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Has anyone actually HAD to use Time Machine yet?

fluidedge

fluidedge

macrumors 65816
Original poster
I've not once had the need to use it. I back up, and i back up but i've not restored anything yet?

has anyone found Time Machine to be a lifesaver (or a job saver!) when they 'accidentally' deleted something?

(i know some find it useful for full system restores etc, but it's touted as being a feature that helps retrieve the odd document)
 
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I've had a few photos and/or files restored with it from more than a month prior. And a few folders too, all over wireless too.
 
Yep just did a clean install after 10.5.2 killed many things, including the Window Server. It worked impeccably! Just reintsalled and used the migration assisstant.

Means I didn't lose all the code I've been working on for a few months.
 
I used it the other day to find a .dmg I deleted so I didn't have to waste time downloading it all over again.
 
I am pretty sure its a choice, so I have never been forced to use it but I have chosen to recover a few photos. But it got annoying after a while and I just do entire HDD backups every monday night.
 
JonDann said:
Yep just did a clean install after 10.5.2 killed many things, including the Window Server. It worked impeccably! Just reintsalled and used the migration assisstant.

Means I didn't lose all the code I've been working on for a few months.
Click to expand...

same here, 10.5.2 destroyed my computer so i used a time machine restore. worked great.
 
Sure have-

Saved an entire wedding shoot that I did for a friend. He lost his master discs of hundreds and hundreds of photos and lots of photoshop edits. Just flew back to my last editing day and voila! Restored.
 
I tried to backup, and time machine freezes up before it finishes every time. I reinstalled twice, and still no luck. I try to move folers over one by one, and progress stops before it finishes. Any idea on what to do?
 
Saved me a few hours of rebuilding my Adobe Flex setup. It defaulted back after an install of a testing version, 2 minutes in Time Machine and I was back to my carefully set up install.
 
Funny how most people are using Time Machine to solve a problem they have had with Apple software itself, rather than a deleted file, but at least the facility is there and it works properly.
 
Definitely used it on a couple of occasions. My girlfriend neglected to ask me before she deleted "that pile of pictures icon...something about iphoto library?"....in other words she deleted my entire iPhoto library. Couple minutes later, all was good.

Needless to say, she doesn't get to touch my computer anymore 😎
 
I exported my work (Lotus Notes) address book and then tried to import it into my home Address Book (on my MacBook Pro).

End result was horrible.

So from inside of Address Book, I used Time Machine to recover everything to how it was before I started dicking around. 🙂
 
Fearless Leader said:
But it got annoying after a while and I just do entire HDD backups every monday night.
Click to expand...

how could it be annoying? You set it and never have to look at it again if you don't want to.

I haven't had to use it yet, no. But it does give me a nice feeling of security, knowing that I can't screw anything up too badly. 🙂
 
I've only used time machine to recover a file I've purposely deleted just to test it out. (I was bored 🙂 )

However, I've only lost data a couple of times on my Mac, and both times it made me wish I had something like Time Machine! Backups via FW400 are always fast, really I only notice the backups because my external drive gets pretty noisy (which is just another reason to get that FW800 G-tech). 😉

PURCELL429 said:
I tried to backup, and time machine freezes up before it finishes every time. I reinstalled twice, and still no luck. I try to move folers over one by one, and progress stops before it finishes. Any idea on what to do?
Click to expand...
What do you mean by 'moving' folders over? Unless you're talking about selecting particular folders to back up in the preferences, I can't see why you'd have to do this.
 
I have yet to have used it in a way that could not have been via another method, but it is certainly more convenient than looking around for files.

I am happy to have it and glad I use it.
 
not exactly a lifesaver, but i deleted a video a couple weeks ago, later realizing that i wanted to see it one more time (a video transfer from my tivo). time machine restored it within seconds. more so, my new computer arrived yesterday after selling my mbp, and time machine had me up and running just like i was before in no time. i was actually amazed at how easy and how complete the restore was.
 
Raid said:
I've only used time machine to recover a file I've purposely deleted just to test it out. (I was bored 🙂 )

However, I've only lost data a couple of times on my Mac, and both times it made me wish I had something like Time Machine! Backups via FW400 are always fast, really I only notice the backups because my external drive gets pretty noisy (which is just another reason to get that FW800 G-tech). 😉

What do you mean by 'moving' folders over? Unless you're talking about selecting particular folders to back up in the preferences, I can't see why you'd have to do this.
Click to expand...

I mean that a full restore won't work, so I try to restore say, my iTunes library, but stops halfway through and wont go any further.
 
QCassidy352 said:
how could it be annoying? You set it and never have to look at it again if you don't want to.

I haven't had to use it yet, no. But it does give me a nice feeling of security, knowing that I can't screw anything up too badly. 🙂
Click to expand...

Well Im using it on my laptop and it doesn"t start backing up until after about half hour of sitting there, and I don't like having it just sitting there as i'm traveling about.
 
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