Migration Assistant Question re Tiger to Leopard

I am planning on updating a friend's Mac Mini from tiger (10.4.9) to Leopard, via the Retail Leopard DVD.
Trying to look for time shortcut here, she has no backup beyond a flash drive, I will bring over an ext FW HD for full user folder data backup at the start of the process.
And I plan to do the Archive and Install with Preserve Settings. (I am too leery of Updating Leopard ontop of Tiger.)
My questions,
(a) Will Leopard ask to run the Migration Assistant after "Archive and Install" -- or does it ask this only after a full Format (erase the HD) Install type?
(b) If I were to run Migration Assistant manually after the Leopard installation, can it pull data from a backup of Just the User folder (and of course sub folders) and the Applications folder -- assuming I was pressed for time and only backed up those to external HD, not taking the longer time to clone the whole disk clone of System, Library, Etc etc)?
Or does Migration Assistant require a fully operating Mac or Cloned HD.
(My guess, based on the reading of Apple's info pages, is that it will only work from a full OS X machine or full clone.
And that it would only pull over user data - as per: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1554 "can transfer data (including account settings and home folders)")
Any one have any experience with that sort of safe but faster installation?
(I only ask because she (friend) is very time sensitive and does not want to be twiddling thumbs during a full clone of the Tiger (Mac Mini) HD first.... sigh...)
Thx.
Message was edited by: Bruce

BruceTech wrote:
(a) Will Leopard ask to run the Migration Assistant after "Archive and Install"
No. But if you select "Preserve Users and Network Settings", the user home folders will be left undisturbed, so Migration Assistant won't be needed for those things.
It's been a long time since I installed Leopard, but apparently "Archive and Install" will also preserve the Applications folder. It's mainly the System and Library folders that will be affected buy such an installation.

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