How to install a fresh, clean OS X Lion GM on your mac?

[BlackMangoTree]

Why is this so hard to understand? Lion installs a recovery partition as part of the install process. Use that recovery partition's Disk Utility to format the drive. Install.

It's not that difficult.

Because one needs to install Lion over SL first then do a fresh install which also requires you download the OS twice.

 

[balamw]

Because one needs to install Lion over SL first then do a fresh install which also requires you download the OS twice.

That's not what jayhawk11 is suggesting. The first download and install creates the recovery partition. Installing with the recovery partition does not require downloading again.

B

 

[Saladinos]

That's not what jayhawk11 is suggesting. The first download and install creates the recovery partition. Installing with the recovery partition does not require downloading again.

B

Yes it does. Was shocked as well. Makes no sense.

 

[BlackMangoTree]

That's not what jayhawk11 is suggesting. The first download and install creates the recovery partition. Installing with the recovery partition does not require downloading again.

B

To do a clean install it had to download files. Once booted into the recovery partition it had to download files to install.

Why Apple are doing it this way i have no idea.

Wont be long OS X will be locked like the IOS

It's a joke.

 

[DandsM]

Hello, so is this the DMG file? InstallESD.dmg

All I have to do is to burn it using Disk Utility and boot? Looks pretty easy.

But my real question is: When downloading Lion on 14th, how do I locate the .app/.dmg file downloaded from the store?

Thanks

 

[MacBookPro13"]

Hello, so is this the DMG file? InstallESD.dmg

Image

All I have to do is to burn it using Disk Utility and boot? Looks pretty easy.

But my real question is: When downloading Lion on 14th, how do I locate the .app/.dmg file downloaded from the store?

Thanks

It will be the exact same thing.

So you could just use what you have now and not bother downloading the same thing again whenever it is released on the App Store.

 

[DandsM]

It will be the exact same thing.

So you could just use what you have now and not bother downloading the same thing again whenever it is released on the App Store.

Are you sure they are not going to change anything else until there? Just asking because I've read a lot of bug reports on GM.

Thanks

 

[superericla]

To do a clean install it had to download files. Once booted into the recovery partition it had to download files to install.

Why Apple are doing it this way i have no idea.

Wont be long OS X will be locked like the IOS

It's a joke.

I find it strange that it states it's downloading files since even with wifi turned off it continues with the installation. It may just mean that it's creating the hidden partition on the hard drive.

 

[Yamcha]

I did a clean install by restoring the BaseSystem.dmg & Packages Folder to a USB Drive, everything seems to be working perfectly :], It is actually faster then Snow Leopard, at least thats what I've noticed..

 

[smoge]

http://www.cultofmac.com/mac-os-x-lion-boot-disk-discovery-saves-the-world-how-to/100146

 

[Macopotamus]

You can definitely burn the DMG file, I just did so with the GM and performed a clean install by formatting from the boot disk. Easy to do:

http://osxdaily.com/2011/06/08/create-burn-bootable-mac-os-x-lion-install-disc/

 

[iFanboy]

You can definitely burn the DMG file, I just did so with the GM and performed a clean install by formatting from the boot disk. Easy to do:

http://osxdaily.com/2011/06/08/create-burn-bootable-mac-os-x-lion-install-disc/

My only question with this, is whether you get access to disk utility during the install process like with SL.

What I did with snow leopard is boot from DVD, then use disk utility accessible from the menubar to delete all partitions and wipe, and then I installed SL.

Can I still do this with the Lion installer?

Thanks

 

[iHateMacs]

Will this work for 100% sure? I got into the recovery partition, tried to click Install OS X Lion or whatever the one below restore from Time Machine was, it said verifying with Apple, then errored and went back to the menu with the 4-5 options.

I don't want to wipe my drive and then not be able to go back to Snow Leopard if the verification from Apple fails...

I had that error too. In the end I just ran the installer from the DMG from within SL and it worked. It took ages for the first INSTALLING screen to show anything. I'm sure it was a good 10 minutes of nail biting.

 

[cleric]

Why is this so hard to understand? Lion installs a recovery partition as part of the install process. Use that recovery partition's Disk Utility to format the drive. Install.

It's not that difficult.

Computers are hard! I can't believe people want to make discs.

 

[BlackMangoTree]

I find it strange that it states it's downloading files since even with wifi turned off it continues with the installation. It may just mean that it's creating the hidden partition on the hard drive.

I tried it again and it's actually chewing up my quota so it's definitely downloading something. I'm going to try with internet turned off now.

 

[IeU]

I did ...

i did a fresh install and everything went fine, also managed to wipe everything off the install dvd. But uppon booting for the first time i get a crossed circle and the spinning wheel, but nothing happens, been so for 15 min already, any ideas? Help!

 

[Nuckinfuts]

The "hack" is using search.

 

[Zoddino]

I burned the dmg to USB and I did a clean install. At first it didn't work because I repartitioned the whole HD. This led to the recovery HD screen we all know with Apple wanting to check for serial or whatever is it. Afterwards I did again the process but I just formatted the HD without partitioning, so in this way at the next boot it finally installed. So guys if you clean install, avoid making again the whole partition, format or combine whatever you have on Macintosh HD otherwise you'll get stuck at the screen with 4-5 options.

