Will updating to Snow Leopard delete my files & prefrences

I just ordered the family pack. And was concerned about losing data while updating to snow leopard. What are general precautions before making such a giant change to my iMac?

I just ordered the family pack. And was concerned about losing data while updating to snow leopard. What are general precautions before making such a giant change to my iMac?
As a general rule it is a very good idea to have a full backup before doing a major upgrade, such as moving to Snow Leopard.
Assuming you have an external disk, SuperDuper (free version) or Carbon Copy Cloner would be very good choices to make that special pre-upgrade backup.
Historicall, you get 3 (and a half) installation options (on Friday we will know for sure), but they have been in the past
a) Upgrade in place, which replaces the operating system and leaves all applications and personal files alone.
b) Archive and Install, which moves the current OS into a saved folder, installs the new OS from scratch, but keeps all your personal files and a few global system preferences, such as your network settings.
c) Clean install, which erases the disk and creates a new clean file system. All your data is removed. Unless you have a backup, you will of course loose your data.
c and a half) Typically used for transferring your data from an older Mac to a new Mac. This allows you to attached your old Mac to the new Mac via Firewire and put the old Mac into Target mode, then the new Mac during system setup, copies over your old system settings, applications, and personal data.
This "c and a half" mode as I'm calling it, can also be used with an external disk containing a backup of your system.
I would only use this "c and a half" if something happened that causes you to loose your original data, and you were then using the backup.
It is always possible that Snow Leopard will have additional installation options, and we will find out Friday.

Similar Messages

  • Updated to Snow leopard and PDF files disappear

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    Anyone have ideas how to fix this this? I'm a beginner for the most part. Thanks so much!
    Kelli

    The way you create PDF now in Snow leopard and Leopard you go to Print menu click on PDF hold until a pop up menu shows The choose "create AcrobatPDF".
    As for printing its possible you need to either update your print Driver, Or Printer. I know I had to give up my much treasured HP DJ990cse Inkjet printer and get a new C310 Printer/Scanner combo.
    It makes great photo and great documents but is more trouble to operate.
    Message was edited by: Phillip Jones
    Correct some misspellings.

  • Will installing Snow Leopard delete my files?

    Hello.
    I am currently running 10.5.8, but have Snow Leopard to install.  I have heard that I need to "Upgrade" rather than "Install" to keep from deleting files.  I have the disk in, but am only getting a prompt to "Install."  I have no way to back up my files.  Will I lose them if I proceed?
    Thanks!

    It should not delete them but you should always back up your computer before installing new items.
    Archive and Install not available in Snow Leopard - http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2677260 - No longer needed in Snow Leopard which does it automatically unless the drive has first been erased.

  • Will updating from Snow Leopard to Lion mess with Garageband 09?

    Hey guys, I just bought some software that requires OS X 10.7.5 so I need to update my Macbook pro if I want to be able to use it.. I just fear something happening to Garageband. Does anyone know if it'll mess with anything? I'd prefer not having to update to '11.

    Your previous 10.6 based software may not work in 10.7 because Rosetta was discontinued in 10.7
    http://roaringapps.com/apps:table
    My advice, given the way your talking shows your age, is not to do anything, just software update and remain on 10.6.8.
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     Most commonly used backup methods explained
    10.8 is coming out very soon, so wait for that and get it (or 10.9) on a new machine next time.
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    Apple makes it seem it's easy to upgrade the OS, but when software no longer works they don't care.

  • Will updating to Snow Leopard come with Quicktime Pro?

    I was just curious.

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  • After updating to snow leopard  and trying to delete mackeeper flash player will no longer work. Can anyone help me?

    After updating to snow leopard and trying to delete mackeeper, Flash player is being blocked and will not allow me to view utubes. Can anyone help?

    Here are instructions for eradicating MacKeeper - you may need to re-install it to uninstall it fully:
    http://applehelpwriter.com/2011/09/21/how-to-uninstall-mackeeper-malware/
    Regarding Flash - there are many reports on here that v13.x isn't working for a lot of people. distractme in the following thread posted instructions on how to install the previous version, which should work whilst Adobe work on a fix:
    https://discussions.apple.com/message/25430408#25430408

  • My iomega stopped backing up files. This happened around the time I updated to Snow Leopard. Any fixes?

