Migration and clean install

I'm buying a new iMac to replace another one (both have Leopard) which I'm giving to my father in law. I know that I can migrate information and apps to the new iMac but I would like to delete personal information, user info, and documents on the old iMac while keeping some of the application, iphoto picures, iWork, and Parallels etc. Would rather not do a complete clean install and reinstall everything. Is that my only option?

I would always do a fresh install. You never know what remaining data will cause any confusion in the future. I would not like to depend on any program, which itself rely on common rules, like e.g. just copy your home directory, skipping some temp or whatever.

Similar Messages

How can I wipe my hard drive and clean install Mountain Lion?

Hi I have a 21.5 inch mid 2011 iMac running Mountain Lion, I want to wipe my hard drive and clean install Mountain Lion. I dont want all my stuff back, just photos and music, the rest I'll reinstall my self. I also dont have a exteranl harddrive. only two USB's one 2 GB and the other 8 GB. How do I do this? And I dont want to pay for mountain lion again. Thanks!

I made my partition and am currently reinstalling mountain lion to put on my flash drive. I'm using Lion disk maker 2 thats compatible with mountain lion. I'm doing it right, correct?

Erase And Clean Install Error

Hi Guys,
I'm attempting to reinstall OSX on a Macpro - 10.4.10 using the Erase and Clean Install. All goes well with the first installation disc and all is going well with the second disc until it gets to garageband where it freezes and then stops installing and says that I need to try and reinstall again - I''ve tried three times now - is there something I am doing wrong or need to do differently to bypass this problem.
Thanks

First off, there is no such thing as an erase and clean install option. These are these Mac OS X installation options:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=607614
So what are you doing according to the actual installer?
Message was edited by: a brody

