Archive and Install vs Fresh Install

I understand what each of these do, and I am just posting to get some feedback on which is recommended. I am leaning toward the Archive and Install to keep me from having to reload everything. Have there been any noticed problems with doing so? I have the latest MBP. Please share your experiences.

My co-worker opted for the archive and install method on a Mac Mini IC2D; I did a clean install on a G4 Powerbook, then used Migration Assistant to import my user accounts, apps and settings.
Both installs went fine. My co-worker had to reinstall Parallels and WinXP, and is having problems with Adobe CS3, whereas I've had problems with FileMaker Pro. I don't use CS3, and don't know the extent of his problems, but FMP 8.5 won't run at all on Leopard, and FMP 9 requires specific regional settings in Internation Preferences (Format) depending on the language you're using (you have to use the US for the English version).
As always, the devil is in the details. Disconnect all external devices, and have a (bootable) backup just in case your 3rd-party apps aren't ready for Leopard. At least then you can revert to Tiger until your apps are updated.
Good luck,
Andrew
Message was edited by: Andrew Penner

Similar Messages

  • How do I do back to previous system folder after archive and install?

    Did an archive and install (retaining my existing user account), only to discover it was unnecessary. (Turns out the problem was hardware-related.)
    How do I go back to using my previous system folder?

    FloydianSlip wrote:
    Huh. Hardly seems to be worth "archiving" if you can't go back to the archive.
    The purpose of an *Archive & Install* is to install a fresh, known-good copy of the OS, while preserving in the archive all the files from the previous copy of the installed OS that you might potentially need for some reason. (This is why it is called an Archive & Install.)
    However, since any of these archived files might have been damaged in some way since they were installed or created, or in some way conflict with a freshly installed OS, they cannot be considered "known-good" without further testing & should not be reintroduced haphazardly into the "live" system.
    The value of this install method should be obvious if you consider that if the OS is sufficiently damaged it will not run the computer, either at all or well enough to recover from whatever damage is done. Without this option, you would have to erase the existing startup disk completely (with the *Erase & Install* method), losing everything created or installed besides what is contained in the OS installer.
    The closest equivalents to the kind of archive that you can "go back to" are cloning the entire drive or using the 'restore from Time Machine' option from the installer DVD's Utilities menu, assuming you use Time Machine.

  • Third party AU audio units disappear after archive and install

    hey everybody.
    so after an forced unfortunate archive and install, my third party AU have disappeared from DP and Logic. they run fine in standalone. how can i get them back into logic?

    Move them back from your old archive, or reinstall.
    When you do an archive and install, your old system gets removed and a new fresh system put in place. If you had plugins in the system components directories, obviously they aren't gonna be there on a new fresh system.

  • Clean install vs. archive and install?

    I did an archive and install of OSX to try to solve a stubborn problem with a 3rd party program. No dice, so today I tried a clean install.
    I was surprised after the clean install completed that I got an iCal reminder and most of my other system settings were still in place. I thought a clean install was more thorough than that. it still didn't clear up the problem with the 3rd party software, so I guess the next step is to backup everything and do an erase and install.
    What exactly does a clean install do? I thought it was comparable to restoring the OS to factory-fresh condition, but it doesn't seem much different than an archive and install.

    Obviously this does not happen because it is common for previous settings and configurations (as well as the issues that the user performed the "Erase and Install" to eliminate in the first place) to remain in place after an "Erase and Install" is completed.
    Everything remains 'in place' after a normal erase except the info that tells the file system where the erased item is on the drive. The OS finds the actual data the file contains through the file system, which keeps track of the logical sectors on the drive that make up the file. When a file is "erased," all that happens is the file's entry in the file system is erased, freeing up the sectors the file used for new files.
    The *only way* the OS could somehow mistakenly retrieve even a part of a previous settings file's or any other file's data is if the file system is corrupted, meaning it contains incorrect info about one or more sectors that contain an active (un-erased) file it is trying to access. Understand that the sectors just contain ones & zeros, whatever they represent in terms of executable code or data. The name, file type, & all the other info about it is in the file system. The OS has no way of knowing where a file's data used to be or what it was used for except through the file system.
    So, the chances that corruption in the file system would somehow exactly point to an old settings file's sectors and they would be in the right order and the file the OS is trying to access is also the same settings file are vanishingly small. This is the only way the OS could mistakenly use the old settings file -- anything else would cause the OS to choke on the file because the zeros & ones are not in the correct order to represent that same settings file.
    With this in mind, it should be obvious how bizarre the idea is that zeroing out the drive somehow prevents this from happening. It absolutely doesn't matter in the slightest if the 'bad bits" are all zeros, all ones, or some combination of the two. If the drive is zeroed out, every bit returned will be a zero. If the file is supposed to be an XML-formatted preference file, all the OS gets is a long string of null characters, lacking the required XML header, & the OS chokes. If it is supposed to be an executable file all it gets is NOP's & the zero address, & the OS chokes.
    Simply put, in the digital world, zero isn't "nothing" or a sign that the computer should ignore it, it is one of only two possible values a bit can have. All useful code & data strings are made up of zeros & ones in exact patterns. Any string of all zeros is no better or worse than a random sting of zeros & ones unless it is exactly the string that the file should contain, & there are no useful files that should contain all zeros.
    What users do need to do if there is any question about the wrong data being returned is to replace or repair the file system, not futilely write zeros to the sectors it should be keeping track of. An Erase & Install *does not do this*, which is why that step alone is not enough to fix this problem.

