Clean macOS Install without Migration Assistant

[Jigga Beef]

Clean Install Questions: TS4 Dock Ethernet Issue & App Migration Strategy


I’m planning to do a clean install of macOS Sequoia 15.5 on my MacBook Pro due to persistent Ethernet issues.
My CalDigit TS4 dock won’t configure the Ethernet connection properly on this Mac, but:

• The dock and Ethernet cable work fine with another MacBook Pro.
• When I boot into macOS from an external NVMe drive on this same machine, Ethernet works normally

So it’s clearly something in the current OS install, and I’m done troubleshooting. Time for a clean install.



Here’s my concern:

I have both Time Machine and Carbon Copy Cloner backups, but I don’t want to use Migration Assistant or a full restore if it might bring back the same Ethernet issue. I know Migration Assistant often carries over junk from the old system.

My goal:

• Restore most of my apps and their configurations (I use about 14 core apps regularly).
• I don’t keep much personal data on this Mac. It’s mainly about the apps and their settings.

Questions:

1. What’s the best way to restore just the apps and their settings without risking the Ethernet issue returning?
2. Can I simply copy the contents of the /Applications folder from my backup into the clean install?
3. Will that preserve app configurations, or do I also need to pull in specific files from ~/Library?

I’m fine with some light reconfiguration if needed, but I’d prefer to avoid rebuilding everything from scratch.



Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Bigwaff]

So it’s clearly something in the current OS install, and I’m done troubleshooting. Time for a clean install.

Before you try the nuclear option..

• Have you tried deleting the TS4 dock ethernet network service in Settings > Network and re-adding it after a reboot?
• Have you tried creating a new network Location and adding the TS4 dock ethernet service in Settings > Network?
• Have you tried creating another Administrator account on your Mac to see if the issue persists? If not, it is something with your existing account

If you must use the nuclear option, with current macOS, a clean install is simply using Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. This will revert the system to factory, deleting all user created data. Afterwards, you can use Migration Assistant, which I believe has an option to uncheck network settings, configurations, etc. and only migrate applications and user data.

 

[Fishrrman]

Like waff suggests above, if it's an m-series Mac, use the "erase all content and settings" option. This takes you back to "moment zero" -- the moment you first powered on the Mac after you took it out of the box. All previous user data will be GONE. The process actually goes very quickly (tried it myself once).

I believe that some Intel-based Macs with a t2 chip can also use the erase all content option, as well.

If you really, REALLY don't want to use setup/migration assistant during the restore process, then use your CCC cloned backup. DO NOT use the tm backup for this.

You can do a "manual migration" right from the finder.
But be aware -- it's more complicated, takes more time.
However, it's still quite "do-able".

One thing you need to do to avoid permissions problems (this assumes you have erased everything and have created a NEW account, even if you used the same username and password:

a. connect the CCC backup drive
b. let the icon for the drive mount on the desktop
c. click ONE time on the icon to select it, then bring up get info (you can type "command-i")
d. at the bottom of get info click the lock icon and enter your NEW account password
e. put a checkmark into "ignore ownership on this volume" (sharing and permissions)
f. close get info

Now you can copy just about whatever you want from the CCC backup to the MBP (with the new account), and what you copy will now "fall under the ownership" of your NEW account.

IMPORTANT re your home folder:
You CANNOT COPY the "top level folders" named Music, Movies, Pictures, Documents, etc.
However, you CAN copy folders and files that are INSIDE OF these folders. Keep that in mind.

Finally, keep HANDWRITTEN NOTES as you go along, to keep from going in circles and to know what's been done and what isn't yet done.

Last thought:
What if you do all this, then re-connect the Caldigit dock and find that the ethernet port STILL doesn't work?