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confused by Time Machine...

O

osin

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 8, 2008
309
10
New Jersey
So I have a simple question regarding Time Machine. I would like to know what it does with the very first backup when there is no more free space? Yes, I know that it starts to delete the backups starting from the oldest one, but please read the following: I did clean reinstall of OS and all applications. After all that I started to use TM. Now I'm approaching the space limit on my drive and I'm wondering if my fresh copy of system would be deleted? Or it will start to delete only changes to that first backup? Basically would I be able to recover to that "virgin state" (first day after reinstalling OS) even that TM started to delete the files already?

I hope that it is clear at some point ;)

And yes I did research it before...
 
Tm does not back-up the core OS only user folders, apps and system settings. if you have a HD failure (twice now) you will need to reinstall the OS from the DVD and then TM will fill in the blanks, up to the last back-up. You will also have to down load all the up-dates to system again.

Hope this helps.
 
I just realized something.
If TM doesn't copy system files how come the first backup TM occupied exactly the same space as the my Macintosh Drive? Let say it was 50GB used on my hard drive and exactly the same amount of GB was used on TM after the first run...
 
kosin said:
I just realized something.
If TM doesn't copy system files how come the first backup TM did occupied exactly the same space as the my Macintosh Drive? Let say it was 50GB used on my hard drive and exactly the same amount of GB was used on TM after the first run...
Click to expand...

did you get an answer?
 
kosin said:
I just realized something.
If TM doesn't copy system files how come the first backup TM occupied exactly the same space as the my Macintosh Drive? Let say it was 50GB used on my hard drive and exactly the same amount of GB was used on TM after the first run...
Click to expand...
Because it does backup everything.
If you ever get a new hard drive you can pop in your leopard disc and do a bit to bit copy onto the new one.
 
decal said:
Tm does not back-up the core OS only user folders, apps and system settings. if you have a HD failure (twice now) you will need to reinstall the OS from the DVD and then TM will fill in the blanks, up to the last back-up. You will also have to down load all the up-dates to system again.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Not true. Unless you have it set to ignore those folders ...

TM will back up EVERYTHING on the first time. If the drive fills up, it will start to delete the oldest backups first, but it is supposed to always leave enough system files there to do a complete restore.
 
qacjared said:
Because it does backup everything.
If you ever get a new hard drive you can pop in your leopard disc and do a bit to bit copy onto the new one.
Click to expand...

so time machine backs up everything.

i dont understand the last sentence you said, sorry.
oh you mean....say if i get a 7200rpm internal drive for my macbook and install that.and take out the one i have.....i can pop my leopard discs in....install leopard, and then hook up the external with time machine back up....and put everthing back on mac? like all the applications and data that were on macbook with my original 5400rpm internal drive?????????????? is this correct??
 
bob2131 said:
so time machine backs up everything.

i dont understand the last sentence you said, sorry.
oh you mean....say if i get a 7200rpm internal drive for my macbook and install that.and take out the one i have.....i can pop my leopard discs in....install leopard, and then hook up the external with time machine back up....and put everthing back on mac? like all the applications and data that were on macbook with my original 5400rpm internal drive?????????????? is this correct??
Click to expand...

Yes, that is mostly correct. There is no need to install Leopard first, you can just choose restore from time machine.
 
im gonna attempt bootcamp windows xp tonight....

manual says to a full backup before.....just in case.........

time machine backup sufficient??????????????????????


man im worried, about bootcamp and windows.....
 
Time Machine backs up most of the system, including most of the system files (note that the help files incorrectly state that it backs up everything). As mentioned, you can restore a TM backup onto a clean system by booting from your Leopard DVD. All of your documents will be retained; typically you'll only lose some settings when using TM.

The 10.5.5 release notes state that TM now backs up the Application Support folder, so it's now a "fuller" backup than it used to be.
 
Nermal said:
Time Machine backs up most of the system, including most of the system files (note that the help files incorrectly state that it backs up everything). As mentioned, you can restore a TM backup onto a clean system by booting from your Leopard DVD. All of your documents will be retained; typically you'll only lose some settings when using TM.

The 10.5.5 release notes state that TM now backs up the Application Support folder, so it's now a "fuller" backup than it used to be.
Click to expand...

nice....and apps will be restored right? no need to re-install apps right?
 
If you want a true "restore point", SuperDuper! or CarbonCopyCloner are excellent (and less confusing to describe) solutions. I use both, as TM gives a sequential history, while SD & CCC are a complete image of the point when they were made.
 
JohnNotBeatle said:
If you want a true "restore point", SuperDuper! or CarbonCopyCloner are excellent (and less confusing to describe) solutions. I use both, as TM gives a sequential history, while SD & CCC are a complete image of the point when they were made.
Click to expand...

yeah ill try those too later..........

but............but...........time machine can restore all the apps and files if you need to...........so...........time machine does it all...........it sounds........
 
bob2131 said:
yeah ill try those too later..........

but............but...........time machine can restore all the apps and files if you need to...........so...........time machine does it all...........it sounds........
Click to expand...

Yes, TM can do a complete restore using the leopard DVD, I've done it.
 
r.j.s said:
Yes, TM can do a complete restore using the leopard DVD, I've done it.
Click to expand...

nice nice nice

i dont see why people are using superduper and other cloning things....if time machine does it all...........paranoia perhaps?

:D:confused::eek::)
 
bob2131 said:
nice nice nice

i dont see why people are using superduper and other cloning things....if time machine does it all...........paranoia perhaps?

:D:confused::eek::)
Click to expand...

The TM backup is not bootable - which means it will take longer to restore than a cloned drive will.
 
Another TM related question:

It keeps hourly backups for the past day. Daily backups for the past month, and weekly backups prior to that, right?

So... it must be deleting backups all the time. For example, a backup from 5 weeks ago will be just that one. Backups from last week will contain daily backups all week, and yesterday will have 24 backups (give or take).

So how does TM decide which backups to throwaway? Does it ever consolidate? Like if a file only existed for one hour, and exists on only one of the hourly backups, does TM consolidate that into the daily? Or only have it if it happens to choose that hourly backup as representative of that day?

How does it choose if so?
 
[Wirelessly posted via iTablet G4 / OS X 10.6 / Mobile Safari 4 with Flash. Current location: somewhere out there]

I don't know the specifics enough to answer those questions.
 
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