Which first? Install Lion or Restore Settings?

We're shuffling computers around at work during a hardware/software overhaul. I'm preparing an iMac currently running 10.6 for use by another coworker. I plan to install 10.7 Lion (high as it can go) on the computer and want to run recovery mode and wipe it clean. It currently contains all matter of programs, plugins, add-ons etc. that we do not need.
My question is: Should I upgrade to Lion, then do the retore? Do the restore first and then upgrade? Or does it matter either way?
I had thought I would just restore it, then do the install of Lion, but the things I'm reading are making me wonder if that's possible ... if after the restore it'll automatically reinstall 10.6..
So, I though perhaps I should do the upgrade first, but then wondered if it would make a difference..
Thanks for any help/suggestions!

If you wanted to wipe it clean to install Lion what you can do is update 10.6 to 10.6.8 to have Mac Appstore to be able to download the Mountain Lion App Upgrade. Download the Mountain Lion App. After the download dont proceed for the upgrade install. Go to your Downloads folder and Look for the Mountain Lion App. Back that up on a separate disk. You can use that to create a bootable ML OS. You will need an external hard drive (with no files on or with a mac partition ready for the installer atleast 10gb or a flash drive atleast 16gb. After creating the bootable Installer you can wipe and install a fresh ML OS.
Once you’ve purchased Mountain Lion, you can find the installer on your Mac. It’s called Install OS X Mountain Lion.app and should be downloaded to your main Applications folder (/Applications).
Right-click (or Control+click) the installer, and choose Show Package Contents from the resulting contextual menu.
In that folder that, open Contents, then open Shared Support. You’ll see a disk image file called InstallESD.dmg. Copy that to your desktop.
Open Disk Utility and go to RESTORE tab
Drag the InstallESD.dmg disk image into the bottom (empty area) of Disk Utility’s sidebar (on the left).
In Disk Utility, select InstallESD.dmg in the sidebar, and then click the Open button in the toolbar to mount the disk image’s volume in the Finder. The mounted volume is called Mac OS X Install ESD, and it also appears below InstallESD.dmg in Disk Utility.
Select Mac OS X Install ESD in Disk Utility’s sidebar, then click the Restore button (if ever you got out of the tab) in the main part of the window.
Drag the Mac OS X Install ESD icon into the Source field on the right (if it isn’t already there).
Connect to your Mac the properly formatted hard drive Extrenal Drive or flash drive you want to use for your bootable Mountain Lion installer.
In Disk Utility, find this destination drive in the left-hand sidebar and then drag it into the Destination field on the right. (If the destination drive has multiple partitions, just drag the partition you want to use as your bootable installer volume.) Warning: The next step will erase the destination drive or partition, so make sure it doesn’t contain any valuable data.
Click Restore, and then Erase in the dialog box that appears; if prompted, enter an admin-level username and password.
It takes 5 or more minutes to finish depending on your machines speed. Good luck!
- Edited

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What is the best order to upgrade to Lion after putting in a brand new hard drive in my MacBook Pro? Restore first? or install Lion First?

I have a 2008 macbook pro with brand new 500GB hard drive and 6GB new RAM. My old hard drive is backed up on external drive, via time machine. When the shop put in the new hard drive (there was nothing wrong with old one, it was just stuffed to the brim), they loaded snow leopard from a disk, but I haven't put anything from the old drive back on yet....I haven't even configured my mail and am just reading mail from ipad and phone these days.
Question: Should I install Lion before I restore all the old backed-up stuff, or is it important to have anything, ( like maybe preferences) already on the computer when I download Lion. I want to be selective when restoring from time machine, because my old hard drive had a lot of ancient software and junk on it that had migrated from every computer we've ever owned, and that is many, many.
So, I'm just stuck on the best way to proceed. Also, should I install the latest update for 10.6.8 before I download Lion? I see today that some new updates have become available; java, security, safari, and apple software installer.
Thanks
G.T.

