Switching from Tiger to Leopard - a few Q's

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Hi, I've had my mac a few months now and have found the experience 100% positive. I was on the apple site yesterday and saw that If I ordered my mac on or before the 1st Oct I could get leopard for a measly £5.95.

So, I ordered it. While I wait for it to come in the post I have a few questions i really hope some of you guys can help me with:

1. How easy is it to install? I am used to totally reformatting PC's and installing windows & drivers from scratch, is it any different to this? Easier / harder?

2. Will ALL of my files, documents and applications remain present, working and installed after the installation, or will I need to back all of these up?

3. Have apple fixed the big problems with it yet (blue screening) or shall I wait until they fix them?

4. Are there any more precautions I need to take before I install?

5. if I have downloads pending in transmission or another torrent client, will they be erased?

6. Will I have to set up my internet connection again?

7. Will my dock remain as it is, or will I have to re-organise it?

8. Will my favourites in firefox stay the same, or will they be deleted?

Thanks guys. I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones I can think of at the moment.
 
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Hi,

I'll try to answer your questions, but not necessarily in the order you asked them.


4. Are there any more precautions I need to take before I install?

Leopard is a new operating system so there are some quirks/bugs still in it. Before installing, make certain you have a backup of your current boot volume. That way if things go wrong or you're not happy with 10.5, you can always go back to 10.4. You'll need an extra hard drive or partition (drive is best option) for the backup. You can use either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner to make a clone of your current drive.

This step is critical.


I've written a couple of articles on updating to Leopard:

Updating to Leopard: Pros and Consl

Updating to Leopard Successfully

1. How easy is it to install? I am used to totally reformatting PC's and installing windows & drivers from scratch, is it any different to this? Easier / harder?

Easy. The Install program will walk you through the steps necessary for the upgrade option you select. You have three options: Upgrade, Archive & Install, Erase & Install. If you have a backup of your boot drive, try the Upgrade first. That option will let you keep all your current settings and files.


2. Will ALL of my files, documents and applications remain present, working and installed after the installation, or will I need to back all of these up?

If you select the Upgrade option, everything will be on the drive, but some applications might not work in 10.5. Before using the Upgrade option, however, you should uninstall certain types of programs, such as preferences panes, system add-ons, including Mail and Safari add-ons, etc. Anything that might have altered an Apple application or system files.


3. Have apple fixed the big problems with it yet (blue screening) or shall I wait until they fix them?

One of the causes for the blue screen is APE. Do a Spotlight search for this item or for "Application Enhancer" and remove it if you find it. If you use Logitech's Control Center, APE was installed and you must remove it before upgrading. Apple has a knowledge base article on this.


6. Will I have to set up my internet connection again?

No, as long as you keep a working copy of your boot drive. If you use the Upgrade or Archive & Install option, the settings will be retained. If you do an Erase & Install, you can use Migration Assistant to get your settings from your cloned drive.


7. Will my dock remain as it is, or will I have to re-organise it?

This depends on what's in your Dock. If you have hierarchical folders in the Dock, you'll lose their functionality. The Dock's functionality has changed in 10.5, but rumors are that Tiger functionality will return with 10.5.2 (some of us hope).

Application icons will remain in the Dock with the Upgrade option. Erase and Install will delete your Dock icons.


8. Will my favourites in firefox stay the same, or will they be deleted?

Those should stay the same if you transfer your Firefox preferences to the new installation.


5. if I have downloads pending in transmission or another torrent client, will they be erased?

Probably. But I don't know the answer for sure. If you use Speed Download, you'll need to update to the latest version.



I hope that helps. Post back if you have more questions.

Also, I have a website with Leopard troubleshooting (problems I've experienced) that might answer some of your questions:

Leopard Troubleshooting


Claire
 
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1. It is far easier to install and if you choose the archive and install option it will be a clean install that preserves your programs and user folders including your documents.

2. You should ALWAYS have a backup. But yes if you choose upgrade or archive and install they will be retained.

3. There are no serious outstanding issues with Leopard. It is up to you to make sure all the software on your mac is compatible with Leopard and that your computer's hardware is not buggy.

4. Backup everything. You should always have a backup.

5. Probably, though why you would do this with pending transmission items I have no idea...

6. In most situations you didn't have to set it in the first place beyond typing in your wireless key if you use wireless.

7. Depends on the type of install you pick.

8. Depends on the type of install you pick.
 
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some huge help there guys. I'm buying an external hard drive in the next couple of weeks anyway, so i'll wait until I get that before I go installing it.

i really cannot thank you enough. one more question...

have any of you guys installed it, do you find it better or worse than tiger and how does it affect system performance and applications - in terms of speed etc...?

I do a lot of video editing on FCP, if it makes stability of editing a more temperamental process I might have to leave it for now.
 
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I've been using Leopard on and off for about a month on both an Intel Mac Mini and a PPC Mini. I've had some major problems on the Intel Mac with USB devices (this seems to have cleared up with the 10.5.1 update) and .Mac syncing (Apple has acknowledged that this is a problem in Leopard). The only problem I've had with the PPC Mini and Leopard was a temporarily lost Dock after playing a full-screen game (it came back with a restart).

One thing you do need to check out is if your printer has a driver for Leopard. My old HP PhotoSmart printer works fine but the driver for my HP LaserJet hasn't yet been updated, so, even though I can print with it in Leopard, I can't change critical print settings (like switching from standard to economy printing). I've been in contact with HP and they're working on an updated driver, but I found a temporary solution. Before upgrading to Leopard, I set and saved different printer settings while in Tiger and then did an Upgrade install. Now all the settings are also in Leopard and I can select whichever one I need.

