Snow Leopard Question

I am planning on getting Snow Leopard, but I have a question about it before I purchase it.

When I get the upgrade, as I don't need the Box Set as I already have iLife '09, how do I go about installing it? Like do I need to backup what's already on my Mac right now, or does that not matter for the installation?

Thanks for any info!

Looks like you missed the Sticky Threads:

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os-x-operating-system/164265-upgrading-snow-leopard-faq.html

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os...ng-snow-leopard-things-do-while-you-wait.html

I'd do a backup via time machine to play it safe as if something went horribly wrong during the upgrade.

but after you've backed up - all you'd have to do is insert the dvd, and follow the prompts to do the upgrade.

---- note ---

lol, I had the post window open for several minutes and finally hit post and devilboy got his post in before I finally hit post

Thanks for the info, but is there any step-by-step guide to backing up and installing the new OS?

leoto said:

Thanks for the info, but is there any step-by-step guide to backing up and installing the new OS?

Click to expand...

I'm always amazed at folks who want others to do their research for them.

Let me Google your question for you...

To be fair, this is a bulletin board... that's why we come here. To bounce ideas off of each other and see what is possible... however, yea it's a fairly easily solved question. Just needs a google search.

Anyway, here is a step by step guide from me.

Plug in an external hard drive. Drop all the crap you want to make sure you still have onto it, or back up with time machine to make it a bootable backup. Eject and unplug your disk.

Insert the Snow Leopard DVD. Open the installer. leave your computer alone.

Voila. Assuming you're like most people, your computer will reboot into the new OS with no problems and have all of your previous system preferences and crap set as they were.

leoto said:

I am planning on getting Snow Leopard, but I have a question about it before I purchase it.

When I get the upgrade, as I don't need the Box Set as I already have iLife '09, how do I go about installing it? Like do I need to backup what's already on my Mac right now, or does that not matter for the installation?

Thanks for any info!

Click to expand...

ok... I don't know if you've read all the posts, but here's the steps to take:

(This is my preference for backup and restore)*back up using time machine onto an external hard drive so you have a bootable copy of your system that you can easily restore all your files, folders, apps, and preferences.

For simple install, insert your SL disc, restart your mac while holding down the C key.
Follow the instructions, and enjoy

that's pretty much it, your system will seem almost identical, apart from the added SL features (speed, dock improvements, etc).

For clean install, as long as you you have your back up (in which case I find the bootable time machine backup preferable, as it's quick and easy, without the need to tinker around), insert the SL disc, restart you Mac holding down the C key, and choose your language, then in the menu bar choose disk utility, choose your startup disk (Macintosh HD) and click erase.
then quit disk utility and follow the instruction, which at the end of installation, will give you the option to restore from back up.
This will give you your old system back so to speak, as you left it, with the added refinements of SL, as well as extra room on your HD.

Thanks for the info, I've got all of it backed up now. But when looking around I have found that for Snow Leopard that you need to have Nvidia or ATI, but mine has GMA X3100. Now, I bought my white Macbook in August of '08 from Futureshop, so will this have an effect or should I wait to buy Snow Leopard until they make support for X3100?

You don't need Nvidia, ATI, or any of the others on the list. I and many others are running SL on the MacBoook with the X3100, and Snow Leopard performance is as expected..... faster, more space on my HD, and a couple of other tweaks.
Just be sure to update to 10.6.1 with software updater after installation.
You have nothing to concern yourself about.