    My iomega stopped backing up files around the time I updated tp Snow Leopard. Does anyone know how to fix this problem? Aside from hitting it with a baseball bat I would really like to find a solution. My time machine just says no disk detected. Help?
    Severly tech disoriented

    If the light will not turn on the TC is dead. No matter that the hard disk is running.. it should only run at start up or when it is accessed not constantly.. that means the board in the TC has failed. Apple do not repair them.. They will replace it under warranty or applecare.
    If you have gone over the 12month warranty it will still be covered if you have applecare on any computer or an Apple TV. In fact the cost of the apple TV plus apple care is still cheaper than buying a new TC.. so it is a route some people are taking.. certainly depends.. in some places like Europe or Australia now, there is a recognition that statutory warranty must be longer on a product that is premium to the market. 12months is not good enough. Apple will sometimes listen.
    They might be fixable but I do not know how.

  • I have updated to snow leopard and I cannot get iPhoto to work or find anywhere to download the appropriate  version.  I have 8.1.2 but it will not open

    I have updated to snow leopard and I cannot get iPhoto to work or find anywhere to download the appropriate  version.  I have 8.1.2 but it will not open.  What do I need to do?

    Back up your iPhoto library, Depress and hold the option (alt) and command keys and launch iPhoto - rebuild your iPhoto library database
    LN

  • I updated to snow leopard recently and when i turned on my macbook every file from pictures and music was on my desktop.. are these copies? is there an easy way to put them where they belong like music with itunes, pictures in iphoto and so on

    Hi, I updated to snow leopard recently and when I turned my macbook back on icons from every file of pictures and music i have were all over my desktop
    how can i get them to all go to their programs like music to itunes, pictures to iphoto,  do I have to do it individually? thanks for any help

    If the icons have a black arrow bottom left corner, then the icons are just aliases, not the Application itself. You can move those icons to the Trash.

  • If I update to Snow Leopard, will final cut pro still work?

    If I update to Snow Leopard, will final cut pro still work? My current version of Final Cut Pro is 6.0.6. Thanks.

    Apple is not telling you the Complete story about Lion.
    The installer for FCP 6 is Power PC code/ IBM CPU code, which Lion does not support.
    FCP 6 is NOT Power PC code, it will run on Lion and Mountain Lion, as I have read on many posts.
    The solution??
    Solution condition where FCP 6 installed and upgrading OS to Lion
    Do nothing, its already running OK
    Solution condition where FCP 6 not installed and OS Lion installed.
    Connect a firewire drive to your MAC and install the old OS on it (eg snow leopard) ,
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    Install FCP 6
    Reboot to your new OS   (EG Lion)
    Run FCP 6

  • I am on a imac, just updated to snow leopard 10.6.8, now InDesign will not open, i am on CS3. Now wh

    I am on a imac, just updated to snow leopard 10.6.8, now InDesign will not open, i am on CS3. Now what do I do?

    And you might also have to use the Adobe Cleaner to remove all traces of the bad installation:
    Use the CC Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems | CC ... - Adobe

  • I have a older MacBook I upgraded memory two 3 gb from its original two but it still will not let me update from snow leopard to maverick I have plenty of available ram does anyone know why

    I believe it is running an older version of maverick it is 10.6.8 but it will not let me update any further . I added 3gb of ram to upgrade from the original 2gb it came with but still no updates are being allowed Does anyone have any idea why this is ? I am sure the criteria for the upgrade is available so I don't know why I can not up date it?

    10.6.8 is Snow Leopard.
    Run Software Update to download and install the latest updates for Snow Leopard to bring it up to 10.6.8, or download the combo update from here:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1399
    Check via Software Update whether any further updates are required, particularly to iTunes (you will need the latest version in order to synch with mobile devices).
    You should now see the App Store icon in iTunes, and you now need to set up your account:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4479
    You can now upgrade to Mavericks OS 10.9 for free IF you have one of the following Macs, with not less than 2GB of RAM, and at least 8GB of available space on your hard drive:
    iMac (Mid-2007 or later)
    MacBook (13-inch Aluminum, Late 2008), (13-inch, Early 2009 or later)
    MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid-2009 or later), (15-inch, Mid/Late 2007 or later), (17-inch, Late 2007 or later)
    MacBook Air (Late 2008 or later)
    Mac Mini (Early 2009 or later)
    Mac Pro (Early 2008 or later)
    Xserve (Early 2009)
    iCloud system requirements:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4759
    If you cannot run Mavericks you can purchase the code to use to download Lion from the App Store (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):
    http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion
    or Mountain Lion:
    http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6377Z/A/os-x-mountain-lion

  • About to update to Snow Leopard from Leopard, however, I was told that I will lose access to Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, etc.).

