Archive and Install, Does it format the whole disk

If I ran an archive and install on my macbook, would it give me the option to reformat and repartition the entire hard disk, or only the volume where Leopard is currently installed. So if i have three partitions on my hard drive right now, one Leopard, one Ubuntu and one swap, and I did an archive and install, would it wipe out all three of those partitions and just make one big Mac partition again?

podsorcerer wrote:
If I ran an archive and install on my macbook, would it give me the option to reformat and repartition the entire hard disk, or only the volume where Leopard is currently installed. So if i have three partitions on my hard drive right now, one Leopard, one Ubuntu and one swap, and I did an archive and install, would it wipe out all three of those partitions and just make one big Mac partition again?
no. archive and install is done on one partition only and that partition has to have os x installed. in any event it won't touch any other partitions. that's true for any kind of install you do. there is disk utility on the leopard install dvd and you can use it to reformat and repartition the entire drive if you want but the installer itself doesn't do that.

Similar Messages

Does "Archive and Install" really exists on the Snow Leopard install DVD ?

Well, Mr Magoo really needs your help.
I have an iMac late 2009 edition and the Snow Leopard DVD installer discs.
Reading the little baby paper book manual that came with the discs and the iMac it says on page 54 that i can re-install Snow Leopard by choosing "Archive and Install" or "Erase and Install".
Mr Magoo just can't find that "Archive and Install" choice and have concluded that this is a very bad reprint of a manual from years long ago when it was possible to archive and install or it some joke by Apple.
Unfortunately my 90 days of phone talk to Apple has expired albeit the two year warranty under apple sometimes care program i purchased is still valid.
Help/suggestions on how i can get to do an Archive and Install with the Snow Leopard installer DVD that came with this iMac ?

Dave Sawyer wrote:
You misunderstand what Carolyn wrote. In Snow Leopard, Apple engineered the installer so that any reinstallation over an existing copy is in essence an "archival" install in the sense that it replaces all the OS files while automatically preserving the applications and user settings, just as the old "archive and install" option did, though no longer with the option to not preserve the user settings. So all installations over an existing OS are in essence "archive and install", so Apple removed the extra, now-redundant option.
They also removed the "Erase and Install" option. The only way you get a "complete fresh" installation is if you use Disk Utility to erase the drive. Otherwise the 10.6 installer will install a new set of OS files but not remove your apps and user settings.
If you want to reinstall Mac OS X 10.6 and keep your applications and user settings and data, just do a normal installation over the existing one. If you want to do a completely fresh installation, either starting completely new or restoring user data from a backup, first run Disk Utility from the Utilities menu and erase the drive.
Well, have you tried an Snow Leopard installation on top of a previously installed Snow Leopard.
I must really be an idiot in using the snow leopard installer.
I loaded the optical slot with the Snow Leopard DVD installer and after it opened up on the desk top i double clicked the install icon. That restarted my iMac.
When I launched the installer after selecting my "Language" and then going thru the customization ( for example I don't need all those foreign languages ) and then selecting the drive to carry out the installation the installation starts.
Upon completion all my third party applications were zapped and i only had the Apple applications. There was no "previous" system folder as there used to be in previous operating system installers.
So, honestly, I have no idea how you folks manage to make an Snow Leopard installation over a previously installed Snow Leopard whereby all the third party applications are still there.
Please tell me the steps i should take to make an "archival" install over top of a previously installed Snow Leopard that retains all third party applications.
After my install of Snow Leopard I had to re-install all my third party software applications which in my case are mainly midi/audio programs.

I have just attempted an archive and install of my OS, the status bar has reached a certain point and does not seem to load any further. Help?

The installer has been stuck at "44 minutes remaining" for about 2 hours now, I don't want to quit the installer incase I lose any files. I have no idea what to do now
Before doing the archive install I ran disk utility and came up with no problems. I have completed two previous archive and installs after a few issues I had with my MB. I suspect my HD is failing however it has never just stopped loading like this before.
Any info would be greatly appreciated.

