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Clean install of Leopard - backing up everything without bringing problems over

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dextertangocci

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 2, 2006
1,766
1
Hi everyone

I've been having major airport problems after upgrading to Leopard. I now want to do a clean install to see if that will fix the problem.

I also want to back up everything - all my applications and documents etc., without carrying the problem over.

Can you recommend a good way/application?

Thanks a lot:)

-dextertangocci
 
you can use this guide to manually backup your files to an external hard drive/DVD. this shows you how to backup your

- Safari bookmarks
- Address Book contacts
- iCal calendars
- Keychains
- Mail preferences and messages

to backup all your apps just drag the non Apples ones to your external. to backup the preferences for all your apps and your wireless settings backup the Preferences folder in home/Library and /Library. you may also have to backup their relative application support folders in home/Library/Application Support and /Library/Application Support and other files/folders to get them working again. you can use Appcleaner to help search for these. you may have to reinstall some apps like Adobe CS3 and Parallels if you use this method but some apps will work and the ones that had no installer (i.e. just drag and drop to the applications folder) will definately work.

then to backup your music, photos, documents just backup their relative folders in your home folder. iTunes and iPhoto will show all your music and photos if you put everything back in the place it was.

i would advise to not use cloning apps such as SuperDuper! and Carbon Copy Cloner as they clone the whole system including Leopard which you wanna reinstall!
 
yes you could. but again if you restore a Time Machine backup using mIgration Assistant or from the install DVD that will restore all the system files.

you cold however manually drag them across after youve installed. your latest backup would be "Your Time Machine drive/Backups.backupdb/Name of your Mac/Latest/Macintosh HD/".
 
Would you mind posting back with your progress? I too am having airport problems......very annoying constant drop-outs. I'd like to know if your clean install helped. Thanks
 
Migration Assistant has the option of just sending over home directories from a Time Machine backup. You can also choose applications too. You don't have to bring over the system files.
 
I'm having a similar problem (time machine wise).
I want to do a clean install of 10.5 (i upgraded my macbook from tiger). But i have so many things scattered around that I'm afraid to only restore the files stated in the guide cause i might loose something.

Any thoughts?
 
Keytachi said:
I'm having a similar problem (time machine wise).
I want to do a clean install of 10.5 (i upgraded my macbook from tiger). But i have so many things scattered around that I'm afraid to only restore the files stated in the guide cause i might loose something.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Write a list down on a piece of paper. Find out what you want to keep and write it down. Wait a few days until you think you've thought of everything. Then find out where those things are located and back them up using Carbon Copy Cloner.
 
i already have everything backed up (with time machine), my only fear is if i restore the whole time machine, the tiger issues will come as well, and that if i dont restore all i might loose something that is hidden in the depths of my computer :p
 
It might actually be a whole lot easier to find out what's wrong than to go through this procedure only to discover that it doesn't fix anything.
 
So if i did a recent time machine backup, I can do a clean install of Leopard?

Will I be able after the clean install of leopard to pick what I want to bring over from time machine backup? If so what do I need to do after the clean install of leopard to pick what I want from time machine backup?
 
You could always clone your Tiger install to an external with CCC or SuperDuper, then keep that clone for a month or two in case you remember something you forgot to transfer. :)
 
techguy40 said:
So if i did a recent time machine backup, I can do a clean install of Leopard?

Will I be able after the clean install of leopard to pick what I want to bring over from time machine backup? If so what do I need to do after the clean install of leopard to pick what I want from time machine backup?
Click to expand...

I THINK you can do that. But you'll have to manually go into the Backups folder in your TM drive; you won't be able to go through the GUI TM.
 
TH-Gunner said:
I THINK you can do that. But you'll have to manually go into the Backups folder in your TM drive; you won't be able to go through the GUI TM.
Click to expand...

Darn

I was hoping you can use the gui time machine after you do a clean install to pick what you want restore back. :(
 
techguy40 said:
Darn

I was hoping you can use the gui time machine after you do a clean install to pick what you want restore back. :(
Click to expand...

There is a way I think, but it's a long process to get it back as your main TM drive without creating a new backup profile.

Ironically, if you do a whole system restore with TM, you don't get to "continue" backups from where you left off (idk if this has been fixed; it is true to the best of my knowledge for 10.5.1). If you choose the same drive as a backup drive after you restore the system from a TM backup, you'll start again from a new profile; it will back up the whole disk again, and you won't be able to access your previous backups through the GUI.

Let me know if the above makes sense to you; I might have to reword it.

This is the process that should get TM to continue on a new install or system restore:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1307738
 
IJ Reilly said:
It might actually be a whole lot easier to find out what's wrong than to go through this procedure only to discover that it doesn't fix anything.
Click to expand...

It didn't fix anything. i brought over my whole home folder from a TM backup and the network problem persists.

The problem is the internet just stops working, over airport or ethernet, and I have to run network diagnostics to get it to work again for 5 minutes. I have other Macs running Tiger and the connection is rock solid. The Leopard Macs don't work.

I've tried changing the wireless security, resetting the network, deleting keychain airport passwords etc., but it still doesn't work.

I connect to other wireless networks at work however, and it works perfectly. So its a problem with my network and Leopard, not my network and Tiger.

This irritates me.
 
Reinstalls almost never fix anything. They're great for burning up your time and causing headaches, though.

A couple of suggestions: Search these forums for network and Leopard. If this is a Leopard issue, you might well find a discussion of it, and possibly a solution. The Apple support forums are another place to search.

Also, do you have the same problems with file sharing between your Macs, or just with the internet? What does Network Diagnostics report, if anything, when the connection drops?
 
Another anecdote:

I had a lot of problems with AEBS, and nothing I did worked. This started in 10.5 and continued through 10.5.2. Before I took the final step of reinstalling, I logged in as admin and wiped all preferences, cleared AEBS, killed all keychains and set up AEBS from scratch.

Haven't had a problem since.
 
It's just the internet connection that drops. I've tried everything. If I buy an 802.11n AEBS might that fix the problem?
 
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