Is your macOS operating system corrupted by viruses and are you thinking about how to format your MacBook Pro? In this article, we’ll show you how you can completely format your MacBook Pro and what to do if you find it difficult to do it.
Apple Inc introduced Macbook Pro in January 2006 as a higher-end model in the Macintosh notebook lineup. It is available with 13 and 16-inch screens. The 17-inch and 15-inch screen models have been discontinued. Online surveys indicate that MacBook Pro is better than the consumer-focused Macbook Air in quite a few ways.
Like any other operating system, the macOS is vulnerable to viruses and bugs. This can slow the performance of your MacBook Pro. To fix this issue, you may need to format your notebook. Let’s find out how to do it with easy do-it-yourself steps.
Do Macs get viruses?
Sadly yes, malware can affect your MacBook Pro. Although Macs are less vulnerable to viruses and hack attempts than Windows computers, however, they are not completely safe.
Luckily, Apple and cyber security companies are working together to keep your MacBook Pro safe from online threats. Apple recommends and discourages the use of any third-party apps that are not in the App Store. However, you can get the security through Mac’s built-in anti-malware which blocks and removes unwanted software.
Mac anti-malware uses execute disable, address space layout randomization, system protection, Xprotect, Apple’s security and privacy, and gatekeeper to keep the system safe. However, fake apps and updates introduce the malware in your Mac system when you view endless annoying ads resulting in information leaks to help hackers spy on you.
Also, opening a fraudulent link from your email triggers the automatic installation of malware in your MacBook Pro. Malware can be Spyware, Adware, Ransomware, Trojans, and Cryptominers.
Does my MacBook Pro have a virus?
If you want to know that your MacBook Pro has a virus, check out the following warning signs.
- Malicious banners and pop up ads continuously showing up through the apps
- Seeing unknown apps installed on your MacBook pro
- Your Mac is crashing way too often
- MacBook is overheating
- Mac processing speed goes up and down for no apparent reason
How do I completely format my MacBook pro?
Other than the warning signs mentioned above, you may have installed an outdated version of the OS X or may have erased the startup disk that is causing your MacBook Pro to behave abnormally. Therefore, to fix all of these issues, you may need to format your MacBook Pro. Let’s find out how to do it.
Command Keys
- First, turn on your MacBook Pro and wait for the startup sound
- After you hear the startup sound, immediately press & hold the Command + R keys on your keyboard
- When you see the Apple logo on the screen, release bot the Command and the R key
Choose the type of internet connection
Next, you have to select an option to connect your MacBook Pro to the internet. You can do it in the following ways.
- Connect the notebook directly to your router with an ethernet cable
- Connect the MacBook Pro directly to your WIFI network
Once your MacBook is connected to the internet, you will see a Recovery Menu appear on the screen.
Disk Utility feature
- Under the Recovery Menu option, click on the Disk Utility feature and then click Continue to initiate the Disk Utility Menu on your screen.
- Now go to the Format drop-down menu and select “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)”
- In the left pane, locate the start-up disk. In many cases, the startup disk’s default name is “Macintosh HD OS X.”
- Next, click on Erase to erase your MacBook pro startup disk
Reinstall OS X
Now that you have formatted your startup disk, it is time to reinstall OS X on your MacBook Pro. To do this:
- Exit the Disk Utility menu by clicking “Quit Disk Utility”
- Head back to the Recovery Menu and select “Reinstall OS X”
- Select the option to continue and follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall OS X. Once the process is complete, your MacBook Pro is formatted with a newly installed OS X.
Why can’t I erase my MacBook pro?
The Disk Utility feature displays the volume of your connected drives instead of showing the drives themselves. A volume is a section of your drive that you store your data in. Therefore, you need to erase the parent drive to format your MacBook. To do this:
- Go to the Recovery Menu and navigate to the Disk Utility option
- Locate the “View” option on the top of your screen and then select “Show all devices”
- Choose the parent folder of the drive that you want to format
- Hit the Erase button to erase all the volume within the parent drive
What is the First Aid feature in MacBook Pro?
Before you format your drive or startup disk, the Disk Utility feature has a First Aid option that you can use to fix most of the issues related to your drives such as corrupt OS X, unusual behavior, or slow processing. The First Aid kit runs a scan that checks the entire disk for errors and notifies you if a repair can be done. To run the First Aid check:
- Open the Disk Utility feature on your MacBook Pro and select the drive from the left pane that you want to format
- Now instead of hitting the erase button, click the First Aid button and agree to the conditions
- Wait for some time to let First Aid complete the scan complete and to fix the errors
- Repeat the same process for the parent drive as well
Does formatting MacBook make it faster?
Yes, formating your MacBook does make it faster by cleaning your drives and wiping out all cache files. Furthermore, if you format and upgrade to the latest version of OS X, the outcome would be much better.
However, formatting does have its ups and downs. Let’s find out the advantages and disadvantages of formatting MacBook Pro.
Advantages of formatting MacBook Pro
- Formatting helps clear hard drive space by completely wiping the data along with the unnecessary files. Thus, more free space means more performance.
- After formatting, the damaged and corrupted files are replaced with new ones that make the operating system reinstall process very easy.
- Formatting helps clean all the invisible malware and bugs in your MacBook Pro OS X that takes up most of the drive space resulting in slow notebook performance.
Disadvantages of Formatting MacBook Pro
- If you forget to backup your data before formatting, all of it will be gone forever as the process is irreversible.
- Trying to reformat your drive occasionally can sometimes cause bad sectors on the hard drive. This is because the system is overwriting each block of data over and again to format it for initial use. However, your drive has a finite amount of writes. Therefore, doing it periodically causes additional stress to the drive and thus results in bad sectors.
Conclusion
We hope that this guide helped you figure out why you should consider formatting your MacBook Pro and how you can do it yourself. We recommend that you backup all your data before going on with the disk formatting process. However, try to avoid doing it too many times as occasional reformatting damages the hard drive’s health by developing bad sectors on it.
