If I reinstall a Mac (mini), will it be the current OS or what it was shipped with?

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lyonrouge

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Topic # 112980 31-Dec-2012 08:49

I purchased a Mac mini in March and want to sell it. In preparation for this I need to erase it. It was shipped with Lion and I purchased Mountain Lion from the App Store, which was a download without media. If I erase and reinstall it, will it go back to Lion, or does the download update the built-in recover disc also?

Also, will the reinstall delete the dual boot partition, or do I need to perform that manually?

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Reply # 738789 31-Dec-2012 09:25

The Moutain Lion is tied to your Apple ID/iTunes Account. So the system itself should be restored to its factory OS.

p/s: I remember you were asking about dual audio output for HDMI and the stereo/optical out.. in Mountain Lion has Audio MIDI Setup that allow you to create multi-output device which could consist of any audio output... you then can select fromt the Sound preference in System Preferences (or Alt/Option-click on Sound icon in menu)

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lyonrouge

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Reply # 738792 31-Dec-2012 09:42

Thanks for audio advice, however I have completely replaced the Mac with a (hardwired) AirPort Express (for the deck and providing "Apple Friendly" WiFi AP) and Apple TV (living room AV via HDMI).

Configured two separate activities on the Harmony remote "Media on TV" (Apple TV with display on) and "Listen Media" (Apple TV without display). When in the latter mode, controlled via Apple Remote application on iPhones or iPads.

This combination (a third of the price of the Mac Mini) has provided a sublime solution, with display independent audio management, providing split or concurrent output. Gold.

Missing link, TV on demand is partly filled by PS3 (TVNZ).

chiefie

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Reply # 738793 31-Dec-2012 09:46

OT: I recently done the similar and discovered the ML has built-in solution for multi-output.. So I used Remoteless for Spotify playback, whilst has HDMI connected to TV, and can either use audio out to Stereo or AirPlay to Airport Express... anyhow, thought you may keen as I only discovered this over the weekend been a godsend.

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lyonrouge

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Reply # 738794 31-Dec-2012 09:53

Pardon my ignorance, what is "ML"?

I think if the mini still had Front Row I may have persevered. What I'm enjoying with the Apple TV is that when I have it in "Display on" mode, it is completely operational from the remote (the mini was a drama of finding the keyboard when AirServer didn't cut the mustard). The Apple TV is currently living a shared existence, so if I could put the Mini back and let the Apple TV perform it's second role as a dedicated role, this would be a win all round (I was selling the Mac mini to fund another Apple TV and put some $$$ back in my pocket.

Note: Will retain AirPort Express regardless as I enjoy having the analogue signal completely independent.

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Reply # 738796 31-Dec-2012 09:57

lyonrouge: Pardon my ignorance, what is "ML"?

Mountain Lion.

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lyonrouge

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Reply # 738803 31-Dec-2012 10:15

Thanks. Does ML have any UI improvements relating to IR remote operability? Any rumours of the return of Front Row? The Mac mini as the utopian HTPC has been a bitter disappointment. The hardware had such hope, but the software, well...

Dunnersfella

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Reply # 738818 31-Dec-2012 10:39

I'm more than happy with my MacMini as the hub of our home actually...
And have actually lent my Gen 2. Apple TV to a mate.
The Airport Express is sitting in a box upstairs currently.
So what has taken over?
Plex on the Mac and on our iOS devices. We dropped multi-room audio for the convenience of iPad / iPhone screens and good headphones.
I'm sending audio out of the MacMini via USB to a Firestone ILTW DAC, then into my 2-channel integrated Marantz. Then, audio and video at the same time (if needed) to my Panasonic TV.
I've used a free app called soundstage to create shortcuts so I can easily use the mouse to flick between USB DAC's... but it's not something I do on a regular basis.
For a keyboard / mouse I'm running a Mac touchpad and Mac bluetooth keyboard inside a Clique Henge Dock
http://hengedocks.com/order_clique.php
I'm not really into smart remotes personally, and will instead drop MySky in favour of a NetFlix / Hulu subscription... meaning one less remote and more use of my keyboard + mouse.

Just my experience.

lyonrouge

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Reply # 738837 31-Dec-2012 11:46

The purpose to be served is an end-point renderer, not a hub.