Apps crashing, boot slow, want to wipe and clean install

Is there a good way to find what needs to be preserved in order to wipe and clean install? I tried Archive and Install, and though it helped, I'm still having issues with scanner software:
<pre>
Host Name: redpoint
Date/Time: 2007-02-26 17:09:52.385 -0700
OS Version: 10.4.8 (Build 8L2127)
Report Version: 4
Command: VueScan
Path: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan
Parent: WindowServer [63]
Rosetta: Yes
Version: 8.4.12 (8.4.12)
PID: 224
Thread: Unknown
Exception: EXCBADACCESS (0x0001)
Codes: KERNPROTECTIONFAILURE (0x0002) at 0x000008b4
Thread 0:
0 com.hamrick.vuescan 0xb80a5453 0xb8000000 + 676947
1 com.hamrick.vuescan 0xb809f925 0xb8000000 + 653605
2 com.hamrick.vuescan 0xb80bd24e 0xb8000000 + 774734
3 com.hamrick.vuescan 0xb811de0d spinlockwrapper + 1985
Thread 1:
0 com.hamrick.vuescan 0xb823369b strchr + 72
1 com.hamrick.vuescan 0xb81cef17 pthreadcondwait + 3114
2 com.hamrick.vuescan 0xb816831a catchexception_raise_stateidentity + 318
3 com.hamrick.vuescan 0xb8167856 CallPPCFunctionAtAddressInt + 177220
4 com.hamrick.vuescan 0xb816774d CallPPCFunctionAtAddressInt + 176955
5 com.hamrick.vuescan 0xb8168418 catchexception_raise_stateidentity + 572
6 com.hamrick.vuescan 0xb820480c pthread_create + 1124
Unknown thread crashed with unknown flavor: 1
redpoint:~/Library/logs/CrashReporter mark$ ls
Address Book.crash.log Mail.crash.log dmnotifyd.crash.log
BackupHelper.crash.log PhotoStudio.crash.log firefox-bin.crash.log
BitTorrent.crash.log QuickTime Player.crash.log iCal.crash.log
CanoScan Toolbox 5.0.crash.log RealPlayer.crash.log iDVD.crash.log
DPE.crash.log Safari.crash.log iTunes.crash.log
EEventManager.crash.log SuperDuper!.crash.log javaldx.crash.log
EPSON Scanner Monitor.crash.log SystemUIServer.crash.log lssave.crash.log
HP Image Zone.crash.log TWAINBridge.crash.log sh.crash.log
HP PrecisionScan Pro.crash.log VLC.crash.log soffice.bin.crash.log
HP Scanjet Manager.app.crash.log VueScan.crash.log
HP Uninstaller.crash.log X11.crash.log
redpoint:~/Library/logs/CrashReporter mark$ vim vuescan.crash.log
0x94724000 - 0x9473efff libRIP.A.dylib /System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/ CoreGraphics.framework/Versions/A/Resources/libRIP.A.dylib
0x9b6bf000 - 0x9b6c1fff Interposers.dylib /usr/libexec/oah/Shims/Interposers.dylib
0xb8000000 - 0xb82d9fff com.hamrick.vuescan 8.4.12 /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan
Translated Code Information:
Rosetta Version: 17.15
Args: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan -psn02490369
Exception: EXCBADACCESS (0x0001)
Thread 0: Crashed (0xb7fff9d0, 0xb80a5453)
0x000cb408: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : _mh_executeheader + 0xca408
0x0007e850: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : _mh_executeheader + 0x7d850
0x0007eecc: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : _mh_executeheader + 0x7decc
0x0007ef60: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : _mh_executeheader + 0x7df60
0x0007a078: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : _mh_executeheader + 0x79078
0x0002ad90: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : _mh_executeheader + 0x29d90
0x00037430: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : _mh_executeheader + 0x36430
0x90809bbc: /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreFoundation.framework/Versions/A/CoreFoundation : _CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 0xac4
0x93203fa0: /System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/HIToolbox.fra mework/Versions/A/HIToolbox : _RunCurrentEventLoopInMode + 0x124
0x932035b4: /System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/HIToolbox.fra mework/Versions/A/HIToolbox : _ReceiveNextEventCommon + 0x1ac
0x00141248: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : _mh_executeheader + 0x1402480x00141330: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : _mh_executeheader + 0x140330
0x0025bb9c: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : _mh_executeheader + 0x25ab9c0x00003168: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : _mh_executeheader + 0x2168
0x000027fc: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : _mh_executeheader + 0x17fc0x000026a4: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : _mh_executeheader + 0x16a4
0x00000000: /Applications/VueScan.app/Contents/MacOS/VueScan : + 0x0
PPC Thread State
srr0: 0x00000000 srr1: 0x00000000 vrsave: 0x00000000
cr: 0xXXXXXXXX xer: 0x20000000 lr: 0x000cb408 ctr: 0x90003260
r00: 0x00000000 r01: 0xbfffea20 r02: 0x00000000 r03: 0x00000000
r04: 0x0031af24 r05: 0xfefefeff r06: 0x80808080 r07: 0x00000000
r08: 0x00000000 r09: 0x00000008 r10: 0x63fefeff r11: 0x48444044
r12: 0x00808080 r13: 0x00000000 r14: 0x00000000 r15: 0x00000000
r16: 0x0000c350 r17: 0x00000000 r18: 0x00000004 r19: 0xbffff010
r20: 0x00000001 r21: 0x002ac930 r22: 0x17e5d018 r23: 0x00000000
r24: 0x17ebf000 r25: 0x17e5d000 r26: 0x00318034 r27: 0x00000001
r28: 0x00000000 r29: 0x170a4000 r30: 0x17fd1000 r31: 0x000cb328
</pre>
Any help would be appreciated.
MacBook White (1st, gen, base configuration) Mac OS X (10.4.8) May '05 Switcher, never looked back

Archive and Install preserves all of your apps and prefs. including VueScan and something is messed up with your VueScan install. Try removing VueScan and any associated files (search for any files containing "VueScan") and reboot. If you still have problems post back.

Help with iPhoto migration/upgrade to Aperture, after HDD replacement and clean install.

I'm getting ready to replace the internal HDD in my iMac, and perform a clean install.
I'm currently running:
OS X Lion, version 10.7.5
iPhoto '09, version 8.1.2
After the clean install:
The latest version of OS X Mavericks
Installing a fresh version of Aperture, and *hopefully* importing all of my photos from my old iPhoto, into new Aperture (193 GB worth of photos).
What's the best (specifically: SAFEST) way to go about making sure my photos successfully import from my old HDD, and old version of iPhoto, into a new version of Aperture on what will basically be a brand new computer? Is this just a matter of dragging and dropping the "iPhoto Library" to an external USB drive, then somehow bringing that folder into Aperture after my machine is up and running with it's new hardware and software?
Thanks in advance for your help!

