Noob question - fresh osx install, what does it reset?

[Joesipaq]

I have wondered and know one of you knows for sure. What all does reinstalling/updating to a newer osx reset? SMC, PRAM, BIOS?

I ask, because I have seen some people clame battery issues that should be resolved with an SMC reset - be solved with a clean install of osx.

Other times, I offer a little more life out of those fun - failing GPUs by modifying nvram boot setting (I thought?) And other software solutions... and after they upgrade, I have to apply the fixed again to the nvram - like they preformed a nvram reset.

Finally, I have had a bad/faulty install file on a Sierra install usb (following apples instructions on how to make it) that bricked devices due to corrupting the BIOS somehow. (Re-programing the BIOS fixed those 2 boards and I killed them again the same to make sure that was happening)

So, any input?

Thanks all! Keep on rocking the repair community

 

[dukefawks]

The latest OSX will update the EFI/SMC to the latest firmware, not much to say about that. All that garb about battery/GPU issues after a CLEAN OSX install is just people trying to find a cause for a random failure. Shit happens is too hard to accept and Apple is perfect so something must have caused it.
Weird battery issues could be solved by SMC reset of course.

 

[Joesipaq]

Oh yes, it's changes to the EFI that I make. So that explains that one. When the SMC gets written to the newest version, that is basically resetting it - to the newest version? Or do we know if it retains some "calibration" values. I do know that an SMC reset would take care of some odd battery issues like that.

As for the BIOS, do you know what updates do to that, or is the EFI the BIOS in this case? I've been using PCs for too long

 

[Inwerp]

it depends. as in PCs, most updates are generally patches, you won't find a whole SMC firmware in update - it could have just a region, for example, High Sierra installs APFS support for older machines. I can confirm that High Sierra FIRST install on the older machines does SMC and NVRAM resets, i had a few heart attacks when i installed HS after RAM repair : this shit reboots in the middle of something and beeps like it's dead.