Tiger Install: Step 1

Before inserting the Tiger install disk, back up all the information you have on your computer. While this is especially important for a clean install of Tiger, it’s a pretty good idea even if you are doing a simple upgrade and keeping all your files and programs on the machine, because if disaster strikes, it’s better to be caught with your pants up than down. Things to think about are applications, documents, pictures, movies, mail, preferences, cache files, additional fonts and so on.

Some important folders to save are:

1. Mail: Users/~user~/Library/Mail/ (ie. IMAP-foo@foo.com, POP-foo@foo.com)
2. Preferences: Users/~user~/Library/Preferences/
3. Fonts: Users/~user~/Library/Fonts
4. Caches: Users/~user~/Library/Caches/

Preferences are important to save, as many of these files will contain the registration key that you entered when you first installed an application on your computer. Without these files, you will most likely have to enter these keys in again, and it can be a pain the arse having to find those keys all over again… I also think it’s a good idea to save the Caches folder, as that might contain histories of files you have worked on as well as option settings. I’m not sure really, but it’s a good idea to do it anyway. I think Mail is too obvious to explain why it should be backed up. Also save any unique fonts you have installed onto your machine.

Backing up your data may take a while, considering how much of a pack rat you may be. Be patient, as this can alleviate many headaches if things go wrong in the installation process.

Once you have done this, you should be ready to install Tiger!