From what I understand, iLife 11 comes bundled with 10.9
No -- no version of iLfe or of iPhoto comes bundled with any OS
if I simply drag and drop my existing iPhoto library to an external drive right now (despite being a library from an old version of iPhoto), I'll be able to simply import that library into the bundled version of iPhoto 11 that'll come with my clean install of 10.9, without any corruption of image library, loss of metadata, etc...?
Sort of
1 - the EHD must be formatted Mac OS extended (journaled)
2 - there is no iLife '11 bundled with Mavericks (or any other OS) - you must pruchase iPhoto '11 in the App store
3 - there is no importing of anything involved - you simply drag your iPhtoo library to the pictures folder of the new system and launch iPhoto letting it upgrade the library
No corruption, lss of data or other problems - unless somethng goes wrong - which is why you need a backup before doing this - your copy on the EHD is fine - just do not open it directly - make sure you are opening a copy
LN

Kernel panic after time machine migration after clean install of 107.3

I had the hard drive replaced in in my mid 2009 17" MacBook pro. After the clean install of lion I migrated my data from time machine (lion) to the new clean partition.. Upon completion the machine is unresponsive. The progress wheel turning for 10 minutes. I force quit and restart to kernel panic. I have been through this 3 times same sequence of events same results. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,
John

See
What is a kernel panic,
Technical Note TN2063: Understanding and Debugging Kernel Panics,
Mac OS X Kernel Panic FAQ,
Resolving Kernel Panics, and
Tutorial: Avoiding and eliminating Kernel panics for more details.

Erase disk and clean install - The only way

Just a note to say that I tried Archive and Install, and Migrate, and was beset with many of the problems discussed here. I messed about for hours trying to sort this and that. Then I decided that it was time for a fresh start.
I hated the idea of starting again from scratch installing all my progs one by one. It took me about a day, as I tried each program for glitches after install. But it felt more satisfying than trying to fix a busted system.
There were no glitches. I stayed away from progs with known issues.
http://www.macintouch.com/leopard/compat.html
I started with the progs I can't live without, and added the others as needed. I kept a backup of my old system and dragged in prefs for many apps as needed, which speeded things up and made it less painful. My main problem after that was importing Mail, as it seemed to be corrupted or at least Mail could not deal with the import. I got around that by using a prog called emix to mbox converter and imported the mbox file. That worked fine.
The result is that now my system is clean of all the dross of old prefs and progs I did not use anyway.
AND Leopard works really well.
I know it won't solve all the problems, and all the other install methods should work, but we have to remember every computer is different due to the soft we put in. A major system release is the burning edge. I'm so curious that I always get burned a bit. I know I should wait for the first update from apple before jumping in, like all my sensible friends. Of course, I do have a laptop still running Tiger so I'm not that brave!
All The Best
Gordon

Gordon, I think that for must users, the simple upgrade is the way to go, but only with a confirmed backup. I upgraded my "old" MBP and the process went perfectly and took a bit over an hour. Everything works and it works better than with Tiger.
I think the choice depends on how old the computer is, how many programs are installed, how good the hardware is, and how well prepared the computer and the user are for the upgrade.
If someone has a lot of special software installed, it's possible that they have some combination that was not tested simply because it's impossible to do so.
I would still recommend an upgrade (with that backup) then, if that does not go swimmingly, an erase and install.
I did a clean install on my G5 only because I wanted to keep the Tiger in the tank, so to speak, so the machine is dual-boot - one internal HD for each OS.
But, to each his own.
No piece of software will ever install smoothly on every computer. That's a given. The goal is to maximize the number of computers it will install on smoothly. This is also the reason Apple has cut off some older computers from this upgrade.
Perfection is for the other world, not this one.
However, with well over 2 million Leopards leaping out in the wild, I can only assume that most installs went perfectly or this board would be inaccessible for all the traffic we would have.
You obviously know what you are doing, and you did what it took.
I did one upgrade and one clean install and I would leave the choice up to the user.
But only if they have that all-important clone standing by in the sidelines.

