upgrading from 10.5.8 to 10.6

Your entire Documents, Movies, Pictures and other folders stay exactly as they are. The installer simply replaces 10.5 with 10.6.0 (you should then get the combo updater for 10.6.3) and you will lose nothing. The process is very straightforward.

When installing you should click 'Customize', and then deselect all Printer Support options except for 'Printers used by this Mac' (to save downloading lots of drivers you don't need) - make sure your printer is connected (it need not be on). You should turn on Rosetta if you have PPC programs. The process will copy the installer to the hard drive, then restart and do the actual installation - it should take around 45 minutes.

Hi handsof

Welcome to the discussions.

You will not lose anything. I upgraded on all my macs. Nothing lost.

After you use the DVD, go to apple's downloads and download the combo update 10.6.2. and update to 10.6.2.

You will also find a combo update for 10.6.3 however, since there has been some problem with that update, I would recommend you update to 10.6.2 and wait to see if another combo update comes out soon.

You will not lose anything.

That's the way it's supposed to work, but let's be honest here... with computers, nothing can be guaranteed to work the way it's supposed to, and many people have lost data doing things that shouldn't have caused data to be lost. One can never predict when a drive may fail or system corruption may be worsened by an update to begin affecting data. It's always wise to have a good backup before attempting any system update.

Hi Handsof

Here is combo update for 10.6.2 http://support.apple.com/kb/DL961

Meherally wrote:
You will also find a combo update for 10.6.3 however, since there has been some problem with that update, I would recommend you update to 10.6.2 and wait to see if another combo update comes out soon.

There have been reports of problems with every update of every version of OS X. That doesn't mean the problems are inherent to that update, or that the reports are typical of what the majority of users will experience. These forums are like clinics for sick Macs -- the owners of sick ones often come here looking for cures; the owners of healthy ones not so much. So when a few hundred of them in a population of several million show up here, it is not a good reason to assume there must be an epidemic.

Of course, even when the population is overwhelmingly healthy some will get sick, so it is always a good idea to take the advice about having a good backup, regardless of what else you do.

Hi RCR,

Certainly you are right. I had no problems whatsoever with any update at any time, think good housekeeping and a back up plan avoids grief and rants.

It was just that since the poster was new to macs, thought caution was perhaps better.

Meherally wrote:
It was just that since the poster was new to macs, thought caution was perhaps better.

Caution is good, & so is reassurance that there is probably nothing to worry about. 😉