[horix]

im planning to reformat.. someone has already mentioned to be an app to backup the entire HD to help this process (i have an external drive i can throw things to) but i feel like i really just need a fresh clean HD/OS.. there are many programs though, with settings that i would like to keep... is there any way to do that well (certain apps that will/wont work?) is it really best to just write them all down in a text file and spend a bunch of time on version tracker once im back up?

horix

[spiky_dog]

back up your entire hard drive if you have space on the external drive. it's always easier to piece through a too-substantial backup for that pref file you need than to pull it from the ether once you reformat...

[gpeden]

Hi horix,

CCCloner will do it. It allows you do make a disk image (with the option of not saving some items on the drive) and restore everything back is it was. I just had the chance to try all this out after I got a new (used) 1.25 G4 dualie 10 days ago. After getting the new computer setup with all my software, mail, settings and me replacing the former administrator of the machine, I saved it all as a 19 GB disk image on a second hard drive from my original machine. Also, I tried saving the disk image (chose ASR option - apple software restore) in compressed segments sized to fit a DVD and wound up with 3 segments of about 4.5 GB. I saved these as data files on 3 DVD's. So for the grand test, after wiping the QS 733's drive clean, I copied the 3 image files from the DVD's to a folder on a second hard drive. Then I clicked on the first segmented image and the 3 of them assembled into a single full image of the new computer's drive. Then I used CCCloner to copy this image of the G4 dualie to the pristine drive on the 733. It seemed to work fine, but on booting it would only get to a grey screen with an apple icon in the middle that looked like the side of the computer cases. I tried Disk Warrior and TechTool. Then I tried my first fsk attempt, but I cannot remember exactly how that went, but it did not help. Anyway, what did work is to do an "archive and install" of the system software after booting from a system disk. What I eneded up with was a seemingly very good clone of my new computer on the old one. I ran a bunch of the software and it worked just fine.

For me, this is VERY cool - I now have the new computer setup saved on 3 DVD's as the "fallback" and will backup data files from that point on. Of course I also have "final backups" of the first computer's data files as well, but it's nice knowing that I will not have to manually install and setup the core programs on the machine, ever.

Hope this helps!

[CharlesS]

I'm not sure that something like Carbon Copy Cloner is necessary - if all you want to do is back up your apps and settings, just back up your Applications folder and your home folder. The global Library folder is nice to back up too sometimes. This way you don't back up a bunch of stuff you don't need, like the System folder and other stuff that would just get put back by the OS installer anyway.

[Chuckit]

Originally posted by CharlesS:
The global Library folder is nice to back up too sometimes.

And it'll save you having to reregister all your software, since a lot of programs throw license information there.