If I upgrade my Snow Leopard to a Lion, would I still get to keep my old files?

Would I lose my old documents, apps, music, etc., when I upgrade? Or should I create a back-up of those before I upgrade?

You should ALWAYS back up your system before you make any significant changes to the system. For the most part, it should not be a problem, but things happen... power outages, bad disk space, glitches, etc. Performa a backup before you begin. If possible, a bootable clone, but a Time Machine backup is good to have as well. You may want to disconnect your time machine backup drive before you upgrade and wait a day or 2 before reconnecting it, just in case (Lion will back up to the Time Machine volume, and depending on space available, may overwrite some backed up files with the new backup, making them impossible to retrieve.)
The only big gotcha tha many people seem to have missed prior to upgrading is that PPC apps will NOT work under Lion. This includes things like Microsoft Office 2004.
I have not experienced any real problems since upgrading my early 2007 iMac. Performance is good with 3GB of RAM. Some adjustments to make and habits to un-learn, but I'm making the transition nicely and am very happy with it.

Similar Messages

  • Upgrade from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion erase my Windows partition?

    Dear all,
    I know some one might have asked it but I just wanna re-confirm.
    Would the upgrade from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion erase my Windows partition? I am currently using Bootcamp on my Macbook Pro (Late 2010 Version) and I do not have parallel desktop. I asked the same question when Lion was released, but HK Apple Store said YES and Melbourne Apple Store said no. I am a bit confused now.
    Thank you for answering. Cheers!

    Nothing.
    That said, you should ALWAYS have a backup as anything can happen at anytime.

  • Search in finder doesn't find my files in OS 10.8, upgrade from snow Leopard to Mountain Lion

    after i upgraded from snow leopard to mountain lion . when i try too search files on finder . it does not find any of them although all the files are still there .so i need scroll up and down for few minutes to find my file manually . what could be the problem ?? anyone can help me with this .. thanks in advance

    Hmm... didn't help me. But, I'm glad to know that I can "refresh" the search profiles. That may come in handy in the future.
    I'm having similar problems where I can see a file from within an application, but the file doesn't show up in a Finder search. The file I see in the application also isn't visible in that application's folder (where it's supposed to be stored, in this case).
    The file exists, because I'm able to work on it from within the application. However, it can't be found on the computer by any means I have available. I've spoken with the manufacturer of the software and they told me where to look for the file, but it isn't there (as far as I can see). Of course, they suggest the Finder is "broken" and needs to be fixed. I don't think that's the case. I can easily find other files without difficulty.
    Could what I'm looking for be a "hidden" file?

  • After upgrading from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion, the text preference, Middle Eastern, causes Photoshop CS6 to slow down.  Can this be fixed?

    After upgrading from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion, and setting the text preference, Middle Eastern, causes Photoshop CS6 to slow down.  Can this be fixed?

    I'm Win, not Mac, but I do have a couple saved messages
    Mac 10.8.3 Bug w/Encore and BluRay http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1198709
    -create folder not ISO http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1216127

  • If I upgrade from snow leopard to mountain lion on my macbook pro will my photos in iPhoto 09 be ok?

    What happens to my photos in iphoto 09 when I upgrade from snow leopard to mountain lion?

    Nothing.
    That said, you should ALWAYS have a backup as anything can happen at anytime.

  • How much is it to upgrade form Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion and can it be done in one hit?

    How much is it to upgrade form Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion and can it be done in one hit?

    Run Software Update to download and install the latest updates for Snow Leopard.
    You should now see the App Store icon, and you now need to set up your account:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4479
    To use iCloud you have to upgrade at least to Lion, but some functions are only available in Mountain Lion:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4759
    You can also purchase the code to use to download Lion (Lion requires an Intel-based Mac with a Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7 or Xeon processor and 2GB of RAM, running the latest version of Snow Leopard), or you can purchase Mountain Lion from the App Store - if you can run that:
    http://www.apple.com/osx/specs/

  • I'm running off of OS X 10.6.8.  Do I need to upgrade to snow leopard, THEN to Lion in order to utilize Icloud?