What to migrate after clean install of Mavericks?

Hi,
I just did a hard drive wipe and a clean install of Mavericks from a thumb drive installer onto my iMac. I'm not sure which things to select in Migration Assistant. I'd like to know what kinds of things are restored if I migrate from the checkbox options: 1) it has my name, 2) other files and folders, 3) computer and network settings. I'm presuming I shouldn't migrate anything from my applications folder.
Also, before the clean install I backed everything up on an external hard drive, which has a couple of TB of info. Will the migration assistant, if I select other files and folders grab everything else on that hard drive and attempt to install it on my iMac?
What's missing is Messages history, mail acccounts, etc.
And I have had itunes set up on an external drive. When I open itunes, it doesn't show any of my podcasts or music, just my apple purchases. I selected the folder name on that hard drive in itunes preferences, quit and reopened itunes, but still nothing.
And I'm not sure how to get my iPad syncing info activated in itunes.
Thanks very much for any help with any of this

How to use Migration Assistant to transfer files from another Mac.
The above should help you out with using MA. Also, see Using Migration Assistant on Lion or Mountain Lion.

Migration or clean install? (can plists become dirty?)

In a few days I will migrate to a new MacBookPro.
I have used migration from the old MacBookPro to the new one for the past 2 generations.
I was wondering whether it is better to do a clean install, just copy some data over (iPhoto & iTunes libraries, etc.), but otherwise not do an automatic migration at setup time.
The reason why I am asking is that I am wondering whether plist files and such can become "dirty" over time ...
If so, the quesion is whether it is worth the hassle and time to not use migration assistant.
All insights and suggestions will be appreciated.
Best,
Gabriel.

If you feel your actual Mac slow, don't use Migration Assistant, because your new Mac will be as slow as the old Mac. However, if it's fast and it works correctly, you can use Migration Assistant without any problem. Furthermore, you can restore the files you want.
Of course, you will get some waste files if you use Migration Assistant, but if they don't affect to the performance and they don't take so much space, don't worry about them

Should I reformat and clean install to my iMac?

I have an 27" iMac that is about five years old. It was custom top of the line i7 hyper threading 16 GB of RAM yada yada but it's much slower to boot up and the 1 TB hard drive is almost full. I'm sure some of that is orphaned files and other junk. I'd like to think that reformatting the hard drive and doing a clean install of Yosemite followed by a Time Machine restore from an external disk would be helpful. Is there an article or something that can tell me how to do this safely? Any suggestions appreciated, thanks.

HI ..
Make sure your Mac can run Yosemite > Apple - OS X Yosemite - How to Upgrade
You can reformat (erase) the drive then restore OS X using OS X Recovery.
Then upgrade to Yosemite.
Yosemite requires 5.16Gb's of drive space.
Click your Apple menu  top left in your screen. From the drop down menu click About This Mac > More Info > Storage
Make sure there's at least 15% free disk space.

How to change startup disk for a 2012 Mac mini with dual HDD and clean installed with Windows 8.1?

Hi,
I have a Mac-mini (late 2012 model), originally with Mac OS X Maverick Server installed (with two HDD). Recently, I had clean installed Windows 8.1 on one of the HDD (worked perfectly, just slow) and swapped the other HDD (with Mac OSX) with a SSD. I then cloned the Windows OS HDD in to the new SSD. Now I am trying to boot this Mac mini from this SSD, however, since this Mac mini do not have BIOS for me to change the boot sequence at the startup, is there any one can help?
Thank you,
Liusc

If you boot with the Option key depressed what boot options are shown?
Also:
Restart your computer
After Windows is installed, you can switch between OS X and Windows. Use the Startup Disk preference pane in OS X, or the Boot Camp system tray item in Windows to select your startup disk, then restart your computer
How to install Windows using Boot Camp - Apple Support

