Can I Replace Time Machine files with CCC Files? Help! No Backup will Restore

Discussion in 'Mac Apps and Mac App Store' started by Smittay, Sep 4, 2012.

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  1. Smittay, Sep 4, 2012

    Smittay macrumors member

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2008
    #1
    Hi Everyone,

    I need your help. We just had a baby girl in July and I fear I have lost all her newborn photos and videos...

    Can you Please help my wife and I??

    My iMac crashed and died last Thursday. Time Machine was broken on it and the last TM backup I have is from May 15th.
    So I had to use Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) backup software to backup May-Aug 2012 and it's not working to restore as it should...

    I found my latest Time Machine backup from May 15 (5-15-1911220). I was able to open it up and see what my Macintosh HD looked like in May.
    I then was able to open my latest Carbon Copy Cloner backup from August 29... I viewed invisibles and all files for both CCC and TM, they are pretty synonymous.

    So I was thinking -- I want to take all my TM files and backups for the iMac and copy them to another external LaCie 1TB disk, so I won't mess my original TM backups up on the external they are on now.

    Then I want to open up the May 15 TM Mac HD and the CCC Aug 29 Mac HD side by side and
    copy all the Aug 29 CCC Mac HD files into the May 15 TM Mac HD folder - they are almost structurally the same, except for the new info from May-Aug.

    Then I want to take the new LaCie 1TB drive (with the Aug CCC HD files inserted into the May TM HD files) --- hook it up to another iMac,
    Boot off the Lion USB Drive and hit Restore from Time Machine.

    Do you think Time Machine would show the May 15 folder
    and just replace the May 15 TM Mac HD info with the same newly dated Aug CCC HD info
    and restore to a new iMac ???

    It would be awesome if it did - I don't know if it will work and its hard for me to get an iMac from work to try this on, so i wanted to ask
    you guys, the Mac, Apple and Time Machine experts !!!!

    It would save my life, having these precious videos and pics of our daughter back -- they are all in the CCC Mac HD folders from the Aug. 29 backup!
    I just can't get them to restore onto another iMac.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated !!!!

    Best-
    Erik :)
     
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  2. Risco, Sep 4, 2012

    Risco macrumors 68000

    Risco

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2010
    Location:
    United Kingdom
    #2
    What you are suggesting is not possible afaik. What you really need to do is explain why the CCC is not restoring. Could you tell me what is exactly happening when you attempt it?
     
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  3. robgendreau, Sep 4, 2012

    robgendreau macrumors 68030

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2008
    #3
    That won't work.

    When did you make the clone? Aug 29th? It's possible that the clones are corrupted. The problem with cloning is that it can clone stuff that's borked. It doesn't magically repair stuff; it makes exact copies and unfortunately will exactly copy corrupted stuff.

    But I don't get what you can't just copy the media you want. "Restoring" is more than just copying in that it is an attempt to put stuff back where it was. If you just want to get copies of the photos and media why not just copy them? You don't have the original drive to restore them to anyway; it sounds like you want to put them on another Mac.
     
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  4. Smittay, Sep 4, 2012

    Smittay thread starter macrumors member

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2008
    #4
    i guess i just don't understand Carbon Copy Cloner

    I borrowed a new iMac from work, i clean installed mac os x on it and i tried to restore the HD from the CCC clone as the Source and then did the work iMac HD as the destination - doesn't work.... :(

    I can probably just restore from my May 15 TM backup and then drag in the pictures and music and docs from the Aug. 29 CCC backup ??

    i just thought it would be easy to restore... like Time Machine

    Can someone outline for me how to do it ???

    I followed the instructions on the CCC website, but cant get it to work :(
     
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  5. Risco, Sep 4, 2012

    Risco macrumors 68000

    Risco

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2010
    Location:
    United Kingdom
    #5
    Do you still have access to the original drive with the files on? I would pull it out of the iMac and connect it to another pc. Then browse the drive from windows or a linux live cd. Also when you say died, how dead is this iMac?

    Guide on how to remove it

    http://gigaom.com/apple/how-to-replace-your-imacs-hard-drive/
     
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