Recover data and reinstall OS 8.5?

[wjones]

I'm helping fix a friend's old iMac... and am having trouble.

First of all, I'd like to get a 25M backup folder off of it.. and do a reinstall of OS8.5. Unfortunately, not many programs will load on the sick iMac. I can't share folders on the network, I can't burn CDs, I can't run internet explorer.. my usb flash drive isn't recognized.. I even downloaded a live linux distro for PowerPC.. but it freezes during bootup.

My question would be this... is there an OS 8.5 reinstall option that won't delete my backup info? Or.. can any of you smart folks out there suggest how I could repair the OS enough to backup this stuff? when I run IE I see: "OTClientLib" could not be found.

I've got a XP PC and a new powerbook... if those are helpful tools.

Thanks!
-Walton

 

[MisterMe]

I'm helping fix a friend's old iMac... and am having trouble.

First of all, I'd like to get a 25M backup folder off of it.. and do a reinstall of OS8.5. Unfortunately, not many programs will load on the sick iMac. I can't share folders on the network, I can't burn CDs, I can't run internet explorer.. my usb flash drive isn't recognized.. I even downloaded a live linux distro for PowerPC.. but it freezes during bootup.

My question would be this... is there an OS 8.5 reinstall option that won't delete my backup info? Or.. can any of you smart folks out there suggest how I could repair the OS enough to backup this stuff? when I run IE I see: "OTClientLib" could not be found.

I've got a XP PC and a new powerbook... if those are helpful tools.

Thanks!
-Walton

Yes, you can do a Clean Install. It creates a new installation while preserving your old System Folder. You may download and run Clean Install Assistant, which makes restoring your current settings, fonts, extensions, etc. really simple.