard drive also had all of my files/pictures/movies etc saved to it to back up my Mac.

Once I had done the clean install I went back into the external hard drive, to copy my files back over, but all of my files etc were gone. Please tell me that I haven't deleted everything, including my back up..?

When I was erasing, it prompted me to tell me that it would only be my Mac HD that would be erased, not my external hard drive as well.
Right??

Please help!!

Thanks.

mrapplegate · Oct 10, 2012

avbeilby said:
Hey, I've done a clean install of ML to my Mac, using an external hard drive to save the installer during the whole process. This external hard drive also had all of my files/pictures/movies etc saved to it to back up my Mac.

Once I had done the clean install I went back into the external hard drive, to copy my files back over, but all of my files etc were gone. Please tell me that I haven't deleted everything, including my back up..?

When I was erasing, it prompted me to tell me that it would only be my Mac HD that would be erased, not my external hard drive as well.
Right??

Please help!!

Thanks.

It should not have been erased. Only the Mac HD should have been, provided you did not select anything else and erase that.
If your external hard drive is now wiped I suspect operator error, but there could be other explanations.

avbeilby · Oct 11, 2012

Awesome, so is there a way of getting these files back, I can't see them. So does that mean its formatted wrong or something? Thanks

mrapplegate · Oct 11, 2012

avbeilby said:
Awesome, so is there a way of getting these files back, I can't see them. So does that mean its formatted wrong or something? Thanks

I'm not sure. Look into Diskwarrier http://www.alsoft.com/diskwarrior/ it might recover the files or fix the disk.

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