What would you be doing? Clean Install or Upgrade?

hirtaza said:

Hey,
I was just wondering when Yosemite FINAL version gets released? what would you guys be doing? clean install or upgrade from the Macstore?

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1. Time machine backup.
2. Clean install.
3. Migration assistant using Time Machine backup as source.

BL.

I'll probably just be doing an upgrade. I don't really want to go to the effort of doing a clean install when it's not really necessary.

Been upgrading since my first MacBook that came with Leopard circa 2008. Nothing has slowed down. I must confess I've changed hard drives but my main image has never gone through a clean install. You'll do alright.

Don't realy plan to use as main OS.
But will do a clean Install on external drive.

I will just upgrade. Never had any problems and it's the easiest option.

I've been running the same profile since 10.6. No issues.

hirtaza said:

I wanted to do that too but I heard it gets pretty slow if you do an upgrade (happened to my brother's macbook when mavericks comes out)

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I saw no evidence of things slowing down when I upgraded to Mavericks on my MacBook.

Always do a clean install.

I used to always do a clean install, but since Mountain Lion, I always upgrade now and will continue to do so with Yosemite.

Upgrade, cause I don't want to take all day to reinstall and setup everything.

Clean Install for me I like a fresh system when installing a new OS.

I always clean install.

Since fast USB 3 drives, it really does not take long at all. I keep all major data on my server and externally anyway so to me it's no issue.

+ this gives me my annual clean unnecessary crap off of my computer day.

Nermal said:

I always clean install. It's not really required but it's a good opportunity to clean out all the stuff that I don't need anymore

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That is what I normally do. It is amazing how much free space I gain.

However, this time will be different. I did a clean install with Mavericks on my two laptops due to an issue of my own making. And I just purchased a new iMac.

So this time it will (probably) be an upgrade.

I always clean install on my MacBook's, but we have an iMac that has been upgraded from Tiger! As in Tiger - Leopard - Snow Leopard - Lion - Mountain Lion - Mavericks - Yosemite. And it's still working just fine! I did swap it to an SSD to help with the speed once Mavericks hit, and upgraded to 4GB RAM from 2GB, which was up from the stock 1GB.

Only reason I clean install is to clear up random stuff I've forgotten about on my SSD. In the past it was only a 120GB in the optical bay, with a 750GB to complement it. But since I've moved to a 256GB model, it won't be as much of a crunch. But seeing as buggy as the stock install of Mavericks has been on my rMBP, I'm clean installing anyway.

I started with Lion on my current mini (late 2011 - it was like month or 2 before 4000 iGPU minis came out) upgraded Mountain Lion > Mavericks> soon to be Yosemite .. All upgrades no clean install / no slowdowns etc ...

Clean install for me, I always seem to run into issues with upgrades and its so easy now with fast SSD's and dual drive MacBook's. May as well start fresh eh

This is not an academic debate. The benefits of clean installs are provable, pragmatic, and necessary.

It has nothing to do with Apple, OS X, or Macs.

Any software engineer will attest to this.

See for example:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/education/archive/2009/11/04/windows-7-clean-install-vs-upgrades.aspx

Here’s a list of why I believe an upgrade is a REALLY BAD IDEA.

Some applications don’t work properly after upgrading from earlier versions of Windows.
Not all security settings migrate to the new operating system (requiring you to harden security post installation).
Exploits (i.e. viruses and spyware) migrate with the upgrade.
Upgrading carries forward performance problems that occur due to normal performance degradation.
Confusion due to inconsistent configurations can lead to an increased total cost of ownership.
Upgrading doesn’t take advantage of the opportunity to start fresh with standardized reference configurations.
The upgrade deployment process is significantly more complicated than the wipe-and-load deployment process.

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The same exact issues happen with OS X, (and all software).

update, not really a point to fresh install

too much trouble

On my iMac internal SSD: upgrade. I don't have time to copy and reinstall everything. Also, I have never used Migration Assistant or CCC to copy old data, I don't trust those. When I do a clean install, I move all the essential stuff myself, so there is no unnecessary garbage left at all.

On my external HDD: clean install. I need a plain OS for testing, or just saving the day when something bad happens and I cannot boot from the internal drive (no, that Recovery Partition isn't the answer).

Upgrade. I used to do fresh installs but I honestly don't notice any difference so now I just go with upgrades

I've done the last few upgrades [10.7 - 10.9] both ways; 10.7/10.8 Clean install. 10.9 upgrade. Couldn't tell the difference either way. I found no speed increases, or slow downs. I think the whole wipe and reinstall clean makes sense if you have had issues. But if things are working fine, I don't see the need.

I tend to think its the placebo affect...

Upgrade

Hofstede said:

Upgrade from Mavericks to Yosemite

… Some of my friends suggest me of doing a clean install indeed. What's your opinion on this issue?

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If Yosemite is preferable: backup, then simply upgrade.

Benefits, if any, from a clean installation may be short-lived and/or negligible.

Background

Before Mac OS X, clean installation could be a drastic step within a troubleshooting routine.

Mac OS: When and Why to Perform a Clean Installation

A few years later, around the time of Snow Leopard, we find clean installation ('erase install') suggested by Apple only if there's an irreparable problem with the HFS Plus file system:

Troubleshooting Mac OS X installation from CD or DVD – Apple Support

– and from the archived (outdated) article to which that troubleshooting article refers:

… it may take some time to set up your computer after installation. You will have to configure all of your computer settings, install your third-party and iLife applications, and restore your personal files from the backup you made.

Why use this option?

• If you've already backed up your computer, this might be a good choice if you are trying to resolve an existing issue and an Archive and Install installation didn't help.
• This option takes up the least amount of space when the installation is completed.
• This is a good option if you no longer need the information on the computer, and you have another computer that you would like to easily transfer stuff from ("migrate").

…

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Nowadays, it's extremely rare for Apple to require or suggest a clean installation.

Mavericks Server Admin: SSH key fingerprints – a server administrator might choose to perform a clean installation.

OS X: How to erase and install – Apple Support