advantages of fresh install vs upgrade

[melissarae]

so this is my first OS upgrade since i've been a mac owner. i see a lot of threads about doing a fresh install instead of the upgrade... can someone tell me what the benefits of doing this over just an upgrade with SL?

FYI: i have an iMac, blackbook, and MBA that i will be upgrading to SL. i also have time capsule backing up my iMac and an external backing up my blackbook.

 

[fishmoose]

Basically it's to get a fresh start, let's say you have changed something in the kernel level that you dont remember, doing a upgrade instead of a fresh install might give you headaches.

Also if you have had Leopard installed for two years and never re-formated there's bound to be a lot of stuff on the computer you dont need/use.

Even traces of uninstalled software is still there.

 

[superted666]

The way i see it....

Would you buy a ford mondeo produced as a 2 litre standard but later modified by ford to a 3.2 litre sport.

Or would you buy a new 3.2 litre sport for not much money?

Granted im substituting money for time in my example but hey, artistic license!

 

[Chupa Chupa]

The way i see it....

Would you buy a ford mondeo produced as a 2 litre standard but later modified by ford to a 3.2 litre sport.

Or would you buy a new 3.2 litre sport for not much money?

Granted im substituting money for time in my example but hey, artistic license!

Your analogy doesn't make an sense vis a vis the OP's question. The computer analogue for a car engine would be a processor. What you are describing is more of an overclocking, not an OS upgrade.

Upgrading the OS is more like changing the oil with the option of either flushing the engine completely or just dumping the oil in to mix with the old oil.

 

[superted666]

Your analogy doesn't make an sense vis a vis the OP's question. The computer analogue for a car engine would be a processor. What you are describing is more of an overclocking, not an OS upgrade.

Upgrading the OS is more like changing the oil with the option of either flushing the engine completely or just dumping the oil in to mix with the old oil.

Well that’s a little pedantic, the Oil is never going to noticably improve your cars performance or save on weight. Truth is, there is no direct comparison its just a quick analogy to highlight the difference.

Nothing more nothing less

 

[ziggyonice]

Doing a fresh install really just gives you the opportunity to clean out your computer. If you use a lot of third-party software, or a lot of plugins, or just have a lot of stuff in places you wouldn't even think about... maybe consider a clean install.

It can be a lot of work, but if you're up for it, just backup your files. Then, perform a clean install (which erases the computer), and put all your stuff back on. You'll have to reinstall all the programs or anything else, but you may notice that your machine runs a little smoother after that.