07-19-2011, 09:50 PM

Seeing as how 10.7 is due out tomorrow (as of this writing), I thought I'd take a moment out to talk a little bit about best practices when it's time to do an OS upgrade.

A few simple preparations can make the upgrade smoother, either during the install process or after the upgrade completes. So, with that said, here's my personal checklist that I use to get my Mac ready for a new OS version....

1. BACK UP. Yes, that means you too. Any time you make a major change to your system, it's always prudent to do a backup. This way, if there's any problems (or even early bugs) with the new system, you will have the option to roll back. Personally, I recommend using SuperDuper and an external hard drive - even if you routinely use Time Machine. The SuperDuper backup can be made "bootable", so that if you need to, you can instantly roll-back without having to format your hard drive and go through the install process with your older OS version.

2. Clean the cobwebs. Use a program like Maintenance to clean caches, temp files and generally give your system a tune up. Another option is Onyx, but Onyx tends to be a lot more complicated.

3. Update your Applications. If you've purchased apps from the Mac App Store, run the Mac App Store app - it should tell you if any of your software needs to be updated. For apps that were purchased or downloaded elsewhere, try AppFresh. AppFresh will scan your system, compare it to its own database, and suggest updates.

4. And finally, if you have any important projects that you're working on with your Mac at the moment, DON'T UPGRADE JUST YET. No software company is perfect, and no amount of beta testing can shake out every possible bug. If you're not in a position to accept imperfection in an OS, you probably shouldn't be upgrading upon initial release.

Hopefully this thread will help ease the transition just a bit for those of you who haven't been through this before. I realize that some of these steps are non-specific, but since 10.7 is the first release of OS X to be downloaded and deployed by the Mac App Store, we'll have to see what the process is like before we can get into more specific recommendations.

And of course, if anyone has any advice to add, please feel free to reply.

07-19-2011, 09:55 PM

Would booting to the SL DVD, or other bootable backup to check and repair permissions be a necessary task as well?

07-19-2011, 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by JohnCL

Would booting to the SL DVD, or other bootable backup to check and repair permissions be a necessary task as well?

No, you can easily repair permissions via Disk Utility or Onyx.

However, every OS X system update, even point updates, for the last few years repair permissions as part of the install process, so it's not a huge deal.

07-19-2011, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by schweb

No, you can easily repair permissions via Disk Utility or Onyx.

However, every OS X system update, even point updates, for the last few years repair permissions as part of the install process, so it's not a huge deal.

Cool, thanks for the tip. I didn't realize it was also completed in the setup. Also, I was under the impression that to truly repair permissions that you needed to boot to some other volume and then run the verify/repair on the main partition. Is this the case?

07-19-2011, 10:17 PM

Originally Posted by JohnCL

Also, I was under the impression that to truly repair permissions that you needed to boot to some other volume and then run the verify/repair on the main partition. Is this the case?

No that's not correct. You need to do that if you ever need to repair the disk, but repairing permissions you don't need to go that far.

07-19-2011, 10:27 PM

Very good writeup..though I have a Time Machine backup running..when I upgraded from Leopard to Snow Leopard I had very little valuable stuff on there..but since then it's been nearly a year of stuff that I want to protect..will be running a SuperDuper backup before I venture to Lion..

07-20-2011, 11:50 AM

Thanks for the tips. I will be loading Lion tonight, but not until after I follow this good advice.

I do have a question: I want to have Lion available on a DVD in case I ever need to re-install in the future. How do I create a bootable DVD from the DMG file that I will be downloading?

07-20-2011, 11:54 AM

Originally Posted by D1ggex

Thanks for the tips. I will be loading Lion tonight, but not until after I follow this good advice.

I do have a question: I want to have Lion available on a DVD in case I ever need to re-install in the future. How do I create a bootable DVD from the DMG file that I will be downloading?

Here you go...

How to Create & Burn a Bootable Mac OS X Lion Install DVD

07-20-2011, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by cwa107

Here you go...

How to Create & Burn a Bootable Mac OS X Lion Install DVD

Thanks very much ... exactly what I was looking for.

07-20-2011, 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by D1ggex

Thanks very much ... exactly what I was looking for.

Can someone tell me if I update to Lion will it effect my jailbroken iphone?

07-20-2011, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by trellaine

Can someone tell me if I update to Lion will it effect my jailbroken iphone?

I don't see why it would. Two separate and distinct OSes and systems.

07-20-2011, 07:58 PM

Just making sure lol, I think the only thing that would affect the JB is updating my devices e.g ipad or iphone

07-20-2011, 08:06 PM

Hey quick question: Lion doesn't auto install i hope?

07-20-2011, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by trellaine

Hey quick question: Lion doesn't auto install i hope?

No it doesn't. It will start the installer after download, but you can stop the install if you so choose.

07-20-2011, 08:19 PM

Thank u!