Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
How come my Windows XP is more stable than Mac OS?
- Thread starter Hakkinen
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
pop in CD, reboot, its in settings. Honestly, it babysits you the entire way, its not hard.Fukui said:
Oh....do i really have to do a format and reinstall? How can I save my existing files and settings. Do a Archive and install?übergeek said:
Back in Windows 98 to XP days, the worst thing is re-install. Follow by drivers, and drivers and drivers, and restart and restart and no such device and etc etc....
man, hope this is not a tough thing to go through.
Its waaaaayyy better than XP, trust me. All you need to do is backup your home folder (or example /users/somebody) just back up that to a firewire drive or DVD/CD, its enough to just copy the folder with the Finder. If you wanna back up your applications, just copy the Applications folder too.Hakkinen said:
Then, pop in the CD and restart, hold the 'c' key when restarting and it will load from the CD. Just go through the installer process, and when you get to the point to choose the disk, choose the option to erase as HFS+ format before continuing. If you still have trouble, it could be the hardware... take it to an Apple store and show them whats up.
Pardon me for asking too much.
If I backup up my applications, for example, Yahoo! messenger, I can basically just drag and copy the icon with the Yahoo! onto a CD or disk drive?
Because in Windows OS, I can't just copy the whatever_the_name.exe, i have to copy the whole installation file. Since after the installation, some of the application's files are in system folder.
If I backup up my applications, for example, Yahoo! messenger, I can basically just drag and copy the icon with the Yahoo! onto a CD or disk drive?
Because in Windows OS, I can't just copy the whatever_the_name.exe, i have to copy the whole installation file. Since after the installation, some of the application's files are in system folder.
Yes.Hakkinen said:
Some applications that install in folders (like photshop, dreamweaver etc) you can just copy the folder. Only system utilities/drivers need be re-installed. As an example, to install MS office, you just drag the folder off the CD!Hakkinen said:
BTW, things have worked this way for 20 (?) odd years, since the mac first came out. I was pretty surprised too, but thats one of the things that made me wanna get a mac a few years ago...
edit: This makes me look stupid! I guess it's what I get for not reading above one post! I wish that when you press last unread that it actually to the ones you haven't read yet, not the very last one! Oh well, have fun reading this...Fukui said:
Yea, those things work in Mac OS (X or w/e), but hes talking about Windows. Those ways of doing things will not work in Windows. Sorry, bud. You're best bet is to copy the documents from those programs (i.e. .doc and things like that) and then just reinstall the program on your new computer.
I think to be on the safe side, i will just copy the *.dmg and *.sit files, then I will just reinstall from there. But I may still experiment with just dragging the application itself and save it, and drag it back to my harddisk after reformating to see if it works too.
can't believe i have to reformat my harddisk and reinstall Mac OS after only 12 days of switching. This is not fun. Hope after this, things will run fine.
can't believe i have to reformat my harddisk and reinstall Mac OS after only 12 days of switching. This is not fun. Hope after this, things will run fine.
Fukui said:
I would like to hear your views on why I should not reformat. Is there a better way?
Currently, my problem is with MAC HELP, which seems to quit on me after a few searches. I removed the .plist files, that helps only for a few searches again and it quits. So far 2 quits from Safari.
(Just now my ibook won't go to wake up from sleep mode, I have to close and open my ibook for 3 times then it wakes up. Arrgh, whats next???)
Reformat. Don't reformat. I think all advice possible for your situation has been given. I think you should reformat, but if you're such a nervous wreck with computers, then don't do it.
I am just frustrated about why my supposed to be super stable Mac OS is having so many problems.Abstract said:
Anyway, I am not going to do any format for now. Just called Apple support to seek help. Will let my machine run for a longer time to see how it goes.
Dont' be upset (like me), Abstract. I am here to seek help, like many of us.
I really recommend doing an erase and install. It's really convenient, and it only takes a few clicks to configure your OS X install to erase the drive before installing. It takes around 15 minutes, give or take around an additional 20 for miscellaneous applications and drivers.
About the drag and drop installs, I really recommend you NOT copy any applications using a drag/drop method unless you know for a fact you installed it by dragging and dropping. If you used an installer, use the installer again. If you drag/drop, you will be missing all sorts of files, like GarageBand loops and fonts to name a few. Make sure you have serial numbers for all of your apps that need them too, because the app will ask you for a serial number again. You will ahve to save your preferences if you want them as well.
About the drag and drop installs, I really recommend you NOT copy any applications using a drag/drop method unless you know for a fact you installed it by dragging and dropping. If you used an installer, use the installer again. If you drag/drop, you will be missing all sorts of files, like GarageBand loops and fonts to name a few. Make sure you have serial numbers for all of your apps that need them too, because the app will ask you for a serial number again. You will ahve to save your preferences if you want them as well.
übergeek said:
If I reinstall the whole thing, I believe that includes my iLife right. Since the OS and other applications comes with the ibook, will they ask me for serial number? Where can I find my serial number? Is this the same number as found in About This Mac/Hardware preview?