Okay so every step by step instructions I have seen for doing a clean install involves putting the installer onto a USB flash drive. Can I instead do the install via the recovery partition I have on my external backup drive? My backup is a clone of my internal drive. When I hold down the option key to select the start up drive the recovery drive also shows up which I believe is on my external backup drive. Can I just use that? Isn't it the same thing basically?
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Question about doing a clean install.
- Thread starter bigpoppamac31
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You can reinstall from macOS Recovery. You can even erase your startup disk if needed. Here are two links that may interest you:
How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support
You can use macOS Recovery, your computer's built-in recovery system, to reinstall the Mac operating system. Reinstalling macOS doesn't remove your personal data.
Use Disk Utility to erase an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support
How to erase (format) the built-in startup disk of an Intel-based Mac.
I have reinstalled operating systems on Macs many times without the need for USB flash media
You can reinstall from macOS Recovery. You can even erase your startup disk if needed. Here are two links that may interest you:
How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support
You can use macOS Recovery, your computer's built-in recovery system, to reinstall the Mac operating system. Reinstalling macOS doesn't remove your personal data.support.apple.com
Use Disk Utility to erase an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support
How to erase (format) the built-in startup disk of an Intel-based Mac.
I have reinstalled operating systems on Macs many times without the need for USB flash media
Cool. Thank you for the quick reply. I'm thinking of doing the clean install as my Mac tends to temporarily freeze for ~10 seconds numerous times a day. There is no pattern to it. It just happens randomly. It did so on my 2014 MBP and now my 2015 MBP so I don't think it's the hardware.
Since this issue is happening on different machines, you should consider the possibility that some third-party app is causing the problem. If a third-party app is causing the problem, reinstalling macOS won't resolve the issue if the third-party app is brought back into the equation. I have a 2017 MBP and a 2019 MBA and I haven't noticed any freezes - I feel this is evidence of a third-party app issue on your machines.
The first thing I would try, before reinstalling macOS, is to try to determine which third-party apps are running when your machines freeze. Once you have a list of possibilities, try uninstalling those apps one-at-a-time and see if the freezes stop. I know this may be a lot of work but it may just save you from having to reinstall macOS. It sounds to me like an app is taxing the system and causing a freeze. Since you have two machines, it may help narrow down the troublesome app.
You might also list your third-party apps here and see if anyone else is suffering the same issue with the same apps installed. This may be the quickest solution.. insight from others can be quite helpful.
This is my App list. I've had all these for a long time with the exception of AdGuard which I had to redownload after switching from my 2014 to my 2015 MBP. The apps I run regularly are Safari, Mail, iTunes, and often times Preview. Most every other app I do not leave open.
I also have AdGuard for Safari and it was freezing recently.. I have it set to run on login. Recently I tried quitting the app and found that the freezes stopped - I also noticed that the ad-blocking feature continued to work even after quitting AdGuard. I suspect that AdGuard app doesn't really need to run in the background all the time, only during login and when you need to edit filters. But, I may be wrong.
Leave AdGuard running on login, but quit the app and see if the freezes stop - also check and see if the ad-blocking feature continues after quitting the app.
Well on my 2014 MBP AdGuard was just an extension in Safari. I didn't have an App. But when I switched over to the 2015 MBP somehow AdGuard didn't transfer over even from a cloned backup. So I had to redownload it. Oddly the new download which I had to get from the MAS has a lower version number than my previous one which I had gotten from the AdGuard website.
In any case if I quit the app I get this when I click the AdGuard button in Safari.
Yes, I get that pop up too when I click the button in Safari. However, it seems that the ad-blocking functionality is still present even when the AdGuard app isn't running. Have you tried to see if ads are still blocked after you quit the app? Surf some sites and see if you still see ads. I suspect that the AdGuard app doesn't need to run in the background all the time in order to be blocking ads, it may just write some kind of script that Safari reads all the time.
You can always use the button in the pop-up to run the AdGuard app if you need to edit a filter.
In my experience you only need to open the app to set the Safari preferences, quit it and you're done. I don't use any of the options that allow AdGuard to "read sensitive information", Those options are controlled by that "Shield" icon. The app has to be running to use those "features".
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So are the checked boxes the only ones you use? I have then all checked.
Well I quit the app and then reloaded Youtube which is notorious for ads and no ads showed up. I'll try it for a while and see how it goes. I'm glad I "upgraded" to the 15" 2015 MBP from the 13" 2014 MBP. I obviously do notice the size difference but I like the bigger screen. Plus I now have 16GB instead of 8GB ram and I will have a 1TB SSD once I install it. Hopefully this 2015 15" MBP will last me another 4 years or so.
Yes, works for me. I prefer to not have AG read my "passwords, phone numbers and credit card" info. Hopefully they honor that. 😲
Which option says that AG would do that? When I select any of those options the description doesn't seem very clear as to what that option does.
See my screenshot, the options that I have deselected all say that.
Look in the app for more information on what the options do. Yeah, they are definitely not as clear as they could/should be.
Look in the app for more information on what the options do. Yeah, they are definitely not as clear as they could/should be.
Wowsers, so I was right.. the app doesn’t need to be running in the background in order to block ads. Perhaps the fact that the app freezes is an indication that the app is not supposed to be running all the time anyway?
Anyway, thank you very much for the information, extremely helpful!
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Yeah, we may have just solved your freeze problem - this community is awesome. Hopefully you won’t have to reinstall macOS now.
And, with the upgrades you have planned I’m sure that MacBook Pro will last another four years.
Well my Mac just froze again even after making the setting changes to AdGuard. So clearly it's not that. But yes hopefully the larger SSD will help with the longevity of my Mac.
OK then, perhaps the problem isn’t AdGuard. One app down several others to go. Try testing other apps while they’re running and seeing when the freeze happens, that may tell you which is the problem app.
Well the apps I have running now are Safari, Mail, iTunes and Preview. But I'm sure I've had the freezing happen when no apps were running. I do know that Safari does take up a lot of resources due to a lot of tabs open.
You can always try reinstalling macOS, I was just trying to help troubleshoot to avoid having to reinstall the operating system. The trouble is if the same issue was happening on both machines then it's likely not going to go away until you change something other than reinstalling the system - reinstalling the system and then setting it up the way you had it before will likely bring the problem back. You just need to find out where the problem actually is.
Well that is why I asked about doing a clean install. I know it can be time consuming but at least I wouldn't have any lingering crap on my system.
No, you won't have any lingering junk. However, if you reinstall the operating system, and then bring everything back and set everything up the exact way you had it.. you're very likely to bring the problem back too. If you change nothing then nothing will change. But, it is worth a try.. I hope I'm wrong.
That's why I stopped using it and switched to WIPR! Set it once and forget it. It auto updates and you never know it's there or need to run it manually and never misses an ad.
Well if I do a clean install then I would just re-download any apps. I wouldn't just bring them from my backup. I would only bring over my files like documents, music or photos.
Some of the reviews on the MAS say that it blocks too many things. Plus it's a paid app with "in app purchases".
Yeah, I'm seriously considering moving to Wipr, just seems to be a better ad blocker.
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If you do some research you'll find that the in-app purchases are simply "tips" (gratuities).