System Restore Help!

Hi! I want to restore my mac to its original state because it has some problems right now. It freezes a bit too often so how would I back up my iPhoto library and iTunes library along with artwork and such? Is there also a way to back up programs so that i can just drag them back onto my computer? Do programs create files that are hidden in the systeM/

Thank you so much!

 

The best way to get what you want is to do an archive and install. It will keep all your data safe and just replace the OS. That will likely fix any issues you are having.

 

Sorry but I'm a new mac user. Just switched 5 months ago. What do you mean by an archive? Like a zip file? Also, if I reinstall the OS, and reupload my songs to itunes, would the artwork still appear?

 

Bleh, I wrote a nice long post and the internet cut out at home, then I had to head to work. Will repost it tonight when I get home, assuming the internet is feeling better then.

 

No worries! When you boot into the OS X DVD, by holding the option key while booting, it will give you choices for the install. One of them is 'archive and install'. And it will take care of backing everything up and putting it back where it belongs. When everything is done, it should have everything where it is supposed to be. Oh and by the way, if your problems persist, that means you have preference and permission issues. Maybe if you could tell us more about your issues we could help you avoid a reinstall all together. One thing I can tell you to try is repairing permissions. Another is try creating a new account and see if the problems persist. If they don't then you have some preferences in your main account that are causing problems.

 

Here's the promised repost, Cashmonee already covered this well but it's a bit more step-by-step And as he said, we could perhaps avoid a reinstall altogether if you provide us with some more information.

Archive & install is a way of reinstalling the system without losing the data from your old system.

An important note: this only works if you have enough space on the hard drive for another full system installation as "archive & install" basically moves your current system folders to another location on the hard drive, then installs a fresh system, then migrates the users and network settings (if you have selected to do so) from the old system. So, you should have around 10GB or more free on the hard drive ideally.

Now, while you are not supposed to lose any data with this, and I can in fact not remember hearing anyone that had a loss of data as a result of this process (assuming they did it right), I would still always recommend a backup on an external hard drive before doing it if possible. I don't consider the risk high, but computers are fickle creatures sometimes

Anyway. Basically what you do is this:
1) Find the discs that came with your Mac.
2) Put "Install Disc 1" in the drive.
3) Turn off the computer. Press the power button, then immediately after hold down the 'c' key on the keyboard. Keep holding this down, this makes the system boot from the install disc. You can let go once you hear the disc spinning up, but I'd give it another 10-20 seconds at least.
- OR -
Once you see the install disc mount in Finder, navigate to it and double-click on the installer. The computer will restart to the install disc.
5) After a couple of minutes or so, you are met with a menu where you choose installation language. Choose your language and click continue.
6) Follow the instructions on the screen, after another screen or two you are met with a window that has an "options" button - press this and make sure "Archive & install" and "Preserve users and network settings" are selected, they should be by default.
7) Just continue from there, you can customize the installation to not include things like the trial versions of MS Office or iWork for example if you like.
8) Once the installation starts, it usually takes about 40 minutes or so. If it asks you to put the next disc in, do so. After it's done you should be able to restart and it will boot up to a fresh installation.

Once you are sure you have all your data and the system works properly, you can delete the old system - it will be in a folder called "Previous system folders" or some such at the root level of your hard drive.

If you find that this did not solve your issues, then something in your user settings might be the culprit - at that point I'd advice creating a new user and try setting things up again from scratch in there.

 

Thanks for all your helpful advice! I think it's mainly my programs fault since sometimes my computer just slows down or freezes. But i'll do a restore just in case. Btw, does restore delete application data left over from programs I uninstalled?

 

I thought Macs were supposed to be very low on problems? I am making the switch soon hopefully, but i've been hearing quite a bit about permissions and preferences issues. What is that exactly about?

 

I see your point. Understand that fixing permissions and preferences are both very easy tasks. Sometimes permissions get messed up when a program installs itself, and sometimes preferences also get messed up for various reasons.