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formatting a macintosh computer

furry_cup

furry_cup

Car  306 TD Slut
i thinking of formatting it, i uninstalled cs2 and there is a corrupt file which will not delete, i have read on the adobe site that this file will eventually corrupt it.

i have an external hard drive, was going going stick my itunes songs on there and some software.

my question is!

can i just copy the application from the applications folder onto my extrernal drive and not worry about any other folders it may have created elswhere around the hard disk?

or should i copy everything that is associated with it onto the hard disk too?
 
by doing that, will that copy unwanted cached files? i dont know much about osx background etc..

i want the mac to be nice and clean after i format it, i dont want anything but the chosen applications on there.
 
furry_cup said:
by doing that, will that copy unwanted cached files? i dont know much about osx background etc..

i want the mac to be nice and clean after i format it, i dont want anything but the chosen applications on there.
Click to expand...

It will be clean.

What I'd actually do is...

Re-install a clean version of OS X. Bring it all up to date with software update.

Copy across everything in your "old home folder" barring the "library" folder (this is where apps keep their settings).

Copy across the applications you want from your "old applications folder".

That way you'll have a nice clean install, your old home folder but with no settings from old applications and the old applications you want from your old installation.
 
furry_cup said:
then as i use the applications they will create fresh new setting folders in the library folder?
Click to expand...

Yep.

Btw. The library folder I'm talking about is the one inside your home folder, not the one on the root of the HD!
 
And if you want to keep your mail and stuff (if you use "mail") then just replace the one in the new systems library with the one from your old system, that way you don't have to re-enter or re-import mail.
 
need an external drive to store my stuff, otherwise wont be able to reformat.

this is great stuff guys, thanks.

I remember when I first got the mac, did not know how to uninstall, windows really has messed up my ways of thinking.

Never thought you could just delete it !!!

amazing.
 
gabi_cavaller said:
need an external drive to store my stuff, otherwise wont be able to reformat.

this is great stuff guys, thanks.

I remember when I first got the mac, did not know how to uninstall, windows really has messed up my ways of thinking.

Never thought you could just delete it !!!

amazing.
Click to expand...

You could just do a reinstall and select "archive" when you boot from the install disc. This will reinstall OS X and move your old installation to older named "Previous System". Once you've reinstalled you can copy across what you want. No need for an external drive.

Just be careful that when you install from the CD that you do select archive (it's not on the main "route" through the install process, at some point you have to select something like advanced installation).
 
Ah ok :)

Will try it out, as i think it could be running a bit more efficiently :)

Thanks,





sn00p said:
gabi_cavaller said:
need an external drive to store my stuff, otherwise wont be able to reformat.

this is great stuff guys, thanks.

I remember when I first got the mac, did not know how to uninstall, windows really has messed up my ways of thinking.

Never thought you could just delete it !!!

amazing.
Click to expand...

You could just do a reinstall and select "archive" when you boot from the install disc. This will reinstall OS X and move your old installation to older named "Previous System". Once you've reinstalled you can copy across what you want. No need for an external drive.

Just be careful that when you install from the CD that you do select archive (it's not on the main "route" through the install process, at some point you have to select something like advanced installation).
Click to expand...
 
not bad considering i bought the Mac in 2005.

i have formatted my work pc twice in the last year.

They can get viruses, just like a mobile phone can now, as each product becomes more popular having a wider user base, the b******s are gonna make viruses for them!
 
They have never said they cannot get virus's, the ratio is like 1/57 according to macworld 3 months ago which I think is pretty darn good.

Macs don't need to be formatted like PC's but sometimes is nice to get rid of all th ejunk that you installed.

:quiet:

wozzaa said:
sn00p said:
No problem.

Can you imagine the agony of trying to do that under windows?!
Click to expand...

Its not THAT much harder.

Not to mention I thought MAC's didn't suffer form these issues that needed you to have formats in the first place....yet another mac myth busted. Just like they do get viruses.
Click to expand...
 
when you do a re-install like this are the blocks on the hdd saved in order so that there isnt gaps (fragmented) all over the place with a bit of information from one file here and a bit from the same file there?

I used to do a defrag on my PC all the time and it sped it up. Is there an app. for the mac for doing a defrag?
 
Norton Utilities used to (maybe still does) include the above as part of the Disk Doctor.
 
wozzaa said:
sn00p said:
No problem.

Can you imagine the agony of trying to do that under windows?!
Click to expand...

wozzaa said:
Its not THAT much harder.
Click to expand...