So your n 10.5 and you have archived and installed before, and it stalled this time,
You likely ran out of drive space or even hit a bad sector on the drive.
Reboot the machine holding the shift key down, that hopefully should get you in so you can delete the previous archived versions of OS X.
Your user accounts and files are stored seperate and even if archived with OS X, it's a copy of the orginals.
Once you get in, copy these like Users folders to a external drive as soon as possible and disconnect.

After Archive and Install, there is less room on disk

I recently had to do an archive and install from my Mac OS X Disc 1 & 2, and I new it would take up between 10 and 15GB of Disk space, but I can't figure out how to clean up the disk so I have the amount of space I had before the archive and install. I recently had 59.8 GB, after the archive and install I have 50.08. Any suggestions?

Hi Tha Shiz, Welcome to Apple's Users Help Users Forums.
When you do an A & I you create a 'Previous System Folder.' I suspect that's the difference.
You can keep that for a while till you are sure that everything is OK.
Joyous Computing, JP
Message was edited by: Jpfresno "You can ..."

Lost files after doing Archive and Install

After I did Archive and Install I went to the home screen and all my files were gone. Where are they save? I'm not talking about my applications, I'm talking about documents and iTunes music,etc.
Please help.

I assume you did not check the option to preserve users and network settings when you did the Archive and Install. You will find everything in the Previous System Folder.
See How to get files from a previous home directory after Archive and Install.

Archive and Install...the aftermath

I recently performed an archive and install. I checked the option to "Preserve home user and network settings", so all of my documents, pictures, movies, music, user settings, iTunes/iPhoto libraries, internet favourites, address book contacts et cetera were RIGHT where I left them after the procedure, which was handy. However, certain things (library files, and duplicates of Mac OS X applications) are now in the "Previous System" folder. Certain articles I have come across online lead me to believe that I can delete this folder. But I'm not so sure I've got everything back yet. Here's my question:
Certain widgets that I have installed that didn't come with OS X are missing, because they are in
Previous System/Library/Widgets
as opposed to
/Library/Widgets
When I tried moving them, it failed, because it said that the folder "Widgets" can't be modified. The dialogue box gave me the option to Authenticate (rather than just clicking OK), but when I clicked Authenticate, nothing happened (and I do mean nothing). Is this just a quirk? Do have to simply download the widgets from the web again? Or is something else wrong?

you might be able to use Terminal and UNIX commands to migrate files from the archived System, but I think it's safer to reinstall any missing/non-functional apps. While most are standalone and easy to find the needed files, some may have special file locations that aren't obvious and you might miss them, the original installer will put all the app's supporting files in the correct locations.
For example: WireTap Pro contains an .app in your Applications folder, but also needs a kernel extension somewhere in the System folder. If you did an archive and install this would wipe out the kernel extension and the .app would no longer work. Who knows how every single .app/Widget stores their needed files? If one is missing and doesn't work, just reinstall it.
Maybe in the event that the installed .app is not available on disc or the internet, then you have no other option but to go digging in the archived System and pull out all the bits and pieces to try to get it working again. I would wait to delete the archived System until you know you have all your existing third-party apps working again, just to be safe.

Archive and Install and External HD

If you need to do an archive and install, can you have the install discs archive the current system and files to a USB or network attached Hard Drive?
Thanks

