UPDATED: Fixed problem with MAIL

[kimmer]

Problem is in post 17.

Okay ...

• I've had the 10.5 update disk since I got my iMac, so I have the install disk.
• My new Mercury Elite drive just arrived, so I have the backup drive.
• The one piece of software I couldn't live without in 10.5 also arrived this morning, so I have the software.

Now I need to back up my present drive. Suggestions? And can I make it bootable? And please treat me like a 5-year old and give directions because I have not used backup software in years.

I think from what I've read in old threads here (yes, I dusted several of them off) I should do an archive and install, not an update. Will I lose anything if I do that?

Wow - good thing Sneakers is gonna be gone this evening and all day tomorrow. I may need all that time to myself to get through this.

I feel like a kid with a new toy.

[daryl66]

Sorry the Polar bear plunge was held here on New Years day, and the one in Minneapolis was held 3 weeks ago.  Guess you will have to wait until next year.

Good luck  I am sure you will get all the answers real quick.  It should be a piece of cake


Daryl

[jchuzi]

I use SuperDuper for making complete, bootable backups to a different drive. (An alternative to SD is Carbon Copy Cloner.) SD's interface is very user-friendly so you should have no problems. After cloning with SD, boot from the clone to test it out. In case you don't know how:  Restart while pressing and holding Option. Release the key when you see a choice of startup disks, select the clone and then press Return. The first start from a newly cloned drive takes longer than subsequent starts so be patient. When you are satisfied that the clone is working, reboot normally.

I have always used the Upgrade method to advance to the next OS and it has never failed me. I always take the precaution of rebuilding the directory with Disk Warrior beforehand (and it would be a good idea to do that before cloning with SD so that you don't copy bad data). If you don't have DW, TechTool Pro or Drive Genius are good alternatives. Use Disk Utility's Repair Disk if you don't have the other apps (read Mac OS X - Using Disk Utility to Repair a Disk if you don't remember how to do this).

Since you have a complete copy of the original drive, you can always clone back from it in case something goes wrong.

[RNKIII]

Good advice all around....

Also know that the first backup to your ext. via SD! will take some time.... but that subsequent ones will complete MUCH faster..

Good luck, and know that you have many friends with many answers on TS...  (hopefully the same answer for the same question!!)

Bob K.   rnkiii

[Xairbusdriver]

Despite all the extra time, it will still not be as long as it took you to jump off the dock... And, if it takes as long as people are warning you, the next update to the current version of the OS will be out...

"Better late than never?" I don't know, kinda depends on whether they run out of the goodies they were passing out...

[kimmer]

LOL @ Daryl! I could probably wait another year.

Bob K. - thanks for the heads up. I'll let it start and then go do something else.

Jon, thanks for the excellent tips. Don't have DW for this iMac, so I'll boot and run DU and then I clone with SD (which I picked up in a bundle a while back so that was easy to install.)

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Mar 26 2010, 10:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Despite all the extra time, it will still not be as long as it took you to jump off the dock... And, if it takes as long as people are warning you, the next update to the current version of the OS will be out...

"Better late than never?" I don't know, kinda depends on whether they run out of the goodies they were passing out...

Jim .... I knew you'd make me laugh.

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE

I knew you'd make me laugh.

Well, if I can't be smart, at least I can try to make my stupidity pay for itself!

I just know you'll enjoy Leopard! Ther are very few frustrating differences and many very nice and useful ones. Try out Quick Look ASAP! It'll save waiting for several apps to open, just to see what's in the document.

[kimmer]

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Mar 26 2010, 03:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE

I knew you'd make me laugh.

Well, if I can't be smart, at least I can try to make my stupidity pay for itself!

Oh NO! Does this mean you'll be sending me a bill?  

I'll be sure to check out Quick Look.

Off to begin my adventure.

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE

Off to begin my adventure.

OOoooh! Look out for 'rabbit holes!' And especially those "smiling" cats! (Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger...)

