Clean Install and saving old user data?

[gpspad]

I researched downloading yosemite to a usb drive and doing a clean install on a new mac mini I bought.

I'd like to do a clean install to my macbook and my parents mac mini, but both have a large amount of data on them I don;t want to loose.

is there a way to erase the drive, install yosemite fresh, and then restore the user data?

Really just need to know how to restore the user data over the fresh yosemite install?

 

[simonsi]

Take a copy of the data onto an external drive first by one of:

Carbon Copy Cloner
Time Machine
Drag and drop

If you don't have such a copy already then you should seriously consider putting a backup plan in place, otherwise you are risking that data to total loss.

 

[gpspad]

Thanks, I think I figured it out when I did the fresh reinstall from the usb drive.

As soon as I find a deal on a time machine I am probably going to grab one for backup purposes.

Then plan on backing up the backup with carbon copy external drives Ill pick up as I can some good deals.

But is there a way to automatically backup or mirror the time machine?
Always something to figure out. Thanks for the replay.

 

[jbarley]

But is there a way to automatically backup or mirror the time machine?

Something like this as a Time Machine backup destination could do that for you.