Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Backups

ivanwi11iams

ivanwi11iams

Contributor
Original poster
Nov 30, 2014
4,507
3,066
Georgia, USA
Sorry for so many questions. But, I guess that's what happens when you have a new MacBook and OS user ;)

When it comes to Backups, is your main application Time Machine, or something else?
I have a 1TB Western Digital drive, and I think I might set it up for Time Machine backups, weekly, or something. That would work fine, no? Except for remembering to connect said drive weekly...

Any other suggestions?
 
I use SuperDuper instead of Time Machine since for the way I use my Macs, a regular clone is more useful than Time Machine copies. However, I have several external drives and rotate them so that I can go back if I need to. It is more a personal preference. If I needed the Time Machine features, it might be worth it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
I do a manual copy of my working data from my Mac to an external drive on a regular basis. My working data consist primarily of photographs. They exist in other locations also like memory cards and dropbox. I think if the SSD on my Mac died today, I'd lose some of the edits on some of the images but I would still have all of the images.

I don't care about applications or browser history and things like that because they are mostly trivial for me. I can just reload the OS and applications if I lose the data on the SSD or machine.

To me this method is the least amount of effort.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
Another for SuperDuper, I don't use Time Machine, as it`s more focused as a file archival tool than a comprehensive solution to restore full drives. I had to restore one of my primary Mac`s just last week whole process was best described as painless. During all the instances I have had to rely on SuperDuper the App has never failed.

Q-6
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
I prefer a combination of software.
I use Time Machine for file or document recovery, you know when you have that moment that you deleted a file you shouldn't have.

I also use Carbon Copy Cloner to make a clone of my drive, restoring my drive via CCC is an order of magnitude faster with CCC then TM.

CCC also backs up the recovery partition, I'm not sure if Super Duper does that - I don't use that app, so I'm not entirely sure but I thought I read that somewhere.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
maflynn said:
I prefer a combination of software.
I use Time Machine for file or document recovery, you know when you have that moment that you deleted a file you shouldn't have.

I also use Carbon Copy Cloner to make a clone of my drive, restoring my drive via CCC is an order of magnitude faster with CCC then TM.

CCC also backs up the recovery partition, I'm not sure if Super Duper does that - I don't use that app, so I'm not entirely sure but I thought I read that somewhere.
Click to expand...

No Superduper at present does not back up the recovery partition, have considered trying CCC for that very reason, equally SuperDuper has always worked when I have needed it. So in many respects that inspires confidence in the App, not that I am casting any aspersions on CCC in any shape or form.

Q-6
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
I use Time Machine but not in the traditional sense. I've excluded Applications, Library, and System folders as I like to do a clean install when need be. This way I can keep all my files backed up but without the bloat.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
ivantwilliams said:
Sorry for so many questions. But, I guess that's what happens when you have a new MacBook and OS user ;)

When it comes to Backups, is your main application Time Machine, or something else?
I have a 1TB Western Digital drive, and I think I might set it up for Time Machine backups, weekly, or something. That would work fine, no? Except for remembering to connect said drive weekly...

Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...

I use time machine, but a dual backup solution is better. I used TM a lot and it worked, except once. I had one time where the backup was corrupt and OSX didn't tell me. It seemed to work, I plugged the drive every weeks and when I got to the restore, it told me it was corrupted. I will probably continue using TM, but use two different backup drives.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
This weekend, I'll test Time Machine, and see how simplistic the process is. Then maybe the following week, the other recommendations. Thanks for all of your input...
 
I use TimeMachine and encrypt my WD backup drive; my MBP is also encrypted.

I have also used TM to restore a new MBP and it was painless and did a perfect restore.

m
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
I use TM to backup to my NAS.
I have another external drive I TM to which I will carry in my backpack, particularly handy if I'm out overnight.
And I have another drive on my desk that I TM to on occasion.


Finally I have another drive that I keep in a fire resistant safe which has a backup of the NAS.


I had a HD failure on my iMac but since I had backups it was a non-event. I'm not too regular at plugging in the external drives but the TM backup to the NAS happens every hour while I'm at ho e and connected to power. I can also backup to the NAS over VPN.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
I use Time Machine to backup my OS drive, which I use basically as a system backup. I keep all of my important data files (mostly photo and video files) on external drives, and I clone those drives using ChronoSync. ChronoSync is about the most full featured cloning software I've found for Mac.

ivantwilliams said:
Curious, with encryption enabled, does it slow the MacBook down at all?
Click to expand...

It does, but the performance hit with Filevault 2 and and SSD is not too bad. It may be noticeable when you first turn it on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
My Time Machine is always connected via firewire to my MBP when I'm working at home and it backs up hourly. I CarbonCopyClone the whole machine to a partition on a USB external hard drive weekly, and keep that in another room. I also burn my documents folder to a DVD every now and then, just to prove to myself that I can. I still buy media on CDs and DVDs as I'm old and like doing that, although the thought of re-ripping them all if there's a catastrophe fills me with dread.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
A BOOTABLE, cloned backup will prove invaluable -- worth its weight in gold -- if you ever have a problem trying to boot the laptop (but that's never going to happen, right?).

Either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper can do this.
CCC is a bit more advanced, as it can also "clone over" the recovery partition as well as the "main OS" partition.

I have never once used Time Machine, ever. And I maintain backed-up files that are now just shy of 30 years old. Still there, still "as they used to be".
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
I have Time Machine as the primary backup on two Macbook Pro's. I also run CarbonCopyCloner on a regular basis. I just tried setting up a new Macbook Pro with one of the Time Machine backups and it restored the system settings but none of the apps or data. So I did a complete backup of the old machine with CCC and restored from there. That was successful.

Time Machine is an easy, "don't have to think about backing up" solution that is worth running in addition to something else, like CCC. The more backups the better.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
ivantwilliams said:
Curious, with encryption enabled, does it slow the MacBook down at all?
Click to expand...

The performance hit is negligible in day to day tasks with the PCIe drive you have in your MacBook Pro. The last time I tested the drive in my 15.4" rMBP via BlackMagic I saw speeds of 1811 MB/s R and 1409 MB/s W with 25% disk space available on an encrypted drive.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
Permanently connected Time Machine drive when home; standard settings so hourly complete backup.
In addition, Carbon Copy Cloner to a second internal SSD twice per day. More frequently if I'm away from home for several days.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ivanwi11iams
Some of you are performing some 'serious' backups. Even on my Windows computer, I probably backup, once every few weeks, at best. Albeit, I do have my 'main' documents and the like, in Box.com. One less thing to backup ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back