Now that Apple has released OS X Mavericks to the masses -- for free -- we know that plenty of users are busy downloading the latest software update and preparing to install the new operating system.
As with OS X Lion and OS X Mountain Lion, Apple makes it easy for users to install the upgrade by downloading Mavericks from the
">App Store and running the installer.
This method works for almost all users -- it keeps your data and existing programs intact and upgrades your machine to the latest OS. But sometimes, you might not want to do a regular OS upgrade.
It's possible to do a clean install of OS X Mavericks on your Mac -- or on a new hard drive, if you're upgrading or repairing your Mac -- but it takes a bit of work.
The process is a bit more complicated than it has been in previous years, but it's still relatively easy to create a bootable copy of OS X Mavericks that you can run from a USB stick or other drive.
Note: A clean install will erase all of the contents on your disk drive. Make sure to back up your important files, settings and apps before proceeding.
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After the Install
After installing OS X Mavericks, you can start restoring your programs and settings using either a Time Machine backup or Migration Assistant.
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