Click on Disk Utility then Continue first of all to get your Mac's hard drive wiped. Select your startup drive on the left (typically Macintosh HD), switch to the Erase tab and choose Mac OS.
It’s likely that you have already moved your old Mac’s data to your new machine. However, it’s always a good idea to have a backup around, just in case you find something you missed moving over during the transfer. (And, this ALWAYS happens!) For those of you who have been using Time Machine to backup your old Mac, you’re good to go. Just be sure not to write over your Time Machine backup when you start backing up your new machine. Other backup options include such utilities as SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner. These utilities can clone your Mac’s hard drive to an external hard drive. If needed, you can even boot your Mac from the clone on the external drive. If you used iTunes on your old Mac, remember that Apple’s iTunes only allows a certain number of devices to be authorized with any one iTunes account.
Remember to deauthorize your old Mac, so you can easily add your new Mac to the account. To deauthorize a Mac, simply start iTunes, then look for the “Account” menu option. Click it, and then bring your mouse pointer down to “Authorizations” in the pull-down menu.
In the fly-out menu that appears, click “Deauthorize This Computer” You’ll be asked for your iTunes password. Enter it, and then click “Deauthorize.”.
Now, Select “Disk Utility,” and then click on “Continue.” Select your Mac’s Startup Disk in the sidebar on the left, and then click your mouse pointer on the “Erase” tab on the right-hand side of the window. If you are afraid someone might try to recover your data, click on the “Security Options” button and select a higher form of security for erasing your data. (Note: This WILL take quite a bit longer than a normal erase.) Click the “Erase” button and the utility will begin to erase your hard drive. WARNING: Before formatting, be VERY sure you either have a backup, or are sure that you do not want anything that remains on the hard drive. This will permanently erase your Mac’s hard drive.
When the drive is erased, exit the utility by selecting “Disk Utility,” and then “Quit Disk Utility.” (For more information about erasing your hard drive,.).
. You really don't have to do that to install High Sierra on the disk.
The Disk Utility of your HIGH SIERRA USB installer, when it reaches the Installation screen Disk Utility, can do Erase to do the needful and during installation, will use the system partition to copy the High Sierra to it. Later Multibeast when used choosing Quick Start or Bootloaders tab will overwrite whatever file s were there in the EFI Partition and create a new EFI folder to install CLOVER. Thanks for the quick response. I've got one more question though. You mentioned that multibeast will overwrite any files found in the EFI volume when performing the boot loader installation. How is it then that the bootloader theme I downloaded and chose with my previous installation keeps presenting itself on boot?
It seems my config.plst is preserved, which is why I was contemplating ways to wipe the EFI partition to ensure no settings/kexts/etc from a previous installation would affect the new one. Thanks for the quick response.
I've got one more question though. You mentioned that multibeast will overwrite any files found in the EFI volume when performing the boot loader installation. How is it then that the bootloader theme I downloaded and chose with my previous installation keeps presenting itself on boot? It seems my config.plst is preserved, which is why I was contemplating ways to wipe the EFI partition to ensure no settings/kexts/etc from a previous installation would affect the new one. Is that theme one of the themes offered by current Multibeast's Clover?. Without seeing that theme and the Version of MB you have used, I cannot comment on your experience with Multibeat installation and the choices you have made. As far as Clover is concerned, all that MB does is to install a version of Clover as UEFI or Legacy used in that build of MBeast.
It is similar to your own use of the same Clover version as a Stand alone downloaded from the Sourceforge.net but made a lot easier. If you delete the EFI partition in Terminal diskutil command as previously posted, and then create a new in GPT scheme using diskutil command, that newly created EFI partition will be empty when mounted using an EFI mounter command or app all previous files will be deleted. I hope this answers your question. Is that theme one of the themes offered by current Multibeast's Clover?. As far as Clover is concerned, all that MB does is to install a version of Clover as UEFI or Legacy used in that build of MBeast. It is similar to your own use of the same Clover version as a Stand alone downloaded from the Sourceforge.net but made a lot easier.
If you delete the EFI partition in Terminal diskutil command as previously posted, and then create a new in GPT scheme using diskutil command, that newly created EFI partition will be empty when mounted using an EFI mounter command or app all previous files will be deleted. I hope this answers your question. Hello I ran into similar issue/question here. I want to have a fresh install of HS in my machine.
