this will be interesting read as im fucking up everything myself right on my mac mini, bootcamp etc etc. do not try to change the filesystem on your external disk without backup your files atleast. I tried to change a disk from NTFS to FAT32 so that mac could write on it, all the files disapeared eventho it clearly states in diskutility securityoption that it will not remove any files. luckily i had backup of everything (well not luck but experience really).

smart defrag is nice

http://download.cnet.com/Smart-Defr...4-10759533.html

Hi RANN
I'm using my Macbook Pro (Core 2 Duo 2.4 Gz 200 GB 7.200 RPM) for production.
I have 3 partitions on it:
The first partition is 80 GB for program files (like C: in Windows).
Another one with 80 GB for my important files.
Another one 25 GB for Samples only.

When I need my Macbook really fresh again, I format the first partition (I do this 1 in 1 year maybe)... You can do this booting your Mac with the Leopard installation DVD... It's easy

Another option on Mac disk defragmentation is "iDefrag".

___________________
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If you don't have a files in your system folder, you should just be able to copy your USER FOLDER. I did that last week. Just copy it, and it copies everything under your logon.

If you want to format your drive, you have to make sure that your user data and your apps will be kept safe.

The best way to do so is to use Time Machine. Take an external usb drive, let Time Machine use it as its backup drive so it'll copy your personal and critical data on it.

Once this is done, you can insert your Leopard disc into the mac, restart and hold the c key pressed. Format everything at first by using the option "erase and install" when installing Mac OS.

If you want to save space, don't forget to customize the install, and uncheck the extra languages that you don't need (japanese, french, dutch...) and the asian fonts, and also the printer drivers that you don't need at all.

Once installed and restarted, connect your time machine drive, as the migration assistant will pop-up, follow the on-screen instructions so it re-imports your user data and apps.

Of course there's a hard way to make it, but you'll end up spending more time moving your data to another drive, when Time Machine does it for you automatically.

___________________
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This is what I would do:

a) Repair disk permissions with Disk Utility
b) Get yourself a copy of Disk Warrior and run it WEEKLY
c) Download Cocktail and run it WEEKLY

Backing-up
a) Buy a FW cable and transfer your valuable info to another computer/HD/ipod
b) Burn a couple of copies to a DVD
c) I bought a "broken-screen" ipod for $35 and I turned it into a HD

Hope it helps
Cheers

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Thanks everyone - some good help on here.

I think I'm going the time machine route on this one (thanks Laurent ) but also interesting to see your recommendations alekos, especially for the weekly maintenance. I do have onxy, but honestly I haven't really seen a need to do anything that regularly.

Personally I don't think partitions are a good idea. I prefer to have a dedicated system drive and external drives - that way I've always got backups if the internal drive itself dies, and what with external drives being so cheap, I can't see a reason not to.

One question about time machine: Do you have to a have a dedicated drive (sole use of Time machine) for it or can I use my external drive?

I worried about something going wrong during the time machine process with the external drive because that is already my main backup (where I have copies of my important stuff).

My external drive is getting cloggy/sluggish so I think I'll run a defrag on that then do a fresh OSX on the int drive.

Thanks again people and I'll post an update of how I got on with it for other who might be thinking about the same thing soon....

Format half the drive, copy the data you want to it, format the other half and install the OS, then copy the data back, remove the first partition you made and extend the current.

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dig out the grout expose the pest to take it out without the rest

they will attest my patients restorations from the best

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quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN Kind of like ghost for pc's etc.

Just to be clear, that would defeat the purpose entirely (getting a "Ghost"-style image and putting it back on the drive).

damn i need a safari-holiday or something soon. computers are killing me.

quote:

Originally posted by david.michael Just to be clear, that would defeat the purpose entirely (getting a "Ghost"-style image and putting it back on the drive).

I know, that why I said "kind of" - just something similar-ish to create an image of my machine, but I do know what you mean. Timemachine is actually the real solution I'm looking for but not having used it I wasn't sure if it just did was ghost did.

So chrono - you want me to create a partition on my system drive, format the other half, copy all my stuff to it, then format the 1st half, and bring all the stuff back over, then extend the 1st partition to the whole drive again.....

When I have a working external drive also connected to the computer?

Give me strength.

I know exactly what you mean palm. Did you manage to sort out your fat/ntfs nightmare?