These should be removed & recreated from items in the new Applications folder. Look for dock items, sidebar favorites & aliases that point toĪpps in the Previous System.Log out, then log into each user account.Reinstall software. Log into the App Store with the same Apple ID used for previous purchases.You can exclude the Previous System folder. Configure Time Machine to back up to the drive that was used previously.Set up network settings, printers & scanners, and other options in System Preferences.One way to determine the old name is by examining the Time Machine backup folder. Name the computer exactly as before in Sharing.Set the startup disk in System Preferences.When in doubt, delete the user but don’t change the home folder. Carefully delete any accounts you may have made accidentally.Create any other user accounts in System Preferences – Users & Groups.The system should offer to Use Existing Folder.The account name must exactly match the name of the first user. Click Users & Groups and create a new user. Make a note of the exact spelling of each user folder. Open the Users folder and drag any users from here to Macintosh HD/Users. Open the Macintosh HD and Previous System.Create a user acc ount called Temp and create a password.The Setup Assistant opens, allowing you to create the first user account.See installing a fresh copy of macOS (bottom of the page).Īfter the reinstall, the computer should boot up normally and user files are present, but they are inaccessible until configured. Only the items listed above should remain. Select all items (including invisible items) at the root level of the drive – EXCEPT the following:ĭrag the selected items to the Previous System folder.Create new folder at root level of the drive and name it Previous System.Click the Finder and type Shift-Command.After formatting, skip to Installing a fresh copy of OS X below. If there are hardware errors, have the drive replaced. If the drive cannot be repaired, clone the drive to a blank volume with Carbon Copy Cloner, then reformat.If the drive is OK or repairs successfully, go to step 4. Open Disk Utility and run First Aid on the drive.
The computer appears on the other Mac as an external hard drive.
We’re going to hide the OS & applications, while leaving user folders untouched. Note all user account (short) names & passwords.
You’ll erase the drive, so back up all data first.
If a Mac gives you trouble, see Fixing startup issues & crashes. If this doesn’t help you might choose to reload software on the computer.Ī clean install sets aside the old software so you can load the OS and apps from scratch rather than updating the previous (and potentially problematic) installation.
For most purposes, a standard upgrade of macOS works fine.