U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Mac OS X Leopard (Re: new problem)

Mac OS X Leopard (Re: new problem)



This is off topic, but since I had to go through this and
helped others on this... This is a very common problem that
you can find easily if you know what word to google for.

If you have any INTEL MAC you wish to upgrade to Leopard, be
prepared to having to backup the whole disk, proceed with the
clean installation and restore afterward. This is because
Leopard installer forces you to use GUID partition table (GPT)
if you are installing on an Intel Mac. GUID partition table is
now required for boot-up drive to be used on Intel Mac's, and
conversion from the previous Apple Partitioning Map to GPT
requires that you wipe out the disk.

Unfortunately, this is a bit more complicated for those who
own two types of Mac's. GPT shouldn't be used for the boot
disk for Power PC Macs. GPT is required, and should be used,
only for the boot disks used with Intel Macs. However, if you
use an external drive for Time Machine with an Intel Mac, that
drive should also be GPT. For PPC Macs, everything stays with
Apple Partition Map scheme.

Other than this issue, I haven't found any major problem with
Leopard. I think it's a good OS with a lousy installer (but
such is the nature of installers in general).

95% of complaints, questions and so forth about Leopard
installation I get, read, hear, asked, etc. are related to
this. Also, both Apple and Adobe seem to use very cheap DVD
media manufacturing to deliver their software. Some drives
have difficulty reading the installer disc! If this happens,
copy the DVD on a machine that doesn't have problem reading
them and make a new disc.

Perhaps an easy and effective upgrade plan is this:

1. If you own a laptop, you buy a new 2.5" SATA 320GB drive
(about $200) and replace the hard drive in the MacBook or
MacBook Pro. You'll need a #8 or #9 (forgot which) Torx driver
for this, but the process is easy and simple. You'll also need
a SATA<-->USB external enclosure (about $20). Put the old
drive in this.

2. If you own a Mac Pro, you buy a new 3.5" SATA 500GB or
750GB drive ($120-) and add this disk.

3. Install Leopard into the new disk.

4. Transfer old contents from the old disk. Test drive. When
confident, erase the old disk and use it for whatever purpose.

--
Ryuji Suzuki
"Make something religious and people don't have to deal with it, they
can say it's irrelevant." (Bob Dylan, Biograph booklet, 1985)