[threestain]

I'm getting Panther this week (or whenever it arrives). Is it best to do a clean install having wiped everything, or does an upgrade work just as well? I've only just had to wipe everything and start again after a security update, so I'd prefer to just upgrade, but if its a really bad idea, I'll format and then go forth.

What do you guys reckon?

[- - e r i k - -]

When in doubt use the search box.

Oh and Archive and install.

[Footy]

http://www.macmerc.com/articles/Powe...f_the_Week/166

[Lyra]

Originally posted by threestain:
I'm getting Panther this week (or whenever it arrives). Is it best to do a clean install having wiped everything, or does an upgrade work just as well? I've only just had to wipe everything and start again after a security update, so I'd prefer to just upgrade, but if its a really bad idea, I'll format and then go forth.

What do you guys reckon?

Hi mate...

Sorry to see the same reply over and over again from members saying, DO A SEARCH... Well to be honest I too, was battling with this idea for a moment, till I posted the same questions you did. I got the same lame answer from more then one reader... Great huh? This place has become pretty bad...

Anyway to your question here is what I finally did...

I used the safe method( more work but best results).:

To a clean wipe of your HD, when you get the discs, Panther will let you choose in disk utilities, journaling or what ever it is called, choose that one...

Then do the install, choosing only what you need...

You will see a remarkable difference if you do it this way... Besides it is a perfect excuse to make back ups now...

I did an archive and install at first but that wasn't all that good, I mean I am not joking when I say my G5 starts up in less then 10 seconds from power on and to the active desktop with a launched iTunes... It is fantastic...

What kind of Mac do you drive?

If you have more questions please feel free to ask, it will not hurt anyone, regardless of how they make it look.

[jokell82]

I would say don't bother wiping the drive clean, it'll just give you a bunch of hassle without much (if any) gains. The best option IMHO is the "archive and install," which gives you a brand new system but lets you keep your user settings. I just performed this install on a PowerBook 550 and it worked great.

[gregpins]

Archive and install is probably best. I was feeling lucky and did a straight upgrade (after backing up) and it actually worked just fine, but I don't recommend that method.

[druber]

I'm going to buy a new HD to put Panther on (I need the HD anyway). Is there an app out there that can pull in my prefs, apps, and home directory so that I don't have to do it all manually? I'd *really* like not to have to reinstall all my apps.

[jokell82]

The best way to transfer your settings is to just copy your home directory over. The apps you'll probably just have to do one at a time (but going hard drive to hard drive should be pretty quick and painless).

But what's the deal with everyone recommending *not* going with the upgrade install? I'm sure it's the same thing as the "archive and install" without saving the previous system. Why would Apple include it if it didn't work correctly???

[beverson]

Originally posted by jokell82:
But what's the deal with everyone recommending *not* going with the upgrade install? I'm sure it's the same thing as the "archive and install" without saving the previous system. Why would Apple include it if it didn't work correctly???

My sense is that anecdotally people feel that a clean install (either on a freshly initialized drive or as an Archive and Install) gives them a spanky new system with no bloated or corrupted files. Everything system-wise is as Apple intended. I have yet to see any hard proof that this is true, but in my own experience it is (and has always been). Even back in 7/8/9 days, doing a clean install of the System Folder was often a good idea every once in a while to snappy up the system and get rid of any weird quirky thing that had started happening. It was of course easier to do back then, but still some things really don't change all that much. Having problems with your Mac? Nuke the prefs and then if they persist, reinstall the system. (Note: Archive and Install generally won't help if your problem really is bad prefs, since it migrates your user-specific prefs for you).

Additionally, I think that doing a fresh install (with either of the non-upgrade routes) forces people to streamline their files and haxie-like utilities and such. Perhaps that helps more than the reinstall itself does.

Here's what I plan to do after I get Panther. On my iMac, which is not quite a month old yet, I'm just going to do a simple upgrade. The system is currently pretty clean and efficient, and I feel that the extra time spent doing some manner of fresh install would not be worth it here. On my iBook, which has been around for a while, I'm going to do an archive and install. It's become a bit sluggish and quirky in places, and I want to reorganize some of my crap and have been putting it off till this undertaking. Based on this, my recommendation would be the same: if you have a new Mac, or a Mac that has a recently (re)installed system, an upgrade will probably be fine; if your Mac is a bit older, has not had a complete reinstall since you bought it or since Jaguar came out, and you have the time and means to do so, you may benefit from at least an archive and install.

As always, your milage may vary. Oh, and back up essential stuff regardless of the choice you make.

[SMacTech]

I did many archive and installs with all the Panther betas, except one or two wipe clean installs.
I just upgraded my cube which has been running 10.2.6, and the Dock flipped out upon logging on to my account. Other accounts showed no problems. I ended up dumping my plist files and everything in my ~/Library/Preferences folder and then all was well. Then I moved the preferences for an app, if it was needed.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to find the culprit.

[Xeo]

This question has been beat to death.