Need Help - Panther's here

Well, my copy will be arriving in a couple of hours. However, I still haven't decided whether I will do a clean wipe, and archive and install (I don't even know what that is), or just a regular upgrade. I'd like to hear from someone who did a clean wipe. Some have suggested archive and install, but I like the idea of a "fresh start". One question that I haven't received an answer for is, how do I reinstall my iBook applications (Appleworks, World Book, etc.)? And what will happen to my Help function? One individual stated that the clean wipe would result in me missing some of the things that original came with my iBook. Is clean installing Jaguar with my iBook CD's, then installiing Panther a good idea? Sorry for the multiple posts about this recently, but I'm just confused and excited to get this installed today.

to get your applications like Appleworks, i would suggest reinstalling jag, then doing an archive and install.

Archive and Install moves existing system files to a folder named Previous System and then installs Mac OS X again. You cannot start up your computer using the Previous System folder.

You may also elect to preserve your user and network settings during the installation. This option automatically imports existing users, Home directories, and network settings. This means it also skips the Setup Assistant after installation.

If Mac OS X is not already present, you cannot select Archive and Install

You can use Carbon Copy Cloner if you have the space. This will make a copy of your current system and you can put it as a diskimage that you can revert back to if panther screws something up. To do this, start up from the 10.3 install disk and under Disk Utility you can select to reformat a drive using a disk image.