So after stupidly upgrading the macOS Big Sur on my Mac Mini my Mac Mini from Big Sur to Sonoma and seeing how utter shit it was and how much it broke my workflow, I decided it was time to nuke the old computer and set it up with a brand-new old operating system.

Step 1: Back up

Having a plethora of devices around the house, I used a 2TB external WD drive to backup all the important data junk that I accumulated in the years. Usually it’s a good thing, as you don’t know how you’ll lose that perfect boobs photo you’ve been sent back in 2019 by that chick you met on Tinder that you don’t even remember her name. Tits were nice tho.

Step 2: Deciding how to downgrade

This still being an Intel Mac still has the option of going into the Internet Recovery mode (Press Cmd+Shift+Option+R at reboot), so it was the best solution.

You could restore a backup from a Time Machine, or creating a bootable installer disk, but I couldn’t be bothered with that. Macos Mojave was actually nice and it’s a good base to have to eventually upgrade to Big Sur.

Step 3: Starting the downgrade process

Of course, being the computer it is, the Internet Recovery mode failed by throwing the very telling “Error -1008f”. It turns out, before you try to wipe your computer, you need to disable Activation Lock. So I rebooted into the Sonoma, cursed once more the shitty new System Settings app and how broken it is, managed to disable the lock after 2 reboots and we were ready to start the Internet install.

The install started quickly, and after I clicked all the EULA thingies and chose the installation drive, it promptly started the install. After a couple of minutes, it finished and the computer restarted.

Step 4: Shit hit the fan

Maybe it restarted. Or it shut down, or went into sleep, I have no idea. Every few seconds, it just tries to spin the fans and stops. It feels like the last breaths of a dying old man.

Apparently some people suggested to reset the SMC. This is easily done by removing the power cable for 15 seconds, plugging it back, waiting for five seconds and starting the computer.

After doing that, I was greeted by choosing which disk to boot from. Choosing the Macintosh HD - Data greeted me with a Kernel Panic, and then a reboot to the unscathed variant of the Sonoma which I was trying to get rid of. Rebooting and choosing the macOS Installer greeted me with a boot loop.

I angrily pressed Cmd+Shift+Option+R and we’re back to Step 2. Or so I thought. While in the macOS Utilities screen, I decided to wipe the main drive, just for lulz. If I’m gonna bork it and turn this computer into a very expensive paper weight, at least do it all the way. On the other hand, it’s only software. All that I can lose is time. And sanity. Thank God for alcohol.

Step 5: Throw some help in the mix

After copying the files, it rebooted and it actually started to crunch things, saying it’s another 15 minutes. Time for another Hugo, I guess.

After my stamina potion replenished my patience bar, I started the configuration, going through the endless steps of initial setup, hitting an inactive “Accept Terms and Conditions” button which was only fixed after I skipped the iCloud setup. After a few more clicks, I was greeted with my plain, fresh, new Mojave Desktop.

Step 6: Wrapping up

After fiddling with the computer, I decided to upgrade back to macOS Big Sur, because it was stable enough and not yet filled with so much crap. I wasn’t expecting for it to take so long, but it is what it is.

It’s nice to have a proper fresh install, because it’s super fast and clean of all the junk programs leave behind. Which means there’s one more hurdle to leap over, installing all the software I used to have.