Asking for help to upgrade Monterey->Ventura on iMac

[SalisburySam]

I have a 2017 Model 18,3 27” iMac running a current version of Monterey. I’m not ready to get rid of the iMac itself yet. I’d like to upgrade to Ventura, but I’d also like to do a clean install rather than just using the system’s software update option, primarily to get rid of any hangover cruft I’ve accumulated since the Mojave days. So:

1. Is this a bad idea, or should I just go with the easy software update option?
2. How do I actually do a “clean” install, step-by-step. Never done one before.

Deets: 4.2GHz Intel I7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 12TB/7TB available attached external drives, 300mbps Ethernet connection, using Time Machine since purchase, and everything copied daily to DropBox. Two iPhones and two iPads are backed up to the iMac as well.

Thoughts and assistance appreciated!

 

[rm5]

Why not do a clean install? (I'm saying that as someone who's never clean installed) If you are concerned about all of the potentially unwanted software, that's the way to go!

The steps for doing a clean install depend on if you are using a USB drive or restoring over the internet.

To restore with a USB drive

1. Download a Ventura installer. You can do this three ways:
   1. Using the App Store - you can go here and download the Ventura installer from the App Store
   2. You could use the commands softwareupdate --list-full-installers, and once it loads the list of installers, run softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version VERSION. Obviously replace VERSION with the actual version (13.0, 13.1, etc.)
   3. Use a tool like MDS, which basically runs the aforementioned commands when you select what version you want to download and hit Download.
2. MDS can create a USB drive for you. But if you're doing it the "App Store" or the "Command line" way, you'll need to create the USB stick yourself.
   1. When the installer downloads, run sudo /Applications/Installer\ Name/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume VOLUME. Replace Installer\ Name with the actual name and VOLUME with the identifierof the volume (thumb drive).
      1. Run diskutil list to get the identifier OR just drag the volume icon from the desktop into the terminal window
      2. You can attach the --nointeraction argument also. I'd recommend this so you don't have to answer "yes" to every single thing when you run it.
3. When that finishes, however you choose to create it, shut down the Mac.
4. From a cold boot, hold down the Option (Alt) key to access the startup manager. Select the disk titled "Install macOS Ventura" (or something like that). THIS IS THE THUMB DRIVE!
5. Then, from the recovery menu, open Disk Utility and erase your boot drive.
   1. Go View > Show All Devices. This is SUPER IMPORTANT!!
   2. Select the TOPMOST ITEM IN THE HIERARCHY (i.e. the disk, not the volume) of whatever your boot drive is.
   3. Click Erase. Select APFS and GUID in the window that pops up
   4. Once the erase is done, quit out of Disk Utility and in the recovery menu, choose [Re]Install macOS Ventura. Follow the steps.
6. After this happens, provided you have no problems, you'll be up and running with a clean installation!

To restore over the internet, hold Option + Cmd + R on boot, and then when the recovery window opens, do steps 5 and 6 from above.

I hope this answers your question, and let me know if you need any more help!

 

[Fishrrman]

The proper way:

1. BACK UP data that you wish to save.
Otherwise, it's going to be ... gone...!

2. Boot to INTERNET RECOVERY
This is NOT THE SAME as "the recovery partition"
Command-OPTION-R
at boot.

If you connect via wifi, you'll need your wifi password.
The internet utilities take a while to load, be patient "as the globe spins".

3. Open disk utility.
VERY IMPORTANT STEP -- go to the "view" menu and choose "show all devices".

4. Look at "the list on the left" and select the topmost item which should be the physical drive inside.

5. Click "erase". Choose "APFS, GUID partition format".

6. When the erase is done, quit disk utility and open the OS installer.

7. Start "clicking through". The Mac will reboot one or more times, and the screen will go dark for a minute or more, with no other indication of activity. Be patient.

8. When done, you should see the initial setup screen (choose your language).

9. What you do now IS UP TO YOU.
9a. You can connect the backup and "point the way to it" when setup assistant asks if you wish to migrate from another drive.
OR
9b. You can start "completely fresh" by creating a new account. BUT YOU MUST REALIZE that if you do this, now you will have to take steps to avoid permissions problems when "manually migrating" older data. But that's a subject for another post.

Good luck.

 

[fdw777]

Which "disk" is to be deleted?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

While the options the others provided will work - they’re more complex than is necessary.

1. Open Disk Utility, and “Create volume” - call it “Ventura” or whatever you want, and format it as APFS
2. Open the Mac App Store, search “macOS Ventura,” and select “Upgrade” (yes, I know that’s not what you WANT do do - keep reading).
3. When the installer starts, it’ll ask where to install and will default to your current volume, usually “Macintosh HD.” Select the new “Ventura” volume instead.
4. When the install is done, the Mac will likely boot to Ventura automatically - clean install, no data. Set it up how you want.
5. If you need to roll back to Monterey, or log in to gather files or to sign out of Apple ID, etc - hold the Option key while booting to get your boot selector (Monterey or Ventura)
6. Once you’re all settled with Ventura and don’t need Monterey any more, open Disk Utility and “Delete” the volume for Monterey
6a. If conversely you decide to stick with Monterey, boot into Monterey - open Disk Utility - and remove the “Ventura” volume.

 

[Tony07]

I upgraded to Monterey from Mojave, I wish I had never bothered, Bluetooth doesn't work now nor does my HDMI or Siri, it's bloody useless.