Clean install or migration assistant to remove kernels

Using El Capitan on a mid-2009 MacBook Pro. I've been troubled by kernel panics recently and in another thread I was advised to hit the restart button to eliminate these kexts forever, as I think there's a good chance that old Blackberry kernels etc from 2011 have been transferred over when I switched from an even older macbook three years ago. I have struggled to remove these kernels and have spent many days trying - I want them finally gone and that side of things cleaned up. Back then I think I used Superduper, possibly in conjunction with Migration Assistant and had no problems, though obviously I realise my current computer has inherited all of these troublesome files. I have just undertaken a full backup via Time Machine (which I have never used previously). My backup is on an internal HD in the optical bay. Obviously I want my install to be free from system clutter, particularly bad kernels, but would like to make the process as straightforward and effective as possible. So I have a few questions:

- Should I use Migration Assistant or avoid it?
- Is there a way to use it were I won't carry over kexts and other such clutter?
- As a user of Logic Pro X, I have a lot of plugins downloaded. If I have to manually transfer everything back over, I am worried about messing this up and the plugins not being detected. Same with photos etc. - what is the best method here?
I find the Library folders confusing, so am unsure about manually transferring over the individual contents, folder by folder. Do I need to do this? There's the worry that I won't know when it's even safe to then delete my backup.

- Is there a simple way to get everything back after a clean install? I'm worried about getting something wrong or something getting lost along the way.

Thanks!

 

I can't be certain, but there are no obvious signs that the RAM has been causing the issue. If I reinstall El Capitan I do get to wipe out these useless, difficult to shift kernels and if the problem persists, I guess I will then know if it's some kind of hardware issue. I'm just unsure the best way to go about it.