Don't Try This When Installing Tiger
Greetings,
I recently did a clean install of Tiger of my PB 1.25, 1GB. I used the erase and install option. My data was backed up on a external FW drive. I had some applications, documents, etc. I also had a backup file created under Panther with Apple's backup for all my settings, preferences, etc. Finally, I had about 7G of music backed up on two DVRs. I backed them up with back up instead of just copying raw files. After install, I ran software update.
After installing Tiger, all went well. I registered and got running, then started restoring data. I opened my settings backup, and got a message saying that "some of the data could not be restored" or something like that, and that backup had to save the data somewhere else. You may see where this is going. So, being the idiot that I am, I chose to save it to my desktop. Backup went to work, creating a file called "users". I restored a lot of settings manually, which was not that much of a problem. I got my desktop picture back, imported photos and documents (etc) from the raw data files. Then I did the same with my music DVDs. Again, backup said that it needed to save the data. It created another user file on the desktop. By this point I had realized that Tiger and info on a previously backed up system did not play well together.
Also, when importing data manually, I accidentally got rid of the regular documents folder at the home level (the one with the white document icon) by replacing it with my other documents folder instead of just transferring the contents. That was an error.
After a few hours of use, I ran a permissions repair, because I find that is needed especially when copying applications. As soon as it was done, my firefox bookmarks were gone. Everything was hosed. All my manually imported data was gone. I restarted and got the stock desktop, dock and system settings. No apps, do data...nothing. It was as if that least few hours never happened. I also got a question mark in the dock with iMovie HD written above it. My system was fucked.
I realized what the problem was and started over, doing another erase and install. This time I saved the user folders to the firewire drive (I'm assuming the system was confused by two or three folders named "users", no matter where they were). I expanded the music to the firewire drive and manually copied it.
Now everything is great and 10.4.2 is great. Seems more stable than Panther, fixed my multiple Java issues and seems much faster. Before Tiger, System Optimizer and Acquisition would not run. Now they're running well. I love Dashboard and find it useful (call me crazy).
Just a lesson from a veteran Mac user that did something...dumb.
I recently did a clean install of Tiger of my PB 1.25, 1GB. I used the erase and install option. My data was backed up on a external FW drive. I had some applications, documents, etc. I also had a backup file created under Panther with Apple's backup for all my settings, preferences, etc. Finally, I had about 7G of music backed up on two DVRs. I backed them up with back up instead of just copying raw files. After install, I ran software update.
After installing Tiger, all went well. I registered and got running, then started restoring data. I opened my settings backup, and got a message saying that "some of the data could not be restored" or something like that, and that backup had to save the data somewhere else. You may see where this is going. So, being the idiot that I am, I chose to save it to my desktop. Backup went to work, creating a file called "users". I restored a lot of settings manually, which was not that much of a problem. I got my desktop picture back, imported photos and documents (etc) from the raw data files. Then I did the same with my music DVDs. Again, backup said that it needed to save the data. It created another user file on the desktop. By this point I had realized that Tiger and info on a previously backed up system did not play well together.
Also, when importing data manually, I accidentally got rid of the regular documents folder at the home level (the one with the white document icon) by replacing it with my other documents folder instead of just transferring the contents. That was an error.
After a few hours of use, I ran a permissions repair, because I find that is needed especially when copying applications. As soon as it was done, my firefox bookmarks were gone. Everything was hosed. All my manually imported data was gone. I restarted and got the stock desktop, dock and system settings. No apps, do data...nothing. It was as if that least few hours never happened. I also got a question mark in the dock with iMovie HD written above it. My system was fucked.
I realized what the problem was and started over, doing another erase and install. This time I saved the user folders to the firewire drive (I'm assuming the system was confused by two or three folders named "users", no matter where they were). I expanded the music to the firewire drive and manually copied it.
Now everything is great and 10.4.2 is great. Seems more stable than Panther, fixed my multiple Java issues and seems much faster. Before Tiger, System Optimizer and Acquisition would not run. Now they're running well. I love Dashboard and find it useful (call me crazy).
Just a lesson from a veteran Mac user that did something...dumb.
Comments
The first startup wouldn't boot fully. It got to a blank blue screen and held it for five minutes. The second one worked, but was slow, taking about five minutes. After software updates, tweaking, permission repairs and optimization (which she never does), all was good . After some tweaking, it's up and running.
Originally posted by DanMacMan
Quick question about Tiger for you. Do all your apps in the Finder and Dock show the .app extension? I noticed this immediately when I installed it on my PB, where as Panther never showed this.
If I go to info, it does. I also saw this somewhere else during the insallation fiasco.
you can set it up so that the
the question marks in the docks would be your only problem.
1. backup the entire users directory to FW hard disk
2. backup the entire applications directory FW hard disk
do a clean install of Tiger 10.4.0
set up a default user of say "setup-user"
run software updates to bring it to 10.4.2
make the accounts you need, say Me and Wife
copy all the folders (Documents, Library, etc.) from the external backup eg Users\\OldMe into the new folder Users\\Me on the iBook
do this for Users\\OldWife on the external hard disk to Users\\Wife on the iBook
then manually go in and set the permissions - click on the Users\\Me folder, then press (command-option-i) and adjust the permissions so the owner is Me for the Users\\Me folder, Apply to all enclosed,
do the same for Users\\Wife so that the owner is Wife, Apply to all enclosed.
Reboot and i think you will find thinks are pretty quickly back to normal.
I know its convoluted and this sucks, maybe other appleInsiders can explain better than what i have tried to say.
Originally posted by sunilraman
sdw i understand your frustrations.
you can set it up so that the
the question marks in the docks would be your only problem.
1. backup the entire users directory to FW hard disk
2. backup the entire applications directory FW hard disk
do a clean install of Tiger 10.4.0
set up a default user of say "setup-user"
run software updates to bring it to 10.4.2
make the accounts you need, say Me and Wife
copy all the folders (Documents, Library, etc.) from the external backup eg Users\\OldMe into the new folder Users\\Me on the iBook
do this for Users\\OldWife on the external hard disk to Users\\Wife on the iBook
then manually go in and set the permissions - click on the Users\\Me folder, then press (command-option-i) and adjust the permissions so the owner is Me for the Users\\Me folder, Apply to all enclosed,
do the same for Users\\Wife so that the owner is Wife, Apply to all enclosed.
Reboot and i think you will find thinks are pretty quickly back to normal.
I know its convoluted and this sucks, maybe other appleInsiders can explain better than what i have tried to say.
Well they are fixed now as I said. Thanks.