Was this clean install?

[Certifiedidiot]

Good day!

I tried to clean install due to issues with Sierra (wanted to revert back to old OS)
Activated erase the Macintosh HD, picked (like idiot I am) the highest erasure mode. It took 10 minutes and nothing moved... I thought I overdid, let's try again - forced shut down to begin anew. (Yes, I am an idiot...)

Opening Mac again using CMD+R, Macintosh HD was now inaccessible. I tried to recover what I could, but it was gone. Somehow I managed to change it into Apple Disk Image I think - one of the four "disks" that appears when entering CMD+R and going to Disk Utility. (Now I had two Apple Disk Images or whatever its exact name was)

I partitioned APPLE HDD and made new Macintosh HD, but that seemed to be empty.

Now I decided it was safest to just call a technician and had him install El Capitan back on and stop being an idiot.

Got my Mac back, it was like first time - appoint my admin user name etc. Those things Mac asks when you get it first time and make it yours.

I'd like to know: does this sound like clean install was done? If there was (doubt it, but just in case) malware or trojan installed, was it wiped out and system is now clean?

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

When you enabled the most secure erasure in Disk Utility > Security Options..., it can take several hours or more to complete, depending on the size of the drive. It may have looked like it wasn't working, but it probably was. There are four settings:

Fastest - takes under a minute

Random/zeros two pass

Department of Energy 3 pass

Most Secure - Department of Defense 7 pass - can take a VERY long time

It sounds like it actually erased your drive (at least the same as the Fastest setting would have) before you canceled the action in Disk Utility by force powering off the Mac. That would be why it wasn't recognized and empty when you repartitioned it. Yes, it does sound like a clean install was done, and yes, that would have wiped out any malware or viruses. You should be good to go.

Hope that helps,

C

 

[Certifiedidiot]

Hello and welcome.

When you enabled the most secure erasure in Disk Utility > Security Options..., it can take several hours or more to complete, depending on the size of the drive. It may have looked like it wasn't working, but it probably was. There are four settings:

Fastest - takes under a minute

Random/zeros two pass

Department of Energy 3 pass

Most Secure - Department of Defense 7 pass - can take a VERY long time

It sounds like it actually erased your drive (at least the same as the Fastest setting would have) before you canceled the action in Disk Utility by force powering off the Mac. That would be why it wasn't recognized and empty when you repartitioned it. Yes, it does sound like a clean install was done, and yes, that would have wiped out any malware or viruses. You should be good to go.

Hope that helps,

C

Thank you for your help!

 

[Cory Cooper]

No worries.

We're here if you need us!

C