Want to improve performance? Clean install ML

[kmj2318]

How is that possible?

I don't even understand it but I have many strange things happening, whereas when I upgraded from Lion, it was perfect.

-Safari won't resume my tabs and won't even open back up in full screen.

-When I go to save a file in an app from the drop down menu (Desktop, Document) the folder icons next to the designates are missing.

-When I secondary click on the desktop to change the desktop picture, I have to then click on the System Preferences icon to open up the desktop and screen savor preferences, even though preferences becomes active in the menu bar.

-Don't have any of the default wallpapers except for the ones that are new to Mountain Lion.

-iPhoto wont open for some reason I forgot.

-Can't drag windows to another desktop space

Maybe I should try to clean install again I used the CMD+R recovery method if that matters.

 

[Kariya]

The sad truth is, they don't see significant improvements. They've done a lot of work to do a clean install therefore it 'must' have some benefits ergo they 'magically' see so called 'significant' improvements. It's all subjective and a self fulfilling prophecy. Notice, that none of these 'Clean Installers' (they're a cult) offer no objective proof, it's about what they 'feel' and the god they worship is named Snappier.

...or these people actually saw improvements in their system performance by doing a clean install. How are you so sure they didn't? were you there with them? did you use their system before and after? So how can you definitively say they didn't and then go on to mock them to boot. Calling them a cult. How pompous can you get.

This is part of what is wrong with society today. Intolerance of other people's viewpoints. "My viewpoint is the only 'truth', the rest are just loonies who are imagining things and aren't being 'objective'"

Grow up.

...and no i didn't do a clean install. But that doesn't mean i automatically deem it useless for every other Mac user on the planet.

 

[kodeman53]

...or these people actually saw improvements in their system performance by doing a clean install. How are you so sure they didn't? were you there with them? did you use their system before and after? So how can you definitively say they didn't and then go on to mock them to boot. Calling them a cult. How pompous can you get.

This is part of what is wrong with society today. Intolerance of other people's viewpoints. "My viewpoint is the only 'truth', the rest are just loonies who are imagining things and aren't being 'objective'"

Grow up.

...and no i didn't do a clean install. But that doesn't mean i automatically deem it useless for every other Mac user on the planet.

You grow up.

Point to a single post where someone said "My boot time was X seconds before a clean install and it is Y seconds after a clean install."

This has nothing to do with 'viewpoints' or 'feelings' it has to do with facts. FACTS are true or false.

The people who are pompous and intolerant are people who wont distinguish feelings and viewpoints from facts.

 

[Kariya]

Why not practice what you preach.

Pick up a stop-watch and provide testable 'facts' that prove a clean install is absolutely unnecessary. As it stands you're just pontificating your own viewpoint as gospel which makes you no different from the very people you're antagonising.

 

[kodeman53]

Why not practice what you preach.

Pick up a stop-watch and provide testable 'facts' that prove a clean install is absolutely unnecessary. As it stands you're just pontificating your own viewpoint as gospel which makes you no different from the very people you're antagonising.

Expected response. Don't ask the people who claim a clean install is better than an upgrade (read the thread title). No. Anyone who dares disagree, make them provide data a clean install does not improve performance. You have a future in politics.

 

[Kariya]

I'm just pointing out that you who took the counter stance haven't provided any fact(s) to back up your claims either, and therefore you haven't brought anything tangible to the discussion...besides your own 'self-fulfilling prophecy'.

 

[kodeman53]

I'm just pointing out that you who took the counter stance haven't provided any fact to back up your claims either, and therefore you haven't brought anything tangible to the discussion.

When someone starts a thread that claims a clean install improves performance, it is their responsibility to supply the facts that proves it does.

No different than an infomercial that makes a claim. I suppose anyone who doesn't believe the infomercial claims has to provide facts for why they don't believe them.

 

[bjett92]

I love clean installing everytime a new version of OS X is released. Gives me a chance to make my Mac feel like new again and get rid of any clutter I don't want.

 

[Drew017]

I upgraded from Lion only because I didn't want to lose all of my music and data. I've actually found that performance is awesome (way better than Lion!)

totally strange how so many users experience so many different outcomes with upgrading vs clean installing!

 

[Kariya]

No different than an infomercial that makes a claim. I suppose anyone who doesn't believe the infomercial claims has to provide facts for why they don't believe them.

Its not just that. To me, the OP merely offered a 'suggestion' of what worked out for him.

This year, I upgraded from Lion to ML, on day one, and although not terrible, performance wasn't the same. Today i've done a clean install, and it is faster and more stable than Snow Leopard or Lion ever was on a clean install.

Take it as you want, but this is my experience. And I'd advise you to do it.

(all of the above relates to a 2010 MacBook Pro 2.53 8GB)

You categorically say its a waste of time and even proceeded to mock those who do a clean install.

