Archive and Install question

Next week I'm hopefully updating my mac OSX to Leopard, and I have a question about the install method.

I really would like to do a clean install of Leopard, but there's something I really don't want to miss in the process, like my address book entries and my bookmarks.

Assuming that I have a external disk with my system already backed up, can I do a clean install and then restore the information above? how should I do it?

Or should I go for an archive and install? I heard that in the installation process we can choose to keep some of our information. Will it cover my needs?

It's the first time I update an OS in mac, and I really don't know how should I proceed.

Thank you in advance

I personally only do A&I's when I upgrade or when I reinstall. An A&I gives you a new system but integrates your profile back into it. From my perspective it's the best of both worlds.

Unless you just plain want to clean house or are starting from scratch on a new drive, there is not much of a reason to do an E&I.

thanks for your inputs man!

I really would like to do a clean install of Leopard, but there's something I really don't want to miss in the process, like my address book entries and my bookmarks.

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For your info, these come from Mac Help:

Backing up Address Book

You can create a backup copy of your address book, so you can easily recover your original information if you make inadvertent changes.

It's a good idea to back up your address book before you make extensive changes, such as importing new addresses or reorganizing groups.

• To back up your address book, choose File > Back Up Database and choose a location for the backup file.
  
• To undo all recent changes and return to your last backed-up version, choose File > "Revert to Database Backup" and locate the backup file. Any new cards or information you've changed since you last created a backup will be lost. Any deleted items will be recovered.
  
• To save a copy of your Address Book for safekeeping, copy the Address Book file to another location (such as an external hard disk or a CD).

If you have a .Mac account, you can also use Apple's iSync to back up your Address Book to your iDisk. For more information, open iSync and choose Help > iSync Help.

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Importing and exporting bookmarks

You can import bookmarks from Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Mozilla, OmniWeb, and Firefox. You can also import a Safari bookmarks.plist file if you've saved one from an older Mac.

To import or export bookmarks:

• Import: Choose File > Import Bookmarks, and then double-click the file that contains the bookmarks you want to import. Normally the file will have ".html" or ".plist" at the end of its name.
• If you don't have a file to import, or can't find the file, see "Exporting bookmarks from another browser," below.
  
• Export: Choose File > Export Bookmarks, and specify a location for the exported file. The file's name will be "Safari bookmarks.html." Most browsers are able to import this type of file.

The first time you open Safari, it automatically imports your bookmarks from Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and FireFox.

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And while we're on it, here are the methods for backing up your Mail:

Backing up your email

You can back up your mailboxes to a CD or another disk. To do this, you can either copy the Mail folder in your Library folder or create an mbox file, a common format for storing mail messages.

• To save the contents of all your mailboxes, hold down the Option key and drag the Mail folder (located in the Library folder of your home folder) to your desktop or to another disk. Copying the Mail folder only backs up mail from POP accounts, or mail from an IMAP account that you've copied to local mailboxes. When you are ready to restore the Mail folder, choose File > Import Mailboxes, select Mail for Mac OS X, and locate the Mail folder.
• To create an mbox copy of a mailbox, drag the mailbox from the mailbox list to your desktop.
• To create an mbox file with just some of your messages, select the messages, then choose File > Save As. In the Format pop-up menu, choose Raw Message Source, then enter a name and save the file.

You can copy mbox files to CDs or to other disks. When you want to restore your mail, choose File > Import Mailboxes, select Other, click Continue, and locate the files.

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To back up mailboxes and addresses, make copies of:

• The Mail folder, located in the Library folder of your home folder.
• The file com.apple.mail.plist, located in the Preferences folder of your Library folder. This file stores the preferences you set in Mail Preferences.
• The folder AddressBook, located in the Application Support folder of your Library folder. The folder AddressBook contains the information in your address book, which is used by both Address Book and Mail.

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If one did an E&I, could/would Migration Assistant work to restore apps, preferences, etc. from an external with a full clone of a Tiger install?

Thanks!

Yes, I did this for a friend with a G4 running 10.2
There was a problem with migrating the identity from Entourage, but I rebuilt the database (which is an option in Entourage) and all worked well.
However, it depends on which apps, some 3rd party apps might not restore properly

skybolt said:

If one did an E&I, could/would Migration Assistant work to restore apps, preferences, etc. from an external with a full clone of a Tiger install?

Thanks!

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Out of three macs that I have put Leopard on the only one not having issues so far is the one that I did an upgrade on. The other two were an erase install and all kinds of issues.