Fresh install of 10.12.2

[brookter1]

Quick question:

I have 10.12.2 installed (as an update) on my MacBook, but I want to wipe the SSD clean and reinstall it again from scratch.

Do I have to reinstall the original 10.12 (which I still have on USB) and then work through the updates, or is there an up to date full install directly to 10.12.2 available?

The macOS Sierra 10.12.2 Combo Update at this link https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1900?locale=en_GB specifically says it has 10.12 as a requirement, so I presume it's not a standalone full install.

Many thanks.

 

[killhippie]

Log into your recovery partition (Command + R) erase the Macintosh HD drive partition with disk utility (not the whole drive) then use reinstall macOS to download a fresh copy. Make sure you have backed up everything as this will wipe all your data. The latest version of macOS will be installed which will be 10.12.2

 

[elf69]

If your mac is new enough then do internet reovery.

on boot old Command + Alt + R

it will download latest firmware from apple server.

 

[killhippie]

If your mac is new enough then do internet reovery.

on boot old Command + Alt + R

it will download latest firmware from apple server.

That reinstalls the original version of OS X/macOS that came with your machine, its used for wiping your mac for sale or is you loose the recovery partion, using the recovery console Command + R reinstalls the current version.

 

[elf69]

Last time I did web recovery on my 2009 unibody it put Sierra back in.

Then I sold it, with Sierra running.

I did format drive using utilities first though.

 

[brookter1]

Thanks very much for the quick and helpful replies!

 

[Weaselboy]

Last time I did web recovery on my 2009 unibody it put Sierra back in.

Then I sold it, with Sierra running.

I did format drive using utilities first though.

command-r boots to the recovery partition on the local drive and will reinstall whatever is on there now. So if you command-r under Sierra, you will get Sierra for example.

But if you use Internet recovery by doing command-option-r you will get the OS version that came from the factory.

Your 2009 model does not support the command-option-r Internet recovery process, so you had to have done the command-r version that reinstalls whatever is now running.