The sad truth is, they don't see significant improvements...none of these 'Clean Installers' (they're a cult) offer no objective proof, it's about what they 'feel' and the god they worship is named Snappier.

Where is the 'objective proof' for this 'truth' that disproves the improvements they see?

If you don't agree with the OPs suggestion thats fine, just state that. But don't stand on a high ground and mock people who take the opposite stance, accusing them of being subjective, when you yourself haven't provided anything to suggest you're being objective.

 

[mattysouthall]

What is wrong with an upgrade? It only replaces system files and makes use of those new system files, why would it slow down if the old system files are removed and never used? It makes no sense at all? I am pretty sure the installer removes every single old file it no longer uses I don't see why it would keep old files left over.

As you know on a Mac there is no registry like Windows, Windows I know leaves things in the registry when upgrading and the registry is like a database, thats the only reason why reinstalling on Windows is a good idea to clear the registry.

OS X only uses files, files are not a database that needs to be compacted, indexed or whatever to keep it speedy.

Upgrading simply replaces files, removes old files and makes use of the new files!

 

[kodeman53]

If you don't agree with the OPs suggestion thats fine, just state that. But don't stand on a high ground and mock people who take the opposite stance, accusing them of being subjective, when you yourself haven't provided anything to suggest you're being objective.

After multiple threads, and posts within other threads, by people who claim a clean install improves performance without offering any objective proof and newbies who take this information as truth and end up with a mess, enough is enough, except for you.

You don't ask for proof of from someone who claims a clean install improves performance but you demand proof of anyone who disagrees with them. Brilliant.

 

[Kariya]

I'm not asking for proof from you or anyone. I'm only pointing out the Pot calling a Kettle Black.

Each viewpoint can be valid or wrong depending on the configurations of a particular user.

You can only offer your suggestion on what worked for you and move on. But in no way is that opinion gospel because one size doesn't fit all. There are simply too many variables.

 

[throAU]

Upgrading OSes is NEVER a good idea. Clean install is always preferred.

Have upgraded windows plenty of times, upgraded OS X a few times, regularly upgrade FreeBSD and Linux and haven't had any issues to speak of.

If your machine is full of garbage before you upgrade, that won't change.

If your machine is kept relatively "clean" then upgrades are usually no problem.

If your machine is full of crap and you clean install of course it will work better. The crap won't be there until you re-fill it.

 

[fat jez]

I love clean installing everytime a new version of OS X is released. Gives me a chance to make my Mac feel like new again and get rid of any clutter I don't want.

This for me is the main benefit. It clears out all the old files that build up over the years. Unlike Windows which ends up with a horrendous registry, I've yet to perceive any tangible speed benefits.

 

[50548]

This for me is the main benefit. It clears out all the old files that build up over the years. Unlike Windows which ends up with a horrendous registry, I've yet to perceive any tangible speed benefits.

Yep; it's incredible how some people believe the placebo effect caused by a "clean install". Let's be very clear here: there is NO SCIENTIFIC evidence that a clean install is better than an upgrade as far as performance of the OS is concerned.

What happens (as depicted in some of the answers above) is that, with a clean install, you OBVIOUSLY have the relative advantage of getting rid of apps, preference files, documents and media that you no longer consider important. In other words, it's just an incentive to perform some long-overdue housekeeping, and NOT a means to have a speedier OS per se.

Therefore, it is clear that those old downloads that you've never used and got rid of with a clean install will not show up on Spotlight; or perhaps any preference files related thereto won't also populate your Library. Or perhaps your desktop will have fewer files than before.

However, and this is the key: whether you do an upgrade or a clean install while KEEPING/MIGRATING THE SAME overall number of apps and documents as before, the performance will be absolutely the same.

A "clean install" is not a magic wand or a passport for "snappy"...do you want another analogy?

Let's assume man-made global warming does NOT exist and is simply a result of cyclical solar activity or the like - HOWEVER, all the hoopla about it made people take other measures that help preserve the environment, like recycling and so on. Such measures have no causality or effect whatsoever on temperature levels, but the planet is indeed a bit cleaner.

THIS is the result of a "clean install" - you've vacuumed the house but the house is still the same size and with the same furniture.

Are we clear now?

 

[thalazy]

stuck with upgrade

I never needed to do a clean install. I keep my sytem clean as much as possible on a pc. I plan to do the same and have been, this being my first Mac and it being so new I definetly had no reason to do a clean install. I doubt there would be any improvement if I did as there isn't much on my system to begin with.

 

[kodeman53]

Yep; it's incredible how some people believe the placebo effect caused by a "clean install". Let's be very clear here: there is NO SCIENTIFIC evidence that a clean install is better than an upgrade as far as performance of the OS is concerned.

Someone will, no doubt, ask you to prove this.