You're welcome.
Now i want to buy a new MacBook and im wonder IF I ever need to
do a re-install because it takes a poop THEN I can do an archive
and install to keep my existing data correct?
Correct but regarding if your MacBook takes a poop and especially a major poop, you shouldn't rely on an Archive & Install to take the place of a regular backup.
The Archive & Install feature includes a setting to preserve user and network settings. When doing so, the OS X version included on the install package that shipped with your Mac is installed new and all user and network setting, user data and 3rd party applications are transferred to the new system. The old system is archived and saved as a previous system folder. You cannot boot the computer from or use the archived previous system folder to run the computer. After doing so, you need to run Software Update.
After confirming all user and network settings and data was successfully transferred to the new system, you can (and should) safely delete the archived previous system folder.
Then what im asking is since HD space is limited on the macbook,
can i have it archive to another external drive?
You shouldn't allow limited free hard drive space to happen. You should keep a minimum 5GB of free hard drive space in order to perform an Archive & Install if needed or desired.
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/lackofram.html
I'm not aware of a way to designate a different location or external hard drive for the archived previous system folder.
What i have read leads me to believe that when i need to do a reinstall,
with OS X I dont need to format the drive and it auto moves over my
stuff? Is that right?
This depends on the problem and using an Archive & Install or Erase & Install should always be used as a final last resort.
If there is a hard drive directory problem that Apple's Disk First Aid cannot successfully repair and you don't have access to a more substantial and highly recommended disk repair utility such as DiskWarrior (with no guarantees) or something so bad that DW cannot successfully repair which isn't often, then your only option at that point is to reformat the hard drive first before re-installing.

Tiger Archive and Install Using External Disk for Archive?

Any way to do an archive and install by moving the saved stuff to an external usb drive? My 10.4.3 install disk is offering me only erase and install, I was updated to 10.4.8 and quite invested with software, etc., would really like to at least try archive and install, but of course the main drive is too full for that.
As an alternative, is there any way to use single user mode command line to locate and move files before doing the erase and install?
Finally, I gather I cannot boot os 9 with my mini. Is there any workaround for that?
Thanks for any help.
Jud

> One of the unexplained mysteries to me is what users are supposed to do about iTunes libraries?
Create and maintain a backup saved to an external drive or media (used for backup purposes only) as should be done with all other data that is important to you - for this very reason and for other important reasons. It isn't a matter of if but when your hard drive has a partial or complete failure since none last forever.
Since an iPod can be accessed/used via Disk mode as with any other external drive, many use their iPod for backup purposes which is a big mistake IMO since this isn't what an iPod is designed for. There are ways to retrieve music from an iPod but if you have your iPod preferences to automatically launch iTunes and update with iTunes and/or don't have Disk mode enabled, it makes it much more difficult if not impossible.
Do you have access to another Mac that supports being connected to another Mac via Firewire Target Disk mode? If so, you can connect your Mini to another Mac this way to retrieve your data and then you should probably consider reformatting the drive (which completely erases the drive) and then re-install Tiger and all software.

Archive and Install... or ... Where did my pictures go?

Ok, so I had to total brain malfunction and did a Archive and Install when I did the last OS update. So now my user account is gone and hiding inside the "previous system" folder. I'd really like to retrieve iPhoto albums, pictures, books, events, etc. Is it possible?
Thanks!
John

Next time select the option to preserve User and internet settings (I think that's what it's called). This will keep your account intact so you don't have to retrieve it from the Previous System folder.
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. Just put the application in the Dock and click on it whenever you want to backup the dB file. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.
Note: There now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.

Failed Archive and Install. Unable to restart from CD.

I could use some help solving a tricky problem. Please redirect me if I am posting this to the wrong forum.
My MacBook was having difficulty staying asleep. If I select sleep or close the lid, within a few seconds it makes a sound like it is testing the disk drive and wakes up. Oddly doesn't seem to happen as quickly if it just falls asleep from prolonged inactivity. This was causing severe battery drain so, unable to solve the issue on my own, I made an appointment with my local Genius at the Apple Store.
He told me I needed to do an Archive and Install, which he proceeded to try and do, but couldn't get the drive to accept the new OS. He therefore diagnosed me with a dying hard drive and told me I needed a new one. I groaned a bit since they seem to tell me this every 2 years or so, so they kindly offered to do this one for free.
I took the new machine home today and used Time Machine to restore my old settings/software. Unfortunately the problem was still there. However, this got me thinking. I have two backup clone drives with SuperDuper. One is current and regularly. The other I made 2 years ago shortly after we last replaced the hard drive and never touched. (Paranoid, I know.) When I boot from the current clone, the problem recurs but, if I boot from the earlier clone, the problem is no longer there. Clearly, I think, a software issue.
Happy, at least, that I did not pay for the new hard drive, I thought I might Archive and Install from my original 10.2 disks. Unfortunately I cannot get the system to boot from them.
I held down "C" on start up, but it still started from the HD. I clicked on the "Install" icon from the CD, but the restart again used the HD. I tried to select the CD as a Startup Drive in the System Preferences panel but the CD doesn't show up as an option.
I would be grateful for any ideas. Sorry about the length. Thanks.

