I want to revert to Yosemite

[swazzlebag]

Is it possible to revert back to Yosemite with out a backup? I have been having major issues with El Capitan since installing the beta. Basically my computer is running as if I had XP and 1GB of RAM. (I have a late 2013 27" iMac with 16GB of RAM)
Before you ask, yes, I did make a back up before installing El Capitan. Once I realized how terrible the beta was I started to restore my Yosemite back up. Unfortunately, my roomy knocked my back up drive off of the desk completely destroying everything. I'm a musician, I lost a lot of sentimental stuff. Now I just want to move on and be able load a webpage in under a minute again.
It would also be great if I didn't lose audio after about 2 hours of use...

 

[h9826790]

I don't think you can do that without proper backup.

The best you can try is install Yosemite in another partition, and then try migration assistance.

TBO, I never try to migrate a newer system to the older system. I am sure you can't restore the system setting by this method, but may able to recover the user data.

Or, just install Yosemite in a new partition, and then manually move the files back in, then remove the El Capitan partition.

 

[swazzlebag]

I don't think you can do that without proper backup.

The best you can try is install Yosemite in another partition, and then try migration assistance.

TBO, I never try to migrate a newer system to the older system. I am sure you can't restore the system setting by this method, but may able to recover the user data.

Or, just install Yosemite in a new partition, and then manually move the files back in, then remove the El Capitan partition.

Thanks! I will try this if I can't find another solution. I would like to keep my Windows partition if possible.

 

[hojx]

Is it possible to revert back to Yosemite with out a backup? I have been having major issues with El Capitan since installing the beta. Basically my computer is running as if I had XP and 1GB of RAM. (I have a late 2013 27" iMac with 16GB of RAM)
Before you ask, yes, I did make a back up before installing El Capitan. Once I realized how terrible the beta was I started to restore my Yosemite back up. Unfortunately, my roomy knocked my back up drive off of the desk completely destroying everything. I'm a musician, I lost a lot of sentimental stuff. Now I just want to move on and be able load a webpage in under a minute again.
It would also be great if I didn't lose audio after about 2 hours of use...

Actually, have you thought of reinstalling El Capitan beta instead?

It seems as if it was just a bad install considering your hardware is relatively new. I'm using a late-2013 MacBook Pro and the current El Capitan Public Beta is almost flawless and already better than Yosemite.


On a side note, consider getting an additional desktop hard disk and/or cloud storage for multiple backups. I'm a design student and I've heard from my professor many horror stories of years-old portfolios being lost in dead hard drives.

 

[swazzlebag]

Or, just install Yosemite in a new partition, and then manually move the files back in, then remove the El Capitan partition.

This worked for me, thanks!

Although it was a huge pain to restore the empty space left by the El Capitan partition. Turns out you cannot expand a partition up, only down. So, since the El Capitan partition (now empty space) shows up above my Yosemite partition I was un able to just drag the partition to resize. Ended up having to mirror it to the above partition and erase the lower one, then I was able to drag and resize.

I also found out that adjusting or making a new partition messes up bootcamp, so I have had to erase that partition and reinstall Windows as well.

So, in conclusion, don't set up your computer on a dining room table while you're moving because your desk isn't there yet. And especially don't try to restore to your back up on the table because your roommate might need more table space and knock your back up disc off the table destroying years of work and memories. haha.

 

[vista980622]

Is it possible to revert back to Yosemite with out a backup? I have been having major issues with El Capitan since installing the beta. Basically my computer is running as if I had XP and 1GB of RAM. (I have a late 2013 27" iMac with 16GB of RAM)
Before you ask, yes, I did make a back up before installing El Capitan. Once I realized how terrible the beta was I started to restore my Yosemite back up. Unfortunately, my roomy knocked my back up drive off of the desk completely destroying everything. I'm a musician, I lost a lot of sentimental stuff. Now I just want to move on and be able load a webpage in under a minute again.
It would also be great if I didn't lose audio after about 2 hours of use...

Just fire up a Yosemite installer USB, go to terminal.

Rename all folders in system drive that contain personal information to something else. Like "Applications" to "App1", "Users" to "User1", and delete unnecessary, system-file-only folders.