[MamaMoose]

Kimmer,

it makes no sense to me to jump to 10.5. IMHO, you would be better off to jump to Snow Leopard IF you have an install disk because of improvements available in Snow leopard that are not available in Leopard. If you do stay with 10.5,  before you have installed the version you have,  download from apple.com the latest COMBO updater. Once you have upgraded, immediately run the Combo Updater that installs all upgrades up to and including the latest one. In any OS installation, make sure you select Archive & Install so as to preserve  anything you will need from 10.4.11.

Tom C.

[kimmer]

Thanks, Tom. I don't own 10.6 and I do own 10.5 -- so that's where I'll go.

Backup is done. I'll have questions on that later. I'll go look for the upgrade stuff and tomorrow I'll upgrade the OS.

[jchuzi]

Just a thought:  Instead of using the Upgrade method, you could clone the original drive, erase the original and install Leopard from scratch. The first time that you boot from Leopard, Migration Assistant automatically launches. Follow the prompts to import everything from the clone. This takes much more time than the Upgrade option but potentially gives you a cleaner system. MA will give you an estimate of the time remaining but you should ignore it. Assume that it will take several hours even if it says that only a few minutes more are required (this happened to me). Go away for awhile and enjoy a cuppa Joe or other beverage of your choice and read War And Peace a few times while you wait.

BTW, I agree with Mama Moose about Snow Leopard. It's only $29 from Apple, a bit less at Amazon.

[kimmer]

All done. I let it run while I slept.

I'm passing on 10.6 (for now). I haven't yet seen anything about it that would get me to spend an additional $29 -- especially since I'm just now breaking in 10.5. Being married to a Scotsman has worn off on me.

Now ... I don't understand Quick Look. I added the icon to my window toolbar and can use it from there, but it's supposed to work in Mail and I can't figure out how. I don't see a QL icon that I can add to the toolbar in Mail, and pressing the spacebar just moves me down through the email.

QUOTE

View attachments, no detachment.
Quick Look also works in the Mail and iChat applications in Mac OS X. Say you receive a message with a bunch of attachments. Instead of downloading and opening each one, you can use Quick Look to see them with a click.

I'm just now exploring a load of other stuff, but first I need to go fold a newsletter and then stuff, label and stamp 191 envelopes.

[Xairbusdriver]

You don't need no stikin' icon for Quick Look!

The only time I specifically call on it is when in Finder (99% of the time I have a Finder window open). Just select a document/zipped file and press the space bar. Wah-lah! There's a view of what's in the document. QL is built into the OS, but I've never seen nor tried to call on it, specifically, when in any other app. Nor do I even know what its icon looks like! Didn't even know it had one! Where do you see it?

If your talking frugality, SL is a much better bargain than Leopard! I was thinking you didn't even have an Intel Mac and that was why you weren't going on to SL. I certainly agree with mama that you're kinda spinning your "learning wheels" by staying in plain Leopard. But, if there's anything I've learned in 67 years, never, ever try to get a woman to change her mind! They will automatically do that, at the least expected time!

[kimmer]

A few more questions:

• Time Machine is in my menu bar. What is it and do I need it since I have SuperDuper?
• Clock: I have day and time, but how do I get the DATE up there?
• My iCal calender keeps asking for Entourage??? - SOLVED see this thread.

Okay, got the clock thing fixed thanks to this post of Paddy's.

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Mar 27 2010, 11:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nor do I even know what its icon looks like! Didn't even know it had one! Where do you see it?

In my window toolbar - which is customized:

[attachment=1825:Picture_1.png]

QUOTE

If your talking frugality, SL is a much better bargain than Leopard!

Yes, but I already own 10.5. I don't own 10.6. Plus 10.6 would require me to update several pieces of software, and some I'd lose. I'm not interested. I may be spinning my learning wheels, but I'm happy with the direction they are spinning.

QUOTE

But, if there's anything I've learned in 67 years, never, ever try to get a woman to change her mind! They will automatically do that, at the least expected time!

Wise lesson you've learned.