Clean Installl Question

[Tclare]

I have had my Blackbook for over a year now and I have all the latest software on it, Leopard, iWork 08, iLife 08. I want to do a clean install of my laptop just to boast speed and give it a fresh new look. This is where the problems come in, I am a student and I buy family packs of all my software and go halves with my Grandad, who is also a Mac User.

We live quite a way from each other and it would take him a long time to get all of the software packages up to me. As I have a free day today I really want to go through this process now, and not wait. But I do have a Time Machine backup, will I be able to transfer these applications over from my backup to my Macbook?

I do have the Leopard disk with me, so I can start off the clean install. How do you start the process of clean installing. Do you put the disk in and then shut the laptop down and press the C button when start up commences.

Or is there and easier way?

Also my final question about this is, will I notice a significant speed increase from this?

Thanks

Tclare

 

[wrldwzrd89]

I have had my Blackbook for over a year now and I have all the latest software on it, Leopard, iWork 08, iLife 08. I want to do a clean install of my laptop just to boast speed and give it a fresh new look. This is where the problems come in, I am a student and I buy family packs of all my software and go halves with my Grandad, who is also a Mac User.

We live quite a way from each other and it would take him a long time to get all of the software packages up to me. As I have a free day today I really want to go through this process now, and not wait. But I do have a Time Machine backup, will I be able to transfer these applications over from my backup to my Macbook?

I do have the Leopard disk with me, so I can start off the clean install. How do you start the process of clean installing. Do you put the disk in and then shut the laptop down and press the C button when start up commences.

Or is there and easier way?

Also my final question about this is, will I notice a significant speed increase from this?

Thanks

Tclare

It depends on a bunch of factors, how the results will turn out. First of all, check your Time Machine backup exclusions. Do you have your Applications folder excluded, or any of its subfolders? If yes, this will not work - you will not get your applications back. Otherwise, yes - they will be restored along with everything else when you restore your system from the Time Machine backup.

As for starting the install, the method you proposed does work. You don't have to do that though - you can also insert the CD, double click the Install Mac OS X icon, type your password when prompted, and follow the instructions from there. (It will automatically tell your Mac to boot from the install disc.)

As for a speed increase - generally, no you will not see a significant speedup, unless you had lots of stuff running in the background that will no longer be running after the reinstall. This is very much unlike Windows, where a reinstall is often the best solution for speeding things up.

 

[IJ Reilly]

The best performance increase you will get from a clean install is to not waste your time doing a clean install.

 

[mason.kramer]

The best performance increase you will get from a clean install is to not waste your time doing a clean install.

No. But in this situation, Yes.

I do have a Time Machine backup, will I be able to transfer these applications over from my backup to my Macbook?

Anything that you installed by dragging to the Applications folder will transfer over. Anything that you had to run a script to install (e.g., anything with a .mpkg), will likely not transfer over flawlessly.

Or is there and easier way?

Why are you doing this again?

 

[IJ Reilly]

No. But in this situation, Yes.

What's so different about this situation, from so many of the others? A very large percentage of the "clean installers" aren't even trying to fix a problem, they think it's something you need to do regularly, like taking a shower or brushing your teeth.

 

[mason.kramer]

A very large percentage of the "clean installers" aren't even trying to fix a problem, they think it's something you need to do regularly...

This is true in the Windows world, but *nix systems don't usually deteriorate in the same way. My guess is that those who do this are still traumatized from their windows days. We need to nurture and protect those poor, troubled souls until they can heal, but there's really no need to clean install unless you are experiencing some acute problem.

One common reason to clean install is if you haven't used AppZapper to delete your old programs, and .dpkg files to uninstall those packages that included a .dpkg file. Then you have detritus floating on your system that takes up space and obfuscates actually useful files, and that's a reason to clean install. In windows, Add/Remove programs usually doesn't completely remove the program, but *nix systems are easier to uninstall.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I know, and that's why I am so often talking people off the clean install ledge.