Gaye Thomas wrote:
But I just read your next post, and it sounds like you think I should do the back-up first, or am I missing something. I think you are now recommending that:
1. First I should install Snow Leopard,
2. do the combo update of 10.6.8
3. THEN USE BACKUP to restore what I want to carry over to new drive.
4. Then upgrade to Lion.
I would restore SL and do the Combo 10.6.8 update. Then use your backup to load back in what you want. Then do the upgrade to Lion.
So what made you change your mind?
And, just to say again, the hard drive is completely new. The shop installed 10.6.8 from the installation CD, and I haven't even configured email. I'm only using safari. I just now downloaded 4 updates that software updater recommended. It now tells me it is up to date. Is there any reason to do a 10.6.8 combo updater?
Are you recommending to do the back up BEFORE I install Lion, so that there are some preferences and information about old passwords and certain information that Lion will want to know about? Will it make my life easier to back up BEFORE I install Lion?
What changed my mind was your second post. You don't want to carry over everything to the new drive and the install of Lion. You only want selective things and of course your personal files.
For that I "feel" it best to install SL, Update SL to the most current version, Then selectively restore the parts you want and then install Lion on top of that newest install of SL with the selectively restored parts on the new Hard drive.
That should give you as clean an upgrade as you can get.
Of course you could go a completely different route. Make the Lion install USB, Save all your program Install files you want to be installed in Lion along with your personal files. Then Wipe the drive and install Lion clean. Then RE-Install your programs and copy over your personal files.
That is what I would do as I do not like upgrading to a new OS over the top of an older one. I have never found that to be as clean and it always seems to carry over stuff from the older OS to the new one. But that is me.

Which to install first: Lion or Magic Trackpad?

Currently have Mac OS X 10.6.8 2.4Ghz Intel Core 2 duo, 4 gb ram.
Have ordered Magic Trackpad. Ready to download Lion.
Which to do first?
Thanks,
Mike

I don't think it makes any difference. Lion will work just fine without a Magic TrackPad and the steps to setup the Magic TrackPad when it arrives should be the same as with Snow Leopard. As best as I remember there isn't anything special about installing Lion with a Magic TrackPad already setup except a quick video that isn't terribly useful.

HT5400 If I install OS6 on my iPhone 4, will it retain as intact, all my settings and apps? OS 5 did not do so, which required HOURS of manually restoring apps, settings, etc. I am wary of another complete OS upgrade, so soon. Waiting till answers come.

If I install OS6 on my iPhone 4, will it retain as intact, all my settings and apps? OS 5 did not do so, which required HOURS of manually restoring apps, settings, etc. I am wary of another complete OS upgrade, so soon. Waiting till reassuring answers come, before attempting install.

You will get prompt reply if you post your question in the iPhone community forum.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/iphone/using_iphone

Tried unsuccessfully to restore my MBP, running the Mac OSX Lion, to factory settings. I keep getting the "can't download additional components for the Mac OSX Lion" error when reinstalling the OSX Lion. Any tips on how to resolve this problem?

Hello! Tried unsuccessfully to restore my MBP, running the Mac OSX Lion, to factory settings. I keep getting the "can't download additional components for the Mac OSX Lion" error when reinstalling the OSX Lion. Any tips on how to resolve this problem?

Hi
Given that your answer to 1. is 'pre-installed' and 3. is 'No', I think the only thing to do is to take it to an Apple store (ideally the one you bought it from) and have them reinstall it for you.
The intended solution in cases like yours is that you should be able to reboot and install even a wiped disk by using Apple's servers over the internet (you do this by restarting with 'command-r' and choosing 'reinstall Lion'). However if this isn't working for you then you need to get the store to do it. Don't let them fob you off with 'go home and try again'. Have them do it in the shop (you're still covered by Applecare warranty so it should cost you nothing save the inconvenience of the trip and possibly leaving the machine there while they fix it).
A reinstall should leave all your own personal data and programs in place.
Note for future: when you get it fixed, first thing to do is buy a cheap external drive and start keeping a backup (either Time Machine or clone with Carbon Copy Cloner).
Message was edited by: softwater

I bought a MBPro which came with Lion installed,i also wanted to have a copy of installation disc so i used mac app store.Normally if an app is already bought there is a warning or a sign that informs the buyer.I've charged for this download is it normal?