Yes it is, you have to reinstall everything in windows after a clean install. It gets very dull and boring every 3 months. In OS X all you have to do is copy the application back to the applications folder.

I can "reinstall" all my applications back in a fresh install in about 1 minute. Do that under windows my friend.


wozzaa said:
Not to mention I thought MAC's didn't suffer form these issues that needed you to have formats in the first place....yet another mac myth busted. Just like they do get viruses.
Click to expand...

They don't, but for whatever reason furrycup wanted to reinstall OS X, so I gave him detailed instructions on how to do it without losing anything.

(read post below for virus explanation)

Face it, windows is shite and you all know it. :p
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
RichRSi said:
when you do a re-install like this are the blocks on the hdd saved in order so that there isnt gaps (fragmented) all over the place with a bit of information from one file here and a bit from the same file there?

I used to do a defrag on my PC all the time and it sped it up. Is there an app. for the mac for doing a defrag?
Click to expand...

No need. Mac OS doesn't use a crappy hacked version of a 1980's FAT filesystem.
 
furry_cup said:
They can get viruses, just like a mobile phone can now, as each product becomes more popular having a wider user base, the b*****ds are gonna make viruses for them!
Click to expand...

It's actually nothing to do with the user base. It's everything to do with the architecture of the OS which makes a virus pretty pointless in that it would be impossible for it to infect anything without the end user doing something really dumb, like allowing something their friend sent them run as root!
 
gabi_cavaller said:
They have never said they cannot get virus's, the ratio is like 1/57 according to macworld 3 months ago which I think is pretty darn good.

Macs don't need to be formatted like PC's but sometimes is nice to get rid of all th ejunk that you installed.

:quiet:
Click to expand...

It's much easier than that.

Trash the program in the applications folder.

Trash the program data in the ~/Library folder.

Job done.
 
sn00p said:
wozzaa said:
wozzaa said:
Its not THAT much harder.
Click to expand...

Yes it is, you have to reinstall everything in windows after a clean install. It gets very dull and boring every 3 months. In OS X all you have to do is copy the application back to the applications folder.

I can "reinstall" all my applications back in a fresh install in about 1 minute. Do that under windows my friend.


wozzaa said:
Not to mention I thought MAC's didn't suffer form these issues that needed you to have formats in the first place....yet another mac myth busted. Just like they do get viruses.
Click to expand...

They don't, but for whatever reason furrycup wanted to reinstall OS X, so I gave him detailed instructions on how to do it without losing anything.

(read post below for virus explanation)

Face it, windows is s**te and you all know it. :p
Click to expand...

I have had my windows machine running 24 /7 for over 2 years now and i am still waiting for my first crash simple fact of the matter is those of us who are computer literate and know how to use them correctly know how to use windows correctly.

I can have my windows system formatted and up and running as it was before exactly the same all programs reinstalled in under an hour with no loss of data. And most of that is waiting for the CD to install. Know how to use the system fully and you have zero problems be your average windows user and you complain and say macs are better yet the majority of mac buyers cant seem to get it into there head the system is no faster and its just a software change they paid all that money for.

The old mac benchmarks were ripped off the site due to how much sale crap they had in them without actually using fair tests. They did a comparison on photo creation and office creative. PC used MS office and the mac used its own system...Obviously its gonna be faster then as its cheating.

Simple fact is if your not a complete tard and know how to use a windows machine they can last as long as a mac and those that do need something more work related can just install linux. Rather than paying the rather large price premium for the mac OS which in my opinion sucks balls. And I can say that as I had to use them everyday at University mac osx is made for your average computer simpleton.
Click to expand...
 
simple for me. i prefer macs over pc. In My opinion.

tbh all this pc/mac bicker just irritates me. they all the do same thing.. just mac do it better..:quiet:
 
wozzaa said:
I have had my windows machine running 24 /7 for over 2 years now and i am still waiting for my first crash simple fact of the matter is those of us who are computer literate and know how to use them correctly know how to use windows correctly.
Click to expand...

Then count yourself lucky, this has nothing to do with computer literacy!

wozzaa said:
I can have my windows system formatted and up and running as it was before exactly the same all programs reinstalled in under an hour with no loss of data. And most of that is waiting for the CD to install. Know how to use the system fully and you have zero problems be your average windows user and you complain and say macs are better yet the majority of mac buyers cant seem to get it into there head the system is no faster and its just a software change they paid all that money for.
Click to expand...

