Installing Panther

[Phil Of Mac]

Well, just like most of you here, I'm gonna be getting some black ***** on Friday, so I'd like some advice about installing.

So far, the options I've heard are upgrade, Archive and Install, and clean install. What are the differences and is it really necessary to go through one of the more annoying types of installations? Or should I just go ahead and upgrade? I don't have any haxies or extra-special additions to the OS. I just have a pretty vanilla 10.2.8 on Kira, my 15" Powerbook G4. Advice?

 

[TheWitePony]

I just upgraded mine. However, I did not have any hacks or the like installed; in which case if I did I would have clean installed. Everything seems fine after the upgrade, and it saved me the hassle of backing up everything.

 

[dukemeiser]

I too was wondering the same thing. Right now I'm leaning toward Archive and Install. Is there any danger to Archive and Install? Is it selected by a special way? And what exactly will it archive, and what will I have to tend to once it's installed?

 

[dynamicd]

I'm just doing clean install and I'm in the process of backing everything up on dvd right now. I've just heard from the majority of people on this site that clean install is the best idea. Altough if you don't feel like backing anything up, or if you feel like you'll be all right, then archive and install or upgrade will be just fine.

 

[ghengis]

Clean Install....

Can anyone please show us the steps on how to do a clean install? I need to backup my ipods as well... very new to apple OS. Pretty much don't know anything as of yet.

Please explain the steps for doing a clean install... please please please....

Thank you!!

-G

 

[Mason]

What's the difference between upgrade and archive and install? I'd rather not have to re-import 15gb of music from my cds and re-download all my music from iTMS. (I'm not too worried about my documents because those are all on iDisk).

 

[Phil Of Mac]

Originally posted by Mason
What's the difference between upgrade and archive and install? I'd rather not have to re-import 15gb of music from my cds and re-download all my music from iTMS. (I'm not too worried about my documents because those are all on iDisk).

Upgrade: Just upgrades your system.
Archive and Install: Backs up your existing OS and installs a new, fresh one. Your filez are left untouched.

 

[MacBandit]

Okay for anyone new to Mac OSX. I highly, I repeat HIGHLY recommend either doing an archive and install without copying your settings over or....backup all your data and reformatting and installing.

This will ensure the least chance of legacy data causing problems and the best performance you will get from Panther.

There was a ton of people complaining about this or that problem and how 10.2 wasn't any faster then the precious OSX systems when it 10.2/Jaguar first came out. All these problems were cured with a clean install of the system. Learn from history. Besides if you don't backup it's time to learn how.

 

[sethypoo]

Originally posted by MacBandit
Okay for anyone new to Mac OSX. I highly, I repeat HIGHLY recommend either doing an archive and install without copying your settings over or....backup all your data and reformatting and installing.

This will ensure the least chance of legacy data causing problems and the best performance you will get from Panther.

There was a ton of people complaining about this or that problem and how 10.2 wasn't any faster then the precious OSX systems when it 10.2/Jaguar first came out. All these problems were cured with a clean install of the system. Learn from history. Besides if you don't backup it's time to learn how.

Please explain how we are to backup? I'd like to do a clean install, but I have no clue as to how to backup Someone help? Also, I have a program called Safari Enhancer. Will this in any way screw up installing? Should I just delete/uninstall it before installing Panther? Thanks!

 

[Phil Of Mac]

Originally posted by sethypoo
Please explain how we are to backup? I'd like to do a clean install, but I have no clue as to how to backup Someone help? Also, I have a program called Safari Enhancer. Will this in any way screw up installing? Should I just delete/uninstall it before installing Panther? Thanks!

To backup, just copy all your vital filez (the ones you wanna keep) to a burned CD or an iPod or something. Be sure to save your mail as well by copying the Library folder *in your home directory*.

 

[Blue Sky]

About Archive and Clean Install

Here is the link to the Jagua 10.2 Apple Knowledgebase about Archive and Clean Install...

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107120

 

[sethypoo]

Where is the *home directory*?

Where is this home directory.....I think I found it, but I'm not sure.

 

[MacBandit]

Re: Where is the *home directory*?

Originally posted by sethypoo
Where is this home directory.....I think I found it, but I'm not sure.

Your home directory is your user folder.

 

[MacBandit]

Well since I just got an email asking what should be backed up I thought it would be best to post it here so everyone knows what to back up.

There are a few things you need to make sure to backup just in case you want them later. First and foremost is your entire user folder and other user folders if there are any. Second backup any downloaded applications (shareware, freeware, etc.) you might have installed. Finally backup the library folder found on the first level of your hard drive.

That covers everything that you might want in the future. I recommend installing all the apps you have on disc from the original install discs.

