two versions of TextEdit on same system?

zoranb

Registered
Why when i try to open (open with...) an html file, there are two versions of TextEdit available? There is a 1.6 and 1.5 version!
 
TextEdit Version 1.5 is for Leopard.
Version 1.6 is included with Snow Leopard.

Are you running Snow Leopard?
If so, you can safely remove the older version 1.5, if you like.

If you updated a Leopard system to Snow Leopard, then it's possible that the older TextEdit was not updated/replaced, probably because it was not properly located in the Applications folder.
Use your Spotlight to find the location for the older version.
 
Its strange to say that it could be due to a Leopard upgrade to SnowLeopard cause im using a new iMac core i7 and Snow was installed right from the start!
 
Did you migrate (copy) files that were originally on an older Mac, or even use an external drive that may have a variety of files from previous Macs?
Did you discover the location for that older TextEdit?
 
1. i did not migrate anything no, but i did transfer files -not apps- from an older mac
2. yes i did discover the older version of Text Edit, its inside Macinosh HD/Previous Systems/2008-07-26_0427/Applications/TextEdit (what the heck is it doing in there, i bought a new iMac!!!!)
 
1. i did not migrate anything no, but i did transfer files -not apps- from an older mac
2. yes i did discover the older version of Text Edit, its inside Macinosh HD/Previous Systems/2008-07-26_0427/Applications/TextEdit (what the heck is it doing in there, i bought a new iMac!!!!)

The Previous System Folder is folder that OS X makes when an archive & install happens. Did you have apple transfer some old files from your previous Mac or PC?

You don't need to keep that Previous receipts unless you need to get data from that folder. Take out the data you need to keep and then delete that Previous System's folder, it is not needed to run.
 
That folder would be created when you reinstalled OS X, using an Archive & Install option. Judging by the date on the folder name, then that would be nearly 4 years ago. That would have been before Snow Leopard was released - and Snow Leopard does not create that Previous System folder anyway. You likely copied that folder over when you transferred other files from an older hard drive. You can look through that folder, checking for any files that you may have accidentally saved to that folder. If nothing else is relevant, then it would be a good plan to simply trash that complete Previous Systems folder.
How long have you had your "new iMac?" Do you still a full backup from an older Mac, that would have been running on Leopard (OS X 10.5)?
 
i didn't reinstall any OS, i got t brand new, was there a corei7 imac 2.93ghz before 4 years? i don't think so, something else is fishy around here!
i have it for almost 1.7 years now
 
The older TextEdit would have been in OS X 10.5, so you must have had that on an older Mac, and you kept a backup from that older Mac - am I correct?
In that case, it would simply be a leftover from your previous Mac.
 
You are reading the Text edit versions correctly no doubt about that, but i never migrated or transferred system files from my powerbook to my imac, i had no reason of doing this! I only transferred non system files!
 
It's a remnant, from an old reinstall of OS X, specifically for an Archive & Install option (not a clean erase and install)
The install is apparently from July 2008.
If you reinstalled OS X on your old PowerBook G4, maybe that's when that folder was originally created.
Your newer Snow system won't create that folder, so it had to come from your old backup.
And, it's not really system files, as it's not an active part of the system - just a bunch of folders and files now - with a few scattered apps.
And, I agree, there would not be any reason that you copy the old Previous Systems folder from a backup. But, you did have a PowerBook running 10.5, and you likely reinstalled the system on that old PowerBook, and that folder would be created as one result. And, it's a pretty generic looking folder, which has little use, even on the old system, other than archive of the files inside, and is not really system files, because they are not in use.
Accidentally copied, and there you have it. And, easily removed.
I expect if you check your hard drives, you'll see that same folder still exists on one of your backup hard drives.
 
Ok, supposing that in the beginning the iMac had Leopard installed and when i bought it they installed Snow, can an OSX upgrade be a disadvantage to the speed of the new system (Snow Leopard in this case) or can it creat any other kind of issues?.
I mean is it better to make a good clean install of SnowLeopard?
I ask this cause as i have stated in the past i seem to be having some strange issues...
http://macosx.com/forums/mac-os-x-system-mac-software/317723-icons-chaos-went-order.html
 
If (hypothetically) your iMac originally had Leopard, and then Snow was installed, that still would not make that Previous Systems folder. That would ONLY happen with a Leopard install, or older. A Snow Leopard install, regardless of how or when it was done, does not create that folder. In your case, that folder comes ONLY from an old backup, and (because you can't install Leopard) that folder would not be created on your iMac as part of a system install (won't happen)....

But, to answer your questions, paraphrasing: (Are there any possible disadvantages to upgrading, instead of a full erase/install of your system?) Yes, there always can be issues, with unknown effects when the system is updated, rather than clean installed.
Most experienced Mac users will say that a good, clean install is preferable to an update install.

But, your iMac did not originally have Leopard installed, so your question is really just academic.
All that has happened is that you unintentionally copied a few apps that were previously part of a system on an older Mac. I think it would be worth your time to go through all of your apps (all of them), and make sure that you don't have third-party apps that are marginal on Snow Leopard, and your intel processor. Even if you chose to do a completely clean install of your Snow Leopard, you would want to make sure about any apps that you choose to install after that, correct? It will take some time (maybe a couple of days) if you have a lot of added apps and utilities, but could be worth the time, moving forward. ** get rid of that Previous Systems folder, if you haven't done that yet. Might be the main place that you'll find apps that you don't want to keep now. **
Check at the web sites for individual apps that you might have questions about, or you can certainly come back here with questions about any apps. Someone here should be able to find out for sure.
 
oups i just realized that i have transferred some old apps i was using on the powerbook, you are right, this must be the reason!
so i can delete that old systems folder without checking if there might be something in it?
 
Sure.
But, I always look in the folder before deleting, just to check for any of MY own files.
If you have used apps in that folder, then it's also possible that you have files and docs stored there, too.
There will likely be several GBytes of files in that folder, so after dropping that Previous Systems folder in the trash, don't forget to empty the trash. It may take a while for all the files to delete, and they continue to take up space until you empty the trash.
 
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