MacAir Help Grayhaired Grandma

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This Macbook Air was purchased in early September 2014. When I got it home I transferred everything from my older Macbook Air mid 2011 basically cloning the older one. They are both using the OS 10.9.5. I have refrained from installing Yosemite because of the horrid connection problems so many people seemed to have, because I was already having unexplainable connection problems on the older MacAir. I had spent hours with AppleCare and at Genuis bars trying to resolve it, to no avail. Anyway, when I transferred everything over to this new one I evidently also transferred the random connection problems. I would like to take this new one back to the "fresh from factory" state and then I guess install the latest OSX. The problem is...I don't know how to do that. I also don't know how to then copy my email, documents, pictures, etc from my time machine backups. I'm not very tech savvy AT ALL! Any help for me?
 

pigoo3

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Anyway, when I transferred everything over to this new one I evidently also transferred the random connection problems.

By "connection problems" are you talking connection to the internet? And if so…are you talking about your internet connection in your home via a WiFi connection?

If this s all true…do you have any problems with other devices at home connecting to the internet via WiFi? The reason why I'm asking is…these connection problems could be your "internet equipment":

- the cable modem if you have internet via a cable tv company
- the WiFi router (the "thing" that provides the WiFi signal in your home)
- it could even be poor signal strength or signal quality in the coaxial cable coming into your home

Lastly. You could take a trip to somewhere with free WiFi (McDonald's, shopping mall, Starbuck's, etc.) and try your computer there to see if you have "connection problems". If you don't have a problem when at these places…then the problem would have something to do with the setup at home (and not actually the computer).

Just a bunch of ideas…that you may or may not have already explored.

- Nick
 
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MacAir Help for Grayhaired Grandma

"If this s all true…"

If this s all true????? I wouldn't lie about it!!

My question was not about my connection problems. Believe me I've been all over the place trying everything, asking everyone for help. I'm just living with it...now with two computers doing the same thing. And no,none of my other devices (Ipad3, and Android phone) have the connection problem. Neither do my adult kids' computers when they come to visit and use our wifi. I do not have the troubles when I'm on wifi anyplace else. It seemingly is something with my version of my OS communicating with my wifi. It seemed to have started happening after a Mavericks software update in August of 2013. I've tried every suggestion I can think of. I wasn't smart enough to realize that when I made this new MBA a clone of the older one, that I might also be transferring whatever glitch there was too. I only wanted all my "stuff", my programs, my apps, my documents, my email, my pictures but I didn't know enough to know of a way to get them except for transferring everything. So now I'm asking for help in taking this new one back to "factory new" and then getting Yosemite, and then hopefully someone can tell me how to just get what I want back on here from my time machine backups.

I do thank you for your response, but everything you suggested has been tried and investigated. Now I just want to erase it and start over.

Graygirl
 

pigoo3

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"If this s all true…"

If this s all true????? I wouldn't lie about it!!

I think that you are misunderstanding my reply. I was asking a bunch of questions so I could better understand your situation. These questions obviously have answers (which only you know)...and that's why I asked them.

When I said "If this is all true?...I wasn't suggesting you were lying. What was meant was...I was trying to confirm if I understood your situation correctly (based on what I wrote in my reply).

My question was not about my connection problems.

Really?? Maybe you need to reread your original post! Does this look familar??:

"Anyway, when I transferred everything over to this new one I evidently also transferred the random connection problems."

"...random connection problems." Seems to me that the main problem mentioned in your post was "connection problems". If this ISN'T the problem...why even mention it then??

I do thank you for your response, but everything you suggested has been tried and investigated. Now I just want to erase it and start over.

Guess what?? We are not mind readers. I ask questions to better understand your situation. If you did lots of these things that I mentioned...then you need to tell us (since I cannot read your mind). I asked some friendly questions...so why not just answer them (which you kind of did...but not in the most frendly manner).

You already mentioned that you are "not very tech savvy AT ALL!". So why not let me help you...and just answer the questions I ask?? Maybe I know something that you don't...and maybe the answers to the questions I ask may help me come up with a solution to the problems.

You may not be "very tech savvy AT ALL!"...but the written word has been around for thousands of years. So if you want some help...being friendly will go a long way to getting helped. :)

The tone of your post does not seem to be a very friendly. When you are on an internet forum...you need to choose your words carefully. Because the words you pick...and the way that you "assemble them"...determine the "tone" of the post.

You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar!!!;)

- Nick
 
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MacAir Help for Grayhaired Grandma

Let me try to get off on a better foot. I admit that your first words of "if this is true" really struck me as you doubting what I had written was true and I reacted to that.

And my original question was not about my ongoing connection problem, but was about looking for help in finding out how to get this newer Macbook Air back to factory fresh so I could then get a brand new Yosemite OS which would hopefully rid me of whatever glitch that was causing the connection problem. I wrote about that to try to explain WHY I wanted to go back to factory settings. I've given up on ever finding out what is causing the random connection problem. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear, and I'm sorry for getting my back up when thinking you were doubting the truth of my words.

I do certainly thank you for your response and your attempt to help what you thought was my problem. Please accept my apologies for the misunderstanding.

Graygirl
 

pigoo3

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No problems:)...misunderstandings do happen.

- Nick
 
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Have you asked the geniuses to reinstall the OS for you?
 
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chas_m

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Here's what I would do:

1. Run Time Machine so that all your stuff is backed up and "up to date."

2. Restart the machine and hold down "command" and the R key (command-r). You'll be presented with some options, one of which is "Disk Utility."

3. Use Disk Utility to erase the main partition (it won't erase the Recovery partition you're currently booted from. As the name implies, this erases the hard drive completely. Once this is done, quit Disk Utility.

4. Now you have the option on installing OS X. Select that, and sign in with your Apple ID/iTunes account login. This will probably offer you only the option of installing Yosemite.

5. Once Yosemite is installed, the machine will reboot and act as if you just bought it, running through the usual machine setup routine. At one point, it will ask you if you want to restore your account from Time Machine. Restore your data from Time Machine, or just the Applications if you want to start over with a new account that has none of your old stuff.

That should do the trick.
 

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