  • Archive and Install/ original settings

    I keep having various problems with my G5. I want to archive and install again. I want the original settings/default settings for everything. While I have tried to "fix" all my computer issues, I have tinkered with my computer so much that I just want to start fresh. Will archive and install do this or do I have to erase everything and start all over? I can't seem to find the answer anywhere else. Thanks
    G5   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  

    An Archive and Install will install a fresh System (folder) but preserve your User's folder, which many or some of the preferences are kept, so your app after launch, its look, settings etc will still be the same.
    This may be good or bad, depending if it is the preference files that maybe corrupted or damaged that has been giving you problems. But one thing for sure is this install will not "bring over" any 3rd party "hacks" that you have installed (they appear in your System Preference Pane, e.g. Norton, Wacom, etc)
    Do the A&I Install first, then slowly move, re-install and re-configure any (creditable) 3rd party software you have, try and stay away from too many "hacks" and enhancers for the time being, especially if you have use them in the past, 'cause it may be one of those, or between 2 or more that causes conflict and problems for your mac originally
    The worst-case would be a complete reformat and re-install of everything, but I don't think you need to go to that extreme
    Cheers

  • Boot problems - can I "Archive and Install" to back-up and then reformat?

    Hi all!
    I'm having booting problems with my PowerBook 15".
    I've ran the hardware/disk utility tests and everything seems fine. The problem is, I get a blue-screen with the spinning sun-dial or sthing. It keeps spinning and spinning! I tried going into safe-mode, but it doesn't work!
    My question is, can I do an "Archive and Install"... load a fresh copy of OS X on my PowerBook so that I can back-up my data? Would this work?
    Please help, thanks!

    I took the risk and managed to install Tiger over my previous OS successfully! Afterwards, I backed up everything as fast as I could, and then did a Clean Install. Worked like a charm! haha..
    However... after doing the Clean Install, I realised that I am UNABLE to install "Windows Media Player for Mac OX X" on to my machine!?!?! I downloaded "WindowsMediaInstaller.bin", and opened it with StuffIt Expander. StuffIt Expander just hung at the "Preparing" mode and says "Preparing..."
    Anyone else has/had the same problem? Please help, as a number of online radio sites require Windows Media Player to run, and now I can't access them!! =(

  • Archive and install issue

    I have a friend that ran an "archive and install" on a G5 running 10.3 but they used the 10.2 disk. Now certain applications will not work and they receive an error when trying to upgrade to 10.3.
    Is there any way to reverse this to fix it? Or are they stuck with the only option of reloading the G5 with a fresh install of 10.3?

    Erik:
    Unfortunately, you do not tell us very much about the G5 computer to which you refer. Please update your profile to tell exactly what computer we are talking about, giving other specifics about the computer.
    If the G5 in question shipped with Jaguar (10.2x) re-installing Jaguar should work. The article Don't install older versions of Mac OS than what comes with your computer gives more information on this.
    they receive an error when trying to upgrade to 10.3.
    To install Panther your computer will need to meet the minimum system requirements for Panther.
    You will need to purchase the Full Retail version of Panther. Please note that Computer specific or upgrade versions should be avoided since they are optimized for the computer to which they are specific and will therefore, very likely, cause problems during or after installation. On the legal side, it may be a violation of the Software License Agreement which statesThis License allows you to install and use one copy of the Apple Software on a single computer at a time. This License does not allow the Apple Software to exist on more than one computer at a time...You can purchase universal installer Panther disks, guaranteed to install, from applerescue.
    Please do not hesitate to post back with further questions or comments.
    Good luck.
    cornelius

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • If I archive and install, what else needs to be reinstalled?

