How to uninstall Logic Studio safely

November 25, 2011 6:44 PM

I got Logic Studio and installed it on my Mac, then realized I should have installed a bunch of the files onto an external hard drive instead of my computer's hard drive. I thought I would do a complete uninstall and then reinstall the way I should have initially, but from my research, it seems uninstalling Logic is kind of a big, scary deal. Can you please walk me through how to fix this situation using small, easy-to-understand words?

I don't want to accidentally delete a bunch of stuff I might want to use in GarageBand, which I still want to use from time to time. But apparently it is better to put some of the Logic audio loops/files/sounds on an external hard drive so they don't eat your entire computer's space, so I thought it would be smart to start again from scratch.

As I'm sure is obvious from my question, I am a beginner with Logic and am nervous about screwing up my computer in some horrible way. This procedure is the kind of thing that makes me concerned.

Here's what I have:

MacBook Pro running Lion
Logic Studio (includes Logic Pro 9, MainStage 2, Soundtrack Pro 3, etc)
a Hitachi Touro Desk Pro external hard drive (which I bought specially for holding these Logic files and the files I will create in Logic; I haven't even taken the drive out of the box yet)

I do NOT have a backup system in place for my computer (I know, I know), but if it's possible, could I maybe do Time Machine backup to my new Hitachi hard drive AND install the Logic audio files to the same hard drive, or is that not possible?

Should I just use AppCleaner or what??

Thanks for the help, guys. I'll provide more details as needed!

posted by pupstocks to Technology (6 answers total)

I don't want to accidentally delete a bunch of stuff I might want to use in GarageBand, which I still want to use from time to time.

But don't you still have the CD you used to install GarageBand? If it turns out that you've inadvertently gutted the version of GarageBand that's on your computer now, couldn't you rectify the situation fairly easily by uninstalling GarageBand and reinstalling it?

I recently uninstalled Logic based on the same webpage you linked to. I can't vouch for the results (I haven't tried Logic or GarageBand since then), but it seemed doable. Search for everything in that list, and do a few more searches on your computer for "logic," "apple loops," etc.
posted by John Cohen at 7:08 PM on November 25, 2011

Response by poster: But don't you still have the CD you used to install GarageBand?

Uhh... that's a good question. I am not sure, honestly. This computer is about two years old and I've moved twice since I got it. Plus it came with GarageBand on the machine, but I assume they gave me a CD.I might be able to put my hands on it. Thanks! That's a good point that I could just reinstall GB if needed.
posted by pupstocks at 7:37 PM on November 25, 2011

it came with GarageBand on the machine

If you bought the computer new, it didn't come with any software on it. The first thing you had to do before you could use the Mac for anything was to insert various CDs (which were included) to install the software. That software can be reinstalled. If you've lost the CDs, you're out of luck (unless you have a friend with a Mac who could lend you theirs?), but it's always a good idea to keep these CDs.
posted by John Cohen at 8:03 PM on November 25, 2011

Response by poster: Okay. Thank you. I'm sure I kept them -- the question is whether I can locate them -- but I will try. If you try running Logic or GarageBand in the aftermath of your recent uninstall and reinstall, please let me know if everything works ok for you!
posted by pupstocks at 8:10 PM on November 25, 2011

Another possible fallback: you could always buy the upgrade of GarageBand, if you don't already have the newest one. For instance, my MacBook is 1 year old and has GarageBand 5.6 (which seems to be from 2009). At Apple's App Store, I can upgrade to GarageBand '11 version for just $15. If you care about GarageBand enough that you're nervous about even the chance of losing it in the reinstall, maybe the upgrade would be worth that $15 to you anyway?
posted by John Cohen at 8:11 PM on November 25, 2011

Response by poster: Uh, no. Macs come with software pre-installed.

Thanks -- I thought I was right, but I didn't trust my memory for a second there :)

Good idea on just moving the Jam Packs. Awesome!
posted by pupstocks at 7:28 AM on November 26, 2011