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Does It Help To Do A Clean Install of OSX Upon Acquisition Of A New Mac?

OneBlueFire

OneBlueFire

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 12, 2008
54
0
Manila, Philippines
I've been reading alot of articles and threads that say one should do a clean install of OSX using the DVDs that came with it immediately after acquiring it and before using and installing any applications on it.

Does this really help in any way?

Is there really a difference between the pre-installed OSX and the OSX that's on the DVDs that come with it?

If there're differences, what are they and how can it make your machine run better?
 
Only difference really is that you get to pick what you install (you can scrap GB's worth of printer drivers and languages from your install). Plus you can get rid of any free trial crud Apple might have decided to bestow upon you with their factory install.
 
You may as well, as you can strip out the printer drivers, language options, etc etc, which as edesignuk says will save you several GB of space. Plus you can ditch other stuff you might not ever want (Garageband, iMovie, etc etc). All gives you a nice spacious HDD.
 
Ok, so it's really just about hard drive space and doesn't change performance in any way.

I guess what I read about how a Clean Install can "brighten" dim LCD displays is a myth then... =)

Thanks for clearing that up guys!
 
OneBlueFire said:
Ok, so it's really just about hard drive space and doesn't change performance in any way.

I guess what I read about how a Clean Install can "brighten" dim LCD displays is a myth then... =)

Thanks for clearing that up guys!
Click to expand...

brighten a dim LCD, thats ridiculous
 
The "brighten a dim LCD" was referring to the 17" MBPs displayed in the stores which are imaged using a standard Apple profile used for all display models. By re-installing, you end up with the correct image/profile for the 17" display - however, this shouldn't be an issue for a purchased machine - just the floor models.
 
OneBlueFire said:
I've been reading alot of articles and threads that say one should do a clean install of OSX using the DVDs that came with it immediately after acquiring it and before using and installing any applications on it.

Does this really help in any way?

Is there really a difference between the pre-installed OSX and the OSX that's on the DVDs that come with it?

If there're differences, what are they and how can it make your machine run better?
Click to expand...
Reinstalling the OS on a brand new Mac is a Windows solution to a Windows problem. The dirty little secret about name brand Windows computers is that their business model is very similar to magazines and newspapers. They are supported by advertising rather than the purchase price. All of that crapware on your new Dell paid for your new computer.

Macs are the opposite. The third-party software preinstalled on your Mac was probably paid for by Apple. The developer has his money. The software is not going to turn your computing experience into a Living Hell in a few weeks. If you have demoware preinstalled on your new Mac, then it will behave just like the demo versions of any other software that you download for yourself.

Bottomline: Removing preinstalled software serves exactly one good purpose. It frees up a little space on your hard drive.

As to the reliability question--the software preinstalled on your new Mac was installed under controlled factory conditions. When you reformat and install the software, the software is installed under uncontrolled office or home conditions. The chances of a mishap under either conditions are very small. That said, the chances that you will have a mishap in your bedroom are substantially greater than those of a mishap at Apple's factory.
 
ksmith80209 said:
The "brighten a dim LCD" was referring to the 17" MBPs displayed in the stores which are imaged using a standard Apple profile used for all display models. By re-installing, you end up with the correct image/profile for the 17" display - however, this shouldn't be an issue for a purchased machine - just the floor models.
Click to expand...

To be honest though (I know you're gonna hate me for going against the OSX EULA), but when I bought the retail version of Leopard a few years ago, I installed it on a friend's mac that was running Tiger. Before installation, his LCD was outrageously dim even if it was set to the highest setting. Using it in a bright location was such a chore. After installing Leopard, the brightness increased DRAMATICALLY.

I guess that's more of corrupted LCD profiles that were fixed after installing Leopard I guess... Do any of you have insights on this or similar experiences?
 
MisterMe said:
Reinstalling the OS on a brand new Mac is a Windows solution to a Windows problem. The dirty little secret about name brand Windows computers is that their business model is very similar to magazines and newspapers. They are supported by advertising rather than the purchase price. All of that crapware on your new Dell paid for your new computer.

Macs are the opposite. The third-party software preinstalled on your Mac was probably paid for by Apple. The developer has his money. The software is not going to turn your computing experience into a Living Hell in a few weeks. If you have demoware preinstalled on your new Mac, then it will behave just like the demo versions of any other software that you download for yourself.

Bottomline: Removing preinstalled software serves exactly one good purpose. It frees up a little space on your hard drive.

As to the reliability question--the software preinstalled on your new Mac was installed under controlled factory conditions. When you reformat and install the software, the software is installed under uncontrolled office or home conditions. The chances of a mishap under either conditions are very small. That said, the chances that you will have a mishap in your bedroom are substantially greater than those of a mishap at Apple's factory.
Click to expand...

I thought the only demoware on new Macs was Office, which is part of an agreement between MS and Apple so MS will keep making it.

When I bought my Santa Rosa Blackbook, Office was the only trialware IIRC. I quickly uninstalled it and put iWork on.

Also, while trialware does subsidise the computer, the purchase price already covers it. It's just that companies like Dell realised that they're not taking advantage of all the advertising space available to them, and tried to make a bit extra out of it, even at the expense of the user experience. Hence the trialware and the stickers. Apple don't share that philosophy.
 
I'm slightly on the paranoid side of life. I'd reformat and reinstall if I purchased a Mac from an individual. Is this necessary? No but what if this seller installed that infamous pirated copy of iLife... see what I mean?

New Mac from the store? Na... I can trash the printer drivers folder in a few seconds and uninstall bundled applications if need be.
 
Saladinos said:
I thought the only demoware on new Macs was Office, which is part of an agreement between MS and Apple so MS will keep making it.
Click to expand...

It is. I think the above poster is more of a PC user, where you have tons and tons of crazy crap from all sorts of companies on the new computers. Ditch Office, install iWork, perfect.

You don't need a whole new reinstall, but if you do it, all you are wasting is time and peace of mind while freeing up some HD space which can be freed up without reinstall.
 
On all of the recent Macs I've bought there haven't been trial versions of office. I think older machines used to have that, but all my recent machines haven't.
 
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