First time I've asked a question here but I've used Stack Exchange for answers to many many OSX questions so, first off, great big thanks for that.
I searched the archives but didn't find an answer to this or a similar question.
I am moving directly to 10.8 from 10.6.8. I am going to do a clean install of 10.8 (as my early 2011 MBP is acting wonky lately, fresh is better) from USB. As I understand it, I can use Migration Assistant to pull the data I want off my Time Machine backup. However, I have also seen (here and elsewhere) that some finagling may be needed to get 10.8 to recognize the 10.6.8 backup. Should I be concerned?
Thanks!
Micah
Best Answer
In general you should not be concerned. However, if you are concerned I recommend you do the following instead:
Upgrade to Mountain Lion (do not do a clean wipe). Then re-install Mountain Lion again. Whereas the upgrade essentially checks and patches the system to make it the new OS, re-installing will effectively wipe the entire OS, leaving your user & network data intact. This is exactly what wiping clean & restoring from Time Machine backup via Migration Assistant will do.
If your system is acting wonky, it's just as likely that your user profile is the culprit. If so, both methods will keep your system potentially wonky. In this case you will want to manually backup any necessary files (generally your home folder) to an external hard drive, wipe clean, upgrade, and then manually bring back the files you actually need.