Back up, and restore

[Elbeano]

Here's the situation. I've borrowed my girlfriend's macbook for the weekend, and I have a hankering to see how well vista will run on here before I make the decision to buy myself a macbook, or a macbook pro. Anyway... I may die if it is returned to her in any way other it left.

I would like to make a backup of this computer on to a USB external hard drive before said experiment, then restore the macbook as if no foreign OS ever touched it.

Can I do it, n' how?

 

[mad jew]

You can make a clone of your hard drive with Carbon Copy Cloner.

 

[Elbeano]

but then how do I get it back on here?

 

[mad jew]

Drag all the bits you want back to their respective places. There's an app named Migration Assistant in the Utilities folder although I'm not sure how well it works with USB drives.

 

[Elbeano]

too bad I can't just try it on mine first... I thought migration assistant was only for computer to computer stuff though

 

[mad jew]

I don't have a USB drive to try this on, but hopefully it'll work if you check the attached option.

If it doesn't work then I'm not sure how you'll transfer the apps and settings. Most of them can be dragged-and-dropped but that's not the case for all of them.

It might be more work than it's worth considering you have to reformat the drive and reinstall everything because of the Windows partition, unless you can keep it on there.

 

[Elbeano]

I would prefer everything came out as if nothing had happened... I found that option too after you suggested it, I may have to try that out somehow first...

thanks much

 

[mad jew]

Yeah, the problem is that you'll be creating a new partition with Boot Camp, which will then have to be removed. You can't do this without reformatting (lose everything) and reinstalling the OS. Maybe ask to borrow her OSX restore discs and all her app's install discs too.

 

[treblah]

Yeah, the problem is that you'll be creating a new partition with Boot Camp, which will then have to be removed. You can't do this without reformatting (lose everything) and reinstalling the OS. Maybe ask to borrow her OSX restore discs and all her app's install discs too.

That is wrong. You can delete the Windows partition in OS X using the 'Boot Camp Assistant' program and completely restore your original Mac partition.

 

[mad jew]

Coolness. Ignore me then. Thanks treblah.