Best way to upgrade from Leopard to Lion?

Hi,
I am planning to upgrade a number of computers in my household and am trying to figure out the best upgrade path for each one of them.
Specifically, my dad uses an iMac running OS 10.5.8. Due to this fact I obviously cannot upgrade it to Lion from the app store, so I will have to do a clean install - meaning erasing the hard drive.
Since I do not want my dad to reorganize his whole computer environment from scratch, I was wondering if I will be able to use Migration Assistant to restore his user with all his files, preferences and cluttered desktop from his Time Machine backup.
Thanks

Things to keep in mind
1: Old Rosetta PPC based programs will NOT work in Lion.
2: A machine using PowerPC processors can't upgrade to Snow Leopard or Lion, 10.5 is it.
3: A machine with Core Duo (not Core 2 Duo) processors cannot run Lion.
4: Lion is a RADICAL change, to the UI and everything, Snow Leopard is very less traumatic and offers performance tweaks in the video drivers over Leopard, as well as strips out the PPC code your not using on your Intel Mac's.
5: A machine as old to run 10.5 likely has old software, all that will likely need to be replaced under Lion, but perhaps not so much under Snow Leopard.
6: Lion is somewhat unstable, the 2011 Mac's with EFI 2.2 Firmware are being truckloaded into Apple Repair for new logicboards.
7: Lion has issues on older hardware that likely be last on the list for repairs as they are gathering information now about it's problems.
My advice, perhaps upgrade to Snow Leopard and leave Lion alone for a 2011 Mac or beyond hardware when you replace it.
Lion has got at least another YEAR of repairs ahead of it before I consider it as stable as Snow Leopard.
Everything from the AppStore, EFI firmware changes, Thunderbolt fixes and well as UI fixes, MAJOR security issues I can't disclose as well as all the third party programs requiring their fixes and updates.
Leave Lion alone for the time being, unless your a masochist.
And here's one bad security feature, anyone can hack your Mac with Lion like this.
1: Boot the Mac holding Command R keys and select the Terminal
2: Type resetpassword and press enter.
That's it. No disk needed.

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What is the BEST way to upgrade from Leopard to Tiger?

My current set-up is noted below. The main "Macintosh HD" is 250 GB's in size and is fairly filled up with programs and plug-ins. (I own Logic Studio 8 and Final Cut Pro Studio 2, as well as Adobe's CS4 Web Premium Suite.)
Prior to doing the upgrade from Tiger to Leopard, I wish to ensure that I get back to my current set-up should any problems arise. Off hand, I can think of a couple of options to chose from to ensure a proper backup :
1) Cloning the current disk drive on another drive in the Mac Pro prior to the upgrade.
2) Purchasing a new, larger disk drive for the Leopard upgrade and safely storing the original drive containing Tiger.
Maybe there are more ways to upgrade from Tiger to Leopard with a dependable "back-up"??
No matter how I ensure a back-up of my current drive, I will install Leopard as a clean install.
What would be the BEST way to do the upgrade with proper back-up?
Thank you in advance for your time and input.
Ted

I suggest the following:
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.

The best way to upgrade from SL to Lion

Hi,
I’m currently running SL and its actually running verysmooth and I was wondering if I could just upgrade to Lion without actuallywiping my entire local HD, is this a good choice or its always better to do afresh reinstall?
What would be the best way to upgrade to Lion?
Any idea when is the release date?
Thanks

No details have been released, and anyone who knows is not allowed to say any more.
Upgrading has never required erasing. A few people (perhaps out of habit from using Windoze) do it, but many long-time, experienced users, don't.
Let Apple tell you about the release: http://www.apple.com/macosx/notify-me/

Is there a way to upgrade from leopard to lion without buying snow leopard? Will there be a DVD or a bundle for that case?

I know you have to have snow leopard to download lion via app store. But isn't there a possibilty to buy a bundle or any other way of upgrading without paying double price? So far I can't find any information on the Apple website except you have to have Snow Leopard. I know this implies you gotta get snow leopard. Just wondering if I have to pay the full price.

There is a way but it's unlawful (Violates Apple EUA) - I did post a link in here but Apple deleted it ( To be fair the link did expound some convoluted set of circumstances under which it would be legal, but in reality it was a hack so fair play)
I have read that some "helpful" Apple Store will let you borrow a SL copy but I doubt if that's widespread.
The way to look at it is that Lion is priced as an upgrade from SL - not as a base product, which is why the $29 (or equiv) is actually pretty fair.
Regards,
Shawn

I recently upgraded from leopard to lion, now I can't open iPhoto get the message 'you can't open the application iPhoto because PowerPC applications are no longer supported'. I had no idea that this would happen - what can I do?

I recently upgraded from leopard to lion, now I can't open iPhoto get the message 'you can't open the application iPhoto because PowerPC applications are no longer supported'. I had no idea that this would happen - what can I do?