 

[theturtle]

hellloooooo,

sorry for my noobness but im getting a bit lost with all the talk of parition recovery etc etc. Im on GM right now but planned to do a clean install when its officially released. The way I had in mind was, make a bootable CD of lion, boot into that, do a zero out of my hard drive (to start fresh), and than just install. simple.

but from the posts im reading, it seems its not as easy as that. Whats this recovery partition everyone is talking about? does that mean my clean install won't actually be "clean"?

 

[haruspex]

alright kids here's how you do it. i noticed i've only been getting the error messages on computers with no internet connection. wifi is my only option for my macbook pro, so here's how i got it to work as a clean install:

1. boot from dvd/usb drive, it'll start installing automatically, let it give you the error message
2. hit ok, go to wifi menu and connect to the internets
3. open the terminal
4. cd /Install (hit tab to fill in the rest - you're trying to open Install Mac OS X Lion.app)
5. cd Contents
6. cd MacOS
7. ./Install (hit tab to complete, you want to run the executable Install Mac OS X Lion))
8. installation will proceed as it should

now my macbook pro is happily enjoying a fresh install of the lion golden master.

 

[victorhooi]

i did a fresh install and everything went fine, also managed to wipe everything off the install dvd. But uppon booting for the first time i get a crossed circle and the spinning wheel, but nothing happens, been so for 15 min already, any ideas? Help!

heya,

Yeah, I'm getting the exact same error...hmm....

This is on a 2011 Macbook Pro 13" purchased in Australia.

Do you have similar hardware?

Cheers,
Victor

 

[cvglass]

Problem installing to Mercury Extreme SSD

heya,

Yeah, I'm getting the exact same error...hmm....

This is on a 2011 Macbook Pro 13" purchased in Australia.

Do you have similar hardware?

Cheers,
Victor

I don't think it is just the 13" MBP. I have a 2010 MBP 17" retrofitted with a mercury extreme ssd and I get the same problem on install. It starts, then reboots to the slashed circle. The other drive a 640 mb hd installed fine. I run the SSD as a boot drive and the HD as a backup boot and /usr drive. Both had SL 10.6.8 on them

 

[WiLLGT09]

I don't think it is just the 13" MBP. I have a 2010 MBP 17" retrofitted with a mercury extreme ssd and I get the same problem on install. It starts, then reboots to the slashed circle. The other drive a 640 mb hd installed fine. I run the SSD as a boot drive and the HD as a backup boot and /usr drive. Both had SL 10.6.8 on them

I've run into a similar problem. I first installed the GM in the default manner within 10.6.8 straight from the App Store. Well, I ran into an odd wi-fi bug that made wifi not active after waking from sleep, so I Time Machine'd back to SL.

I want to try a clean install. So I restore the .dmg onto an 8GB USB stick and attempt to boot from the disk. I've tried it both with the hidden recovery partition still there and without. I still get the gray slash circle. I've tried re-downloading the GM and remaking the USB, but no change.

What's going on?

 

[Saturn1217]

Is it seriously this hard?

alright kids here's how you do it. i noticed i've only been getting the error messages on computers with no internet connection. wifi is my only option for my macbook pro, so here's how i got it to work as a clean install:

1. boot from dvd/usb drive, it'll start installing automatically, let it give you the error message
2. hit ok, go to wifi menu and connect to the internets
3. open the terminal
4. cd /Install (hit tab to fill in the rest - you're trying to open Install Mac OS X Lion.app)
5. cd Contents
6. cd MacOS
7. ./Install (hit tab to complete, you want to run the executable Install Mac OS X Lion))
8. installation will proceed as it should

now my macbook pro is happily enjoying a fresh install of the lion golden master.

Thanks for posting these instructions but I am shocked that it is this hard to do a clean install of Lion!

So just to be clear it seems that making a bootable usb drive using the lion installer and then trying to use that as restore media isn't going to work the way many have stated it would (referencing that cultofmac article)? I haven't bothered to find the GM (I'm not a developer) I was going to wait for the release and then install on a separate partition from my SL install. This should be ok right?

But eventually I would like to be able to get rid of SL and just deal with Lion. (without relying on the recovery partition). Hopefully this will be possible (*crosses fingers*)

Also it is incredibly dumb to assume that when a person needs their recovery partition most (aka they need to reinstall the OS) they'll have time and access to fast internet so they can redownload the 4GB file again. Is apple thinking at all lately?

 

[hakuryuu]

Thanks for posting these instructions but I am shocked that it is this hard to do a clean install of Lion!

So just to be clear it seems that making a bootable usb drive using the lion installer and then trying to use that as restore media isn't going to work the way many have stated it would (referencing that cultofmac article)? I haven't bothered to find the GM (I'm not a developer) I was going to wait for the release and then install on a separate partition from my SL install. This should be ok right?

But eventually I would like to be able to get rid of SL and just deal with Lion. (without relying on the recovery partition). Hopefully this will be possible (*crosses fingers*)

Also it is incredibly dumb to assume that when a person needs their recovery partition most (aka they need to reinstall the OS) they'll have time and access to fast internet so they can redownload the 4GB file again. Is apple thinking at all lately?

It isn't remotely hard. A little early to be removing physical means of installing the OS? Yeah. I wiped and did a fresh install of the GM the day it was released (The install of dev preview 4 I had on our test mbp was borked even after doing an upgrade to the GM).