Screwed up my iMac . . . my fault!

Well I jacked myself up pretty good with my 3+ year old iMac desktop computer.

I also own a new Mac PowerBook laptop.

I rarely use the older iMac, it sits in the extra bedroom on the desktop, is typically used for surfing the net. So it has an older version of the operating system on it, older versions of everything.

My goal was to back up all my laptop's files and programs and simply use the back-up software to tranfer everything from the laptop to the desktop. Seemed easy enough.

Apparently it cannot be done unless the the operating systems are identical. If they are not identical, then get ready to go through several hours (days) of deletions, installs, upgrades and restores! Today is day 2. Yesterday I upgraded the operating system, as per the 1-800 Apple help line. Today I deleted yesterday's work, totally wiped the hard drive, and now am in the process of reinstalling the same operating system that I installed yesterday.

After this is done, then I will upgrade the operating system again. That should, I hope, get the iMac's operating system to be in sync with the OS that is on the laptop.

Complicating all of this is the fact that my daughter has my laptop and is in St Louis with it for the next 5 or 6 weeks.

I love Apple computers, they work great, their support is fantastic, but when you f-them up you go through hours of work to get them working again.

Oooops!

The problem with all computers is the individual changes and updates we all do to them. I have thought of making a log book of the tweaks I do to programs etc. so I can remember what to do next time the unthinkable happens and I have to start from scratch.

I got the first reinstall done. Then I check for updates, there is a 1.5 Gig update that needed to be downloaded so I hit the download button and left the house!