15tb External HDD - best way to back up a macbook pro?

[euphuistical]

I have a macbook pro with a 500gig internal HDD, and I am soon getting a 1.5TB external HDD that I want to use for storage and to back up my MBP. The HDD I am getting is the WD Mybook Studio.

I am unsure the best way to do this since I want to preserve my apps and everything and it is my understanding that time machine won't let me do this, it will just save my media and my user settings, is that correct? Is there a way I can keep a persisent disk image of my MBP on my external HDD? And when using time machine do I have to make a separate partition for it or can I just use time machine on the main partition of the HDD?

I am also running bookcamp and runnning XP. To back up anything on that partition will I have to create a NTFS partition on the Mybook Studio and back up things manually?

I am really not sure of the best program to use to get the best back up possible. If time machine works the way I think it does (this is my first mac, and I've only been using it about 2 months) the simplest way may be just to use time machine and have a separate folder to store any important apps in case I have to reformat in the future.

Thanks, hope I was clear on what kind of program I am looking for, if there is any, and what the best way to partition my external HDD is. I just don't know if theres a practical program that does what I want, and I don't know if I need separate partitions to back up bootcamp files and a separate partition for time machine.

Hoping for some help! Thanks again.

 

[stridemat]

You may want to edit the title of the thread!

Time Machine backs up everything (well 99.99% of stuff, and definitely all the important things)

 

[maflynn]

I use Time Machine and Carbon Copy Cloner. Not on the same external drive mind you but separate drives. TM for the quick restores, and CCC for those times, I need to do a full restore. I also use CCC to backup to a portable drive that I take offsite, so if something happened to my home office, my data wold be safe.

 

[euphuistical]

You may want to edit the title of the thread!

Time Machine backs up everything (well 99.99% of stuff, and definitely all the important things)

Haha yeah I just saw that when I went to check the replies, the obviously supposed to be a "." between the 1 and the 5 =)


And so time machine backs up apps and all that too? Including everything on bootcamp? Or would Carbon Copy Cloner do that (thanks for the info, definitely going to check it out, may be just what I need).

 

[needlnerdz]

bah my wishes and wonders, crushed by a simple typo... can you please edit the title... it's rather misleading and a let down...

...hmm.. starting to wonder if editing a title is even possible?

 

[maflynn]

And so time machine backs up apps and all that too? Including everything on bootcamp? Or would Carbon Copy Cloner do that (thanks for the info, definitely going to check it out, may be just what I need).

TM and CCC backs everything up but your bootcamp partition.

 

[stridemat]

I prefer TM because it automatic, every hour and as of yet (crosses fingers) never failed me when I have had to do a system restore.

 

[euphuistical]

TM and CCC backs everything up but your bootcamp partition.

Exactly what I needed to know, thanks!

So should I just make a small NTFS partition on the external HDD for backing up some windows files? If thats the route to go whats the best way to do that? I don't actually know how to make an NTFS partition on an external drive with a mac.

And I have another smaller external drive that I can use for windows files if making a small NTFS partition on the Mybook HDD is problematic, just wanted to know if it could be done relatively easily.


And no, alas, I cannot edit titles. Sorry.

 

[frenchie0101]

You may want to edit the title of the thread!

Time Machine backs up everything (well 99.99% of stuff, and definitely all the important things)

+1 my eyes about popped out when i seen it LOL