Reformat OS X

Note: These instructions are designed to help students living on-campus at the University of Northern Iowa. If you find them beneficial, feel free to use them, but no support will be able to be provided unless you live on-campus at UNI.

Why Should I Reformat My Computer?

Sometimes viruses, spyware, or other programs can corrupt OS X to a degree that they cannot be fixed or would take too long to fix. Reformatting OS X will install a clean copy of the operating system, removing any problems that previously existed.

Before You Reformat

1. Make certain that you back up ALL files that you wish to keep (papers, pictures, music, etc.) because they will all be lost when you reformat. These are typically stored in the My Documents folder, although they may reside in other locations depending on where you save files. Also, any programs that you have installed will need to be re-installed after reformatting, so be sure to save the installers or CDs if you want them back on your computer.

2. Make sure you have your OS X CD, your product key, which is usually located with the disk package, any driver disks that came with your computer or other hardware you installed, and the disks for any programs you want re-installed. If you do not have an OS X CD, you may purchase one from Apple.

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How To Reformat

1. Insert the Mac OS X Install Disc and double-click the Install Mac OS X icon.

2. Follow the on-screen instructions. In the panel where you select the destination disk, select your current Mac OS X disk (in most cases, it will be the only one available).

3. Click Options. Select "Erase and Install".

4. Click Continue.

5. Click Customize to select which parts of Mac OS X you would like to install, or click Install to perform a basic installation (recommended).

6. Once the install process finishes, the machine will restart and Apple's first boot screen will appear. Set up the machine with an account name and Internet access.

7. Run Apple Software Update until the system is completely up to date. Data that was backed up can now be restored to the computer.

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Note: If you were required by ResNet to reformat your computer, please email resnet@uni.edu. If you did not follow all the steps listed above, your computer will not be reformatted properly and will likely be removed from network access.