Hi ,i bought a MacBookPro which came with Lion installed on it (i have registered my mac book pro right after i bought it), i also wanted to have a copy of the installation disc in case of a crash, so i used mac app store to get it.Normally if an app is already bought (for iphone app store) there is a warning or a sign that informs the buyer, than the app store lets the buyer to re-download/re-install the app.I've charged for this download afterwards, because i was using virtual credit card, there was not enough money transferred to that card during that download but the app store let me download it anyway. I haven't charged before the download, the app store first let me to download it then it requested that amount of money for next download wich it was a free app. Can anybody enlight me? thanks

Hi ...
i also wanted to have a copy of the installation disc in case of a crash
If you have problems with your Mac you use Lion Recovery
However, you can create your own installation disc > How to create an OS X Lion installation disc | MacFixIt - CNET Reviews
Since Lion came pre installed on your Mac, the App Store doesn't not recognize that as a purchase so you if you want to re download Lion to create a boot disk you will have to pay for it. You can then re download Lion on all your authorized Macs for free.

Install from scratch 3 times Mavericks but cannot used my restore it will just start for ever. After first install and restore mail and link between folder and files didn't work anymore. Now cant see my disk in finder. Help?

First install through regular update : never finishing the start after automatic restart
First install from scratch: erase through disk utility, install OS X Mavericks (using Recover mode), restart ok - Used Migration Assistant to restore applications and data only - Mail crashed each 5 inutes and asked constantly for password of my 2 accounts, links between folders and files not OK and attaching a doc was complicated. I downloaded the update same problems
Second install from scratch: erase through disk utility, install OS X Mavericks (using Recover mode), restart ok - Used Migration Assistant to restore applications and data only and settings : never finishing the start after automatic restart
Third install from scratch: erase through disk utility, install OS X Mavericks (using Recover mode), restart ok - But no disk available in Finder
So far no Mac since 3 days ...
Any help is welcome

Still struggling to understand why copying the entire root dir to a disk image and then restoring from that image did not, as expected, yield an identical system, and why I even had to reinstall after doing this.
Because there is a lot more going on under the hood than merely copying files.
The only way to do what you want is to use cloning software like Carbon Copy Cloner.
My advice is to rescue your personal files to a regular non-TimeMachine external drive, Zero erase the ENTIRE drive and install OS X fresh and update, then your programs from original sources and files from backup.
Then, make a bootable clone and you can copy that as many times as you want and each one is bootable.
Most commonly used backup methods
How to erase and install Snow Leopard 10.6

When I used download sets of photos, movies etc, (before I installed Lion) I used always get a "Download" gizmo which showed me the download happening with both speed and time left. Now with Lion, nothing shows on my screen. Can I fix this?

When I used download sets of photos, movies etc, (before I installed Lion) I used always get a "Download" gizmo which showed me the download happening with both speed and time left. Now with Lion, nothing shows on my screen. Can I fix this?

In Firefox Options / Privacy be sure "Remember download history" is checked. To see all of the options on that panel, "Firefox will" must be set to "Use custom settings for history".
To find your OS information, on your Windows desktop, right-click the My Computer icon, choose Properties, under System on that small window is info about your OS.
'''If this reply solves your problem, please click "Solved It" next to this reply when <u>signed-in</u> to the forum.'''

Hey guys. i wish to upgrade my O/S which is pre-leopard. my question is can i go straight to snow leopard or do i need to first install leopard.

Hey Guys
i wish to upgrade my O/S , which is pre leopard. can i install Snow Leopard or do i have to first install leopard??

Depends which Mac you have. If Apple menu -> About This Mac says you have a G3, G4, or G5, you can't upgrade to 10.6.
If it says Intel, and at least 1 GB of RAM (768 MB of RAM is less), you can upgrade to 10.6 following this tip:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2455
If it says Core2duo (not CoreDuo, not CoreSolo), Core i3, i5, i7 or Xeon, and 2 GB of RAM or more, it can be upgraded to Lion following this tip:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2465

Can I install Lion over Snow Leopard without erasing and restoring hard drive?

Been reading a lot about downloading Lion. Recommended to back up hard drive to ext. drive, erase hard drive, install Lion and then re-install apps and files from ext. drive. Can I just install Lion over Snow Leopard without erasing all apps and files on hard drive?

