Backing up MacBook without transferring files to new Mac?

[Halvard]

Hey guys!

My MacBook is being repaired now, as it needed a new battery. And since it was kind of slow, I'm thinking about reset it to factory settings and see if it gets any faster.

I've seen tutorials for Time Machine, and thinking about doing a backup there. But do I HAVE to transfer all my files to me "reinstalled" mac? Or can I just use that Time Machine HDD as an external HDD if I ever need to browse my old files?

All the tutorials I've seen, they've used the example that they're buying a new mac, and transferring all their old files to their new mac. But I don't want that, I just want access to my files in case I need some of it.

Hope that was understandable lol.

Thanks!

 

[Weaselboy]

If it is just stand alone files like a movie or a document, it is easy just to drag and drop that from the TM backup disk. But things like your email and calendars are not easily moved over in this way.

 

[Fishrrman]

I'd suggest a cloned backup (instead of TM).
A cloned backup can be mounted on the desktop and accessed like any other drive.
And you can even boot from it, if you wish.

You can make one with either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.
Both are free to download and use for 30 days.
One clone will be "all you need", so doing it this way will "cost you nothing" out-of-pocket.