I just got my Mac Mini and want to free up as much space as possible by reinstalling the OS. When I reinstall the OS, do I have a choice as to which apps to install (ie. GarageBand, iTunes, iWeb, etc...)? Will it completely wipe the hard drive for me when it does this, or will there be random bits here and there that remain after a reinstall? Finally, how much space would I ultimately save by not installing the extra languages, printer drivers, and a couple of the apps? Thanks!
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Reinstalling OS X
- Thread starter Gryfon19
- Start date
Yes, you can customize your OS X installation to only have the base system files. You can save up to 10 GB by not including iLife.
If you make an Erase & Install it would leave it as new.
I know you have made up your mind, but erasing iLife apps or printer drivers is not very wise. Being able to print from any printer is great at any time, and using the iLife apps is also great. At first you may think you will never use GarageBand or iMovie, but once you use them for the first time you will fall in love with them.
What I recommend to erase is the iWork demo (2GB of space!!
)
Worse case you reinstall a driver or two. Most people arent plugging in a ton of printers on a daily basis.If you make an Erase & Install it would leave it as new.
I know you have made up your mind, but erasing iLife apps or printer drivers is not very wise. Being able to print from any printer is great at any time, and using the iLife apps is also great. At first you may think you will never use GarageBand or iMovie, but once you use them for the first time you will fall in love with them.
What I recommend to erase is the iWork demo (2GB of space!!
Same with iLife, if you don't install on of the apps just pop your install discs back in and install whichever one you want.
I am the type that doesnt want gigs and gigs worth of data I will never use hogging up my disk space.
Exactly. Even if you think you may need 'em in the future, you can always just wait and install them as-needed with the iLife stuff. As for the printer drivers, chances are that new ones will be out between now and when you need to use 'em, so you can always just download the latest install from the company's website.
Skipping/removing printer drivers is much less risky on a desktop than a portable. Chances are one only has 1-2 printers, possibly the same brand, next to their desktop. On a mobile platform, however, having universal printer compatibility is a huge advantage.
With the capacity of today hard drives, this isn't a problem in most of the cases.
But it is totally acceptable for you to delete what you consider you might not use.
Thanks for the responses. I want to make room on the HD because I have a Mini with 80 GB on which I would eventually like to install Windows XP, also. There are certain apps that will remain but ones such as GarageBand don't serve any purpose as far as my use goes. Thanks.