New Internal Hard Drive and Clean Install: Errors, Frustration and Hopelessness

First Off:
Macbook 13" (late 2009) ... It was running Mountain Lion 10.8.5 with 2 gigs of memory and 160gig stock hard drive.
I started this process almost a week ago and despite numerous attempts every night I have had no luck. I appologize if the details here are fuzzy, my head is spinning after reading dozens of threads and attempting multiple solutions to each error I've received and i cant remember everything I've tried so far...
I got my new memory in the mail first, upgraded to 4 gigs and everything works fine with that..
Next came my new Seagate Momentus 750 gb 7200 rpm SATA 3gb/s 16Mb Internal Hard Drive.
Using this guide: http://osxdaily.com/2012/02/17/make-bootable-os-x-10-8-mountain-lion-usb-install -drive/ (and cross checking other guides) I ended up creating a bootable external drive using my 160gb External Firewire drive for my clean install to my new hard drive. So far so good.
I then shut down the computer, removed the old internal hard drive, installed the new, restarted the computer holding option key and booted up using the External Hard Drive, and the install software started fine. Note: I have attempted to re-erase the drive so many times without luck that I cant remember if I actually successfully erased the drive originally to begin with the installation, but either way I started the OSX reinstall and it got almost all the way finished before it gave me the error message:
"Install failed. Mac OS X Lion couldn’t be installed, because the disk (volume name) is damaged and can’t be repaired. Click restart to restart your computer and try installing again."
restarting of course did nothing, it repeatedly gave me error messages and made me quit installation...
Disk Utility isnt getting me anywhere, im either getting errors like:
"POSIX reports: the operation couldnt be completed. device no configured"
it wont allow me to erase the drive or partition the drive
"Disk Erase failed with the error: File System Formatter Failed"
and everytime the drive fails to erase or partition, it disappears from the list of drives on the left of the disk utility screen and i have to restart the computer for it to reappear for a second try. Typically the volume under the drive is greyed out and says that it is unmounted.
Ive zapped the PRAM.... and Ive done other things that I cant quite remember right now because my brain is boiling from reading too many **** threads on multiple devices....
halp.
halp me plase.

So funny story...
While writing this discussion I had to come to the computer and try to erase the drive so I could see the error code for reference. The erase didnt work as usual but I wrote the error code down here.
I also could not remember the error code for partitioning the drive so I attempted that as well so I could write down the code, and this time it magically partitioned successfully! The only thing I did differently was that I didn't rename the partition because i figured it wouldn't matter anyway. Since the partition was successful, I attempted the Reinstall of ML and it magically worked!!
I dont know what the **** happened but ive been attempting this install every night for like 3 hours since Monday and this is the first time it went through... for no apparent reason?
Ghosts? Magic? Full Moon?
we may never know...
Thanks anyways guys!

I cant erase my hard drive and clean install OS X 10.6

When I try and do a clean install from the OS X disk I do not get the option to use disk utilities to erase the disk. Does anyone know why this is missing, could I have some sort of virus blocking it?

1 Why do you want to 'clean install' the OS? This isn't Windows, there's almost no reason to have to do a 'clean install' on a Mac.
2 Apple doesn't seem to think that anyone needs to do this; they have deleted the 'clean install' option.
3 if you really, really, REALLY must 'clean install', then reformat the volume using Disk Utility.

Need help with backup and clean install

Need Assistance with G5
Background
I'm an inexperienced Mac user with a G5, twin 2.0 gig processors and 1.5
gig ram. The OS is v10.3.6. It is the latest OS that will not slow down
internet (Safari/Mail) applications. Anything newer has really slowed internet applications down big time.
Current Problem
I've probably messed up my hard drive by switching back and forth
(archive/install) from newer to present OS. I now have corrupted data and
while my Mac is useable, several things do not work (disk utility, printing
and possibly more). I have a mixture of new and older versions of
these applications/utilities in my OS.
Going Forward
I believe I need to wipe out my hard drive and do a clean install. I also have a Mac mini which I can use (I believe) for backup via firewire.
Backup
Is everything I need to backup in the "User" folder? My spouse and I have
separate accounts and a shared account on the same Mac, with a total of 8.5 gig of data, mostly photo's and music. We want to save that and the usual preferences and favorites/bookmarks/addresses/email, etc. It would be nice if all I had to do was drag the user folder into the target drive.
I'd appreciate any assistance. I have more questions which I'll get to later, but I need to start somewhere.
Thanks all
Mac G5

