User profile for user: Scott Robinette
Scott Robinette Author
User level: Level 1
30 points

Reinstall 10.3.8

BACKGROUND
I am currently running a G4/500 (AGP) with 1GB ram in OS 10.3.8. I have not jumped to Tiger on this rig (have done so on my iBook and work Macs) because I also run a Pro Tools LE/Digi001 combo and Digidesign has ceased support of their Digi001 hardware on Mac OS X. Upgrading to their newer Digi002 is not an option for me, so sitting here at 10.3.8 will have to suffice, for now. I also have three user accounts set up: one for me, one for my wife and one for when I am working in Pro Tools.

That said - maybe 12 months ago, I used Carbon Copy Cloner to clone my original boot drive that came with this Mac (25GB) to another, larger drive and now use this larger drive as my boot drive - having since removed the original drive. So yes, I have had some weird issues since. But overall, things have smoothed out - worked fine for the most part. But now... things are starting to get a bit sketchy (read: sluggish - as in lots of spinning rainbow balls of death), and frankly, I'd like to reinstall 10.3.0, and upgrade to 10.3.8... which is where I need some advice.

QUESTION
If keeping settings like Safari bookmarks, Address Book contacts, iTunes library/playlists (40GB of music on a separate 250GB firewire drive), iPhoto library/folders (10GB in my User/Pictures/iPhoto Library/), Mail settings, my .Mac info, Airport settings, etc., across THREE USER ACCOUNTS is the goal - what type of install do I need to run? While I'd prefer a "Clean Install" (piece of mind: knowing all ducks are in a row), this will wipe all settings clean, correct? Is "Archive & Install" is what I am after?

Any advice/tips/suggestions/warnings I should be made aware of before I head down this path?

Thanks so much for your time and any info.

Posted on Sep 10, 2005 12:31 PM

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18 replies
User profile for user: Kappy
Kappy
User level: Level 10
362,007 points

Sep 10, 2005 12:44 PM in response to Scott Robinette

Archive and Install will preserve the Users folder, but not the third-party items installed in the /Library/ folder. Those items will have to be moved manually afterwards from the Previous System Folder. You will need to have at least 4-6 GBs of free space on your hard drive. You also must repair the hard drive before doing the Archive and Install. Do not do the Archive and Install unless your hard drive has been verified as OK or repaired.

A better solution is to get an external Firewire drive. Clone your system to the external drive, then boot from the external drive, erase the internal hard drive and clone back from the external drive. This provides both a level of protection and a bootable backup.
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User profile for user: Scott Robinette
Scott Robinette Author
User level: Level 1
30 points

Sep 10, 2005 1:47 PM in response to Kappy

Thanks for the quick response, Kappy. Mmmmm, winters in Tampa and summers in BC sound like a pretty sweet setup. Well done.

So, I should repair my hard drive with Disk Utility or does it have to be a third party utility like DiskWarrior?
And after Archive & Installing, my iTunes playlists will be intact, my wife's playlists intact (we share a library on an external drive), our Safari bookmarks intact, etc.?? Crazy.

Wow, I just may be making the plunge sooner than later...
Thanks again.
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User profile for user: Kathy Kane
Kathy Kane
User level: Level 2
249 points

Sep 10, 2005 2:21 PM in response to Kappy

I have had a problem also with OS x (panther). When I turned my computer on one day the apple came up and the black wheel just spun and then a grey screen. I have the Panther cd in their booted up with c key down right now. I just did disk repair. It says I have 6 gb. should I go ahead and also do archive and install. what happens to the old system. Does putting a new system folder on take up 3 gb of space and then I will only have 3 left after I do this. Or do you then go in and dump the old system folder. Not sure wether or not to do the restore and archive or if i should just see if it works now after the disk repair. What do you think? by the way, I do have the 4.1.9 firmware update on this computer.
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User profile for user: Benny11
Benny11
User level: Level 1
100 points

Sep 16, 2005 12:17 PM in response to Kappy

Kappy, if I may jump in here with a similar question...

I'm also looking to reinstall 10.3.9 on my G4. As things get slower and slower, I am more and more convinced that it is once again time for a clean install.
I am tempted by your cloning to a firewire drive but worry that I may only be cloning the potential virus/problems.

I have scanned all my drives with Norton Antivirus with current definitions but have found nothing. Still I worry that I may have PC virus' that may be affecting my Mac. If that's even possible?