What version of iPhoto do you have?
Regards
TD

Is there a step by step guide on upgrading from leopard to lion inlcuding data backup and migration?

is there a step by step guide on upgrading from leopard to lion inlcuding data backup and migration?

Let me just give you the breakdown:
Snow Leopard (10.6) needs to be purchased. You need Snow Leopard because it has the Mac App StoreAlternatively, you could get the Lion USB drive, but much more expensive
Once you have installed Snow Leopard, open the Mac App Store and find OS X Lion. This downloads OS X Lion Installer. After the download finishes, click on it, follow the steps and the installation begins!
No data will be lost during any of the upgrades
Let me know if you have any further questions.

I upgraded from leopard to lion and my epson printer will not work. I get a communication error

I upgraded from leopard to lion and my Epson printer will not work. I get a error message comunication error. What can Ido to fix this I bought a new USB cord and it did no good.

I suddenly had the same thing happen. I've had my new iMac for 3 months and at first my Epson Artisan 50 worked okay then yesterday I started getting the same error message other people on this support site have gotten. I tried ALL the advice given (deleating the Epson files from the library folder, etc. reinstalling older software) and nothing worked. With the newest iMac (and operating system) you cannot pick and choose which version of Epson software you want. You must use the 10.8 version or it simply will not open when you've downloaded it. Finally I found the comment above by den.thed and tried the OS X Mountain Lion: Reset the printing system suggested. As much as I hated to lose all my printing presets that took a lot of expiermentation to set up, I was desperate. I tried it and it worked. Now I just have to consult my old computer and try to recreate all my printing set ups. So to others with Epson / Apple 10.8 issues this may help when everything else fails. Thanks den.thed for your advice.

What is the best way to upgrade from 10.5 to 10.7

I am trying to figure out the best way to upgrade my MacBook Pro from 10.5.8 to the new Lion 10.7. From what I have heard so far, I need to get a copy of snow leopard first so I have the APP Store then download Lion. Has anyone heard of a bundled package to accomplish this?

Apple is currently only making Lion available for download. You'll have to accquire a copy of Snow Leopard first and upgrade to it. Once you are on Snow Leopard, update your Mac with all of the current updates, which will then give you the App Store. From the App Store you'll be able to download and install Lion. I strongly advise backing up your system first prior to the update.

Best way to upgrade from 2011 to 2012

Hi:
What is best way to upgrade LabVIEW 2012 from LabVIEW 2011 ?
a) Install 2012 over 2011
b) Remove 2011 and then install 2012
Thank You!

Hi GE,
as LV2012 still is in beta state you should probably use a different computer than is used for your productive LV2011 environment
Best regards,
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Best way to Upgrade from 8.1.5 to 8.1.6 rel 2

What's the best way to upgrade my software?
I don't have anything that I can't afford to loose.
Do I uninstall 8.1.5 then install 8.1.6 or will 8.1.6 overwrite the previous install?
null

Read the install guide - but do a full export first.
I remeber something about a new install overwriting a shell script that you should backup first. (It's in the manual.)
Beyond that, if you install to a NEW Oracle_home, you should be fine.
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Best way to upgrade from Tiger to Snow Leopard and make a backup - help!

Hello, I have always found this discussion board the best place to go to get advice on my mac. I have an imac with Tiger OS. I want to upgrade to Snow Leopard - just bought the box set. I also have an external HD. I want to make a backup of my current system onto the hard drive in case of problems. How do I do this? Once I have done this, should I do an upgrade to SL or do a clean-install? Please advise - I have average tech abilities. Thank you!!!!!

I like KT's advice, and would add some words from a very knowledgeable mac person - John Gruber @ http://daringfireball.net/
I Believe in Murphy’s Law
Friday, 26 October 2007
Here’s how I recommend installing major new OS releases for typical users. (Atypical users would include anyone who ran developer seeds of the OS.)
First, make a complete backup of your current boot volume to an external FireWire drive using SuperDuper. (Carbon Copy Cloner would be my second choice.)
If you don’t back up daily — or at least very regularly — you’re foolish. If you don’t back up before upgrading your OS, you’re really foolish. I use SuperDuper’s “Smart Update” feature to clone my boot volume every night — the “smart” aspect is that it only changes the files that have changed since the previous backup. Before I install an upgrade, I quit every running app and run a fresh backup to create a snapshot of my boot volume. That way, if anything goes wrong, I can revert to exactly the state the system was in before installing the upgrade.
Next, boot from your external backup volume to make sure that it works. What you want to see is something that looks exactly like booting from your regular internal hard drive. Since I’ve been using SuperDuper, this has always been the case — I have never failed to successfully boot from my backup drive. Better safe than sorry, though, so I never skip this step.
Next, shut down the computer, and unplug the external backup volume. The odds of an OS installation corrupting a plugged-in FireWire volume are very small. The odds of an OS installation corrupting a FireWire volume that is not plugged in are zero.
Then boot from the installer DVD, follow the on-screen instructions, and perform a default upgrade. The default upgrade is the best choice for most users almost all the time. The reason Apple makes it the default and most obvious way to upgrade is that it’s the most convenient, and most tested upgrade path.
Update 28 Aug 2009: Starting with Snow Leopard, instead of booting from the DVD directly, you should instead pop in the installer DVD and launch the “Install Mac OS X” app on the disc. This will reboot your machine from the DVD, yes, but first it will download any necessary software updates that have come out since the disc was pressed. It’s a subtle but very nice improvement to the installer.
Arguments that there is something mysteriously dangerous or deficient about the default upgrade procedure — and that you should do a clean install instead, followed by tedious hours manually migrating software and data and preferences from your old installation — are voodoo. Apple’s installer engineers spend a ton of time making the default upgrade procedure as convenient as possible.
If you’re not a typical user; like, say, if you’ve been running pre-release developer seeds of Leopard, or if you’ve diddled with your 10.4 system software in unholy ways and really would like a factory-fresh start with 10.5, then I recommend the Archive and Install option. (That’s what I do, when upgrading from previous developer seeds.)
So, in short:
Do a complete backup clone to an external FireWire drive.
Test that the backup is indeed bootable and up to date.
Unplug the backup drive.
Pop in the installer DVD and launch the “Install Mac OS X” app.
If anything goes wrong in step 4, you have nothing to worry about, because you know that you have a complete, bootable backup.
Most people, of course, skip directly to step 4. And the odds are it’ll work out just fine for them. I say, why take a chance?

