Wiping and installing OSX for the 1st time...

[rirawin]

Mac Mini
2 500B HDD

OK I have Lion 10.8 DVD ready to install, however, before doing so I'm confused on the steps.

More importantly I want to keep my 2nd external HDD Drive full of media safe and not wiped. I just wish for the main one to formatted and to install 10.8.

Now how do I go about this, I really don't know how to proceed. I got an external DVd drive connected to the mini and ready to go but wanted advice before doing anything.

 

[r0k]

Mac Mini
2 500B HDD

OK I have Lion 10.8 DVD ready to install, however, before doing so I'm confused on the steps.

More importantly I want to keep my 2nd external HDD Drive full of media safe and not wiped. I just wish for the main one to formatted and to install 10.8.

Now how do I go about this, I really don't know how to proceed. I got an external DVd drive connected to the mini and ready to go but wanted advice before doing anything.

You made yourself a 10.8 DVD?

Anyway, boot from the (DVD/USB stick/recovery partition or whatever) and from the apple in the upper left corner, launch disk utility. The internal HDD will probably show up as unformatted or as one big DOS partition. Partition it as GUID partition scheme, one partition HFS+ journaled. The Guid partition scheme is under partition->options.

Once this is done, you can return to the install and let it fly.

 

[rirawin]

You made yourself a 10.8 DVD?

Anyway, boot from the (DVD/USB stick/recovery partition or whatever) and from the apple in the upper left corner, launch disk utility. The internal HDD will probably show up as unformatted or as one big DOS partition. Partition it as GUID partition scheme, one partition HFS+ journaled. The Guid partition scheme is under partition->options.

Once this is done, you can return to the install and let it fly.

its the installation disc that came with my mac mini?


Ummnm really confused here, I have OSX running already but want to do a fresh format. On Drive 1 is 10.8 Drive 2 is my media.

How do I boot from the OSX to get the disc to format like windows?, and would formatting and reinstalling just wipe drive 1 or both drives?.

 

[r0k]

its the installation disc that came with my mac mini?


Ummnm really confused here, I have OSX running already but want to do a fresh format. On Drive 1 is 10.8 Drive 2 is my media.

How do I boot from the OSX to get the disc to format like windows?, and would formatting and reinstalling just wipe drive 1 or both drives?.

Any disk that came with a Mac mini is most likely Snow Leopard (10.6) or older, NOT 10.8 which is Mountain Lion and is Apple's second generation "diskless" OS. OS X doesn't come on disks any more. I just rummaged through the box that my MBP came in and sure enough there is nothing in there but a cleaning cloth and a little book, oh and some nice little Apple stickers. My machine came with Lion installed (late 2011 15.4 in anti glare MBP) and no disk.

If your mini came with a disk, it's an older version of OSX. You can boot to that disk by inserting the disk, then holding option when you boot. You will see several disks on the screen. One of them will be your install DVD. You can easily make yourself an install USB stick which is what a lot of users do now that OSX is diskless. If you ever decide to buy Lion or Mountain Lion, make your install USB stick BEFORE you allow it to install as it wipes the install files you would need to make yourself a bootable USB stick during the process.

 

[rirawin]

Any disk that came with a Mac mini is most likely Snow Leopard (10.6) or older, NOT 10.8 which is Mountain Lion and is Apple's second generation "diskless" OS. OS X doesn't come on disks any more. I just rummaged through the box that my MBP came in and sure enough there is nothing in there but a cleaning cloth and a little book, oh and some nice little Apple stickers. My machine came with Lion installed (late 2011 15.4 in anti glare MBP) and no disk.

If your mini came with a disk, it's an older version of OSX. You can boot to that disk by inserting the disk, then holding option when you boot. You will see several disks on the screen. One of them will be your install DVD. You can easily make yourself an install USB stick which is what a lot of users do now that OSX is diskless. If you ever decide to buy Lion or Mountain Lion, make your install USB stick BEFORE you allow it to install as it wipes the install files you would need to make yourself a bootable USB stick during the process.

How do I make myself a usb stick install version?

 

[pdjudd]

How do I make myself a usb stick install version?

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1404860/