As simple as the title asks: Do you have to reformat your Mac when installing Tiger or can you do a simple update where you don't lose your files?
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Forced to reformat with Tiger?
- Thread starter rockandrule
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You get three options when you install Tiger.
First off, assuming you're running OSX already, it'll do an upgrade as default whereby it loads in the OS files over the top of the current ones and you keep all your old settings and files.
Secondly, there is the archive-and-install option that does pretty much the same thing except that it keeps a copy of your old system files in a folder on your hard disk.
And finally, there is the erase-and-install option that, as you can probably guess, ditches everything on your hard disk and replaces it with a clean copy of Tiger. All your files will be lost this way.
See for more.
First off, assuming you're running OSX already, it'll do an upgrade as default whereby it loads in the OS files over the top of the current ones and you keep all your old settings and files.
Secondly, there is the archive-and-install option that does pretty much the same thing except that it keeps a copy of your old system files in a folder on your hard disk.
And finally, there is the erase-and-install option that, as you can probably guess, ditches everything on your hard disk and replaces it with a clean copy of Tiger. All your files will be lost this way.
See for more.
Thank you very much for your help. It is quite nice to see people helping each other out around here, rather than getting angered with simple questions as so.
Although opinions vary, I like the clean install. If you've never zero'ed out your drive before (which writes over bad drive sectors), then now would be a great time to do it then install a clean copy of Tiger.
Just make sure you back everything up first..
Just make sure you back everything up first..
Well, we're actually running with the same system as you, Rev. A though, but we don't have an external to copy our files to. So, I think we're going to have to upgrade instead.