Backup for my new iMac

[Bluebros]

T minus 3 days until my new 27' iMac arrives and I'm just getting ready. I am still pretty new to apple products so I hope you all can point me in the right direction.

Time Capsule... It seems like a must have. Up until now, I've just been backing up my computer once a month using an external HD. Stone Ages... I know.

What is the best option for backing up your system? As of now, I'm just using a basic router from my cable company so how would Time Capsule work with that? Is there anything better on the market that I should look at?

Thanks for your help and suggestions

 

[tomwvr]

I use a time capsule and I have a cloud back up through Carbonite. I think it is always good to have two back ups.



Tom

 

[Slled]

Time capsule or any other external drive that is at least twice the size of your iMac HDD should suffice. I use time machine but to a cheaper solution, external drive on the network.

I also have a Synology NAS that holds all my data for access across the network and is used to backup my wife's Windows PC.

 

[tom vilsack]

Another option is to clone your whole drive (once you have it setup with setting,software ect) that you like,to a external harddrive.

try using "superduper" (free) or "carbon copy"

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Of course, cloning your drive lacks one of the important benefits of Time Machine - the ability to go back to a particular date and time to recover files that were later deleted or modified (been there, saved my butt).

Time Capsule? That has benefits if you have several networked Macs, as you can use it as your central Time Machine backup device. And if you need a new WiFi router, and/or want to network a USB printer… it offers a variety of benefits.

Just one computer? An external HDD connected to your Mac will be fine for your Time Machine backup needs.

 

[sazza85]

I actually prefer having an external hdd sat next to the computer plugged in doing time machine back ups.

Personal preference I guess, I couldn't justify the cost of a time capsule vs an external

 

[Mobster1983]

Thanks for the replies. My MBA has a 256GB SSD which is backed up to a 1TB external with Time Machine. I also have a 4TB thunderbolt drive that contains my iTunes library (over 3.2 GB at present).

I will try to reset Safari. Didn't realize that was an option. I've done pretty much everything else to try to fix it.

 

[bobright]

I like CCC. I clone my entire iMac to 2 separate externals and keep one off site. It doesn't allow me to roll back however as has been mentioned but I'm the only one on my Mac, so the chances of just mass deleting a bunch of stuff unknowingly is slim. I like that if my iMac HDD craps out on me I can plug in one of my externals with the clone until I get it fixed and won't miss a beat.

It's not a true backup method as you can't rollback but it works for me. I want deleted stuff deleted not taking up extra space on one of my drives. I do plan to get a true backup going through NAS eventually.

 

[Daysight]

One external hard drive for Time Machine.
Another for weekly Carbon Copy Clone.
And a subscription to an offsite cloud backup service.

 

[elithrar]

Two Time Machine drives and online backup to Backblaze in the event someone steals the drives and my iMac or my house burns down.

The rest of my "critical" data is also in Dropbox across at least 2 machines.