How do I uninstall Mavericks on a new Mac

[zero11]

I just bought a MBA (1.3GHz) that came with Mountain Lion. I immediately upgraded to Mavericks and since then everything was horrible. Internet barely functions, and only does so periodically. It often takes minutes to load a text webpage. My chromebook and phone are meanwhile loading the same pages immediately from the same wifi. The wifi shows it is connected, but obviously the data is not transferring.

So I attempted to downgrade back by going to Internet Recovery, erasing the hard drives (but the 0x hard drive would not allow me to erase it), and then reinstalling the OS. I had read that Internet Recovery would put the original OS back on, but it only offered to install Mavericks. So it took an entire night of downloading to reinstall the same OS I wished to get rid of.

Despite this fresh install, the OS worked decently for about half an hour, and is now refusing to reliably load web pages again. So I am back to using other computers which still work fine.

I attempted the trick of quitting wifi, deleting the network, and re-adding it, but no help.

So how can I reinstall Mountain Lion without having any discs? I don't care about saving any data--I have nothing on the machine.

If I can't fix this in one day I will send it in as a warranty replacement with disgust.

 

[fisherking]

call apple.
make a genius bar appointment.
go to the apple site, and install the COMBO update.

just a few things to try...

 

[zero11]

I already have Mavericks 10.9.3 which I think is the latest version.

To be clear, sometimes Internet works normally, and then sometimes it just stops for a long time, although my other computers all work fine. I don't want to deal with fickleness and just want to get a stable OS back.

Lots of people were recommending Internet Recovery to install the old OS, but this was months ago, so maybe Apple has made Mavericks mandatory now? Or, could I somehow log out of my Apple account, and then try, since they would not have my ID associated with Mavericks?

 

[Sky Blue]

If don't think You can download Mountain Lion now, if you haven't already.
If you know someone who has they can make a dub installer for you.

Lots of people were recommending Internet Recovery to install the old OS, but this was months ago, so maybe Apple has made Mavericks mandatory now? Or, could I somehow log out of my Apple account, and then try, since they would not have my ID associated with Mavericks?

Internet Recovery will reinstall the current OS you have, so it'll always install Mavericks.

 

[Weaselboy]

So how can I reinstall Mountain Lion without having any discs? I don't care about saving any data--I have nothing on the machine.

Hold command-option-r at boot and that will get you a spinning globe while the Internet recovery utility downloads. Then you will see this screen.

Launch Disk Utility and select the drive brand name at the very top left (like Apple 128GB or whatever). You want to make sure you select the drive itself above the Macintosh HD partition. This is the key to erasing the Mavs recovery partition. So now with the drive itself selected go to the erase tab and erase the driver to Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

Then quit DU and click reinstall OS X at the top. That will DL whatever OS came from the factory (Mountain Lion in your case).

Of course this wipes your data, so make sure you have a backup.

 

[Sky Blue]

Hold command-option-r at boot and that will get you a spinning globe while the Internet recovery utility downloads. Then you will see this screen.

Launch Disk Utility and select the drive brand name at the very top left (like Apple 128GB or whatever). You want to make sure you select the drive itself above the Macintosh HD partition. This is the key to erasing the Mavs recovery partition. So now with the drive itself selected go to the erase tab and erase the driver to Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

Then quit DU and click reinstall OS X at the top. That will DL whatever OS came from the factory (Mountain Lion in your case).

Of course this wipes your data, so make sure you have a backup.

This will install Mavericks, as the OP has already stated.

 

[Weaselboy]

This will install Mavericks, as the OP has already stated.

No it won't. It will install the OS that came from the factory, ML in OP's case.

command-r boots to the disk based recovery and will install whatever version the recovery partition is, Mavs in OP's case. command-option-r starts Internet recovery and will by pass what is on the disk based recovery and go back to the factory OS. The key is to erase the whole disk and not just Macintosh HD.

 

[zero11]

That is exactly what I did. Command, option, R for Internet recovery. I went into disk utility and erased the 120GB disk and also erased the Mac HD. Below these two was something like a 0x disk, but I was not allowed to erase that. Then I went back to reinstall OSX but it only gave the option of Mavericks. So I went I went back and re-erased the hard drive a few times, and still it only gave the Mavericks option.

