I finally restored my Macbook

glb613 · ‎03-09-2010

I've been thinking about doing this for several months and finally did it today. My Macbook pro was running hot doing almost nothing. I know it wasn't because of blocked or dirty vents but, didn't know what was causing it. It was also running slow and taking forever to open programs. I did go to YouTube and watched a video on how to take it back to factory specs before I proceeded. I'm now in the process of loading back only what I want or need. This isn't my main computer but, I need it up and running well before I do the same thing to my iMac. Both are 5 years old and I think starting over will be a good move for both of them.

I did a complete backup before I started but decided I don't want to put everything back. I also did a drag and drop save of data and will decide what I put back on the hard drive and what I'll access via the external drive when I need it.

It was easier than redoing a Windows based machine because there isn't as many updates. The last time I did a restore on a Windows machine, it took hours just to download and install the updates needed.

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

My last PC was running really hot, even after I wiped it. The CPU was always red lining so I did a little internet searching and found out that I needed to adjust the processor, AMD Radeon, setting to a lower performance one. That slowed my PC down a bit but at least I wasn't ruining the CPU by over heating it. I have since bought a newer PC that has a much better processor...it's the newer AMD Ryzen, lightning fast!

Sweetbay magnolia · ‎04-14-2013

@glb613, has it improved the performance?

We have an early 2011 iMac. It's a bit slow, but then it's an early 2011 iMac. (when did a PC ever last this long?)

What backup device do you use? Have you any problem getting it back to the current OS?

The reason I ask is, when I updated our 2011 I had to cross a bridge to get to High Sierra due to my own negligence in updates.

Cogito ergo sum

glb613 · ‎03-09-2010

@Sweetbay magnolia wrote:
@glb613, has it improved the performance?

We have an early 2011 iMac. It's a bit slow, but then it's an early 2011 iMac. (when did a PC ever last this long?)

What backup device do you use? Have you any problem getting it back to the current OS?

The reason I ask is, when I updated our 2011 I had to cross a bridge to get to High Sierra due to my own negligence in updates.

I made a back up using Time Machine but I haven't used it. You have the option of using a backup to restore your computer and I decided not to go that route. My thinking is why put it back to the state where I was having problems. It was restored to Maverick which is the operating system factory installed. I went to iTunes, purchased and found several other OS updates. I downloaded El Capitan and everythiing is working great. I haven't decided if I'm going to upgrade to High Sierra or not.

I also did a drag and drop "backup" for documents and photos. I'm going to look at what I have and decide if I'm going to put them back on the hard drive or just access them from the external as I need them. Like I posted, this is not my main computer and I really don't need a lot of stuff on it. It has SS hard drive and isn't very big.

I'm pleased with the performance since I did the erase and reinstall. I plan to do the same thing to my iMac soon. I want to make sure I have what I need on my Macbook first. Despite beiing a fairly easy process, it still takes time to reload everything if you don't want to use a backup to restore.