Backup all but my system
 

Hello,

I'm using Tiger 10.4.11 on a MacBook. Actually, I have a complete backup on my LaCie external hard drive that I update regularly with Smart update. I have SuperDuper! 2.5.

For some weeks now, my Os is very unstable. I have regular "kernel panic". It could be some hardware problems but I'm not sure. What I would like to do is to do a "clean installation" of my Os. But I'm not interested to have to re-install all my softwares.

What would be the best way to proceed? May I do another but smaller backup on my external drive alongside my full backup? In ths case, would I be able to re-boot from my external drive in case of emergency?

Thanks!

Eric Alvarez

Have you tried to determine the cause of the actual panic, Eric? It's not generally advised to clean install without knowing what's wrong...

I have done all I could do ...or knew to do! I also asked technicians at my faculty. My ethernet card could be dead. It's an hypothesis as I'm unable to connect to the network by cable. Even if it's the case, I'm not sure however that it's the cause of my problems. Maybe it comes from a software I installed? Maybe it created a problem with the Os? Well, I really don't know but it's becoming depressing! So, to do I clean installation is my "nuclear bomb" idea to try to solve the problem : )

I thought of buying Leopard. Would it be a better idea?

Why not generate a system profiler report (save to the XML format, then compress/archive/ZIP it) and send it to me at the support email address and I'll see if I can point you in a useful direction.

email send! Thanks! : )

back up programs?
 

What's the answer on this, though? Can someone really do a clean install, and then restore programs only (but not system files) using superduper? If yes, how and which 'backup profile' should one use in superduper?

Thanks. If one would have to go to everyone of their emails to find the registration code of the programs installed, then it's a big headache to get them all re-registered, etc... Can superduper help in this scenario?

You can migrate after the clean install, yes - that'll bring in your applications and user files from the (full) backup.