 

[dreamsayer]

turn off power nap

I found that turning off the power nap feature improved performance on my MBA 2012. Start up and shutdown times were noticeably slower. Especially shutdown. I never saw a spinning circle with Lion starting up or shutting down. It was almost instantaneous.

 

[throttlemeister]

Should I find it funny or sad to see how many people don't have a clue about how the system they work with works?

 

[bitjumper]

I think people are arguing over the theoretical, reasonable, practical, and benificial here. For me, all things considered, it was best to do a clean install.

1) It is a fact that there are system directories and files that apps, tools, and mucking around with oneself will alter performance -- boot performance and running performance. (I've personally seen VPN software, virtual machine software, Mac ports of Linux tools, specialty drivers, and other how-to- instructions modify system files and add things to special startup directories.)

2) It is a fact that I personally don't physically have the mental capacity needed nor Mac OS X expertise needed to remember all of the various tool installs and sudo mucking with system files that I've done over the years. It is also a fact that I don't have all the knowledge of all the changes all of these tools have themselves done to my system files. So without a clean install, I personally can't get a pristine system back - ever.

3) I have experienced, absolutely, that Mac OS upgrades are considerate of my previous application and tool installs and tweaks I have made to my system files and directories. I have witnessed upgrades leaving my system files and directories (including startup files and directories) that have been tweaked alone -- or careful not to delete anything added. And I have seen upgrades wipe out and rewrite those very same files if they were never altered.

4) It is a fact that with non-infinite resources, I could learn myself or hire someone to manually put my system back and all of it's startup files and directories back to pristine condition such that an upgrade or clean install will get me the same system performance. And sure, another options is I could clean install Lion and then subsequently upgrade to Mountain Lion. (But then I think we're back to the same argument for Lion.)

Fact: A clean install of Mountain Lion was the least effort for me to get the pristine system and pristine performance I wanted.

And as an interesting bonus. I had the experience of the default settings and apps for Mountain Lion. It was very interesting and I learned things I wouldn't have learned if I had done an upgrade. It was interesting to see some new features that I would have missed with an upgrade. For this reason alone, I'd probably do a clean install again on the next major release.

Erik

 

[rangen]

I think people are arguing over the theoretical, reasonable, practical, and benificial here. For me, all things considered, it was best to do a clean install.

1) It is a fact that there are system directories and files that apps, tools, and mucking around with oneself will alter performance -- boot performance and running performance. (I've personally seen VPN software, virtual machine software, Mac ports of Linux tools, specialty drivers, and other how-to- instructions modify system files and add things to special startup directories.)

2) It is a fact that I personally don't physically have the mental capacity needed nor Mac OS X expertise needed to remember all of the various tool installs and sudo mucking with system files that I've done over the years. It is also a fact that I don't have all the knowledge of all the changes all of these tools have themselves done to my system files. So without a clean install, I personally can't get a pristine system back - ever.

3) I have experienced, absolutely, that Mac OS upgrades are considerate of my previous application and tool installs and tweaks I have made to my system files and directories. I have witnessed upgrades leaving my system files and directories (including startup files and directories) that have been tweaked alone -- or careful not to delete anything added. And I have seen upgrades wipe out and rewrite those very same files if they were never altered.

4) It is a fact that with non-infinite resources, I could learn myself or hire someone to manually put my system back and all of it's startup files and directories back to pristine condition such that an upgrade or clean install will get me the same system performance. And sure, another options is I could clean install Lion and then subsequently upgrade to Mountain Lion. (But then I think we're back to the same argument for Lion.)

Fact: A clean install of Mountain Lion was the least effort for me to get the pristine system and pristine performance I wanted.

And as an interesting bonus. I had the experience of the default settings and apps for Mountain Lion. It was very interesting and I learned things I wouldn't have learned if I had done an upgrade. It was interesting to see some new features that I would have missed with an upgrade. For this reason alone, I'd probably do a clean install again on the next major release.

Erik

RE: the default settings, I hadn't thought of that, but it's certainly true

 

[kemo]

Disagree. I did a clean install to clean everything out and not put back useless crap, and it has bitten me in the ass. Aside from having a new home directory recreated on every reboot, the computer will randomly restart itself about five times a day. The finder and dock will also randomly restart themselves throughout the day.

Looks like you missed one more crap to remove then, because these issues are hardly made by OSX, some apps has to be involved in this. Try to check Console.

 

[maflynn]

Long thread and late to the party but I've been running ML on a 2010 MBP and a 2012 rMBP and in both cases I upgraded, not gone the way of a clean install. I've not seen any problems with performance.

I did a clean install of Lion on my 2010 MBP and it was stable and fast. In the past I usually went the route of clean instal but this time I opted not too and so far have not regretted it

 

[MacDawg]

To Whom It May Concern:
While you were busy doing your clean install, I was already using my MBA with no issues whatsoever