With OSX, is it possible to...

[Whackintosh]

...update the OS in a machine without having to do a full reinstall the way Windows would force you to? I'm asking specifically because I'm debating whether or not I should wait for Snow Leopard (I know it may not be until summer) before buying a new machine, but I'd be fine with taking the jump now if it doesn't mean that I'd have to painstakingly reinstall everything, app by app and file by file, if I update to Snow Leopard later.

 

[Ivan P]

It's an entirely new OS, so you'd have to do a complete install. However, I believe it gives you the option for it to retain all your personal files (like music, documents, etc). Also, there are reports that the developer seeds have had rather fast install times (as in, 20 minutes), so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

[richard.mac]

when you restart into the Snow Leopard DVD the default install option is Upgrade which just writes/re-writes all of the files necessary to make it Snow Leopard. these are in the System folders and so will not touch your documents, music, pictures etc.

theres also Archive and Install (click for info) and Erase and Install which wipes your hard drive and does a fresh install.

 

[Whackintosh]

when you restart into the Snow Leopard DVD the default install option is Upgrade which just writes/re-writes all of the files necessary to make it Snow Leopard. these are in the System folders and so will not touch your documents, music, pictures etc.

That's amazing! Does it retain settings and preferences as well? Also, is there a risk that installing this way instead of a full over-write can create a buggy machine?

 

[rrijkers]

That's amazing! Does it retain settings and preferences as well? Also, is there a risk that installing this way instead of a full over-write can create a buggy machine?

Not at all, I even just reinstalled Leopard last time and the OS even knew the location of my icons on the desktop aswell as the little note I had on my stickynotewidgets

Also, Snow Leo will upgrade just as fine as I installed it and restored it with my Leopard TM backup, it was as if nothing had changed

 

[richard.mac]

it wont touch your home folder which retains all of your user preferences in the Library folder.

 

[avihappy]

That's amazing! Does it retain settings and preferences as well? Also, is there a risk that installing this way instead of a full over-write can create a buggy machine?

Well, sometimes you can have problems. Every OS (inc Windows) may have potential problems when upgrading , but for the most part it works well *.

Many Mac Gurus (not me though) swear by doing an "Archive and Install", which will basically be a new install, but it has all the contents of the old OS inside a Disk Image so that you can get to it if you need to.

Also, Windows does have upgrade, but you have to put the Windows install CD into the old install as it is running, then initiate the upgrade from inside the Windows you want to upgrade.

* some users who upgraded to Leopard got a "BSOD" at boot because they had a low level OS modification installed, which didn't work right in Leopard