What is the best way to upgrade from OSX 10.5.8 to the newest software?

I'm wanting to upgrade my software to a newer version and am unsure of the best way to do it? Any help would be great

Mountain Lion Requirements:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5444
App Compatibility:
http://roaringapps.com/
Check both above first. Then call Apple Sales & have them send you a retail Snow Leopard Disk(US $29)...there is no download. Update to 10.6.8, then go to Mountain Lion or Lion if you like(US $19).

Best way to upgrade from PSE 5.0 to PSE 8

I have installed, as an administrator, PhotoShop Elements 5.0, for a user. I wan to upgrade that to PhotoShop Elements 8.
What is the best way to do this?
When I did this several years ago, going from PhotoShop Album 2.0 to PSE 5.0 it was suggested to do this, which I did:
I backed up the catalog through the menu option in PhotoShop Album. Uninstalled PhotoShop Album, Installed the new PhotoShop Elements 5.0. Restored the catalog. This worked perfectly fine. Is this a good route to go for an upgrade from PSE 5 to PSE 8? Is there a better way?
Thanks for any tips.
Mark Miesfeld

Thanks for the quick response.
The user on this system mostly uses PhotoShop Elements 5.0 to orgainize her photos. I don't think she does much editing of the photos. She has over 20,000 photos.
I thought that upgrading ti PSE 8 would give her better performance. But, I now see several reviews saying that the orgainizer performance in PSE 7 and PSE 8 is worse.
Do you have any comment on that?
Thanks again.
Mark Miesfeld

I have mac pro quad can i upgrade from leopard to lion on one of the hardrives and then drag all my protools sessions into from the leopard hardrive to the lion hardrive thanks

i run a commercial recording studio since 2009 and purchased a mac pro quad core with os x 10.5.8 and record with protools, it has now got to the point where i can no longer purchase plugins for protools because the operating system is to old i need at least snow leopard ,i have never upgraded and am concerned about losing any previous protools sessions and plugins ,it has been suggested to me to upgrade just one of the hardrives to snow leopard or lion or the latest system and then just open a protools session on the old osx hardrive and save to the new upgraded hardrive , is this possible? or has anyone any suggestions ,many thanks

You should seriously consider establishing a Boot drive, with only System, Library, Applications, and the hidden unix files (including Paging/Swap) on it. User files are moved off to another drive.
This makes maintaining the System and maintaining your User files much easier, and it makes your Mac faster in every way.
How to Move the Home Folder in OS X - and Why - Chris Pirillo
Japamac's Blog: Make Space for Performance-- Moving the Home Folder

Best way to upgrade from FCS2 to FCS3?

I will assume others may ask this, so hopefully this can help others. I will be purchasing FCS3 when it is available, and currently have FCS2 installed. I will not erase my drive and start over fresh just to install the software. I think for me the best way will be to run the Final Cut remover app to remove the programs, then I will go into MacHD/Library/App Support and delete the Live type folder and Final Cut Studio folder (which contains all the motion and dvd studio pro templates) and then finally install FCS3. Of course, I am also going to have to uninstall my black magic intensity software, and install the new update (provided they do one) after FCS3 installs.
Am I missing anything needed to be deleted or uninstalled using this method? Thanks!!!

The second best way to go about this (the best way being an erase and reinstall) is to make a clone of the system disk FIRST.
Once you have that insurance policy, do a simply overwrite upgrade. If things work, be happy. If they don't, simply restore from the clone then jump through the hoops you suggested.
x

Best way to upgrade from Leopard to Lion?

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