Archive and Install failed to complete?

First time was on an recent model Intel iMac (10.5.8 & most recent updates) and second time was on a second generation MacBook Pro (10.5.7 - last updates in July). Both installs failed with a message that "the User folder was in the Previous System folder." In both cases, I was then able to continue on to install a 'new' System that required a 'new' account setup. The 'original' User/Home folders were not in the 'Previous System' folder but were available as a 'Standard' Account in the 'new' User folder. All of the 'third party' Apps remained in the Previous System/Applications folder as did the 'Library' folders. Was able to reconstruct (drag or reinstall) the Applications and Library folders and then change the 'original' Account to Admin.
No 'related' comments on this site or MacOSX Hints! Talked to an Apple Support Tech - his response was "no previous experience with that problem."

Then, you might be hosed. The details for A&I are in http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1545 and I've never experienced your problem if you elected to save user and network settings. Alternatively, log into the new account, open System Preferences->Accounts and change the now standard accounts back to admin accounts, log into one of those and delete the newly created one.

Similar Messages

Drive crashed-archive and install failed

Intallation of Scanmaker drivers froze. After that my HD won't boot. Ran Disk Utility from the 10.5 install disk. Disk verified as OK. But when I go to verify permissions and/or repair them, I get the message "error: the underlying task reported failure on exit" and I can't do anything else.
Archive and install both with and without saving permissions option fails every time. hELP!
What are my options and what does this error mean?

I wish I could say I had been backing up but I have not. Needless to day, I saw the light! I managed to use Disk Warrior to restore the directory on the disk. Luckily I had a second HD for the MacBook--installed that and from there was able to access all the files (undamaged, thank goodness) and copy them back over to the new HD. It was a slow process but it worked. I have time machine on now and will NOT turn it off!!!

Archive and install failed in process... I need to intgreate old sys files

I did a archive and install and it failed. I got replacement disks but the archive did not copy back. I now have a previous system folder I can not integrate. How can I activate the old users?

If you're an Admin user you can do a Get Info on them & change the Rights & Permissions, or Might try BatchMod, it's much better/easier than the Finder for recursive Permission changes...
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/6440
You might run into some real trouble with Sys>Library though, as it's in use by the OS/Disk you're booted from.
Message was edited by: BDAqua

Failed 'Archive and Install' - will CLI ditto or rsync save me?

I've done an 'Archive and Install' that ran properly, executed the restart, and then presented a message saying the installation can not be completed because of insufficient space on the target volume. To be clear, the computer restarts in the 'Installer' and displays the error message. I click 'OK' and it does a little loop and reappears. I can't properly quit the installer, force-quit, restart, anything. So I eventually power down.
More info :
I can boot from the install disk and in the system profiler I see 9.5 gigs free on the HD. The SMART status is verified. In fact the 'Hardware' section and 'Network' section seems okay, the 'Software' sections reveal the faults. Here I see no mounted applications, no extensions, no frameworks, etc. It's as if I can see where the install gave up. I have run disk utility and repaired the disk, the permissions, and it returns no errors and a nice green message. I ran DiskWarrior and it found nothing to repair. I was able to see my files in the preview, including my sparse image, but decided not to go ahead with a re-build, because I don't think that's going to save my system folder that's split in two. (From the failed A&I)
I am using FileVault and I am aware that these forums advise that I should have disabled it before trying the installation. Alas, the drive-space overhead was not to be found. I did, however, have room enough for the install, I thought. (And I do have my most critical data backed up, but not the whole system.) When I ran the install from the OS X DVD it indicated 15.6 gigs necessary for installation. I had in excess of 18. I know, I know, too close for comfort, and the FileVault image probably needed more overhead, and...
Chalk it up to knowledge and change.
So now I've got that external FW drive I should have had in the first place and I want to clone my whole HD over so I can start anew with an 'Erase and Install'. (Unless somebody thinks of something better. Bless the previous system?)
I'm not an idiot, but new to the command line (at least since the GUI has existed). I'm wanting to try this :
ditto source target
or
rsync -xrlptgoEv --progress --delete / /Volumes/target
Do I need to be in 'single user mode' (root - which I can access), or should I execute from the terminal via the install disk?
I just want to be sure I get this right, I'm confident that my data is there I just need to finesse it out.
Advance thanks to Kappy, your posts have saved me before...