The ecosystem is primarily Apple, with iTunes (RAID 5) as the content server with AirPlay as the protocol for the renderers, along with support for iOS & Android as controllers.

The AirPlay strength, over DLNA, for me, is that is reports back to the server the current playback position, so when I stop watching content in the Living room, I can resume on the same display or another, i.e. the Apple TV in the bedroom.

Unless I can get the mini to behave as a Apple TV with a computer underneath, it has no real purpose.

ps. I've tried using it as a stand alone computer over the last couple of weeks and found no redemption there either.

chiefie

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Reply # 738839 31-Dec-2012 11:50

Dunnersfella: I'm more than happy with my MacMini as the hub of our home actually...
And have actually lent my Gen 2. Apple TV to a mate.
The Airport Express is sitting in a box upstairs currently.
So what has taken over?
Plex on the Mac and on our iOS devices. We dropped multi-room audio for the convenience of iPad / iPhone screens and good headphones.
I'm sending audio out of the MacMini via USB to a Firestone ILTW DAC, then into my 2-channel integrated Marantz. Then, audio and video at the same time (if needed) to my Panasonic TV.
I've used a free app called soundstage to create shortcuts so I can easily use the mouse to flick between USB DAC's... but it's not something I do on a regular basis.
For a keyboard / mouse I'm running a Mac touchpad and Mac bluetooth keyboard inside a Clique Henge Dock
http://hengedocks.com/order_clique.php
I'm not really into smart remotes personally, and will instead drop MySky in favour of a NetFlix / Hulu subscription... meaning one less remote and more use of my keyboard + mouse.

Just my experience.

If you have ML, you don't need Soundstage as I found out.. Check out Audio MIDI Setup, and use Alt/Option-click on Sound icon in menu to achieve which output you want - even those that you created in/with Audio MIDI Setup. Really handy.

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chiefie

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Reply # 738840 31-Dec-2012 11:52

lyonrouge: The purpose to be served is an end-point renderer, not a hub.

The ecosystem is primarily Apple, with iTunes (RAID 5) as the content server with AirPlay as the protocol for the renderers, along with support for iOS & Android as controllers.

The AirPlay strength, over DLNA, for me, is that is reports back to the server the current playback position, so when I stop watching content in the Living room, I can resume on the same display or another, i.e. the Apple TV in the bedroom.

Unless I can get the mini to behave as a Apple TV with a computer underneath, it has no real purpose.

ps. I've tried using it as a stand alone computer over the last couple of weeks and found no redemption there either.

I think you may have heard of AirServer which allowing your Mac be turned into AirPlay Receiver.

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lyonrouge

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Reply # 738842 31-Dec-2012 12:04

Yes, I purchased AirServer, but it has no IR integration, so you can only send content to it via an AirPlay controller device.

lyonrouge

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Reply # 738848 31-Dec-2012 13:01

Dunnersfella: Plex on the Mac and on our iOS devices.

I'm assuming from the fact that you have the Plex software on the Mac and the iOS devices that this is not an overlay on iTunes, but a stand alone proprietary content management solution?

lyonrouge

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Reply # 738869 31-Dec-2012 13:38

Note: I have also tried Remote Buddy, but it does not support remote content, only local and does not support AirServer.

lyonrouge

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Reply # 738877 31-Dec-2012 13:45

and I've tried XBMC and dual booting with Windows Media Server, but of course, they don't support AirPlay and hence cannot connect to the iTunes server.

oh, I've also been down the DLNA path ad infinitum, I have Twonky over all the content (iTunes links to a subset) and I can use Twonky as a mechanism to access archived media, sending to AirPlay devices via Twonky mobile (Android) or MediaConnect (iOS).

If I had a spare HDMI connection I would probably use the Mac mini for TV On Demand and Apple TV for the rest, but all HDMI are full, so someone has to go. Apple TV via the remote is easy to use for vision impaired, another factor in our household.

lyonrouge

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Reply # 739313 2-Jan-2013 09:30

During the installation, the Mac wants the Apple ID, how do I go past this. I don't want the new installation to have any of my personal details, especially my Apple ID?

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