Then do that clean install (without wiping anything). You don't have to worry about getting back free spaces or dealing with partitions

 

[Malus120]

This worked for me, thanks!

So, in conclusion, don't set up your computer on a dining room table while you're moving because your desk isn't there yet. And especially don't try to restore to your back up on the table because your roommate might need more table space and knock your back up disc off the table destroying years of work and memories. haha.

I think I would say, in conclusion, find a new roommate. Cause your's sounds like either a grade A douchebag, or the kind of person so careless that regardless of how "nice" they may be, they're a serious liability to have around.

Beta operating systems, bad hard drives, bad drivers, all kinds of things can cause you to loose data, but knocking a hard drive off a table... Wow.

Oh, and while this won't help you this time around, I also second the recommendations for cloud backup services (or at the very least at least one offline backup for irreplaceable content).

Anyway, I'm apologise if I come off as crass, and I truly am sorry for your loss

 

[vista980622]

Is it possible to revert back to Yosemite with out a backup? I have been having major issues with El Capitan since installing the beta. Basically my computer is running as if I had XP and 1GB of RAM. (I have a late 2013 27" iMac with 16GB of RAM)
Before you ask, yes, I did make a back up before installing El Capitan. Once I realized how terrible the beta was I started to restore my Yosemite back up. Unfortunately, my roomy knocked my back up drive off of the desk completely destroying everything. I'm a musician, I lost a lot of sentimental stuff. Now I just want to move on and be able load a webpage in under a minute again.
It would also be great if I didn't lose audio after about 2 hours of use...

Also, find a good, professional data recovery agency.
They may be able to extract and recover your data by opening up the backup drive..

 

[childoftheko4n]

Just fire up a Yosemite installer USB, go to terminal.

Rename all folders in system drive that contain personal information to something else. Like "Applications" to "App1", "Users" to "User1", and delete unnecessary, system-file-only folders.

Then do that clean install (without wiping anything). You don't have to worry about getting back free spaces or dealing with partitions

Is there any more details /information on doing it like this? I am actually curious. Never really thought or heard about putting older OS over newer one via any method like this

 

[vista980622]

Is there any more details /information on doing it like this? I am actually curious. Never really thought or heard about putting older OS over newer one via any method like this

I've personally done this many, many times for both myself and my friends who need downgrades. I don't think it's anywhere on the web.

So I just wrote a medium article outlining the steps. Here you go:

https://medium.com/@iosight/downgra...-any-files-applications-and-data-12363098fc5d

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

If I was in your position, I'd try this:

First, get ANOTHER BACKUP DRIVE.
Use CarbonCopyCloner to clone the contents of your internal drive to the backup drive.
Do this in spite of the fact that your goal is to get rid of El Capitan.

Next, you want to re-install Yosemite on the internal drive.

I would try to boot from the cloned backup drive first, and if I can get up and running that way, I'd re-initialize the internal drive.

Then, attempt to install Yosemite onto the internal.
If you don't have a copy of the Yosemite installer, you could TRY downloading from Apple.
This may work, or it may not.

If it doesn't work, then the best advice I can offer is to hunt up a copy of Yosemite from the "non-official" (careful with the wording here) sites that might have it available to download. Yes, others are going to tell you "don't do that", but sometimes there is no other way.

At the close of the installation process, you will be offered the opportunity to load your accounts, apps and data from another drive. At this point, I would try to "aim" the installer "at" your cloned backup drive, and see if it will "bring over" your stuff.

If that works, you should have a drive with the Yosemite OS and your account, apps, data, etc.

IN THE FUTURE:
Before you start experimenting with a new OS, do one of these things:
1. Make a CLONED BACKUP of your internal drive. If the new OS isn't to your liking, just re-initialize the internal drive and "RE-clone" the old OS back over.
-or-
2. Install the NEW OS onto an EXTERNAL DRIVE for experimentation. When you are SURE you want it as your main OS, THEN install onto the internal drive.

 

[vista980622]

Is there any more details /information on doing it like this? I am actually curious. Never really thought or heard about putting older OS over newer one via any method like this

That's how you do it.
Feel free to reply with any question.

https://medium.com/@iosight/downgra...-any-files-applications-and-data-12363098fc5d