 

[sethypoo]

Ok.....

In a Finder window I opened up it says my name, no caps, all one word (first and last name smooshed together), with a little house next to it. In the window it has icons that say "desktop" "movie" "public" "shared" "music" and so forth. Is this my home directory? will it fit on one CD?????

Sorry to be a pain about this but I just don't get it yet!

 

[MacBandit]

Re: Ok.....

Originally posted by sethypoo
In a Finder window I opened up it says my name, no caps, all one word (first and last name smooshed together), with a little house next to it. In the window it has icons that say "desktop" "movie" "public" "shared" "music" and so forth. Is this my home directory? will it fit on one CD?????

Sorry to be a pain about this but I just don't get it yet!

The size depends mainly on how much music and photos and video you might have.

To find your user folder follow this route.

hard drive/users/

Any folders within the users folders. If you have multiple users there will be more than one. If you're the only user only your home folder will be within the user folder.

 

[Phil Of Mac]

Re: Ok.....

Originally posted by sethypoo
In a Finder window I opened up it says my name, no caps, all one word (first and last name smooshed together), with a little house next to it. In the window it has icons that say "desktop" "movie" "public" "shared" "music" and so forth. Is this my home directory?

Yes.

Originally posted by sethypoo
will it fit on one CD?????

Probably not, but it might if you don't have many files on your computer.

Personally, if you really want to go the clean install route, I'd suggest you just do an Archive and Install, you don't have to bother with a backup then.

 

[MacBandit]

Re: Re: Ok.....

Originally posted by Phil Of Mac
..........Personally, if you really want to go the clean install route, I'd suggest you just do an Archive and Install, you don't have to bother with a backup then.

People need to learn to backup. There's always the chance that an install can fail part way through and hose the disk.

The cheapest (in the long run) and easiest way of backing up I have found is to simply by another hard drive and to use it only for backing up.

 

[Phil Of Mac]

Re: Re: Re: Ok.....

Originally posted by MacBandit
People need to learn to backup. There's always the chance that an install can fail part way through and hose the disk.

That's certainly true. But installer failure shouldn't cause data loss, should it?

 

[MacBandit]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Ok.....

Originally posted by Phil Of Mac
That's certainly true. But installer failure shouldn't cause data loss, should it?

There's always a chance of a corrupted directory. Though fixable some people wouldn't have the utilities to do so and might in panic try to reinstall which would force a format thus losing there data.

 

[sethypoo]

Re: Re: Ok.....

Originally posted by Phil Of Mac
Yes.



Probably not, but it might if you don't have many files on your computer.

Personally, if you really want to go the clean install route, I'd suggest you just do an Archive and Install, you don't have to bother with a backup then.

I have a sizable amount of files; I assume that archive and install takes up lots of hard drive space, since I am copying everything to a "partition" in a way. After I archive, can I delete the archived portion? Or does it forever take up hard drive space? Thanks.

 

[Phil Of Mac]

Re: Re: Re: Ok.....

Originally posted by sethypoo
I have a sizable amount of files, archive and install, I assume that archive and install takes up lots of hard drive space, since I am copying everything to a "partition" in a way. After I archive, can I delete the archived portion? Or does it forever take up hard drive space? Thanks.

You can delete the archived portion, yes.

Ironically, "clean install" used to mean "archive and install", not "nuke your whole hard drive". I'm starting to sympathize with the OS 9 Luddites on this issue...

 

[MacBandit]

Re: Re: Re: Ok.....

Originally posted by sethypoo
I have a sizable amount of files; I assume that archive and install takes up lots of hard drive space, since I am copying everything to a "partition" in a way. After I archive, can I delete the archived portion? Or does it forever take up hard drive space? Thanks.

It doesn't put it in a partition. It simply puts the old system in a folder labeled previous system. You can delete it but only by changing the user permissions on the file in the get info box. It's a simple way of preventing deletion by anyone but the administrator. Also don't delete until you are absolutely positive you have gotten everything out of there that you want (mail prefs, bookmarks, etc.).

 

[gotohamish]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Ok.....

Originally posted by Phil Of Mac
That's certainly true. But installer failure shouldn't cause data loss, should it?

"shouldn't" maybe.

"wouldn't" who can say?

I shouldn't imagine you want to be the one to find out and tell us about it.

I'm sorry if I sound like I'm having a paranoia attack, but backing up is NEVER a bad thing.

 

[sethypoo]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Ok.....

Originally posted by Phil Of Mac
You can delete the archived portion, yes.

Ironically, "clean install" used to mean "archive and install", not "nuke your whole hard drive". I'm starting to sympathize with the OS 9 Luddites on this issue...

And what is so wrong with just upgrading? What are the downsides?