It looks like your MacBook is one of these models, and that it shipped with Tiger:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook/stats/macbook-core-2-duo-2.0-black -13-specs.html
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook/stats/macbook-core-2-duo-2.0-white -13-specs.html
The comment there about RAM is
1 GB of RAM is installed as two 512 MB modules, no slots free.
*Apple officially supports 2 GB of RAM, but third-parties have been "unofficially" able to upgrade it to 3 GB or 4 GB of RAM (it can hold 4 GB but cannot fully utilize the memory beyond 3 GB).
You will not want to run Tiger even if you find the original discs, so I would get Snow Leopard in any event. The original install discs do contain a machine-specific version of Apple Hardware Test which is not available elsewhere, and for this reason it is nice to have them around. Apple will usually send you a replacement set for a nominal charge if you call them with your serial number - you can decide if doing this is worth it, depending on the cost.
I do think it is worthwhile upgrading your RAM to 2GB, though your actual need will depend upon how you use your computer. If you don't do much multitasking or manipulation of of large media files you might be able to get by with your current 1 GB. Since your current Leopard system seems to meet your needs with 1GB of RAM, I guess you first could try running Snow Leopard this way also, and then add RAM if you find you need it. If you want to do it now, I think that a matched pair of 1GB modules would cost about $50.

Need help with archive and install

I'm doing and archive and install. The first try was with a defective retail version of OS X Tiger, which did part of the job then stalled. Now I've been able to get a good DVD of this and was able to do an archive and install,although I couldn't check the box to save user settings etc., On the screen it gives me 3 options transfer info from another mac, transfer info from another partition on this mac or do not transfer my info. I'm new to all this, because of the first failed archive and install do I transfer the info from another partition or not transfer at all and find the old folder later on in the process?

Hi D,
I couldn't check the box to save user settings etc.
I think that is due to the partial previous install moving things to a Previous System folder, but not finshing.
Let's see if that's what happened... if you have 2 Macs with Firewire this could be a lot easier.
Oh, do you have a Backup?
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
After quitting DU, look for Terminal in that Menu Bar, open that and type in this...
Wait, let's hear if you have another Mac or Boot Disk first...

Failed Archive and Install - Have I lost all my user files?

In another thread I have reported printing problems while running OS 10.4.11 on a Cube http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1401894&tstart=0. Tonight I decided to do an Archive and Install to try to fix the problems. I got a message saying that the installation had failed and that I should try to reinstall. When I did so I was given the option to Archive and Install but the check box for Save Users and Network Settings could not be checked. Rather than trying to reinstall I quit the installer and specified an OS 9 system folder for booting. After booting into OS 9 I examined the Users folder and found no folders corresponding to my two user accounts, only a shared folder. The OS X Applications folder appears to contain all my applications.
It seems that the failed installation erased my user accounts. Is that correct? If so, how can I recover them?
Of course I did a backup of my user files before installing, right? NO!!!! My last backup was eight days ago.
John Link

Yes, an Archive and Install will not erase the disk or your files. If you use the option to preserve user accounts and preferences those will be transferred into the newly created system. However, your existing system is a failed installation so if you do another Archive and Install it cannot transfer your user account because it is not in the existing system. Plus you will need sufficient free space on the hard drive for yet another system - about 6-8 GBs.
Once you backup your personal data and your Home folder, I would suggest you just erase the hard drive, reinstall OS X from scratch, then copy your Home folder backup to the newly installed system. These articles, How to get files from a previous home directory after Archive and Install and Mac OS X- How to recover a home folder (directory), explain the process. Although written for an Archive and Install scenario it is essentially the same procedure you would have to follow.
How to Clone Using Restore Option of Disk Utility
1. Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
2. Select the backup or destination volume from the left side list.
3. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (journaled, if available) and click on the Erase button. This step can be skipped if the destination has already been freshly erased.
4. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
5. Select the backup or destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
6. Select the startup or source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
7. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.