Maybe this behavior has changed in the past few months, with Apple no longer supporting downloads of ML?

 

[Sky Blue]

No it won't. It will install the OS that came from the factory, ML in OP's case.

command-r boots to the disk based recovery and will install whatever version the recovery partition is, Mavs in OP's case. command-option-r starts Internet recovery and will by pass what is on the disk based recovery and go back to the factory OS. The key is to erase the whole disk and not just Macintosh HD.

I've done this many times at work, always downloads the previously installed OS.

 

[Weaselboy]

That is exactly what I did. Command, option, R for Internet recovery. I went into disk utility and erased the 120GB disk and also erased the Mac HD. Below these two was something like a 0x disk, but I was not allowed to erase that. Then I went back to reinstall OSX but it only gave the option of Mavericks. So I went I went back and re-erased the hard drive a few times, and still it only gave the Mavericks option.

Maybe this behavior has changed in the past few months, with Apple no longer supporting downloads of ML?

I'm not sure where you are going wrong. Did you see the spinning globe after booting with command-option-r? Are you positive you selected the disk itself at the top when doing the erase?

I've done this many times at work, always downloads the previously installed OS.

I have done it also and it goes back to the factory shipped OS. Internet Recovery is not the same as the regular Recovery System from the disk.

See this direct from Apple. Excerpt below:

Which version of OS X is installed by OS X Recovery?

If you use the Recovery System stored on your startup disk to reinstall OS X, it installs the most recent version of OS X previously installed on this computer.

If you use Internet Recovery to reinstall OS X, it installs the version of OS X that originally came with your computer. After installation is finished, use the Mac App Store to install related updates or later versions of OS X that you have previously purchased.

Also see this. Excerpt below:

What all this means is that as long as your Mac’s drive doesn’t have serious problems—so it can boot from the Recovery HD partition—holding down Command+R lets you re-install the same version of OS X as is currently installed on your hard drive. If your drive is having serious problems, so your Mac has to boot into Internet Recovery, reinstalling OS X gives you whatever version of the OS your Mac originally shipped with.

 

[tywebb13]

You are assuming your computer is old enough for mountain lion to be installed onto it.

Maybe it isn't.

 

[bbfc]

This will install Mavericks, as the OP has already stated.

No it will not. Internet Recovery will always download the version of OS X that shipped with your computer. I used it a few days ago and it downloaded Lion.

You are confusing it with a normal recovery.

 

[Sky Blue]

You are confusing it with a normal recovery.

Nope. I use internet recovery a lot.

If that's the case, why does it not work for the OP?

 

[Weaselboy]

Nope. I use internet recovery a lot.

If that's the case, why does it not work for the OP?

Well... that is what we are trying to sort through. But you now have two of us and the official Apple support document and a tech article telling you how it works. I have helped literally dozens of forum members here with this and it always goes back to the factory OS version, just like the Apple support document says.

 

[ABC5S]

Done this a few times already, by using the CMD-OPR-R, and downloaded/installed Lion after having a more current OS on it.

 

[zero11]

I tried doing this another time. Same thing--only offers to install Mavericks.

Cmd-option-R--Internet recovery. Erase the 120GB Apple disc. Try reinstalling OSX and Mavericks pops upped--so I erased the disc another time, and still Mavericks.

Then I just restarted the computer and came back to Internet recovery, and still mavericks, even after another erase of the whole computer.

I don't doubt this has worked for some people in the past, but not for my system at this time.

In other news, I have diagnosed the Internet problems as something to do with Bluetooth. If I turn it off, everything is blazing fast. But I bought this to use with docked peripherals, so that does not work for me. If I had bought this from Apple directly I would just do a credit card chargeback it's so ridiculous.

 

[hallux]

What's ridiculous is that you'd consider a credit card charge-back without giving Apple even a CHANCE to fix the problem. If you've narrowed it down to an issue when Bluetooth is on, then it's an issue with the Airport card as I believe Bluetooth and WiFi are on the same card (I could confirm this if you were willing to share the serial in PM as I have access to Apple's repair system and can look up the part list).

I understand that you're frustrated but if there's ANY warranty left on that machine I would be making an Genius appointment and make them aware of everything you've tried.

