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Reformatting new macbook

T

turnstylez18

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 25, 2007
193
0
Toronto, Canada
i just recently ordered a refurbished black macbook. On this site...it said there MAY be other programs/apps already installed. I know that this is very unlikely.
upon getting my new macbook i would like to reformat it and erase everything...so i can start off from fresh...
i am planning to use this as my guide..since i am very new to the world of macs...

http://www2.ucsc.edu/ihop/Reformat a Mac.htm

after the format i will only be installing ilife since the cd will come with it...

now will i have to do nething else after the format performed such as in the link?...for example in windows...when u format a laptop...u still have to install drivers and a bunch of other things....

with a mac...will everything work (such as wireless etc.) after a reformat/using the tiger os x install disk?

i dont want to end up reformating things and end up messing things up
 
After you reformat and reinstall the OS and iLife, go to Software Update (from the Apple menu) and install all the updates. You might have to do it twice (I think some updates won't show up until others have been performed).

At that point, yeah, you're done. You shouldn't have anything else to do, except install any other apps you may want/need.
 
No, things like wireless and Bluetooth are all built into the OS so you'll be fine on that front. When you reinstall you'll have the option to do a custom install, this will allow you to miss out installing stuff like additional language packs which will save you a bit of precious hard drive space.
 
so after software updates...(x2)...i will be fine??..and everything SHOULD be working well??

is the proces of reformatting an easy one? much easier than windows??
 
Jaffa Cake said:
No, things like wireless and Bluetooth are all built into the OS so you'll be fine on that front. When you reinstall you'll have the option to do a custom install, this will allow you to miss out installing stuff like additional language packs which will save you a bit of precious hard drive space.
Click to expand...


"No" as in ill be fine with just the reinstall/reformat? or "no" i wont be fine?

also what things should/shouldnt leave out when i do custom install?
 
A reinstall is really completely unnecessary. You'll be getting a factory install of OSX with all of the typically included applications, which is as fresh as it comes. If you decide that you don't need any of the applications, simply throw them in the trash.
 
To be honest, reformatting and reinstalling OS X on a new Mac is just a waste of your time - you'll be starting from scratch anyway when you get your Mac. It's not like most OEM PCs which are full of unnecessary AOL executables, etc.

It's easy to remove programs you don't think you'll need (and easy to reinstall them if you find you do need them) by dragging them from Applications to the trash. Although some other third party apps, like the MS Office Trial, need an uninstaller, there are no other apps installed that can't be removed by drag-to-trash.

Dragging to trash leaves some files, like preferences, in some places, but unless you deep dive into the Terminal you won't know they exist and they're not big enough to impact disk usage (if you're worried about a couple of MB, you have bigger problems with disk space).

The only reason to do a reformat and reinstall that I can see (and I kind of understand this) is the peace of mind that comes from a new install that has no cruft or unnecessary apps or files lying around. But really, it makes no difference performance-wise whether you customize the pre-installed OS X or customize a new install, except you save a couple of hours and can start using the Mac straight away if you go with what comes out of the box.

If you decide just to remove your unwanted apps, there are lots of threads here telling you what to remove and how - like https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=3828169#post3828169
 
plinden said:
To be honest, reformatting and reinstalling OS X on a new Mac is just a waste of your time - you'll be starting from scratch anyway when you get your Mac. It's not like most OEM PCs which are full of unnecessary AOL executables, etc.

It's easy to remove programs you don't think you'll need (and easy to reinstall them if you find you do need them) by dragging them from Applications to the trash. Although some other third party apps, like the MS Office Trial, need an uninstaller, there are no other apps installed that can't be removed by drag-to-trash.
Click to expand...

That fails to remove a ton of stuff. iLife apps, for instance, have a lot of crap stored in other locations.

Clarification: I never use GarageBand, iWeb, iMovie, iDVD, etc.
 
turnstylez18 said:
"No" as in ill be fine with just the reinstall/reformat? or "no" i wont be fine?
Click to expand...
No, as in you'll be fine.

turnstylez18 said:
also what things should/shouldnt leave out when i do custom install?
Click to expand...
That depends on what you want to have on your computer! Personally if I'm doing a custom install I don't bother with the extra languages, as it's highly unlikely that I'm going to want to run my Mac in Japanese. If you decide not to install certain apps (like Garageband or iMovie, for example) then you can always put them on from your disks at a later date if you change your mind.

As IJ Reilly says though, a complete reinstall of a fresh Mac isn't really necessary. Simply trashing the odd app you don't need is quicker, easier and just as effective really.
 
kalisphoenix said:
That fails to remove a ton of stuff. iLife apps, for instance, have a lot of crap stored in other locations.

Clarification: I never use GarageBand, iWeb, iMovie, iDVD, etc.
Click to expand...

Which is why I linked to another thread where I say where the GarageBand and other iLife support files are located as well as steps to carry out if you really want to free up some disk space (like remove unused languages). These files can be dragged to trash.
 
kingjr3 said:
Besides GB loops...what other crap are you referring to?
Click to expand...

iDVD and iMovie themes take up a couple GB.

I have a Mac Mini that I customized by removing apps that I wouldn't be using since it's permanently connected to my TV - using Monolingual to remove languages, removing all iLife apps except for iPhoto, and deleting all printer drivers, My OS X install is 4.5GB, and still has iTunes and iPhoto. This took me a fraction of the time it would take to do a fresh install (about 20 minutes, a large chunk of which was spent downloading Monolingual)
 
the mac i am getting is a refurb...and i dont know if other programs are installed....

i really jsut dont need iwork and the ms office trials...and i want to get rid of those other languages..
 
turnstylez18 said:
the mac i am getting is a refurb...and i dont know if other programs are installed....

i really jsut dont need iwork and the ms office trials...and i want to get rid of those other languages..
Click to expand...

That's fine, just open Finder, go to Applications, and drag iWork to the trash.

I said in an earlier post that the Office trial needs an uninstaller. Now I'm not actually sure if that's true, it's been so long since I removed it. But either way, either run an uninstaller or drag it to the trash.

To remove languages, download Monolingual and select the languages you want to remove. DO NOT use the option to strip out the PPC architecture from applications.

I wouldn't remove any of the other apps yet, if I were you. You might find something you like that you thought you would never use. Just play around with the Mac for a few weeks and if you find a particular app you never use, e.g. GarageBand, delete it and its support file. All the apps that come with a new Mac are on the install disk so you can easily reinstall one if you delete it accidentally.
 
Go to Your Disk -> Library -> Printers and drag all the brand-named folders into the trash that are NOT the brand of printer you have. Leave the folders efi, Oce, PPD plugins, PPDs, if you have these.

Within the folder of the printer you DO have, drag all the obviously-different-model files to trash, OR drag the entire folder, then reinstall your drivers from your driver CD.

If you use monolingual and remove all foreign language support (using the default settings) plus remove unwanted printer drivers, you'll free approximately 4GB.

YMMV. No warranty, etc etc.
 
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