[tioga]

Well, I finally got the OS9 CD and am looking for installation tips. I currently run OS8.6 on an iMac 350 blueberry.
Specifically:
1. Should I do a normal installation or a clean installation?
2. Rebuild desktop and zap pram prior to installation?
3.Do anything special with the old system folder?
4.After installing OS9 should I then get 9.0.4 right away?
5. Any other advice, tips, lessons learned would be appreciated.

Thank you, sons of iMac, daughters of macintosh!

[wlonh]

seriously, i'd back up my HD and reinitialize that puppy first, if you want to zero it or do low level format you can but i think it unnecessary... just initialize it, ok, maybe zero it if you need the secure feeling

and just do the install on a nice clean HD

no need to let the_installer_update the driver on the HD because you just did that using Drive Setup on the installer CD you will use

and yes slap 9.04 right on it immediately

[tioga]

wlonh: What do you mean by reinitialize or zero the HD?
And what driver on the HD are you talking about? Is this an option during the installation?

[wlonh]

ok, reinitializing the HD effectively erases the HD and writes a new 'driver' on it, this is done using Drive Setup on your MacOS 9 CD just before installing MacOS 9.

zeroing an HD is an initialization option whereby zero's are written to the HD, a sort of secure erase i guess you could say, it takes a bit of time but not much

a low level format is a further option and it takes a good deal of time depending on your HD type and size and i consider it to be generally unnecessary

coming from 8.6 as you are, i do strongly recommend reinitializing (backup all necessary data or backup the whole HD first!) and then installing OS 9 and then installing 9.04 ASAP

and i like to run DiskWarrior and Norton Disk Doctor immediately after an OS install just to check it, makes me feel secure

after all, 10 million frenchmen can't be wrong

[This message has been edited by wlonh (edited 04-19-2000).]

[tioga]

Unfortunately, I have no way to efficiently backup my HD at this time. Short of the HD backup recommendation, what else can I do?
I don't mean to be a nuisance, but I want to optimize my chances of a smooth installation given my limitations.
I appreciate the help.
By the way, wlonh, what is it that the 10 mil Frenchmen can't be wrong about,eh?

[This message has been edited by tioga (edited 04-20-2000).]

[oscar]

To expand on wlonh's answer... When you do a low level format, the drive is scanned for bad blocks, and remaps around them as it needs to, reinitializing just deletes and recreates the file map, etc, leaving an old bad block table.


------------------
-See Yea!

[wlonh]

that is just a non sequitur... it is a silly old remark apropos of nothing...

i can't remember the first time i heard it or in what context, i just like the sound of it:
'ten million frenchmen can't be wrong'

and since you can't backup your HD and erase it, i'd run DiskWarrior and Norton Disk Doctor (or TechToolPro) to check it, then rebuild the desktop and maybe even zap your PRAM then proceed to install MacOS 9

i'd do a clean install in your case, right before you do the actual install you should set the Extensions Manager to MacOS ALL and restart, that way your thirdparty stuff with be in the 'disabled' control panels/extensions folders and when the install finishes, and you restart, the stuff you need to migrate to the new System Folder will be in these two 'disabled' folders of the old system folder and ready for you to move them...

[This message has been edited by wlonh (edited 04-20-2000).]

[tioga]

Well thanks, you Mavens of Macintosh. I did a clean install of OS9 followed by the 9.0.4 update. Things went fine except for some things Norton had to clean up after the install/update.
Are there other updates I need now that I have 9.0.4? I have an iMac 350 (no DVD).

[wlonh]

yes, Software Update control panel software has been updated... CarbonLib has been updated and that is good for AppleWorks6 and any other carbon-based app's

maybe some others i can't recall at the moment, see versiontracker.com