Archive and Install Time? Clarification?

I have several symptoms going on simultaneously that lead me to think that I need to try an Archive and Install.
1. Mail loses all settings and data on a daily basis.
2. Trying to install Quicken via CD that is known to be good gives bad disk error message.
3. Trying to transfer files from CD-R burned on another PB running same OS gives file error message and won't allow transfer of some files.
4. Found an iPhoto file that was consuming almost 80 gigs of disk space. How and why?
5. During start-up, when the gray Apple start-up screen appears, there is an irregular gray line about 3 inches long that appears above the Apple. It isn't present when I start up from the Install Disk, and disappears when the desktop appears.
Repaired permissions, repaired disk using disk utility, performed long hardware test. Am I missing something?
If I try an Archive and Install, will that preserve my data and files? System settings, yes, but what about my stuff. I suppose that means I need to reinstall any third party software?

Daniel is almost right. What an Archive and Install does is to move your entire existing system into a Previous System Folder at the root directory of the hard drive. It then installs a fresh copy of OS X. All your files are preserved. If you use the option to preserve user and preference settings they will be moved into the new system. All your installed applications that are in the Applications folder will be moved into the new system. However, some applications will store information in the /Library/Applications Support/ folder. These files will remain in the Previous System Folder and will have to be moved to the new system manually.
If you do an archive and install be sure you first repair the hard drive. Do not attempt an archive and install unless the hard drive has been verified as OK.

After Archive and Install = computer running slowly

I just ran Archive and Install, repaired my Hard Drive with disk utility and ran software update, everything should be gangbusters.
But now, it takes much longer than usual for my computer to boot and when I do basic things like run a web browser, the finder and itunes at the same time, I get a 'pinwheel of doom' consistenly as if the computer needs to stop and process what's going on.
Why is my computer running so slowly? I have enough ram, processing to run very smoothly and my hard drive now has 15% free space.

After I started a new user and used some of my old programs in that user, they loaded faster on the admin user I've been having problems with, and it seemed like my computer was starting to go back to normal.
New problems... I ran software update and there were a bunch of security updates, quicktime and other stuff I hadn't updated. It took a while to download and install so I left my house for a few hours. I came back and my computer showed the "restart to take effect" prompt. But then it wouldn't boot to OSX and I'm back to square one. Why would this keep happening? Why would my OS stop functioning after leaving it idle for several hours?
So now I'm re-installing the OS again and we'll see what happens.
Could it be that the climate is too hot? I have a thermometer program that says the inside of my computer is 135 degrees F. Is it too hot? Maybe a fan is broken?
In the past my OS has only stopped working due to lack of HD space but now I have about 15% free space. I'm really out of ideas here.

Can I trash "Previous Systems" after Archive and Install?

For details leading up to this question, please see my previous post entitled "Not recognizing password after OS install". Basically I want to know if I can throw out the "Previous Systems" folder that was created when I did an "Archive and Install" re-install of my OS.
Thanks.

For more information about the previous system folder and what is saved, you can check out Mac OS X: About the Archive and Install feature. Probably the most important piece of information is that the Previous System Folder contains a copy of the /Users folder. If you thought that something was missing from your home folder in the new system after the upgrade, you could copy it from the /Users folder. But, if you selected the option "Preserve User and Network Settings" when you did the Archive and Install, this should not be necessary.
Personally, what I would do is to leave the Previous System Folder be for a couple of weeks. If you don't find anything missing, then it should be okay to delete it.
EMAC G4 1.0 GHz Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Archive and Install, Does it format the whole disk

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