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Reformatting Apples..

post #1 of 14
6/9/07 at 3:58pm
Thread Starter 
I know for many windows laptops, you are advised to reformat it by reinstalling the OS when it arrives from the company, because they load it with a lot of bloatware and crap. Do we need to do the same thing when we get a new macbook?

Also, if the macbook craps out somehow, does Apple include the OS for you to install? And what are the chances of that happening?
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post #2 of 14
6/9/07 at 7:22pm
apple doesnt do bloatware, everything is removeable also just by dragging the application from the application folder to the trash bin.

Apple also provides a restore disc for your particular model. but the chances of needing to format are slim to nill. I run my Macbook pro 24/7 and for 5 months I haven't needed a format.
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post #3 of 14
6/9/07 at 8:13pm
There are some things that you CAN remove if you want to free up space, but overall not much that will affect performance much by default except in specialized situations.

Seablade
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post #4 of 14
6/9/07 at 8:31pm
the only bloatware i got on mine was an MS office trial and an iWork trial.. but yea, its not hard to remove.. and on the restore disk you have the option to pick and choose what apps, fonts, sounds and extra (print) drivers are installed.
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post #5 of 14
6/9/07 at 8:45pm
Not much more to add except that you may want to check out pacifist if for any reason any of your iLife apps take a dump on you. You can't download GarageBand for instance, and you can't get it off the Restore DVD unless you use Pacifist.

I have reformatted my Mac a couple of times, usually before and after putting Windows on there. I can't always restore my hard drive to a single partition when I get rid of windows, so I had to reformat.
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post #6 of 14
6/12/07 at 8:41pm
agreed.....you can remove apps in seconds on a mac. They come with a basic install and none of the crap you dont need
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post #7 of 14
6/21/07 at 1:08am
begging everyones pardon, but they come with a lot of crap you don't need. not only do they come with trial versions of various software packages (which are easy to uninstall) they also come preloaded with a crap load of printer drivers and language fonts that you'll likely never use (which are harder to uninstall without deeper knowledge of X).

I booted my MBP up to make sure that it worked and then checked the HD usage. I popped the restore disc in there, unchecked the crap I didn't need and came out with 7GB more free on the hard drive. So yes, it is worthwhile to reinstall from the factory.
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post #8 of 14
6/21/07 at 5:35am
Yes, but unlike Windows, all this stuff doesn't load itself in memory the minute the machine starts, nor does it clog up a registry further slowing the computer down.

And there are programmes out there that will remove the extra languages and printer drivers and such without having to do a reformat.
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post #9 of 14
6/21/07 at 12:44pm
Kakaze is dead on, see my response above.

I CAN do an install in under 5 gigs, even on 10.4, easily. The question is is it worth it when the vast majority(any?) of it does not affect your day to day performance, unlike Windows installs on most machines. For most people they can leave that stuff on there and never notice it.

Seablade
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post #10 of 14
6/23/07 at 3:49pm
If I want to reformat one, what should I do? Just insert the install disk? I just bought the 15.4" MBP with the 2.4MHz processor. I want more space, because I am going to add XP or Vista with Boot Camp.
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post #11 of 14
6/23/07 at 4:36pm
Drop the disk in, and hold 'C' after a restart. This will make it boot from the disk, and then you can go through the process. But like many have pointed out, a full reformat is not absolutely needed since you can remove most all of the programs you may not want.

But following what I said, you can reformat no problem.
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post #12 of 14
6/23/07 at 4:47pm
if it is a new computer, the reformat is the easiest solution, as with some of the programs it is not just a matter of deleting the program, but also deleting the libraries it installed with it (Garageband's libraries of samples etc, I am look at you)

Plus it allows you to see just how much other stuff you can easily get rid of, for instance TONS of localization that 99% of people will never use.

Seablade
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post #13 of 14
6/23/07 at 5:26pm
I went ahead and inserted the disk. It does seem that the reformat is the best for an absolutely new computer. I saw some things that I could easily remove. I wondered about Garage Band, as that seemed to take a lot of space, and also the printer drivers. Do you have to install them all or it better to leave it unchecked and then see if my printer has a driver cd for the Mac? Thanks for all the advice. I had a thread about not being able to decide between an HP 9500t or the MBP. I'm really happy I chose the MBP.
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post #14 of 14
6/23/07 at 6:12pm
you are always best to reformat/remove uneeded junk, even if it doesn't directly eat your ram/cpu. this all comes down to hdd space and fragmentation. the more you add/delete/move stuff around the more likely you are to frag up your drive. also by having all those trials and useless locales installed you are taking up valuable hdd space, which in the begining when you have a only 10 of 60gb used doesn't seem like a probelm, but once you are pushing the 55/60 mark ..you start to notice the pinch.

so that holds true for printer drivers as well. why install 5 gigs of drivers for printers you will never ever plug into your computer when all you really need is just one, maybe 2 drivers. if there is no native mac support....there is always CUPS.
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