I am amazed at how many people reinstall the OS when problems strike.

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Reinstalling the OS is among the last steps to take when problems strike... many users jump to this step. There are perhaps 20 other things to try first when problems strike.

Ok, I know this because I'm reading "Mac OSX Essentials- a guide to supporting and troubleshooting Mac OSX 10.4". An apple training series book... (my test is Friday btw)... much of the book applies to OS 10.5 also... which will be my next test :)

Link


check table of contents, and the troubleshooting flowchart in appendix A...

I see it only shows a page or two... but the point is, reinstalling the OS is a last resort. :)

google troubleshoot osx for some useful links.
 
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In many cases, people can reinstall an OS in less time than it takes to figure out a problem. I know I typically reinstalled Windows 98 about every couple months regardless of if I even had a problem. Of course, that OS was junk, but you know.
 
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I see it only shows a page or two... but the point is, reinstalling the OS is a last resort. :)

and yet it will continually be offered as an initial step.
 
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It's a holdover method from the Windows days. Whenever Windows had any issues, people would reinstall. These people bring this same mentality over to OS X, not realizing that it's a far more drastic and unnecessary step for Macs.
 
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I am used to it because of my Windows days.

Sometimes it does feel good to just start off clean though. :)
 
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I never wipe OS X unless the hard drive wears out and I have to get a new one or a new major release comes out and I try to tell people the alternatives when a problem arises.
 
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I reformatted my PowerBook recently... it was the first and only time I've done it in the almost 3 and a half years I've had it.

And that was only after I completed all of the steps outlined in this sticky thread.
 
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what kills me is that Apple will tell you to do an archive and install within an hour of troubleshooting.
 
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what kills me is that Apple will tell you to do an archive and install within an hour of troubleshooting.
That is the sign of a tech that is being pressured to 'resolve' an issue within a preset time limit given to them by management... or they could just be lazy.
 
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Yep, it's all about metrics. This is pervasive throughout the industry.
 
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I think it's sad because it prevents people from learning how to recover from mistakes and how their system works.
 
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I haven't yet had to wipe my Macs clean and start fresh except for a new HD in my Mini the day I bought it home (went from a 60Gb to a 160Gb drive). I've gotten god at formatting and reinstalling XP (supporting friends systems) that I finally have a computer here dedicated to breaking then fixing XP without formatting. I'ts not the preferred method anymore.
 
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I was told by a 'genius' to archive and install to fix my dodgy inverter and non-functioning superdrive... he never explained how exactly I should do that, or how that will solve any of my problems. On the plus side he did manage to fix a broken key on my keyboard.
 
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apart from updates, and cloning the start-up disk on to a bigger drive I have never done a fresh install on my old G4, and I have had it 4 years now
 

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