 

[Weaselboy]

I tried doing this another time. Same thing--only offers to install Mavericks.

Cmd-option-R--Internet recovery. Erase the 120GB Apple disc. Try reinstalling OSX and Mavericks pops upped--so I erased the disc another time, and still Mavericks.

Then I just restarted the computer and came back to Internet recovery, and still mavericks, even after another erase of the whole computer.

I don't doubt this has worked for some people in the past, but not for my system at this time.

In other news, I have diagnosed the Internet problems as something to do with Bluetooth. If I turn it off, everything is blazing fast. But I bought this to use with docked peripherals, so that does not work for me. If I had bought this from Apple directly I would just do a credit card chargeback it's so ridiculous.

Let me ask you a question. Are you sure your machine came with Mountain Lion? You mentioned in the first post you just got this machine. If you got it new recently it would have come with Mavericks.

Before the download starts, are you being asked for your AppleID? If it came with Mountain Lion, it would only download Mavs if you entered the AppleID used to "purchase" the free Mavs update. If you are not being asked for an AppleID when it downloads Mavs, that means it came with Mavs. This would explain the unexpected behavior.

 

[ABC5S]

Good catch Weaselboy. Bet it came with Mavericks since Mountain Lion is not being installed on new systems anymore.

 

[zero11]

Yes, the Mac is brand new, but it's one of the 1.3GHz models that are being closed out and sold from 3rd parties, not the newly released models. When I bought it, the website said a free Mavericks upgrade was available, and when I first started it up it prompted me to download Mavericks, amongst other updates. However, the total download package of updates was only 700MB, which seems small for a full OS...?

Yes, when it downloads Mavericks it never asks for my Apple ID--only when I go to initialized it post download, and then it's optional.

The horrible Internet connection appears to be based upon bluetooth interference and also having the Mac in clamshell mode...

 

[Weaselboy]

Yes, the Mac is brand new, but it's one of the 1.3GHz models that are being closed out and sold from 3rd parties, not the newly released models. When I bought it, the website said a free Mavericks upgrade was available, and when I first started it up it prompted me to download Mavericks, amongst other updates. However, the total download package of updates was only 700MB, which seems small for a full OS...?

Yes, when it downloads Mavericks it never asks for my Apple ID--only when I go to initialized it post download, and then it's optional.

The horrible Internet connection appears to be based upon bluetooth interference and also having the Mac in clamshell mode...

Yep... that machine came with Mavericks. The 700MB update was probably the Mavs 10.9.1 update. The fact you are not asked for an AppleID and you get Mavs proves it.

 

[zero11]

Yes, you are right. I went to an Apple store and they said the Mac was so new that it had Mavericks installed on it initially--I only had pulled down an update for Mavericks. I didn't realize they had begun updating the old hardware with Mavericks--since all the stores said that a free upgrade would be available.

Anyways, I had them reimage the hard drive, and that seems to have solved the problem, although just reinstalling the OS had not helped when I did it.

Thanks for all the help--sorry for the confusion.

 

[KoolAid-Drink]

I bet it is confusing! I just tested this a couple days ago on my late 2011 MBP 13", and it definitely downloaded 10.7.2, despite it having Mavericks at the time. It can be a bit confusing between ML and Mavericks, because there's not much of a visual difference other than the grey linen in the Notification Center and Login screen being gone in Mavericks, the Maps and iBook icons in Mavericks, and... yeah, that's it. The system font in Mavericks is also a bit sharper, but not instantly noticeable among most users.

You say the OS, which you thought was ML, worked just fine before the 10.9.3 update, right? If so, maybe still do the Internet version of Recovery - it'll probably pull down either 10.9.0 or 10.9.1, and if it works better than 10.9.2 or 10.9.3, then more likely than not, a bug of some sort was introduced with either update, so maybe stick it out with that version of Mavericks until 10.9.4 comes out? Just a thought. Of course, there's the SSL bug to contend with, if it was 10.9.1 and beneath, but we all take our own risks.

Edit: oh, didn't read your last post saying the issues with WiFi were fixed - but this is still good, applicable advice for anyone else experiencing the same kind of problem.

 

[Weaselboy]

Thanks for all the help--sorry for the confusion.

No problem. Glad you got it sorted out.