Mac Fangirl

Two things to say about doing a clean install of Snow Leopard.

It is time consuming. Back up your data.

1. Make a list of all your non-native apps for which you will need installation disks, .dmg files or download links and have all these sources handy. One way to get a list of your apps is to just open a Finder window and go to ‘Applications’ folder and do a SHFT-CMD-4 to take a screenshot of your apps. Likewise you can open ‘Terminal.app’ from Applications/Utilities and type in ls  /Applications/   >>  myapps.txt. This will place an alphabetized text list in your home folder. Very handy. Thanks for the tip from LifeHacker.com.   http://lifehacker.com/5345690/prep-your-mac-for-snow-leopard.

2. For each app in #1 make sure you have necessary license and key numbers, serial numbers, whatever is necessary to make your version a legal copy. You will need this when your Snow Leopard is installed and it comes time to install your software.

a. Note: for Adobe CS3 you will need to Deactivate your suite so that you will be allowed to use it on your new OS. Once you install in Snow Leopard, you can reactivate. I assume the same goes for CS4.

3. For each app in #1 make sure it is compatible with Snow Leopard. Same goes for peripherals. For instance, my Palm Z22 can no longer sync with Snow Leopard because Palm does not make the Palm Desktop software for Snow Leopard. It pays to take extra time to check hardware and software compatibility prior to upgrading. In this case, I can do without Palm. Why? Because I have an iPhone.

4. Jot down your router login information as you will be prompted for this if you access the internet via ethernet or wi-fi. For the latter, you will need your pass phrase for your wireless security mode, i.e. WEP, WAP, or WAP2.

5. Back up your application data to an external hard drive or ftp to offsite storage. The list below is obviously not exhaustive. Each person’s data will vary according to the programs on their hard drive. Make sure you know how to restore your data to its software. For instance, with Bento, just go to ‘File’ and ‘Restore from Bento backup’. Please tell me you have your Bento data backed up.

a. Safari bookmarks - File / Export Bookmarks  save as html. To retrieve in Snow Leopard: File / Import Bookmarks then get your Safari bookmarks.html file

b. Mac Mail - Copy the Mail folder (from your user/Library) to an external storage device. Once in Snow Leopard, open your Mac Mail, then the File / Import Mailboxes, browse to your stored Mail folder and do the import.

c. Address Book contacts - File / Export / Address Book Archive. To retrieve contacts in Snow Leopard, File / Import and locate your .abbu file.

d. iCal calendar entries - Select name of Calendar in Calendars list. File / Export. These will be saved as .ics files. To import into Snow Leopard, File / Import and select the calendar (.ics) or simply drag the .ics files to your iCal. Another option is to do a File / Back up iCal.

e. iPhoto library - Select your album(s) and File / Export. I just copied all the contents of my user/Pictures folder and then plopped them into the same folder in Snow Leopard.

f. iTunes library - Your iTunes Library should already be stored on an external hard drive. So once in Snow Leopard, all you have to do is go to Preferences in iTunes and select the ‘Advanced’ icon. In the window underneath “iTunes Media folder location”, place the path to your external storage device by clicking the ‘change’ button and browsing the folder that will hold your music files. Go here for step-by-step instructions on how to handle your iTunes library. http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-12519_7-10000883-1.html?s=0&o=10000883&tag=mncol;page.

g. FTP app shortcuts - varies by program.

6. Insert Snow Leopard installation DVD into Mac and restart. Hold down the C key while it reboots. This will force it to boot from Optical drive.

7. After a while the Snow Leopard install screen will appear and prompt you to select your language. Select your language and click to continue.

8. Click on ‘Utilities’ and then select ‘Disk Utility’.

9. Here you will be presented with choices to Erase a volume, Format, or Partition. Remember, you must have already backed up your data before you proceed. Once any of these processes begin, it is unlikely that you’ll be able to retrieve any of your data, by ordinary methods, anyway. Back up all your data before clicking on any of the options presented to you. This means, create a copy of your documents, contacts, photos, music, bookmarks, etc. on an external source from which you can later retrieve and place on your new OS. Each program treats its data differently. Some programs have an export option, while others have a backup option. For your documents and worksheets you will need to manually copy from old location and paste to a new location.

10. You’ve been warned.

11. I erased my entire volume with no partitions so that leaves me with my entire hard drive dedicated to Snow Leopard. Prior to this I had used bootcamp to create a partition for Windows XP, but since I will no longer be using Windows, my hard drive will not need to be partitioned. You may want to examine some of the security options available to you for erasing your hard drive. Click here to familiarize yourself with the 3 erase options offered by Disk Utility. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3680

12. Once your hard drive is wiped clean you can continue with Snow Leopard Installation. It takes about 45 minutes to install.

13. After your Snow Leopard is installed, take a deep breath and behold the latest incarnation from Cupertino.

14. Now get to work setting up your shiny new system. First you’ll need internet access, so perform whatever configuration is necessary to get online first. This is especially helpful since you will need online access to run updates, activate software you’re re-installing, and to test your incoming and outgoing e-mail. Plus, you will need to re-download some of your software if you purchased it online and do not have the physical installation disk.

15. Go down your list of apps and install each one.

16. Restore your data for each app.

17. For iTunes, if you have a MobileMe account that syncs with your computer, you will probably want to select the ‘Merge’ option when prompted. I failed to do this, and I got duplicate Address Book and iCal entries (on my iPhone).

You may need to go to iTunes / Preferences and enter the path to your external hard drive to the folder where you store your music.

18. You’re done.