Formatting a hard drive along with the install of a new OS is the best option. The vast majority of operating system installations provide a "format" option as part of the installation process.

(Note: This guide is adapted from one I found buried in Google's cache, so I thought Ars might appreciate a more accessible, updated version.)<br><br><b>Introduction</b><br><br>We all know that OS X ...

Like Lion (OS X 10.7) before it, Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8) doesn’t ship on a disc—it’s available only as an installer app downloadable from the Mac App Store ...

A bootable Mac OS X thumb drive comes in handy when you need to troubleshoot OS issues for yourself, your family, or your friends. It’s also extremely useful for keeping your basic setup consistent ...

I recently switched my OS drive to a new, larger SSD so that I would stop running out of space every time a Windows 11 update came around. I had to weigh up the benefits of doing a fresh install or ...

This article guides you through the process of performing a clean installation of macOS 10.14 Mojave using the bootable USB drive method, rather than upgrading your Mac using Apple's standard ...

If you receive an error message indicating that your Mac's firmware is out-of-date, and hence cannot accept installation of Mac OS X from a CD/DVD -- specifically ...

[Editor’s note: This article is part of our series of articles on installing and upgrading to Lion (OS X 10.7). We also have a complete guide to installing and upgrading to Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8).] ...