Fresh Instal w/ Migration Assistant versus Upgrade

[silverjam]

I have never used Migration assistant and have rebuilt usually from scratch each time I load an OS. But as I have four Macs, I am looking to do an upgrade of ML instead of fresh install.

Is it better to do the upgrade (install ML over the top of L/SL as your average Mac user will do), or,

Do a fresh install and the load the Apps etc back on with Migration assistant?

I have never used MA but my main concern is unputing the keys for MS Office and Acro Pro etc where I am pushing the use of the key now. Simply put, I don't want to have to re-activate all my software on four different macs.

So is an upgrade better or a fresh install with MA? Does the MA do a thorough job?

Also is there even a difference? Is that what happens anyway behind the scenes with an upgrade?

Thanks,

Silver

 

[psykick5]

Just make a time machine backup and restore after doing a clean install. That's what I'm doing when ML is finally released.

 

[silverjam]

Just make a time machine backup and restore after doing a clean install. That's what I'm doing when ML is finally released.

I don't install much from TM (even though I always use it for backup). But if you restore from TM after a fresh install it will install the backup over ML, thus you end up with your old system? Am I wrong? And if so, how do you use the TM after you install ML? I am guessing though Migration Assistant?

Silver

 

[NeoMayhem]

Yes, you can use Migration Assistant to selectively restore files from a Time Machine backup. This is a better option then an upgrade. If you are going to restore everything, there will be no significant difference over a upgrade.

 

[silverjam]

Yes, you can use Migration Assistant to selectively restore files from a Time Machine backup. This is a better option then an upgrade. If you are going to restore everything, there will be no significant difference over a upgrade.

Does migration assistant do a good job on Apps like MS Office 2011, CS5 and Parallels? These are reasonably heavy duty apps that have more files than just the drag-and-drop App file.

Silver

 

[silverjam]

Hey... just an aside... and it sort of fits in with my thread...

Do you get an option to do a fresh install through the standard App Store Download process, or do you need to use Internet Recovery (as I have always done) or use my home made install thumb drive (on my older Macs).

Sorry for the divert in the post but it is soooooorrrtt oooofffff related...



Silver

 

[chrisherbert]

Does migration assistant do a good job on Apps like MS Office 2011, CS5 and Parallels? These are reasonably heavy duty apps that have more files than just the drag-and-drop App file.

Silver

I believe that migration assistant carried over my installations of Office and CS5 without a hitch when I moved from Snow Leopard to Lion.

 

[silverjam]

I believe that migration assistant carried over my installations of Office and CS5 without a hitch when I moved from Snow Leopard to Lion.

Thanks, that is important for me... otherwise I will look at doing a complete rebuild. I am trying to come up with a streamlined process that will work for 4 totally differently built Macs.

Silver

 

[NeoMayhem]

Hey... just an aside... and it sort of fits in with my thread...

Do you get an option to do a fresh install through the standard App Store Download process, or do you need to use Internet Recovery (as I have always done) or use my home made install thumb drive (on my older Macs).

Sorry for the divert in the post but it is soooooorrrtt oooofffff related...



Silver

You need a flash drive for a clean install. It is not yet known if Internet Recovery will ever be updated to 10.8 for existing macs, or if it will leave it on 10.7 forever like a disk would have done.