How do I do a "clean" install of OS X without formatting?

[ethana]

How do I do a "clean" install of OS X without formatting? I have a ton of data but don't have an external drive to store it all on.

How do I do a clean install of the OS without formatting my drive?

Can I make a second partition, store my files on it, erase my first partition and install OS X, boot the newly installed OS, copy over my files from the second partition, and then merge the second partition back in to the first one?

Thanks,

Ethan

 

[vevierta]

As long as you have enough space for the partitions, it sounds like that would work.

 

[celticpride678]

I'm pretty sure that's how a clean install works. You have to format your hard drive. How you back up your data is your choice.

 

[ouimetnick]

The only way to do a clean install is to format the hard drive. Its called a clean install because you wipe the hard drive clean and install the OS again.