Backing up your Users folder will save everything in all the accounts on the computer including pictures, music, preferences, etc. as long as they were kept in that folder.
If you have File Vault turned on you should turn it off. The "correct" procedure for transferring to your Mac Mini is as follows:
1. Turn both computers off. Connect them together with a Firewire cable.
2. Boot the G5 into Target Disk Mode.
3. Then boot the Mac Mini normally. The G5's hard drive should be present on the Mini's Desktop.
4. Create a new folder on the Mini and name it something appropriate like G5 User Backup. Drag the Users folder on the G5 into this new folder on the Mini.
After the transfer completes you should verify that everything has been transferred and is there in the folder.
5. Drag the G5's hard drive icon from the Desktop to the Trash or CTRL-click on its icon and select Eject from the contextual menu.
6. Shutdown the G5 and remove the Firewire cable connecting the two computers.
You can now proceed to fix the G5. Because you are planning to erase the hard drive I would like to suggest you do an extended format to prep the hard drive properly for your restoration:
1. Boot from your Panther Installer Disk. After the installer loads select Disk Utility from the Installer menu.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled, if supported.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled, if supported.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process will take 30 minutes to an hour or more depending upon the drive size.
You can then quit Disk Utility and return to the installer. Now proceed to reinstall OS X. Be sure you set up your accounts with the exact same usernames and passwords as you used before.
Once you have completed your reinstallation on the G5 you can restore your Users folder from the Mac Mini.
1. Shut down both computers. Connect them with a Firewire cable.
2. Boot the G5 into Target Disk Mode.
3. Boot the Mac Mini normally. G5's hard drive should appear on the Mini's Desktop.
4. Open a Finder window on the G5's hard drive and drag the Users folder to the Trash (don't delete yet.)
5. Now copy the saved Users folder from the Mac Mini to the G5 (only the Users folder, not the folder in which you stored it.)
6. Eject the G5's hard drive from the Mini's Desktop and shut down the G5.
7. Disconnect the Firewire cable.
Now restart the G5. If all worked well it should start up normally and you should find everything normal in your accounts.
There is one potential problem in all the above. All your account preferences are contained in the Users folder. If you have any corrupted preferences, they will still be corrupted and may continue to cause problems. If that's the case you may need to trash the /Home/Library/Preferences/ folder's contents. Hopefully, this won't be the case, but you should be aware of the possibility.
If eveything is working normally you can empty the Trash and delete the contents. Same on the Mac Mini.

Leopard wireless issues and clean install

I've been wrestling with wireless problems since upgrading to Leopard (I've discussed my issues on this forum). I've tried all the suggested fixes I've found, but still have spotty wireless. I'm going to try a clean install next (erasing my hard drive). Any suggestions on how to do this and increase my chances of solving the problem? I'll have to install Tiger first, as I only have a Leopard upgrade disc (not full install).
Thanks in advance.

There is an Upgrade DVD. It's called the "CPU Drop-In DVD" and was being shipped with new Macs that had already been built when Leopard was released. Several of my clients received their new Mac's with Tiger after Leopard was released. It was a choice of either take back the computers and reformat them and then repackage them. Apple chose to just include the disc.
I suppose the DVD could do a fresh install on a machine it came with, or one that matched certain criteria.
Many users of older machines have tried to use these DVD's to install Leopard to their Mac's that otherwise meet the hardware requirements for Leopard. It didn't work. The installer refuses to install to the older machine.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Leopard+drop+in+dvdproblem
I have no information about how the installer verify's the suitability of a machine, but using the DVD on another computer would violate the EULA.
Another thought... If you do a fresh install of Leopard you will probably want to reinstall iLife from your Tiger DVD's. iLife is not on the retail DVD, and I don't think it's on the drop-in DVD.
You may want to make a bootable clone of your existing Leopard installation with SuperDuper, just in case there are any problems with the installation or there is no improvement. Then you can just re-clone your backup to your boot drive to save time and effort.

Migration and clean install

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for