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Does a "clean install" really makes your Mac faster?
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OK, I did it.
Time Machine did the whole process painless. It restored my whole documents just as they were before, and also the system preferences. As for applications, I preferred not to restore it, and I'll do it manually later on.
Now Mail opens up fast, startup times are fast, and the overall responsiveness is better. And with Time Machine, I would say it is worth it, the whole process took me around 3 hours maybe, of which most of them were just leaving the Mac alone installing and restoring things. I wouldn't say I wasted more than 30 minutes of my time.
Thanks for all the help.
Time Machine did the whole process painless. It restored my whole documents just as they were before, and also the system preferences. As for applications, I preferred not to restore it, and I'll do it manually later on.
Now Mail opens up fast, startup times are fast, and the overall responsiveness is better. And with Time Machine, I would say it is worth it, the whole process took me around 3 hours maybe, of which most of them were just leaving the Mac alone installing and restoring things. I wouldn't say I wasted more than 30 minutes of my time.
Thanks for all the help.
It cracks me up how many people reinstall for no reason. I never realized that one of the reasons was to live life more fully and to be more manly.
The two options are "Archive and Install" and "Erase and Install."
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1545?viewlocale=en_US
This thread is kind of funny. Everybody is right in a way. So much of it is personal preference and the skills of the user.
I prefer to troubleshoot. I really want to know what went wrong. And I usually only wipe and reinstall when I have run into a brick wall. Stubborn, I guess. Also, for me the task of reinstalling is daunting. So many apps. Where did I put that serial number? Was that on disk or did I download it? Not so much of a problem now with great backup tools and external drives.
But I don't see anything wrong with somebody, who knows the risks and has data backup, just resetting the world to zero and getting on with life. Sometimes it IS easier and DOES solve the problem a problem you couldn't find to save your life. But I agree you had better know what you're doing before you wipe that drive clean. And there is no substitute for a good backup.
I prefer to troubleshoot. I really want to know what went wrong. And I usually only wipe and reinstall when I have run into a brick wall. Stubborn, I guess. Also, for me the task of reinstalling is daunting. So many apps. Where did I put that serial number? Was that on disk or did I download it? Not so much of a problem now with great backup tools and external drives.
But I don't see anything wrong with somebody, who knows the risks and has data backup, just resetting the world to zero and getting on with life. Sometimes it IS easier and DOES solve the problem a problem you couldn't find to save your life. But I agree you had better know what you're doing before you wipe that drive clean. And there is no substitute for a good backup.
I reinstall everything about once a year cause it makes me feel like I have a new computer every time.
The psychological component outweighs the practicality. I, for one, tinker with the system files too much and reinstalling becomes a necessity.