If I attempt a "clean" install...
I keep next to nothing on my boot volume except those apps. that require me to store them there; other software, I run from a 2nd partition of that drive.
But the "preferences/library files/application support/etc." for many of these third party apps. still gets installed. Any way to sidestep the reistallation process or should I just bite the bullet?

Any advice is appreciated,
WiseKappy
P.S. No better place to be than Vancouver for the Summer.
I'm from Victoria 🙂
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User profile for user: Kappy
Kappy
User level: Level 10
362,007 points

Sep 16, 2005 1:56 PM in response to Benny11

Any number of things may cause your computer to slow down, but a virus isn't one of the them. At least for now there are no known active viruses or the like affecting Macs running OS X. However, NAV could be causing your problem.

One thing you can do is to open Activity Monitor (Utilities folder) and click on the CPU tab to see what processes are using the most CPU time. Some NAV versions are infamous CPU hogs.

Other things you can do are repairing the hard drive and permissions. Using software such as Tiger Cache Cleaner or TinkerTool System to run the standard Unix maintenance scripts, clean out user caches and delete unnecessary tmp files and log files.

Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read through the FAQ on speeding up your OS X.

I concur. Vancouver is a great place to be in the summertime.
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User profile for user: Benny11
Benny11
User level: Level 1
100 points

Sep 23, 2005 4:55 PM in response to Kappy

Kappy.

Thanks for the reference material. I've been studying up for this upcoming reinstall.
So as it stands I have OSX.3.9 installed on my main drive (drive A); unfortunately with recent upgrades the operating space has dwindled to a mere 500 mb! Therein lies the problem: slowing down, crashing...

I'm wondering if you could help me develop a plan to either archive and install, or clean install.
I currently have all my important files (itunes library, iphoto library, and important document,etc.) stored and accessed from a separate partition of my main drive (drive AB), a separate internal drive (C), and a firewire drive (D).

I want to be able to repartition the main drive, assigning it more space, before I install to it.

I do have fairly extensive 3rd party software installed and would love to avoid having to unistall/reinstall/update each of these. Any help would be appreciated, before this computer panics...

Ben
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User profile for user: Kappy
Kappy
User level: Level 10
362,007 points

Sep 24, 2005 12:53 AM in response to Benny11

If you do an Erase and Install then the drive will be erased and all the data will be gone. So, if you follow this approach it would be best to make a cloned backup of your drive if you want to preserve everything on it.

If you do an Archive and Install you will need at least 4-5 GBs of free space on the hard drive during installation. You can preserve your user data and network settings in an Archive and Install. Most of your third-party apps will be fine except for those that install items in the /Library/ folder. These will need to be transferred manually from the Previous System Folder to the new system.

You will need to decide what particular route you wish to take.
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User profile for user: Benny11
Benny11
User level: Level 1
100 points

Sep 25, 2005 1:07 PM in response to Kappy

Kappy.

Can I "clone" my OS and boot from it using the Panther installation disc?
Or do I need Disc Warrior?

If so, my plan would be to clone my current OS to an external drive and boot from it. Then I will be able to erase and repartion my main drive (creating more operating room), in preparation to archive and and install the system software.

The link you posted provided valuable information about what files will not be installed and how to transfer these 3rd party files. Great stuff!

(On a side note, when posting to these discussions, how can I create a hyperlink to your referenced material or to other disscussion responses? Do I have to know Html?)

Thanks for the help,
Ben
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User profile for user: Kappy
Kappy
User level: Level 10
362,007 points

Sep 25, 2005 1:19 PM in response to Benny11

If you clone your hard drive to an external FW drive you will be able to boot directly from the FW drive - no need for DW or your Panther Installer Disk.

Once you reformat and repartition your internal hard drive you can clone back from the FW drive.

Use the forum's Editor Help link to learn how to make references to other discussions. To do the same for other URLs requires using HTML.
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User profile for user: Kappy
Kappy
User level: Level 10
362,007 points

Sep 25, 2005 1:46 PM in response to Benny11

Do the following:

1. Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
2. Select the startup volume from the left side list.
3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
4. Drag the startup volume to the Source entry field.
5. Select the backup volume from the leftside list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
6. Check the box to Erase Destination
7. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
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Reinstall 10.3.8

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