[PRODIG] Installing OSX, nervously

[Philip Wolmuth]

Anyone have any advice....?

I have just placed an order for the Photoshop CS upgrade, and now 
have a week or so before it ships to instal OSX on my G4 450DP, which 
is currently running OS 9.2.2  I've installed OSX on a new 
out-of-the-box Powerbook before, but I'm very nervous about 
installing it onto my three-year-old main workhorse which runs two 
scanners, three external hard drives, a SCSI external CD writer, a 
printer, an Airport base station and generally works pretty smoothly 
day in, day out.

I have various bits of past-their-sell-by-date software that work 
well for me: I do my address and contact details on an ancient 
version of Claris Organiser, I have a complicated set-up with Toast 
and Portfolio which allows me to burn CDs with a Portfolio Browser 
that works on both Mac and Windows.  And I have the Apple Menu set up 
in a way that gets me round the hard disc very easily.  I could go on 
- but there's probably many on this list to whom all this is very 
familiar.

I will be installing a copy of OSX 10.2, which I own, and using the 
Apple downloads to upgrade to 10.2.6 or thereabouts.  I know I will 
have to update various drivers, but my main concern is whether I will 
be able to switch back to OS9 when I want to.  Will OSX happily 
install itself next to my OS9, or might the install programme disrupt 
my current set-up?  And if it does, will it be obvious what to 
restore from my back-up hard disc?  What's the worst thing that could 
happen?

Sorry if this is old hat to many of you.  I am what is apparently 
known in the trade as a "late adopter".  Any advice, tips, 
reassurance, will be much appreciated.
--
Philip Wolmuth
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