Doesn't really sound like archive and install would be of much benefit to you, with as fubarred as everything sounds. However, you would at least have what you had before, just in case there's some unixy or other obscure thing that you did in the past that you need to reinstall because of the reversion to an OEM state. After 10.4.0 is reinstalled from DVD, then apply the OS 10.4.11 combo ppc update to get you up to the latest and greatest in one fell swoop. I believe that QT7.4 came out later than 10.4.11 release so that should be okay. Don't know about QT7.3, though.

TS1394 Can't re-install Leopard. Trying to reinstall the OS because computer locks up. It is a 2008 iMac that came with Leopard. Upgraded to Snow Leopard. Tried to archive and install from original DVD that came with iMac. Installation failed, so tri

Computer locks up, so I want to reinstall the OS. I had upgraded to Snow Leopard.
Tried to do an archive and install from the DVD that came with the computer, but that failed.
Tried to do an erase and install, but the install stops somewhere near the end, 13 minutes to go. Tried several times, same result.
Can't reboot from the install disk, it just ejects the disk and I get the flashing question mark.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.

I think my hard drive is toast. When I boot in single user mode, I get the following text:
CSRHID Transition Driver: start booting in single user... will wait for window server
Then the following text appears, repeating itself over and over, except that the numbers (indicated by "xxxxxxx")
SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, SENSE_KEY = 0x03, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, SENSE_KEY = 0x03, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
disk1s3: I/O error.
0[level 3] [READUID 0] [Facility com.apple.system.fs] [ErrType IO] [Err No 51] [IDType READ] [PB1kNum xxxxxxxxx] [LB1kNum 0] [FSLogMsgID xxxxxxx] [FSLogMsgOrder First]
0[Level 3] [READUID 0] [Facility com.apple.system.fs] [FSLogMsgID xxxxxxxxxx] [FSLogMsgOrder Last]
These messages keep repeating with the numbers (xxxxxxxxx) changing with each iteration.
Does this indicate a bad hard drive?
Thanks.

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/Erase and Install fail

I hate to add my own sob story here, but I'm at a loss here.
I'd had lingering minor problems with my Tiger installation, so I figured that when I got Leopard, I'd wipe my hard drive and start fresh. So I pop in the disc and 24 hours later, I've had no success. At first, I thought my problems might be the result of a bad DVD, so I returned it to the CambridgeSide store today and obtained a replacement, which fails exactly as before.
I've tried using both "Archive and Install" and "Erase and Install", with several extras or just the base system; it always terminates with a message about how the Installer could not validate the contents of the "Essentials" package. At one point, after a botched Erase and Install I tried an Archive and Install for kicks, and it seemed to get farther along before terminating in another Install Failed, this time telling me that it could not install files to my hard drive.
I've run Verify Disk in Disk Utility on my hard drive twice, and it hasn't found anything wrong. Anyone have any idea what's going on?

Larry V. wrote:
I The Genius I worked with told me it was likely a bug (albeit a major one) in the install program.
Well there's one Genius whom I can respect.
I think this is the conclusion many of us are reaching. I wonder if it might be related to the DVD being double-layered? It might simply demand a tad too much from an older or slightly out-of-kilter optical drive.
I know for a fact that the ultra-thin optical drives in the MBPs have been a headache for Apple.
Eventually this will all be sorted out. My disks shipped today. I am already an expert in what not to do, but only the doing on my own machines will tell how well I have learned my lessons. I have two MBPs and one G5 to Leopardize. I will have a house full of backups for each before I even start

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.

