I was warned about not using Finder operations in a Time Machine drive. Although I frequently do a 'drag and drop' of a file or folder FROM Time Machine to my hard drive.
This because I'm frightened off by that RESTORE command on Time Machine. It looks to me like an Outer Space movie — with all the visual effects. Boy, Steve Jobs probably got real energized when he saw that function at work.
Thanks for your detailed explanation. In a month I'll be getting a new 2012 iMac and will upgrade to OS Mountain Lion. Time to get the Missing Manual so I can learn that OS. And, since I'll be taking a few classes at the Apple Store, I can ask questions about TM and the Mountain Lion features.
My wife has a new MBP with OS 10.7 or 10.8. It creeps me out that you can see Preference of Library Files. It's a sign that I need to learn more.
Doing a drag & drop
from the TM backup seems to result in the actual file being copied in ML. I seem to remember issues back in 10.5, but I never tried restoring the file that way. The problem was that if you dragged the file, you would get the hard-link - which is a file in its own right (4KB) - instead of the actual file.
Don't fear the
restore (almost a song title
). After you tell it to restore the file/folder, the system will exit the TM space-flight interface and return you to the normal Finder (or app, if you are restoring from within and app, for example TextEdit or iWorks apps - if you're in the app and launch TM, you will have the same interface as ML "browse all versions" (from the title bar)). When you are back in the Finder, you are given the option of restoring to a different location, replacing the original, or keeping both versions.
The nice thing about using the TM "space" interface is browsing versions. If you click on the "go-back-in-time" arrow, TM will automatically flip past folders until it sees something has changed - either modified, or detecting a that deleted file returning to the folder (I've probably used the "find that deleted file" feature most often). And, as I mentioned above, it works for individual file types from with their app.
The reason (I believe) TM has such a radically different display is to make sure it is differentiated from the normal OS X GUI.
I think you're talking about the fact that your user Library folder is hidden from the Finder > Go menu or Finder window side bar. If you hold down "opt" when clicking on the Go menu, you will see your Library folder is once again listed. While you have that [~/Library] window open, you can drag the folder icon from the title bar to the Finder window side bar and always have access to the Library folder from there.