If you do an upgrade install then be sure to do this first:
1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Snow Leopard 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 Utilities menu. 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 click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
2. Make a bootable backup just in case. Clone using Restore Option of Disk Utility
Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
Select the destination volume from the left side list.
Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
Check the box labeled Erase destination.
Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.

I just installed lion on my macbook pro it doesn't let me log into my username. so what im going to do is to restore it and reinstall lion any help on how to do it correctly tho??

so i installed lion on my friends macbook pro and it didn't let me log into his personal username like after you turn it on it just hilghts his name and the bar to type in his password doesn't show you. so what i was thing is to back up his personal hard drive and restoring it and try to reinstall lion.. from a momory stick that i have put lion on as my personal copy. any way on doing it better or how to restore the mac and be able to reinstall lion plz help.

Chuck
Without knowing what exactly has gone wrong it is difficult to be precise, but it sounds a bit like you are attempting to install YOUR copy of Lion on your friend's machine?
I'm not sure the licence allows you to do that.
IF you are attempting to install a legitimate copy of Lion on his machine, then I would suggest you try again. That sometimes works.
Do you / he have a backup?
Have you tried starting from the recovery disk and repairing the hard drive etc.?

My macbook pro was first installed with leopard and bootcamp 3.2. Now i updated to lion. The problem is now that it is not possible to update to bootcamp 3.3. or 4.0. The report: The installation source is not correct. What can i do? Thanks for answer.

my macbook pro was first installed with leopard and bootcamp 3.2 under windows 7. After update to lion it is no more possible to update bootcamp to 3.3. or 4.0. The report: The installation source ist not correct. What can i do?
auf Deutsch:
Auf meinem Macbook pro war Leopard und bootcamp 3.2 unter windows 7 installiert. Nach dem update auf lion kann bootcamp nicht mehr upgedatet werden. Weder auf 3.3. noch auf 4.0. Folgende Fehlermeldung kommt: Boot camp Dienste: Das installierte Produkt stimmt nicht mit der Installationsquelle überein. ... Was kann ich tun?

It means what it says. The "computer person" formatted it wrongly/ unsuitably. it needs to be formatted again.
Error "Case-sensitive drives not supported" or similar install error | Mac OS
Mylenium

I downloaded and installed Lion on an external hard drive using my laptop which is running Snow Leopard I have now decided that I want to install Lion on my Laptop, but when I go to the App store and click on my purchases it will not download

I downloaded and installed Lion on an external hard drive using my laptop which is running Snow Leopard I have now decided that I want to install Lion on my Laptop, but when I go to the App store and click on my purchases it will not download again

Thanks Dirk,
Tried your suggestion various ways but it had no effect the download button was still greyed out and the install button would not activate will keep trying to find a solution. I dont want to boot from the external hard drive that has Lion on mainly because it is a usb HD and the connection to my wireless modem slows the connection rate and downloading would take about ten hours

I have Time Machine that I used to back up my old computer. It was running snow leopard. My MacBook died, so I got a new one which is running Lion. how can I restore the data from the time capsule to my new Mac?

I have Time Machine that I used to back up my old computer. It was running snow leopard. My MacBook died, so I got a new one which is running Lion. how can I restore the data from the time capsule to my new Mac?

In technical support, sometimes you have to make educated guesses. I'm sorry that you were offended.
iTunes does prompt when it is going to erase a device, and the message is clear.
She said in her message that she was able to successfully sync the old ipad. This indicated to me that itunes wiping the data was not an issue, because either it had been setup at the apple store (in which case it doesn't actually wipe the ipad despite saying it will*) (*based on a single case I saw), or because the itunes media folder was migrated.
Furthermore, my solution was to tell her how to backup her ipad (by either doing it manually, or as a last resort, by deleting the corrupt backup -- that she couldn't access anyway.)
I got that last part of the instructions from the "Taking Control of your iphone" book which I found samples of when I did a google search for "corrupted backup itunes".
She marked this as a solution, so it worked for her.

How do I install Icloud on my MacBook Pro? Do I have to install Lion first?

How do I install iCloud on my MacBookPro? Do I have to install Lion first?

You need to get Mac OS X Lion and then set up iCloud in System Preferences.

Which first? Install Lion or Restore Settings?

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