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Help saving software before I do a system restore G4 10.5.8

Hello all! So I just go a iMac G4 20-inch 1.25 GHz processor and 1 GIG of ram running 10.5.8. Its got Logic Pro and some other software that I would like to save before I do a complete system restore. There is a massive amount of junk on this thing and its running extremely extremely slow right now so I want to fix it by wiping it but I dont want to loose a few of these nice programs. I dont have the original CD for any of the software or the mac itself. If I just get an external hard drive and move the software over, then do the system restore will this save the software? I would assume that this wouldnt because I thought licensing was stored on the computer itself and if I wipe the licensing out then the software is useless without the original CD, is this correct? Is there any way that I can save this software?


I really appreciate everyones help with this, thank you!

Logic Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Feb 4, 2012 6:32 AM

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4 replies

Feb 4, 2012 12:52 PM in response to downshift93

The suggestion just made to manually delete things is a good one.


If you feel like you need to install a new operating system, then there should be an archive and install option that preserves user settings and files. (Be sure to have a good full clone or backup before doing this, just in case something goes wrong.) That archive and install option does put a new operating system on, but it also preserves most settings and programs. On the other hand, it might preserve the things that you feel are slowing things down.


You might also explore using Migration Assistant or Setup Assistant with a full Time Machine backup or with a full external disk clone of your old system. I believe there are options to move over some programs/files from the old backup to a new fresh installation but not bring others over. My experience in doing this with system 10.4, 10.5, and 10.6 was that all the user authorization codes for MS-Office and Adobe CS software were indeed migrated over. No reinstallations were needed. I can't promise your experience would be the same, but that's what we experienced here.


If you want to be REALLY cautious, I would do a fresh new OS install on an external firewire drive, leaving your current system alone. Then boot off the external and run Setup Assistant (it works a bit better than Migration Assistant) to migrate things you select from the existing internal drive/install to the brand new fresh external install. Then boot again from your external drive, delete from it what you don't want, and if everything is looking fine, then you can erase your internal drive and clone the external system back onto the internal. SuperDuper and Carbon Copy Cloner can be used in this way and their web sites give instructions about it. I think you will also find info from SuperDuper and CCC on their web sites and in their forums about how well they preserve user activation codes for software packages. I think both of them do a good job with this.

Feb 5, 2012 11:28 AM in response to noondaywitch

Since he/she indicated plans for a "system restore" and "wiping" the computer, I assumed that there were at least OS install disks for 10.5.8 in hand. If not, I'd procure those first before embarking on this effort ...


[Lesson learned for all others reading -- do save your original install disks for all software and OS versions that might matter to you in the future. It's not hard to toss them into a box and keep them around. If you find years later that you don't need them anymore, you can always sell them to needy people on eBay (assuming you stopped using the original programs yourself). I just found such a box I had forgotten about with older versions of Adobe CS, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Disk Warrior, OS 10.2, OS 10.3, OS 10.4, and MS-Office and am planning to eventually sell the ones I am 100% sure will never use again. Add it all up and it might all amount to about half the cost of a new iMac ... These install disks are invaluable to the many folks who work to restore and keep running legacy Macs.]

Help saving software before I do a system restore G4 10.5.8

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