If you have a scanner, check with the manufacturer about an updated driver for Leopard. Many people are having problems with their scanners in 10.5.

I still do much of my critical work in Tiger, partly because of the printer and iDisk problems, but Leopard holds great promise. Time Machine is great - it backs up every hour so it eliminates the worry of forgetting to back up critical data. You can customize it to back up only certain files and it will back up files from any hard drive connected to your computer, including separate partitions on the Time Machine drive.

If you like to have several applications open at the same time, you'll probably like Spaces. It's sort of an organized version of Exposé.

I definitely notice a speed bump and smoother performance with Leopard on my PPC Mini. I'm not so sure about a difference with the Intel Mini. I was surprised by the speed increase on the PPC Mac since it only has 512 MB of RAM.

Here's some info on FCP and Leopard:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307092


http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/finalcutpro602.html


Claire
 
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Thanks again. Very helpful about FCP. Just got my leopard disc, the more I think about it the less I am inclined to install it.

Sure, it has some nice features, but none are essential. I don't actually own a printer anymore (it died) - it's just a scary thought that my rock solid mac, which has never crashed, locked up or even slowed down might break and give me problems if I install a new OS.
 
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If you have an extra partition, you can install Leopard on it and try it out. That way you can see how it works for you and if you enjoy the new features.

Although many people have had problems, probably just as many have had smooth installations and only good experiences. I'm using Leopard now to rewrite my ebook on Mail and so far everything's working fine on my latest installation of 10.5. Of course, I'm a bit of a coward and I'm not syncing my iDisk or using my iPod with Leopard, but Mail and Safari seem to be working okay.

Good luck.

Claire
 
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1. How easy is it to install? I am used to totally reformatting PC's and installing windows & drivers from scratch, is it any different to this? Easier / harder?
I upgraded to Leopard on my Mac Pro on 12/27. It is FAR easier to install from scratch than Windows because you DON'T have to worry about drivers.

2. Will ALL of my files, documents and applications remain present, working and installed after the installation, or will I need to back all of these up?
If you do an archive install all your apps and docs should remain intact -- have a backup just in case something goes wrong. I assume you know Mr. Murphy? (Murphy's Law -- if something goes wrong it will do so at the most inopportune time).

3. Have apple fixed the big problems with it yet (blue screening) or shall I wait until they fix them?
I've been running Leopard on my MacBook for awhile -- did a clean install and haven't run into any issues with blue/grey screens.


4. Are there any more precautions I need to take before I install?
If you're an iTunes user, make sure you deauthorize the computer before reinstalling -- even if you're doing an archive/install, just in case (see Mr. Murphy above).

Make sure you have saved/exported your bookmarks for the same reason above.

Make sure you have all of your e-mail configuration information, web page userIDs & passwords.

Make sure you have any registration/license keys for applications you have purchased.

Make sure you have exported your address book and iCal data as this is not easily recoverable from your home directory data.
a) Address book - From file menu choose Export > Address book archive. Save the file to your home directory. Import that file after new install is complete.
b) iCal - From file menu choose Back up iCal and save to your home directory. Import that file after new install.

5. if I have downloads pending in transmission or another torrent client, will they be erased?
I guess it would depend on what type of install you perform. If an archive/install goes well I don't see why your pending downloads wouldn't still be in the same state they were in before the Leopard install.

6. Will I have to set up my internet connection again?
Depends on what type of install. My internet connection "just worked" after a clean install on my Mac Pro.

7. Will my dock remain as it is, or will I have to re-organise it?
Again, depends on the type of install. I performed a clean install, so I took screen shots of everything that I wanted to duplicate on the new system so I had a reference point. Might seem anal to do something like that, but if you want to fully recover something it's worth the effort (I think).

8. Will my favourites in firefox stay the same, or will they be deleted?
See #4. It really depends on the install you do. An archive/install should keep everything intact (again, Murphy's Law applies).

General observations from my recent install experience:
1) If you have a good backup of your home directory AND have exported bookmarks and other data (see #4 above for address book & iCal) you shouldn't have a problem with recovering after install.

2) If you want to keep your keychain from your old installation I would recommend reading-up on how to do that before you start. This is something I didn't think about and while not really a problem for me it did cause a bit of extra work on the back-end of the install.

3) iPhoto and iTunes were really easy to recover as long as you use the standard (Apple suggested) file locations in your home directory. You may have to tweak preferences after the install. Again, take screen shots if you want to make sure everything is "just right" after the install.

4) Unplug all external drives and peripherals before starting the install. I just turned-off my external drives so the OS couldn't "see" them. I'm not sure what problems this may cause, I've just seen posts where other have recommended doing so.

5) I had the luxury of keeping and rebooting to my old Tiger install on my Mac Pro because I installed to a new drive -- otherwise I would have lost my address book and iCal info. Be mindful of the applications you use and how/where they store their data. If those apps have a special export function to save the data -- make sure you have the data exported or you'll likely lose it if something goes wrong during your install.

Hope that helps. Good luck on the upgrade.
 
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Nice advice everyone. thanks.
Just out of interest, how do I export my keychain stuff and what is meant about deauthorising the computer for itunes?
 
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Claire - has there been any study done on problems upgrading to Leopard for G4 users as versus intel users? i.e., have there been more problems for older (I have a G4 Quicksilver) systems then newer ones?
 
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From what I've read on forums, it doesn't seem like G4 users are having more problems than Intel users. I had a much smoother experience with my G4 Mini than with my Intel Mini, even when I did a clean install on the Intel Mini.

Try it and post back if you have any problems.

Claire
 

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