After several install using USB boot disk created using UniBeast, I found out that the settings of macOS is the same with previous install. What seems to be different is the SMBIOS.
Even Rt Variables are still same with previous install. Thus I am thinking of deletin the EFI. Instead of formatting, can I just delete whatever the file inside the EFI using finder, restart the machine, and install new one from boot diak I have of my previous install?
Will thus achieve the expected result of real fresh new HS with fresh settings? Hello I ran into similar issue/question here. I want to have a fresh install of HS in my machine. After several install using USB boot disk created using UniBeast, I found out that the settings of macOS is the same with previous install. What seems to be different is the SMBIOS. Even Rt Variables are still same with previous install. Thus I am thinking of deletin the EFI.
Instead of formatting, can I just delete whatever the file inside the EFI using finder, restart the machine, and install new one from boot diak I have of my previous install? Will thus achieve the expected result of real fresh new HS with fresh settings? I don't know if I understood you right. If you just want the contents of EFI partition deleted and create new content, yes you can do that. But I guess you need to know that the EFI Partition is HIDDEN. You cannot just use a Search & Find tool for that. You have to 'unhide' EFI partition of the disk in which it is created during Erase Disk tool in Disk Utility.
The Disk Utility selects the first 200+MB of the disk and makes it EFI partition. If you don't further partition that disk it will leave all of the rest of the disk to save your macOS Sierra with a smaller portion for Recovery Partition or Recover HD.
The 200MB EFI is set aside for the Bootloader CLOVER. If you are using Unibeast to install your macOS on a hard disk so created, it will copy all the macOS Sierra files to the larger Partition in the 30-45 minutes Unibeast DOES NOT install its CLOVER in the hard disks' EFI Partition. The System disk created by Unibeast (or terminal command) will not boot as it has No Clover bootloader. You need Multibeast to find the EFI partition and Create an EFI folder and place CLOVER in it.
To create that CLOVER to boot in Legacy or UEFI mode, you need to specify that choice up front in the Multibeast. Multibeast will also give you a chance to select what ever kexts you think your motherboard's Audio/Ethernet/USB hub etc needs based on its Chipset for these devices. Multibeast CANNOT DECIDE what your MoBo needs for its kexts. YOU have to know this before you ever start to build and then from the various Menus inside Multibeast, find what you need. I have seen many complaining about Multibeast for their failure to find their MoBo's Documentation to decide what drivers they need. Multibeast has a large number of menu options to choose from; but it has no way of sniffing out from your MoBo chips and provide the kexts needed for those devices It also has menu to select the SMBIOS Name for your system. This selection is generally provided by MB as the most widely 'acceptable' imac14,2, but NOT ALWAYS the right one for all the myriads of MoBos.
O nce Multibeast finishes all these steps, it will mount the EFI Partition of the hard disk on the Desktop. This is the only time you are going to see EFI Partition mounted automatically on the desktop.
At this time you can use your mouse and keyboard to go inside EFI Folder and find the CLOVER folder, Copy and keep it in some place if you like or edit its contents whatever way you want provided you know what you are doing. You can delete or add files to its kexts/Other and remove empty unwanted numbered folders inside /CLOVER/kexts like 10.6 to 10.13 You can open config.plist in an editor you are comfortable with (but not TextEdit) like Clover Configurator Vibrant (CCV) to edit the various menus of config.plist if you know what you are doing or you have been getting expert help.
But once you shut down or Reboot the computer, you cannot find EFI any longer. It will be hidden by the system to protect its bootloader from accidental deletion. After this, if you ever want to change anything inside EFI, you got to mount the hidden EFI Partition on the Desktop. You can use EFI Mounter V3 to mount it but it is not an editor you can use for config.plist. CCV is an EFI Mounter and Editor in one tool. I don't know if I understood you right.
If you just want the contents of EFI partition deleted and create new content, yes you can do that. But once you shut down or Reboot the computer, you cannot find EFI any longer.
It will be hidden by the system to protect is bootloader from accidental deletion. After this, if you ever want to change anything inside EFI, you got to mount the hidden EFI Partition on the Desktop. You can use EFI Mounter V3 to mount it but it is not an editor you can use for config.plist. CCV is an EFI Mounter and Editor in one tool.
Remember: without CLOVER and its properly installed contents, No disk can boot in macOS the way we create in this Forum ( I am not talking about any other bootloaders-ONLY CLOVER) Do NOT do what you plan to do the way you have phrased it.