Archive & Install - Archive & Erase

[Bezo]

The click & drag function of my mouse has some how been disabled. I can click & select items. I can right click and open menus. I just can't drag anything. I've tried another mouse. I've tried connecting the mouse to the keyboard, monitor & tower. Nothing.

I went through some trouble shooting tips with the Apple folks and nothing worked. The final suggestion was to do a "Archive & Install". Before I do that, I wanted to ask if:

Anyone has had this mouse problem. If so, how did you fix it?

Have any of you done an Archive & Install? If so, what can I expect. The rep said all files will be saved, but will folders be organized the way I have them now, ect.

All suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!


UPDATE: This is worst than I thought. I called Apple back to get help booting a diagnostic disk that wouldn't boot. He then talked me through a "Repair Disk Persmission" and another repair process that gave me a "Volume Repair Failed" response.

This rep suggested I do a "Install & Erase" using the original Apple install disk, but he didn't think the system would boot that disk either after the way the computer responded to the other trouble shooting attempts.

Any advice whether I should even try that, or should I just take the tower in for repair?
Anyone have this type of problem?

Thanks!

[LeGato]

If you take it in they'll just install another drive which you can do yourself and save money. Backup your vital files and replace the drive and format it properly. It's possible you had a wierd partition prob going on. I had the same problem with a firewire drive. When replacing make sure the jumpers are in the right order and you're good to go, you can compare with the old drive (as long as they are the same type of drive).

Good Luck,

Ramin

[Bezo]

The money is not a problem. I'm only 1 1/2 years into my 3 year Apple Care plan. I would prefer not to hand over my computer for how ever long it will take them, but without very detailed directions, I don't trust myself. The only time I've seen the inside of a computer was when I installed the extra memory & internal drive.

By the way, would my 2nd internal drive be OK if I removed it? Should I remove it before I take it in to be fixed? It's the only back-up that I have.

[RadioMoo]

Great timing! I just did an Archive and Install last night. Pretty much everything stays where you had it. Some plug ins need to be reinstalled. The latest version of QuickTime, if you updated, needs to be reinstalled. And hopefully, you've kept up to date on Security Updates; if you still have the installers, use 'em, if not, most of the Security Updates from the past year are still on Apple's site. But all in all, it's a fairly painless process, and it's great to have a fresh OS.

I don't know if it's necessary, but I decided to uninstall and reinstall Pro Tools.

Repair permissions, and do it booted up from the Install CD; go to Installer>Disk Utility and open Disk Utility, choose your drive and click Repair Permissions. You will always have permissions issues after a reinstall.

[Bezo]

Great timing! I just did an Archive and Install last night. Pretty much everything stays where you had it. Some plug ins need to be reinstalled. The latest version of QuickTime, if you updated, needs to be reinstalled. And hopefully, you've kept up to date on Security Updates; if you still have the installers, use 'em, if not, most of the Security Updates from the past year are still on Apple's site. But all in all, it's a fairly painless process, and it's great to have a fresh OS.

Hmmmm. Maybe I will try this before taking it in. I hope that I can boot the install disk. I couldn't boot the diagnostic disk that comes with Apple Care.

Will an Archive & Install effect the 2nd internal drive that I installed? Should I take it out before doing this?

One concern is that one of the reps said if the install disk can't repair something, it can actually make things worse... to the point where my drive will be useless. Any thoughts?

I don't know if it's necessary, but I decided to uninstall and reinstall Pro Tools.

I'll probably do the same.

Repair permissions, and do it booted up from the Install CD; go to Installer>Disk Utility and open Disk Utility, choose your drive and click Repair Permissions. You will always have permissions issues after a reinstall.

Not sure I understand. Do you mean I should Repair Permissions while the install CD is still in? Can I open Repair Permissions on the actuall install CD instead of the hard drive?

[RadioMoo]

Do you mean I should Repair Permissions while the install CD is still in? Can I open Repair Permissions on the actuall install CD instead of the hard drive?

Yeah, if you look under "Installer" in the menu bar, one of your choices is "Open Disk Utility." But don't do this as part of the install; wait til you've quit the installer and restarted first. Hit the letter 'C' right after the start-up "chime" and hold it in until your display comes up.

EDIT: You won't be repairing permissions on the install CD, if that's what I understand you to be saying.

As far as it effecting the external drive, my honest answer is I don't know, and hopefully someone will see this and post, but select the drive in the left side of the Disk Utility window, hit the "First Aid" tab, and hit the repair permissions button. It may work.

[Bezo]

Now that I go to clarify my question, it doesn't make much sense, but I'm asking if you meant to select disk permission repair from the CD or from the hard drive.

And the 2nd drive is an internal one. It's a Seagate Ultra ATA/100, 160 GB, 7200 RPM, 8MB Cache. It's the only back-up I have at this point in case something goes wrong. It will be OK if I take it out, right? Should I take it out before doing the Arcive & Install? If the A&I doesn't work, should I take it out before I take the computer in for repair?

Another option would be backing up the files on my wife's MAC. Any thoughts?

UPDATE: After selecting the Archive & Install, it tells me that my files will be saved in a folder. What will I need to do to organize the files like I have them now?

Secondly, I've updated my OS to 10.2.8 since the initial installation. Will I have to upate again after the Archive & Install or will that be one of the files saved by the archive?

[RadioMoo]

OK, I don't know what to do about your second drive; you might want to pull it before Archive & Install.

Your Mac will look just like it did before the A & I; all the folders will be in the same places, and all of your passwords and preferences will be saved. There will be a folder called "Previous Systems;" once you're sure everything is the way you want it, just trash that folder. If it doesn't want to Trash, hit Shift-Option-Command-Delete.

Any time you reinstall from the Installer CD, you revert to the version of Mac OS that's on the CD, for example, 10.2.2; you need to then reinstall 10.2.8. but, you will probably have to update to 10.2.6 before updating to 10.2.8; if you get an error message when trying to install 10.2.8, then that's what it means. Hopefully you saved the installers for both of these.

EDIT: Select Repair Permissions from the installer CD - Installer>Open Disk Utility>(select your hard drive)>First Aid>Repair Disk Permissions