Advice on Starting Over

[PHISH007]

Hello all, I need some advice. I have a dual 2.0 ghz g5 power mac. I havent had to do a re-install of the system since I bought the machine "x" amount of years ago. However everything has slowed down to a screetching halt and I think its time. So my current setup is a 200gb standard HD that has the system OS folder and a 400gb 2ndary drive where I keep most of my work files. My ultimate plan is to buy 2 1tb drives. I want to make the 400gb my osX system drive, the 1tb drive as my new work folder drive, and have the other 1 tb drive as the backup that "time machine" will work on.

I would really prefer not to have to re-install the os from scratch because I have so many applications that I do not want to re-install. So my question is this...is there a way to reinstall the os then drop my old application folders into the new system folder and have them work? or am I doomed and the smart thing is to just start over. I havent yet installed apples newest os..im still running 10.4.11

 

[teleromeo]

I believe the archive and install option leaves the applications and your files on your hard disk. You get a new system aside of the old one.

 

[PHISH007]

really? so would everything still run slowly though since it would be running off the old OS folder?

 

[velocityg4]

Archive and install should make most everything clean again. But nothing beats that fresh Mac feeling like formatting and reinstalling everything.

This option clears everything rather than leaving any garbage files floating around from old unused programs, log files and so forth.

 

[PHISH007]

yea ur right..lol I might just have to suck up re-installing everything.