Updating to OSX Lion Help

You could use Carbon Copy Cloner to make a bootable backup of your drive, then restore from that after formatting your drive.

 

Except CCC can make a backup that you can boot from. Time Machine can't.

No, you can restore your files without reverting back to the previous OS.

Time Machine is the Apple software used to create backups, and it's free.
Time Capsule is a hardware device that you can store your backups on, just like any external hard drive, and costs $300 or $500.

 

Yes you can use CCC or TM to backup to your Time Capsule. Then wipe and install Lion on your internal HD, then restore from your CCC or TM backup.

 

I would recommend you do the standard installation recommended by Apple unless you have a very good reason to do a "clean" installation.

If you had to ask these questions it's quite possible you'll run of the risk of screwing something up. Why take the chance?? Remember: to do a "clean" install you'll have to ERASE EVERYTHING on your main drive. How confident are you with your backup? Can you live for a while with no computer?

So, to answer your original question: no, it isn't worth it for you to do a clean install. You haven't mentioned anything that would make that a better route than doing the normal installation, and from what you've said you could wind up in over your head.

 

Read the Macworld articles Should you do a "clean install" of Lion? and How to make a bootable Lion install disc or drive. I used the second article to make a USB thumb drive install of Lion for my three Macs. Also make clone (using the free Carbon Copy Cloner to an external then do a clean install, then use /Applications/Utilities/Migration Assistant to transfer your User data back over (just NOT Network settings, do those manually for the best receiving ability).

This is easier than you think.