    I'm running off of Mac OS X 10.6.8  Do I need to upgrade to Snow Leopard, THEN to Lion before I can use Icloud??

    10.6.8 is Snow Leopard.
    Yes, you need to upgrade to Lion to use iCloud.
    Allan

  • Will upgrading from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion create problems within Premiere projects?

    I'm looking at the probability of upgrading from Mac OSX 10.6 to 10.8 (Mountain Lion).  I have to if I want to install or upgrade just about anything at this point.
    I was hoping to wait until the latest Premiere project was finished to avoid creating possible discrepancies between how the project plays back before and after the upgrade.  I'll skip the details and just say that it might be best if I do the upgrade now and install a new GPU to help with the massive amounts of rendering/playback needed.  Will upgrading from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion cause any likely problems?  No other Adobe apps are involved with this project.
    I'm running a Mac Pro 5,1 and Adobe CS6.  I have two separate clone drives of my current boot disk as well as a Time Machine back up.  So I can go back if I really need to.  I'll also make sure the project is saved manually elsewhere.
    Thanks for any input!

    I'm Win, not Mac, but I do have a couple saved messages
    Mac 10.8.3 Bug w/Encore and BluRay http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1198709
    -create folder not ISO http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1216127

  • Can i upgrade from snow leopard to mountain lion and stay with iTunes 10.7?

    I woukld like to upgrade from snow leopard to mountain lion but i don't want the new iTunes 11. Is this possible?

    Welcome to Apple Support Communities
    Of course. Open the Mac App Store and purchase OS X Mountain Lion. Make a backup of your files with Time Machine and check that your applications are compatible > http://www.roaringapps.com
    To upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion, you should have at least 4 GB of memory. You can check the amount of RAM you have in  > About this Mac.
    OS X Mavericks will be launched in weeks and will include new features > http://www.apple.com/osx/preview

  • Can I upgrade from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion?

    I know it may sound lame to ask this but... can I upgrade from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion skippin Os Lion?? I'm on a MacBook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2ghz and I just got Snow Leopard. Do I stay there or can I get the new OS?

    Welcome to Apple Support Communities
    Of course. Open the Mac App Store and purchase OS X Mountain Lion. Make a backup of your files with Time Machine and check that your applications are compatible > http://www.roaringapps.com
    To upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion, you should have at least 4 GB of memory. You can check the amount of RAM you have in  > About this Mac.
    OS X Mavericks will be launched in weeks and will include new features > http://www.apple.com/osx/preview

  • I have a Mac mini OSX 10.4.11 Intel Core Duo, 512mb, 1.83 GHz with iTunes 9.0.3. What steps do I need to take to get my music library to my iPad. I dont think I meet the requirements to just upgrad to snow leopard and/or lion. I want the music I paid for

    I have a Mac mini OS X 10.4.11, intel core duo processor (not core 2 duo), with 512 mb and 1.83 GHz processor.  I only have version 9.0.3 of iTunes because it hasn't let me go higher, which I believe is because of the operating system.  I want to get my purchased music from the Mac mini to a different computer (that has the latest version of iTunes) and also my iPad.  The Mac mini does not meet the requirements listed to simply upgrade to snow leopard or lion. As far as I can tell.  Forgive me if I am lacking here...this is new to me.  What can I do to get the music transferred.  I have invested alot of money over the past few years on all this music that I should be able to transfer.  Thank you in advance if you can help me.

    If you want to sync it to the iPad from that Mac, you need to upgrade it to at least 10.5.8.
    If you want to copy the music to another Mac, you don't. Move the iTunes folder of the item in the Finder's sidebar over as you would any other folder. If you put it somewhere other than the Music folder, launch iTunes with the Option key held down and point it to that location.
    (61713)

  • Upgrading from snow leopard to mountain lion will i have trouble using my Pages and Iphoto since it's not the latest version

    I am contemplating upgrading my OS from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion.  Currently, I don't have ICloud available on my computer.  I also keep getting messages to upgrade my IPhoto to '11 version as well as Pages.  I know, I'm behind, but my theory is if it isn't broke don't mess with it.
    My concern is I don't want to lose my pictures and YES, I have backed up with Time Machine to an external hard drive.  (I just hope that's good enough).  IF I upgrade to start using ML OS, will I need to restore anything from my external hard drive or will I be able to start using computer as if nothing changed? 
    I know enough to be dangerous and I'm hesitant to upgrade for fear of losing everything.  Would appreciate help.  Thanks!