Problem with Archive and Install - Second disc won't complete

I'm trying to run an archive and install for my iMac, OS 10.4.11. I get through the first disc fine, but after I put in the 2nd install disc, it gets all the way to the "finishing installation" and then won't move past "running GarageBand Demo Songs Installer Script". it says less than a minute remaining, and the downloading bar is swirling, but there is nothing happening and it hangs here for hours. I've tried reinstalling, but it will only ask me to load the 2nd disk again, and the same thing happens over and over. I even tried a different install disc 2, and the same thing happened. Is there a way to push past this, or start the entire archive and install again? when i reboot to the disc drive with the 1st install disk, it ask me to put in the 2nd disc.
This all started because iTunes was acting up after I got an ipod touch, no prior problems with the computer. Can anyone help?

I've seen this reported before. What some have had some success with is to do a custom install so the second disk is not needed. See BDAqua's tip to someone with the same issue in the Tiger forum.
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9959537#9959537

How do I use archive and install to restore my CD drive?

I have a 2.66 GHz MacPro with current leopard software. My extended warranty just ran out. Before it ran out I began having problems with my CD drive in that some CD's or DVD's will be recognized while others' will not open. After talking extensively to Apple, they told me to do an archive and install with the original installation discs. I've been putting this off (even allowing the warranty to expire) because I'm paranoid that I'm going to lose precious data even though I have a current Time Machine backup.
So my question is do I just do the archive and install and hope for the best? Will I then have to upgrade back to the current version? I remember doing an archive and install a couple of times before to upgrade OS's and a few things didn't work until they were tweaked - lost code numbers, some Adobe products, etc.
Or is there a CD/DVD drive 'package' on the OSX install CD? Could I just reload this? If so can anyone tell me where to look? I would love to do this because everything else is working perfectly and I don't want to mess things up.
Note: I'm sure it's a software thing and not hardware related after consulting with Apple.
Thanks for the help,
Lou

How to Perform an Archive and Install
An Archive and Install will NOT erase your hard drive, but you must have sufficient free space for a second OS X installation which could be from 3-9 GBs depending upon the version of OS X and selected installation options. The free space requirement is over and above normal free space requirements which should be at least 6-10 GBs. Read all the linked references carefully before proceeding.
1. Be sure to use Disk Utility first to repair the disk before performing the Archive and Install.
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported, then quit DU and return to the installer.
2. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
3. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
4. Upon completion of the Archive and Install you will have a Previous System Folder in the root directory. You should retain the PSF until you are sure you do not need to manually transfer any items from the PSF to your newly installed system.
5. After moving any items you want to keep from the PSF you should delete it. You can back it up if you prefer, but you must delete it from the hard drive.
6. You can now download a Combo Updater directly from Apple's download site to update your new system to the desired version as well as install any security or other updates. You can also do this using Software Update.

After Archive and Install, music and photos lost

Hello, I installed Leopard yesterday on my Imac desktop and it went fine, but then somehow it locked me out of the hard drive, and then...the blue screen. I put the orginal Tiger disk back in and re-installed the previous software, opting for 'archive and install'. It worked but my question is this;
Within the previous system folder, my music and photos are still missing. All I see is the iphoto icon which opens to a completely empty program. (Yet the info on this Icon says it is a 1 gb in there). Are my photos lost, really? And if not, how may I retrieve them? Thanks in advance.

You may find it in the Previous System Folder created during an Archive and Install that contains your old system. Assuming you have no need for its contents you can delete the PSF and recover the disk space.
Of course if the hard drive is corrupted then you may have performed an Archive and Install on a corrupted drive which will result in a corrupted installation. Consider doing the following:
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now shutdown the computer for a couple of minutes and then restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger) and/or TechTool Pro (4.5.2 for Tiger) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.

Archive and Install issue(s)

