easiest way to do clean install...

[whyrichard]

Hello,


I want to do a clean install of leopard. I do not want to loose all of my user settings and programs, files, etc...

what is the easiest way to do this?

-superduper onto external... as a bootable hard drive...?
-osx disk, clean install...
-and then import from the firewire external using migration?



r.


all this... to try to get bootcamp working. bootcamp wizard says "you need to update your system software" and everything is as up to date as possible. leopard, macbook pro 2.0, all firmware up to date... hd uses journaling... anyway...

thanks!

[mad jew]

I'd say that's a reasonably foolproof way of doing it. An Archive & Install (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107120) may be a good first attempt though, if you're wary of doing the full reformat. :)

[whyrichard]

so you can definately use migration assistant to migrate data from an external bootable hd?

--cause thats what it does anyway, right?


r.

[mad jew]

You certainly can from a Firewire drive. You used not to be able to do so from USB drives, but I have a feeling that has changed.

[hodgjy]

If you want to be on the safe side, make a bootable clone on your external drive and then do an archive and install on your internal drive. You can then use the migration assistant to get your info from the external. Once you're satisfied that the install is good and that all your data is 100% the way it should be, you can delete the folder called "previous systems" that the OS X installed made during the archive and install.

The reason for the archive and install is in case something goes wrong during the migration, you have all of your previous files and settings stored in the "previous system" folder.

[mad jew]

The reason for the archive and install is in case something goes wrong during the migration, you have all of your previous files and settings stored in the "previous system" folder.


Technically the user data is untouched in an archive & install. The Previous System folder merely contains the old OS files.

[hodgjy]

Yep, you are right. I was looking at information on it AFTER I posted on it.

Sorry for the misinformation.

I still think, though, that the safest way to do a clean install is to make a bootable clone and then do archive and install.

Technically the user data is untouched in an archive & install. The Previous System folder merely contains the old OS files.

[ghking]

also you can do a clean install and then use Migration Assistant to copy everything back from a time machine backup. I just did that yesterday and i was suprised about how much i didnt lose. It kept absolutely everything.

[mad jew]

I still think, though, that the safest way to do a clean install is to make a bootable clone and then do archive and install.


I completely agree but just have to pick you up on some of the terminology. A clean install implies a reformat and an install from fresh, whereas an archive install does not reformat the drive, hence the reason all the files are kept. Just thought I should clear that up to save confusion. :)

[pjrobertson]

Time Machine? You can backup everything to TM and then install using TM (or so I've heard)