    About to update to Snow Leopard from Leopard, however, I was told that I will lose access to Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, etc.).  First, is this true?  Second, how have others addressed this lost (i.e. other software programs)?  The cheaper the software package the better with FREE being the ideal.

    If you install Snow Leopard, make sure during the install to open the Optional install items. You must turn Rosetta on, which is not installed by default (necessary to run older PowerPC apps such as Office 2004). If you miss the installation of Rosetta, it can still be installed after the fact a couple of ways.

  • Can i update from Snow leopard to Yosemite and still use old programs?

    If I update from Snow leopard (10.6.8) to Yosemite will my old programs work? I'm referring to Freehand MX, Adobe Suite SC2, Microsoft office 2004. I cannot afford to replace ANY of them (I got a Mac when I was diagnosed with Dyslexia while at University so the University bought it all for me).
    I have an external harddrive and was routinely backing up my computer however earlier this year it stopped working saying that there asn't enough room ( i though Time Machine deleted old copies?).  I've not very tec savvy at all (and don't underatand how to wipe my external harddrive to start again nor how to set up or use time machine properly).
    Please can someone help, explaining in plain English (pretend I'm 90 lol)

    I have an external harddrive and was routinely backing up my computer however earlier this year it stopped working saying that there asn't enough room ( i though Time Machine deleted old copies?).  I've not very tec savvy at all (and don't underatand how to wipe my external harddrive to start again nor how to set up or use time machine properly).
    You are correct in saying Time Machine will delete old files off of the backend of the backup set. Why this is not happening with your Time machine drive I am not certain, but I have seen this error when, for whatever reason the boot drive was selected as the Time Machine drive
    Open System Preferences > Time Machine and be sure the correct drive is selected, If not then change the selection to the correct drive.
    STOP
    Otherwise, since you say you are not very tech savvy I am assuming you do not have any third party volume repair utilities and since we do not know why your drive is full rather than deleting files off of the back of the set you want to take extra precautions to be as sure as possible the Time Machine drive is healthy. So I am going to recommend an extra step in the process. I am also assuming your Time Machine drive is attached to your Mac with either a USB or Firewire interface — this will not work for network drives.
    Open Disk Utility — you will find it in /Applications/Utilities on your Mac hard drive
    Select the Time Machine volume and click on the Erase tab
    The format should be Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
    You can change the name of the drive if you want
    Click on the Security Options button and move the slider one notch to the right
    Click on the Erase button — this will erase the drive and write zeros to every sector on the drive which should remap any bad sectors to the spare sectors on the drive but it will take some time, so don't get anxious.
    Assuming there are no errors when Disk Utility completes close it
    Open System Preferences > Time Machine and reselect the Time Machine drive.
    You Mac will then start a new Time Machine backup set. This may take several hours depending on the speed of your Mac the speed of the connection to the Time Machine drive and the speed of the Time Machine drive itself.

  • How do I install Snow Leopard while keeping files, applications, and settings

    I need to update my system, I realized that I need Snow Leopard (quiet late) before Maverick. My question is, how can I install it keeping files and all the data. I found this on Internet, does it work?
    Install Snow Leopard while keeping files, applications, and settings
    If you follow these steps, the installer will replace your operating system if one is already present, but will preserve your account information and personal files.  You may have to reinstall some applications, however.
    Insert the install disc (or the first install disc if you have more than one) into your disc drive. Restart your computer while holding down the c key. This causes your computer to start up from the install disc rather than your hard drive. When you see the gray Apple insignia, release c . 
    The Mac OS X installer should open automatically. Follow the on-screen prompts to read and accept the license agreement and begin the installation. When prompted to choose a destination disk, select your preferred location and click Install. 
    When the Mac OS X installation finishes with the disc, restart your computer. After the installation completes, a configuration program may begin automatically if you are installing for the first time. You will need to supply basic setup information for your computer. 
    Update your system software to ensure that you have the most recent operating system components.  From the Apple menu, select Software Update... , and then follow the instructions on the screen. Often, you will have to restart your computer, and you may have to run Software Update multiple times before it can completely update your system.

    That's why you need to back it up. You won't need to restore the backup immediately afterwards unless something goes wrong during the upgrade, but you'll need it later; the drive will eventually fail.
    (105428)

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