    Hi
    I am considering the Archive and Install option. I performed the upgrade option when originally installing Leopard. Everything in Leopard is working fine and I have NO MAJOR ISSUES. Just a few things: Mouse jumps a little. Performance slows down over time. Etc....ACL Permission issue for ONE FOLDER.
    My question is this: I have Aperture, Carrara 3d pro, the usual iLife stuff, TurboCad and a couple of other programs and was wondering what has to be reinstalled after the archive/install to insure the installation is "fresh"
    For example, can I take my backed up files and programs from Time Machine into the new install, or do I really need to install EVERYTHING fresh?
    Thanks

    I have found that results vary. I upgraded 3 Macs to Leopard:
    20" 2.4 GHz C2D Alu iMac - about a week old. Files were transferred from older iMac G5 using Migration Assistant.
    Performed an Upgrade to Leopard. After upgrade complete login panel came up. When you tried to log into any user account the login panel would disappear, a blue screen would appear for a few seconds, and then you would return to the login panel. After trying safe boot and a couple of other things with no success, I did an Archive & Install and then everything worked OK.
    24" 2.4 GHz C2D Alu iMac - about a month old. Files were transferred from older iMac G5 using Migration Assistant.
    Performed an Upgrade to Leopard and no problems were encountered.
    1.42 GHz iBook G4.
    Performed an Upgrade to Leopard and no problems were encountered.
    A friend of mine has a new 24" 2.4 GHz C2D Alu iMac. He didn't transfer any files from an old Mac nor install any 3rd party applications. He encountered the same problem I encountered on the first iMac and couldn't log in. Luckily he knew about my experience and used an Archive & Install to fix the problem.

  • Archive and install help snow leopard 1.6.5

    I've a macbook pro 2009 mid year model.
    and i accidentally deleted this adobe air and after reinstalled..it was corrupted and my friend borrowed my mac...and he installed those cracked photoshops. and i now i want to get them off my computer.
    I'm thinking about reinstalling the Mac OS? with a clean fresh one. but i don't want to lose all my iphotos, imovie, calendars, itune, music, movies and the photos in photo booth. is there anyways to keep them? I'm going on a trip really need to get it done in 9 more days.
    I've read some forums about Archive and install ? but I've tried youtube for some tutor how to make a Archive and install ? but i couldn't find anything. or websites. please help me up.
    my questions is pretty much. how do i make an Archive and install on my macbook, snow leopard 1.6.5 or keep every files, so i can reformat my macbook pro. (planning to update to the 1.6.6 after everything is done like reinstalled mac osx.)
    cheers

    Snow Leopard no longer has Archive and Install. To keep your user data, clone backup your machine at least twice, and restore only the data you need after an erase and install.
    Report your "friend" to http://www.apple.com/legal if you suspect them of having put illegal software on your machine. You don't know what else they might have messed up..

  • Archive and install or Erase and install

    Gee!!! it is nice to be off of the Quicktime topics and moving towards a solution !,
    After a disastrous attempt to down grade from Quicktime 7.4, it has become necessary for me to reinstall my system from my original D.V.D, which I have done before but it has been over 2 years. I am wondering how best to reinstall the numerous updates already on the system, which is Tiger 10.4.11 on a G4 power book.
    I have and will reinstall the system using the Original D.V.D, thenI will install Tiger , and then iLife six ( without iMovie six), so far so good ? Then do I use Software updates to do the rest stopping at Quicktime 7.2 ?
    The condition of the current system is as follows,
    I can use safari, and Mac Mail, and a few of the apps that I had in the dock when every thing went crazy. Omni Disk Sweep is one of them, which I can use to see all of my system files and what is in the trash, I can also see all the system files and home folder browsing for attachments in mac mail.
    What I cant access is Finder, it is gone, as well as my Desktop, the menu bar at the top where airport is shown only opens if an app is open and I cant open the trash to retrieve the files I ditched from the System files.
    In preparation for a system reinstall I used target disk mode to move all of what I want from the G4 powerbook to my iMac using copy and paste (something always goes wrong with back up ), my iTunes Library ,Photos, Users library, Documents ,Desktop folder, Movies , about 54 Gigs.
    With all of this done Couldn't I just do an erase and install and have a fresh new system? and are there any other files it behooves me to add to the ones I already have saved ? I still have previous system folders from past archive and installs, should I save those to?
    I care a lot about my third party apps for iMovie editing and also saved my Users /Library/Preferences/iMovie folder where all the plugs are.

    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.

  • 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.

  • Can you archive and install mac os lion

    so can you?

    Not exactly.  If you want a fresh version of OSX, you can just install one.  It will take a while on Lion, since it must be downloaded, but won't disturb anything else.  See Using the Recovery HD.
    Archive and Install was dropped after Leopard.

  • "Archive and install" 10.5.8 with 10.5.6 DVD?

    Hello,
    I just tried to archive and install my 10.5.8 installation from my original 10.5.6 installation DVD. This is the DVD I originally used to install on this computer, I then upgraded via "Software Update" to 10.5.8.
    I am having problems with my 10.5.8 installation ad want to archive and install a fresh install of it. Buuuuuuut, the DVD won't let me saying "There is a newer version installed."
    WTHeck? am I out of luck and need to buy a new install DVD to archive and install it?
    Please help if anyone knows what's up.

    Did you follow these directions?
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1710?viewlocale=en_US
    Should be working.
    The version of Mac OS X installed by this process is the same version included on your installation CD or DVD. If you have installed Mac OS X updates, they are not automatically re-installed by this process....
    Message was edited by: WZZZ

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