OS X El Capitan is the latest version of Mac operating system. El Capitan is equipped with all new features and improvements for a Mac user. Some of the notable features are the split view of the applications you may be working on, improved space management, smarter spotlight search feature and more. If you are thinking to use the new El Capitan OS, there are two ways to go - Upgrading the existing system and performing a clean install of the OS. A clean install will wipe out all the existing data on the Mac machine and provide a fresh install. A clean install will be the matter of discussion in this article.
Preparing for installation
1. Minimum system requirements
Before you rush into installing the new OS X, here are few things listed that you should check to get a successful installation of El Capitan:
a) Minimum of 2GB RAM is required for the OS X El Capitan to give a decent performance. However, 4GB should be considered the best.
b) 8GB of free space on the drive is required for installation. This amount is what the OS X El Capitan will occupy. The extra space is required for other storage.
c) A 64-bit processor space and a 64-bit version of EFI firmware.
To check whether, the system meets the requirement “c”, follow the steps below:
a) Go to Applications and open Terminal application.
b) Type the command: Uname –a and press enter.
c) Check the output displayed. It should contain the phrase “X86_64”. If it does not, then you cannot install OS X El Capitan on the given machine.
d) Then, enter the command: ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree -l |grep firmware-abi and press enter.
e) The output should contain the phrase “EFI64”. If it does not, you cannot install El Capitan on the given machine.
2. Data backup
Update to the operating system always has a probability to go haywire. El Capitan, with its new features, changes the system settings and makes changes to the overall machine that may cause data loss. Adding to that; power failures, hardware errors and other unwanted hurdles might escalate the loss of data and normal functioning of the system. Hence, take a Mac backup using Time Machine or other methods as desired. This way, you can restore the system to the working state in case of an update failure.
Getting the clean install done
There are two ways to clean install viz. clean install on startup volume or clean install on empty volume. Before installation, download the installer package. It starts running automatically. Quit the installation if you need to install it on the startup drive. Follow the instructions to create a bootable installation device. Let’s take the installation methods one by one.
1. Clean install on empty volume
This should be straightforward.
a) Launch the installer from the Applications folder and click Continue to start the installation.
b) Then, the wizard asks to accept the license agreement. Read & accept the terms and the process continue.
c) Select the target disk and location where the installation will happen. Enter the admin password if any and continue.
d) The system restarts and the installation progresses on its own. This may take some time.
2. Clean install on startup volume
Once you have prepared the bootable USB drive for installation, shutdown the system and plug in the USB drive. Start the system and hold down the option key. Follow the steps below:
a) You will be displayed with the start up menu. Select the USB device.
b) Select Disk Utility to erase the volume where you need to install the El Capitan.
c) Select the format to be Mac OS X Journaled (Extended). Then click on Erase.
d) You will be back to the startup menu. Select install OS X.
e) Now the two methods follow the same process from here. Repeat the steps (a to d) in point 1 above.
3. Set up process
Once the installation is complete via either of the clean install methods, you will see the login screen on the system. Enter the admin password and follow the steps below:
1. OS X El Capitan asks for an Apple ID. You may choose to enter it or do it later. Providing the Apple ID here will ease the installation process and will automatically set many system preferences.
2. Then the user is prompted to set the preferences for “Find my Mac” which allows remotely locking or erasing the Mac and identifying the geo-location. You may set the preferences now or later.
3. The next step is to set up the iCloud Keychain, which allows you to sync the passwords and other information across the Apple devices. You can set them now or later.
4. This finishes the configuration and shows the new desktop of El Capitan.
Preparing for installation
1. Minimum system requirements
Before you rush into installing the new OS X, here are few things listed that you should check to get a successful installation of El Capitan:
a) Minimum of 2GB RAM is required for the OS X El Capitan to give a decent performance. However, 4GB should be considered the best.
b) 8GB of free space on the drive is required for installation. This amount is what the OS X El Capitan will occupy. The extra space is required for other storage.
c) A 64-bit processor space and a 64-bit version of EFI firmware.
To check whether, the system meets the requirement “c”, follow the steps below:
a) Go to Applications and open Terminal application.
b) Type the command: Uname –a and press enter.
c) Check the output displayed. It should contain the phrase “X86_64”. If it does not, then you cannot install OS X El Capitan on the given machine.
d) Then, enter the command: ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree -l |grep firmware-abi and press enter.
e) The output should contain the phrase “EFI64”. If it does not, you cannot install El Capitan on the given machine.
2. Data backup
Update to the operating system always has a probability to go haywire. El Capitan, with its new features, changes the system settings and makes changes to the overall machine that may cause data loss. Adding to that; power failures, hardware errors and other unwanted hurdles might escalate the loss of data and normal functioning of the system. Hence, take a Mac backup using Time Machine or other methods as desired. This way, you can restore the system to the working state in case of an update failure.
Getting the clean install done
There are two ways to clean install viz. clean install on startup volume or clean install on empty volume. Before installation, download the installer package. It starts running automatically. Quit the installation if you need to install it on the startup drive. Follow the instructions to create a bootable installation device. Let’s take the installation methods one by one.
1. Clean install on empty volume
This should be straightforward.
a) Launch the installer from the Applications folder and click Continue to start the installation.
b) Then, the wizard asks to accept the license agreement. Read & accept the terms and the process continue.
c) Select the target disk and location where the installation will happen. Enter the admin password if any and continue.
d) The system restarts and the installation progresses on its own. This may take some time.
2. Clean install on startup volume
Once you have prepared the bootable USB drive for installation, shutdown the system and plug in the USB drive. Start the system and hold down the option key. Follow the steps below:
a) You will be displayed with the start up menu. Select the USB device.
b) Select Disk Utility to erase the volume where you need to install the El Capitan.
c) Select the format to be Mac OS X Journaled (Extended). Then click on Erase.
d) You will be back to the startup menu. Select install OS X.
e) Now the two methods follow the same process from here. Repeat the steps (a to d) in point 1 above.
3. Set up process
Once the installation is complete via either of the clean install methods, you will see the login screen on the system. Enter the admin password and follow the steps below:
1. OS X El Capitan asks for an Apple ID. You may choose to enter it or do it later. Providing the Apple ID here will ease the installation process and will automatically set many system preferences.
2. Then the user is prompted to set the preferences for “Find my Mac” which allows remotely locking or erasing the Mac and identifying the geo-location. You may set the preferences now or later.
3. The next step is to set up the iCloud Keychain, which allows you to sync the passwords and other information across the Apple devices. You can set them now or later.
4. This finishes the configuration and shows the new desktop of El Capitan.