Good Evening,
I have owned my Macbook now for a little over a year and used it primarily for personal use, which would equal maybe an hour or two per day on this Mac. Just last week my Mac shut down for no reason so I turned it back on and thats when the trouble began. When I turned it on the gray screen came up with the apple logo as normal... then the little circle ticker starts going as it "loads" and "thinks" at start up, well it continues to think and then after about 5 minutes or so the computer shuts down and starts again with out me doing anything.
Out of sheer frustration and uncertainity of what to do I took it to Apple. The tech at the Genius bar was very helpful, ran diagnostics, etc. The good news was he could see everything thats on my hard drive so he said my hard drive wasn't completely shot... so he sent me home with instructions on how to do an "Archive and Install" which would grab all of my documents from my hard drive, put them to the side in a folder and then wipe my computer clean and reinstall my OS. I started this procedure and per the tech's notes he said it oculd take 2-3 hours for it to complete which it did. Then as the Archive and Install is down to its last 2 minutes of work I noticed it was "stuck" at the 2 minute mark and I could hear it keep trying to read the cd software. After it being stuck at 2 minutes for about an hour it finally stopped and gave me an error reading as follows:
"Install Failed" "Installer could not install some files in "/Volumes/MacIntosh HD"
"Contact Software Manufacturer for assistance"
It then gave me the option to restart and try again but I didn't b/c I am afraid I have already wiped my computer of all of my pictures and documents.
Can someone PLEASE help me with this? I take such great care of my laptop and for it to only be a year old with an issue like this leaves me very unhappy. The tech at the Genius bar said hard drives can die within 2-3 years which to me is a crock of sh** as I have had my Toshiba for 8 years and never ONCE had an issue like this and its the same hard drive that came with it. The price I paid for my fully loaded 13 inch Unibody MacBook to have this happen a year later is just unacceptable.

Hi beccal18,
I've seen three situations that cause this issue:
1.) The disc is bad and will need to be replaced
2.) The HD is failing the pre-install disk verification
3.) The RAM is failing the pre-installation verification
Regarding the HD comment, regrettably it's one of those unknown variables. I have Dell that is celebrating it's 10th birthday in a few weeks and it's all original (under the hood), even the power supply and it's used everyday. I've had some machines that have had their HDs fail within the first few weeks and I've even had some that are DOA right out of the box. So the Genius and his comment was pretty much spot on.
Also, did you purchase AppleCare to properly protect your investment that you paid a fair amount for? If so, whatever component(s) need to be replaced to ensure properly functionality, Apple will take care of it all.

Getting My Mac Book Pro in Order Post Archive and Install

Hi there,
My 17" Macbook Pro recently closed down on me, giving me three longs beeps and not starting up again. I archived and installed, for the first time ever, and was relieved when my Mac bumped back into life with all of my work and apps stashed away in 'Previous Systems'. I then embarked on going through 'Disk Utility' to create a disk image of the preserved work (I was following advice from the Mac support site) but the down load process was so slow I gave up and have resorted to sorting through the previous system manually and dragging info across into the new setup. I am completely green to this and have no idea if I am doing the right thing?
However, I also have some issues:
My spotlight search does not work, I type in a search item then get the spinning wheel, and spotlight closes down?
I want to reset my mail to just the way it was, with all my old sent and received messages. I can't even get mail to work, I get:
The server error encountered was: The server “[email protected]” cannot be contacted on port 110.
Any advice here?
I am running OSX 10.5 and I tried to do the hardware test but the computer told me it cannot be run on this computer??
Thanks in advance
James

Your profile says you have a Powerbook, and yet your question is regarding a MacBook Pro. MacBook Pros and Powerbooks are totally different machines on the inside. If the issue is with the MacBook Pro, you need the MacBook Pro installer discs to run the hardware test. If it is with a Powerbook, then you need the Powerbook installer discs. If you have the correct discs according to this, it may be your firmware installation at one point failed. That's sometimes the reason for the three long tones. Here's a guide to the tones at startup on Intel Macs (MacBook Pros):
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2538?viewlocale=en_US
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2341
And PowerPC Macs (Powerbooks):
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58442

