How to Install Mac OS X Leopard

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By Alexia Petrakos
eHow Contributing Writer

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(20 Ratings)

Install Mac OS X Leopard

It's time for a new release of Mac OS X! Leopard promises lots of new built-in features like the backup program Time Machine, Boot Camp which allows you to install Windows XP or Vista (only for Intel based Macs), Screen Sharing in iChat, and that's only the beginning.

There's a new Finder with Cover Flow to "flip" through files, Quick Look allows you to preview almost any kind of document without launching a program, and Spaces allows you to maintain several "workspaces" on one desktop.

And as usual, the installation process is easy & painless.

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Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Apple Computer (G4, G5, or Intel w/ at least 512MB RAM, Built-In FireWire)
DVD Drive
At least 7GB left on your hard drive
Mac OSX Leopard Installation DVD

Step 1

Back up your computer. You can either just back up your data or use a disk cloning program to make an exact copy of your hard drive just in case anything goes wrong while you install OS X Leopard.
Step 2

Insert the Mac OS X Leopard installation DVD. You can either insert it before you boot up your computer, and your Mac will automatically start the installation, or you can insert the DVD while your computer is running and run the "Install Mac OSX.app".
Step 3

Click the "Restart" button when the big black "X" appears on your screen.
Step 4

When your computer has restarted, select your language.
Step 5

Click on "More Information" if you want to read more about the new features of Mac OS X Leopard, otherwise, hit the "Continue" button on the bottom of the screen.
Step 6

Select the drive on which you want to install Mac OS X Leopard. This is usually "Macintosh HD". Then hit the "Continue" button on the bottom of the screen.
Step 7

Hit the "Install" button at the bottom of the "Install Summary" screen.
Step 8

Now you wait. The installation may take between one and two hours.
Step 9

When the installation is complete, fill out the registration screen. Congratulations! Now go play with all the nifty new features of Mac OS X Leopard!

Tips & Warnings

At step 6, click "Options" - this will offer three options to you on how you want to install Mac OS X Leopard. "Upgrade" is the default. Selecting "Archive and Install" which will archive your existing installation, and if you want to wipe your hard drive and install Leopard fresh, or "Erase and Install" to wipe the drive completely and start over.
Make sure you back up before you install!

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