Can I do this to install Leopard?

[Hard-Hat-Mac]

First I would make a backup using SuperDuper! Then insert the Leo DVD and choose the erase and install option. Once it does the deed and I have a clean install of Leopard can I then just use Migration assistant to get all my programs and preferences etc. onto the fresh install of leopard?

THANKS!

 

[JNB]

Absolutely!

That's exactly what I did with my Macbook, and had no problems. Keep in mind, as with any OS upgrade, there'll be a little cleanup afterwards. Nothing earth-shattering, but unless you had your apps & such from the Tiger install left at total defaults, Leo will require some items to be relocated.

 

[Hard-Hat-Mac]

Thanks John - when you say relocate some stuff what do you mean exactly. This is my first major system upgrade. I've only had my mac for about 5 months so much of the programs are in "default" settings i believe.

 

[williamsonrg]

I was planning on doing the same thing, using a backup I created with Carbon Copy Cloner. Will that work just as well? Does it really copy over all of my programs too? I don't have all of the installation disks, so that's what I'm worried about.

I know I could just "Upgrade," but I've heard it can save a lot of space to do a fresh install.

First I would make a backup using SuperDuper! Then insert the Leo DVD and choose the erase and install option. Once it does the deed and I have a clean install of Leopard can I then just use Migration assistant to get all my programs and preferences etc. onto the fresh install of leopard?

THANKS!

 

[JNB]

I assume CCC does essentially the same as SD, but as long as it makes a bootable dupe, then after a clean install, you can use Migration Assistant to pull EVERYTHING from the previous install over (apps, docs, settings, iTunes, iPhoto, etc.). With SD at least, you can select "From another Mac" or "From Another Volume on this Mac"--both are functionally equivalent at this point.

The "cleanup" is when you move apps from the Apple default location (Applications folder) into user-defined subdirectories for whatever reason (I don't like 300 apps in one directory--I subdivide into "Comm-Web", "Media", etc.). Leopard will assume most of them to be at the root of the Applications directory, so after migration, it'll show a bunch of "?" in the dock for those moved apps.

Just trash the "?"'s, open the migrated apps that you had in the Dock before the upgrade, and while open, right-click and select "Keep in Dock" and you're back to your pre-upgrade state. I end up changing a bunch of stuff anyway after an upgrade, so it's really not a big deal.

 

[williamsonrg]

So which would you recommend, a simple "Upgrade" or "Erase and Install"? I'm not worried about losing my data, I just don't have the disks for some of my programs (namely, Microsoft Office), so that's the only part that makes me nervous.

 

[TabulaRasa]

I just want to reiterate JohnNotBeatle's suggestion. Take a full bootable backup (exact clone of your HD) either with SuperDuper or CCC. You can even test it by trying to boot from the backup before installing Leopard. If it is not a full backup, Migration Assistant won't recognize that backup.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck

 

[williamsonrg]

I just want to reiterate JohnNotBeatle's suggestion. Take a full bootable backup (exact clone of your HD) either with SuperDuper or CCC. You can even test it by trying to boot from the backup before installing Leopard. If it is not a full backup, Migration Assistant won't recognize that backup.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck

I did test my backup, and it's fully bootable. Still nervous

I just want to point out the irony of your screen name in the context of this discussion of erasing my hard drive and starting from scratch. (OK, it's not "irony," it's a "coincidence.")

 

[williamsonrg]

Being a busy grad student, I decided to just do the simple "Upgrade," knowing that it would probably work and that I had my bootable backup just in case. The clean install would've made me feel good about myself, but oh well... maybe for 10.6 "Catamount" I'll be more adventurous. I'm glad everything went smoothly, and Leopard is mostly wonderful (they sure made some strange design choices though...)

Good luck