Archive and install (keep user's settings) didn't work

History
PPC G5, original 1.8GHz single proccessor, OS 10.4.8
1) using Brother P-Touch Editor 'uninstall' program, uninstalled ver 3.2
2) installed version 3.2a
3) removed P-Touch print driver 1.4
4) installed print driver 1.41 -> it works (I don't know if it worked after updating to 10.4.8, but never had any troubles)
5) -> PhotoShop does not load, splash screen shows 1/2 second, then nothing
Console shows
2007-03-04 21:20:27.350 Adobe Photoshop CS2[398] CFLog (21): Cannot
find executable for CFBundle 0x81fa4d0 </Applications/Adobe
Photoshop CS2/Adobe Photoshop CS2.app/Contents/Frameworks/
LicMan.framework> (not loaded)
Failed to load LicMan.framework
Nisus Writer Express says I am unregistered pop up to use demo version or enter license #, pressing enter license #, it just goes to new document, does not allow license # to be entered
Console shows:
2007-03-05 20:29:01.013 Nisus Writer Express[980] Could not load
Feedback defaults
(this might not be an exclusive list of software not working)
6) Backed up HD. this process was stopped with this error message:
There was an error during copying Library from source to target: ditto: /Library/./Receipts/SecUpd2005-004Pan.pkg/Contents/Resources/French.lproj/Licen se.rtf; Input/out error
(Note I am not running French version of anything)
7) I replaced this file from a back up. The two files had the same date and size. This did not help problems. I then was able to complete the backup successfully
Today
1) I did a archive and install, keeping users preferences.
rebooting I got this error:
Application Launch Failure
The application "Transport Monitor" could not be launched because of a shared library error: "8<Transport Monitor><Transport Monitor><HotSyncLib.PPC>"
2) After reading Apple's warnings that things might not work properly after an archive and install until you upgrade to version you had before, I downloaded the 10.4.8 combo updater.
Still got the same error when rebooting
3) Ran software update and updated Daylight savings, some security patches, Java, etc.
4) On reboot I still get this error about the Transport Monitor/shared library
HELP?

Perhaps you should try reinstalling Photoshop and Nisus Writer, but first be sure you completely uninstall them:
Uninstalling Software: The Basics
Most OS X applications are completely self-contained "packages" that can be uninstalled by simply dragging the application to the Trash. Most applications create preference files which are stored in the /Home/Library/Preferences/ folder. Although they do nothing once you delete the associated application, they do take up some disk space. If you want you can located them in the above location and delete them, too.
Some applications may install an uninstaller program that can be used to remove the application. In some cases the uninstaller may be part of the application's installer, and is invoked by clicking on a Customize button that will appear during the install process.
Some applications may install components in the /Home/Library/Applications Support/ folder. You can also check there to see if the application has created a folder. You can also delete the folder that's in the Applications Support folder. Again, they don't do anything but take up disk space once the application is trashed.
Some applications may install a startupitem or a Log In item. Startupitems are usually installed in the /Library/StartupItems/ folder and less often in the /Home/Library/StartupItems/ folder. Log In Items are set in the Accounts preferences. Open System Preferences, click on the Accounts icon, then click on the LogIn Items tab. Locate the item in the list for the application you want to remove and click on the "-" button to delete it from the list.
If an application installs any other files the best way to track them down is to do a Finder search using the application name or the developer name as the search term.
There are also several shareware utilities that can uninstall applications:
AppZapper
CleanApp
Yank
SuperPop
Uninstaller
Spring Cleaning
Look for them at www.versiontracker.com or www.mackupdate.com.
For more information visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on removing software.

"archive and install" button can't be clicked, already have Mac OS 10.4

i cannot start up my laptop and i see the apple logo and it doesn't go to my desktop and i would like to do a "archive and install" but the button isn't an option for me even though i have Mac OS 10.4 already installed when i bought it.
should i go through all of the disk utility and repair/verify everything and see if then i can archive and install?
and does anyone know if the archive and install saves iTunes/iPhoto files?
if anyone can help please do!!

How to Perform an Archive and Install
1. Be sure to use Disk Utility first to repair the disk before performing the Archive and Install.
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger) and/or TechTool Pro (4.5.2 for Tiger) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
2. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
3. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
4. Upon completion of the Archive and Install you will have a Previous System Folder in the root directory. You should retain the PSF until you are sure you do not need to manually transfer any items from the PSF to your newly installed system.
5. After moving any items you want to keep from the PSF you should delete it. You can back it up if you prefer, but you must delete it from the hard drive.
6. You can now download a Combo Updater directly from Apple's download site to update your new system to the desired version as well as install any security or other updates. You can also do this using Software Update.

Archive and Install failed to complete?

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