About Clean Install...?

[xTRIGGER092x]

Would it be pointless to do a clean install and them restore from a Time Machine backup?

Also, would a clean install even be that necessary if your Mac is only a few months old and very well-kept (ie - uninstalling non-essential programs and regularly repairing permissions/clearing browser caches)?

 

[ideal.dreams]

I don't think a clean install is necessary. My MacBook Pro is 2 years old and I didn't do a clean install and it still runs fine, so if you do that much for yours it should definitely not need a clean install.

 

[sunnyj]

Would it be pointless to do a clean install and them restore from a Time Machine backup?

yes it would be pointless

Also, would a clean install even be that necessary if your Mac is only a few months old and very well-kept (ie - uninstalling non-essential programs and regularly repairing permissions/clearing browser caches)?

i would recommend a clean install to get rid of the SL directories and paths your not using anymore.

 

[robgendreau]

Not only pointless but perhaps a waste of time. Literally.

And besides, there is no option for that in the installer for Lion, which means the folks that are performing "clean" installs are simply reformatting and then installing on a bare volume, and then migrating or manually moving data. And both those alternatives have created as many problems, as far as I can see, as the faster Apple process.

And since any reasonable person has a backup, it's really better to just use the Apple-recommended install and then if, and only if, it screws up then you can do the reformat-install-migrate thing.

I mean really…just about every rant here about Lion problems seems to start with "I did a clean install…." and then asks which files need to get moved where.

Anyway, you are unlikely to have any problems. Make sure you've updated SL fully, do a permission repair, and you're good to go.