    Charmedgreen wrote:
    So it's alright to "skip" downloading the Lion version first?  I can go directly from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion? 
    Correct, in fact, Lion is no longer directly available from the App Store.
    Also, do I need to "empty my trash"  before going forward?
    No need.
    Matt

  • Can I upgrade from snow leopard to mountain lion without losing my data?

    Have finished an upgrade to snow leopard without losing any data on each of 9 MacBook Pros so far.  (Have 9 more to go) Can I do the mountain lion upgrade on them without losing data or must I back up the detritus of 4 years use by teachers who despite all pleas have never backed up their documents?  Would appreciate a swift reply as everyone wants their mbp's back in their hands on Monday morning. My thanks in advance to any gurus who care to reply as my local gurus seem to have fled the ashram for the weekend.

    Installing a new version of OS X should not lead to any data loss. Of course, it's best to have a backup if anything 'goes wrong' but simply isntalling the new OS shouldn't damage any data.
    Clinton

  • Hi I've just upgraded from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion now Quarkxpress 6.5, Adobe creative suite CS2, Adobe Acrobat 7.0 professional and Microsoft Office 2004 will nolonger open. Can anyone please advise me what I can do to get these programs running.

    Hi I've just upgraded my MacBook Pro from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion. Now my installed programs:- Quarkxpress 6.5 - Adobe creative suite CS2 - Adobe Acrobat 7.0 professional and Microsoft Office 2004 will not open - I get a banner saying not supported by power mac. Can anyone please help me I really need these programs for my work. Thank you!

    hi tuggerose
    i think it is bad new for you. if it's any consilation i went through the same thing when i loaded mountain lion when it first came out. i think the problem is that mountain lion is a pure 64bit operating system and the software you have is 32bit. earlier os's were able to emulate 32bit but the new system does not. the answer is new software. i did it and it cost me a load of money and much angst so your not alone.

  • Do I need to update Bootcamp 3.3 after upgrading from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion?

    Do I need to update Bootcamp 3.3 after upgrading directly from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion? If so, what is the recommended version for my machine?
    Other pros and cons we should consider? Not sure what is considered best practice.
    We have a mid-2011 iMac (12,1) running Win7 64bit. Concerned about firmware updates not being compatible with Bootcamp 3.3. Firmware updates forThunderbolt port were part of post-Mountain Lion updater install. Not sure what other firmware/boot changes might have been applied to support the new recovery partition, for example. Will the 3.3 windows control panel still work safely?
    Win7 still boots OK, at least for now. Backup is current.
    I'd like to get the entire machine current again. Bootcamp 5.0 didn't want to download (appeared to hang writing to my external drive, which is otherwise fine). Bootcamp 4.1 refused to install on Win7 (claimed it wasn't for my machine, so I aborted. Downloaded from apple support page directly).
    I've searched the forums for this specific question - I see plenty of info for upgrading Bootcamp 4 to 5, but nothing for 3 to 5.
    Thanks much in advance,
    -b

    Appreciate the quick response.
    There are basically 2 schools of thought here:
    - If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
    - Don't fall off the upgrade cycle (apply patches whether you have an issue or not in order to ward off trouble before it happens).
    I don't have a specific issue that I'm chasing on the Win7 side right now. I'm attempting to address having fallen off the upgrade cycle by staying on Snow Leopard too long.
    I appreciate that the Win7 side under bootcamp is its own thing (upgrades to Mac OS don't cross over or effect the bootcamp partition) - except where firmware upgrades coming out of Mountain Lion change the hardware interface to Win7. Hence my questions.
    -b

Maybe you are looking for