Tiger: Upgrade or Clean Install...which are you going to do?

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
I will upgrade since I am too lazy (or just dread) reinstalling all my programs. However, I know some of you will do a clean install because you have the energy.



So, let's have it...what are YOU going to do?



Eric
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 55
    zozo Posts: 3,117member
    on my work computer I will backup, delete/format, then install. (havent reinstalled since Panther came out 18 months ago)



    On my Powerbook Im going to upgrade since I went through a full reinstall just a few months ago.
  • Reply 2 of 55
    dale soreldale sorel Posts: 186member
    Archive and Install, baby 8)
  • Reply 3 of 55
    lundylundy Posts: 4,466member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by aplnub

    I will upgrade since I am too lazy (or just dread) reinstalling all my programs. However, I know some of you will do a clean install because you have the energy.



    So, let's have it...what are YOU going to do?



    Eric




    I voted Clean Install, but as I said in the other thread, that's because I have 10.3 on its own partition and I can use Tiger's Migration Assistant to copy all the 10.3 data and non-Apple applications over to 10.4 automatically.
  • Reply 4 of 55
    macserverxmacserverx Posts: 217member
    I upgrade installed Panther and after a couple months wanted the default bash shell, with all my fink apps etc all rebuilt. Unfortunately, my external HD that made my backup on decided to corrupt itself and DiskWarrior was unsuccessful. Fortunately I don't have anything more valuable than some old documents.



    So yeah, I want to start fresh.
  • Reply 5 of 55
    ipodandimacipodandimac Posts: 3,273member
    i need to clean my drives out anyway.
  • Reply 6 of 55
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    For some reason clean installs are always "Snappier?" Why is this? Does it still apply to Tiger? I did it for Panther. I'll probably do it for Tiger. Erase the drive, install it, then migrate my stuff by hand.
  • Reply 7 of 55
    zozo Posts: 3,117member
    because the OS is still virgin and not full of log files and old prefs, etc...



    Indeed, even in OS8, OS9, etc are nice and fast the first few days/weeks.



    Its crazy that in all these years, auto-maintainece is still so primitive if not inexistant...
  • Reply 8 of 55
    ipodandimacipodandimac Posts: 3,273member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Aquatic

    For some reason clean installs are always "Snappier?" Why is this? Does it still apply to Tiger?



    i think it's kinda like legacy code in apps. there are just some files from who knows when and where that are all over your system but not big enough to worry about. i think giving things like spotlight a clean slate will keep indexing better.
  • Reply 9 of 55
    jasenj1jasenj1 Posts: 923member
    I'm planning on buying a new machine with Tiger on it. Does that count as a clean install?



    I also have a B&W G3/350 that I will likely install Tiger on. That machine still has the original HD as the boot drive partitioned for OS 9 and OS X. All user data (Home directory), apps, etc. are on external drives. The only things on the "root" drive are things that absolutely want to be on the root drive. I'll probably upgrade on that machine and see how things go; if it acts flakey at all, I'll do a clean install.



    Regarding OS installs: I wish Apple would make it easier to put Home and Applications folders on partitions/drives other than the boot drive. I like to arrange my machine as:
    • Boot partition - Core OS only

    • Data partition - Home directories for users

    • Application partition

    It's not too hard to change things around, but it's not dead easy either.



    - Jasen.
  • Reply 10 of 55
    pfresh85pfresh85 Posts: 16member
    I'm unsure at this point. I've had my iMac G4 with Panther for almost a year now. It'd probably be better (not to mention faster) to do a fresh install, but I have no clue how much I'd need to back up. I mean I have all sorts of applications and stuff that I don't have CDs for. So much downloaded stuff. I mean of my 80GB HD, I only have 25GB left. So I'm unsure what I'll do. I may ask for suggestions once Tiger is released.
  • Reply 11 of 55
    jonnyboyjonnyboy Posts: 525member
    i may well do a clean install if i feel keen. installed a lot of stuff since i got my pb with panther and now i have more of an idea what software i'm in to.
  • Reply 12 of 55
    toadietoadie Posts: 78member
    I plan on buying my G5 a new hard drive to put Tiger on. That way if anything goes wrong, I can save my old OS and keep it around for awhile before migrating all of my data.
  • Reply 13 of 55
    celebi23celebi23 Posts: 23member
    Backup then archive and install
  • Reply 14 of 55
    I'll clone my HD over to my external HD then do a clean install and use the migration software.
  • Reply 15 of 55
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by jon-e-orange

    I'll clone my HD over to my external HD then do a clean install and use the migration software.



    Migration software? Can you explain a little further? Will it move applications?



    Eric
  • Reply 16 of 55
    ibook911ibook911 Posts: 607member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by celebi23

    Backup then archive and install



    I'm not 100 percent clear, having never done an OS X upgrade, what all does the archive and install delete? Does it get rid of all the applications? They don't go into the archive do they?



    Can I use "backup" (the apple program) to restore some of my files and preferences, or would that not work, since it is a different OS?
  • Reply 17 of 55
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    My plan - data cd export for itunes, 60 day idisk trial and networked windows boxes for the random word docs and PDFs



    Wipe it out, start fresh, with something like spotlight, I want a clean install, think of the time and utter PITA of the initial index, surely in an upgrade something would break, it is the nature of the beast.
  • Reply 18 of 55
    jwink3101jwink3101 Posts: 739member
    I am still not totally sure but i will start with two backups of my panther disk (one in a disk image to be put ina a safe as usual) and the other taking up an external driev that i can boot off.



    I will then do the upgrade. If it seems slow or soemhting like that, i will clear the disk and do a fresh install.
  • Reply 19 of 55
    ibook911ibook911 Posts: 607member
    Do the disks that come with your computer allow you to install the iLife applications only? Is that the only thing I'll need to get off of them? Oh, I guess also the model-specific software titles included with my Powerbook. However, can I install those from the disks that came with the Powerbook, after I do an erase and install of Panther?
  • Reply 20 of 55
    lundylundy Posts: 4,466member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by aplnub

    Migration software? Can you explain a little further? Will it move applications?



    Eric




    Yep. Not the ones that just got installed - just all the others. It's smart.
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