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Do we really need the backup with MBA?
- Thread starter stark4
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You don't "need" to have backups with anything, as long as you're prepared and willing to lose all of your documents and files if there's a failure.
People back up for more reasons than that.
Sometimes...
-Your stuff becomes so disorganised you'd rather restore from a backup
-Your computer gets a virus which requires you to replace it
-Your computer just plain breaks, so the data can't be accessed (well, it technically can)
-You accidentally delete a file
Of course, the stuff I listed above accounts for about 1% of backup situations so yes, you pretty much don't need to backup unless you feel like you will be reverting to a backup sometime soon due to disorganisation (easier to revert than to clean up).
Sometimes...
-Your stuff becomes so disorganised you'd rather restore from a backup
-Your computer gets a virus which requires you to replace it
-Your computer just plain breaks, so the data can't be accessed (well, it technically can)
-You accidentally delete a file
Of course, the stuff I listed above accounts for about 1% of backup situations so yes, you pretty much don't need to backup unless you feel like you will be reverting to a backup sometime soon due to disorganisation (easier to revert than to clean up).
Save early, save often. SSDs can, and do, fail just like HDDs can, and do, fail. And what's worse, is that many times you can tell when a HDD starts to go bad, but with a SSD, it's usually just *poof* and "no more OS, files, or backups".
Saying SSDs will last forever is very naive. And trusting it, will most likely end in failure, at one point or another. Pun completely intended. Murphy's law says anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and in the order you least expect it. And it's right.
So, no you don't "have" to back up, but its a good idea. Storage is cheap, and relatively easy with Time Machine.
Not on a Mac...
But that's not a good thing to rely on. It's expensive, and a large HDD for backups is cheap.
*As a disclaimer, I'm sorry if this makes no sense...little tired right now.
Saying SSDs will last forever is very naive. And trusting it, will most likely end in failure, at one point or another. Pun completely intended. Murphy's law says anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and in the order you least expect it. And it's right.
So, no you don't "have" to back up, but its a good idea. Storage is cheap, and relatively easy with Time Machine.
Not on a Mac...
But that's not a good thing to rely on. It's expensive, and a large HDD for backups is cheap.
*As a disclaimer, I'm sorry if this makes no sense...little tired right now.
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SSDs can die just like any other drive. Data corruption can still be a problem. You lose the issue of long term mechanical wear, but these still carry limited write cycles, and your notebook could still be lost or stolen. Your data security is no greater with an SSD than an HDD for all practical purposes, so if it was worth backing up before, it is worth backing up now. You may never experience an issue, but many people have never experienced a dead hard drive. If it works for years, they get complacent.
I bumped into a glass of water with my MBP and watched a few drops trickle down the back in slow motion toward the hinge, ending its life with a pop. The data wasn't lost (just the rest of it), but it was enough to reinforce the 'back it up' lesson anyway.
Backup for performance
Back when I had more motivation, I used to do this thing like once every year where I would backup more MBP using Time Machine, then I would completely wipe my computer clean and reinstall the current OS (I would not restore it to its previous backup though). I did this because I love the snappiness of a clean computer (and the Welcome screen is just so awesome), it really does make the system run faster. Then, whenever I needed a file that I used to have before the wipe, I would just open Time Machine and restore ONLY that file/folder. This would ensure that all the junk files/temp files/miscellaneous stuff I don't need was left behind, but that I was able to keep everything that I needed.
I would recommend this to anyone with a slow computer if you up for a bit of inconvenience.
Back when I had more motivation, I used to do this thing like once every year where I would backup more MBP using Time Machine, then I would completely wipe my computer clean and reinstall the current OS (I would not restore it to its previous backup though). I did this because I love the snappiness of a clean computer (and the Welcome screen is just so awesome), it really does make the system run faster. Then, whenever I needed a file that I used to have before the wipe, I would just open Time Machine and restore ONLY that file/folder. This would ensure that all the junk files/temp files/miscellaneous stuff I don't need was left behind, but that I was able to keep everything that I needed.
I would recommend this to anyone with a slow computer if you up for a bit of inconvenience.
After I got my first Mac a genius tried to sell me on the merits of Time Machine.
I hooked up a old USB drive to the back of my Airport Extreme, enabled time machine and forgot about it.
Since then we have added more macs to the family.
I have used the backups for larger drive and new machine migrations. But more importantly two outright system failures.
Have never suffered a red face moment explaining why all the family pictures, tax returns, music, emails are no longer with us.
I hooked up a old USB drive to the back of my Airport Extreme, enabled time machine and forgot about it.
Since then we have added more macs to the family.
I have used the backups for larger drive and new machine migrations. But more importantly two outright system failures.
Have never suffered a red face moment explaining why all the family pictures, tax returns, music, emails are no longer with us.
You know the standard IT adage, right?
only three things to remember about computers: Back up, Back up, and Back up. Time machine is painless and automatic. So is Carbon Copy Cloner and that makes a bootable external drive. No reason to ever consider ceasing the painless, automatic back up process ever again.
only three things to remember about computers: Back up, Back up, and Back up. Time machine is painless and automatic. So is Carbon Copy Cloner and that makes a bootable external drive. No reason to ever consider ceasing the painless, automatic back up process ever again.
You don't NEED a backup like you also don't NEED health insurance. Unless the time comes when you need it. 