Ok, so I admit... I've only been a Mac user for about a year and half or so and I'm still a little bit of a newbie when it comes to operating system type stuff.
Here's the deal: We got a new MacBook Pro right when Leopard came out and it came with the disc for installing Leopard. Can I use this same disc to upgrade my desktop to Leopard? Also, when I do all that will all my data/programs be safe, or would I have to re-install everything. How do I keep my stuff safe during the upgarde? Also, will this be extremely time consuming (that would be yes, if I had to re-load all my programs, etc). Or is it magical with Mac and easy? Are all of the C3 and Lightroom issues resolved at this point? Is there a reason why I wouldn't want to upgrade?

Sorry for the questions, I'm always slow to upgrade things (haha former Windows user, so I got burned too often!) but I think I'm ready?

Thanks in advance for all your help out there!

First off, download Superduper...it's free and easy. Then clone your complete HD onto an external drive. You can always startup or restore from it if needed. Then pop in your Leopard disc and follow the instructions. IT should just accept all your programs and not change anything. Simple.

Hmmm.. I trying to figure out how to clone, because I have 3 750 gig drives in there. My desktop is my work horse and it isn't so easy to move, copy, or clone all of that data. (they aren't all full, but about 2 are). I keep my current stuff on my working drive and everything from the previous year on my second drive and my third is for backing up only. Any advice?
Kristin

what computer are you trying to install leopard on? if it's something other than the computer that the macbook pro disc came with it will not work. you need an actual leopard disc to do an upgrade. if you have a friend with a leopard disc, you can use theirs. there is NO licensing whatsoever on mac OS X so you don't have to worry about using someone else's disc. i've installed my single license disc on 8 computers or so.... so go figure.

good luck.

I'm sorry, but this is not correct, and I hate to call you out on this given your willingness to help with all apple products and your love of apple, but what you are suggesting is illegal and should not be spread or condoned in a public forum. And frankly, it suprises me to see how willing you are to steal from your favorate company.

There is a difference between a license for software and the means at which a software vendor enforces/protects that license. It is true that apple does not enforce this. They probably don't enforce it for a number of reasons, they can't be bothered with activation, they already got your money since they sold you the computer that came with the OS, and they have a level of trust. Installing off of someone else's disk is stealing, and in my opinion, no different than installing a pirated version of photoshop, or any other piece of software.

This is why apple sells the family pack for OS X. To allow you to legally install on multiple computers.

So, it is not OK to take someone else's install disk, no matter how easy it is to do, and no, you cannot use the disk that came with your new laptop. That is legally only for the new laptop, and upgrading an old desktop requires an new license.

When version 1.7 comes out, you can get the family pack to install on all your machines to keep everything legal.