You must have very little installed then! (Probably for the best under Windows ;) :p) Don't you get bored swapping discs and answering wizard questions installing? It's much easier just to copy the applications across. No user intervention required!

wozzaa said:
Simple fact is if your not a complete tard and know how to use a windows machine they can last as long as a mac and those that do need something more work related can just install linux. Rather than paying the rather large price premium for the mac OS which in my opinion sucks balls. And I can say that as I had to use them everyday at University mac osx is made for your average computer simpleton.
Click to expand...

Okay. BSD is for simpletons???! Righty O!

Linux is crap compared to OS X in the GUI stakes, there is zero comparison to be made, it's like comparing chalk and cheese.

b****cks can they last just as long as a mac. You install Vista on a 7 year old PC and tell me how it runs. I'll install Leopard on a 7 year old mac and I'll tell you how that runs - although not much point because I know exactly what the answer in both situations are already.
 
furry_cup said:
simple for me. i prefer macs over pc. In My opinion.

tbh all this pc/mac bicker just irritates me. they all the do same thing.. just mac do it better..:quiet:
Click to expand...

I know. It's irritating. I don't go into every "I've got a windows problem" post on here and start giving some uneducated opinion on Windows that I've heard from bobs uncles best mates brothers sister in laws brother down the pub.

I find it amusing that the windows users feel the need to pop up in every mac thread spouting shite.
 
yep, i dont even open the 'problem with pc' threads, theres so many of them, i think this mac thread is one of few on here regarding a 'problem' so to speak. even though it wasnt really a problem.

cheers of the help too

i think you've pwned enough for one day now!:rasp:
 
lol you are funny.

Do you work in the IT industry?

Mac OSX is cheaper than XP home buddy !!!! everything included, and as stated by clever Sn00p, it can run on a machine who's architecture is 7 years old, without an issue.

Yes macs are a bit more expensive, but that's the h/w and not due to the o/s, not saying that the h/w is much different to a PC coz it is not.

At the end of the day, there is no point of carrying this on, as there is no point.

One thing though, XP machine, 2 years, not one single crash, on 24/7, you must have nothing installed but the original stuff. Unless it is a server.

XP workstations get clogged up with crap, and if not restarted every so often, some services stop running and issues occur. Also, there have been many updates that have caused issues, if your computer is up to date, you would have encountered various problems one of them being Windows Defender crashing frequenty, obviously, unless you are an expert, and new that was crap and opted out not to download it as an update.

Anyhow, its 8.44 and I am hungry.

:)

Enjoy.

wozzaa said:
sn00p said:
wozzaa said:
Yes it is, you have to reinstall everything in windows after a clean install. It gets very dull and boring every 3 months. In OS X all you have to do is copy the application back to the applications folder.

I can "reinstall" all my applications back in a fresh install in about 1 minute. Do that under windows my friend.


wozzaa said:
Not to mention I thought MAC's didn't suffer form these issues that needed you to have formats in the first place....yet another mac myth busted. Just like they do get viruses.
Click to expand...

They don't, but for whatever reason furrycup wanted to reinstall OS X, so I gave him detailed instructions on how to do it without losing anything.

(read post below for virus explanation)

Face it, windows is s**te and you all know it. :p
Click to expand...

I have had my windows machine running 24 /7 for over 2 years now and i am still waiting for my first crash simple fact of the matter is those of us who are computer literate and know how to use them correctly know how to use windows correctly.

I can have my windows system formatted and up and running as it was before exactly the same all programs reinstalled in under an hour with no loss of data. And most of that is waiting for the CD to install. Know how to use the system fully and you have zero problems be your average windows user and you complain and say macs are better yet the majority of mac buyers cant seem to get it into there head the system is no faster and its just a software change they paid all that money for.

The old mac benchmarks were ripped off the site due to how much sale crap they had in them without actually using fair tests. They did a comparison on photo creation and office creative. PC used MS office and the mac used its own system...Obviously its gonna be faster then as its cheating.

Simple fact is if your not a complete tard and know how to use a windows machine they can last as long as a mac and those that do need something more work related can just install linux. Rather than paying the rather large price premium for the mac OS which in my opinion sucks balls. And I can say that as I had to use them everyday at University mac osx is made for your average computer simpleton.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Now, now chaps - handbags at ten paces....... ;)

Come on Macboys - you should know the ground rules by now. You won't go any near a Gates-infested device and us lot would rather chew on our own ball-sacks with tooth-rot, than to own a Mac. :rasp:

Great devices - I'll admit that - but just not for me.

D.
 
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