Have Time Machine questions

[Mantaray7]

Hello all three weeks ago the hard drive on my iMac crashed and had to be replaced, So when I picked it up the geek squad guy tells me all I have to do is use the time machine program to put my iMac back the way it was.
Pick a date from the time line then click restore and everything will be like it was before. Is that a fair statement of how time machine works.

I did just that but my desk top still looks like a new iMac right out of the box
there are no file folders or even the desktop picture I had.
and no matter where I pick a date from the time line nothing seems to be restored back like it was

I no longer have my play list in iTunes, and cannot find any of my internet
address's, Does time machine back up email.

I clicked on my anti-virus that was in the applications folder and all it did was bounce a few times and nothing happened no anti-virus program opened up.

I am very discouraged here and need some help
thank you in advance

 

[mark-itguy]

I am very discouraged here and need some help
thank you in advance

I don't blame you; the geek squad guys over-simplified the procedure, (probably because they didn't know).

If you had just lost data, what they said was right, but to do a full restore, (which includes the OS & apps), there is a different procedure.

Boot up to the OS X installer DVD, (press C at boot time, or, insert the disc while logged in & click on setup).

As the DVD boots, one of the first menu choices is the language, and there may be another trivial screen. But when you land on the screen for actually starting, one of the options from one of the pull-down menus will offer you the option to restore from a Time Machine backup. It's that simple!

Assuming you used an external USB hard drive, plug that in so it will be an available source option for the restore process.

This will restore the machine as it was during the backup you selected to restore from. OS, apps, data, settings, etc...

 

[Mantaray7]

On saturday one of the geek squad guys told me to do just that

I put in the original OS disk but when I got to that step it would not allow
me to back up any thing because the back at the time was from
snow leopard. I will try it again the way your instructions state.

I will let you know what happens, I will take notes of any thing I am told I cannot do.

Have to get ready for work so I have no time to do it now as it took most of the day on saturday.

Thanks Andrew

P.S. Almost forgot to ask, does time machine back up all email and the address book also

I just used time machine to get my address book from three months ago and got this message when I tried to open it

You cannot use this version of the application address book with this version of mac OSX you have address book 4.1.1.
so I have to ask what good is a back up if you cannot use it.

thanks again

 

[mark-itguy]

I just used time machine to get my address book from three months ago and got this message when I tried to open it

You cannot use this version of the application address book with this version of mac OSX you have address book 4.1.1.
so I have to ask what good is a back up if you cannot use it.

thanks again

Funny thing is, I am not really a Time Machine expert; but I know what I typed above because I used it that way a few times. I would take a backup every major step of the way during a new install. Then if I encountered a bad error installing an app suite, I could revert back in the way I described.

I've done it that way 3 times, maybe 4.

Just a guess, but I would assume the OS X DVD you boot from would have to be the same version (10.5.x, 10.6.x, etc...) as the backup is...

Also, to be extra safe (although not necessary), after you boot to the DVD, but before you start this procedure, you could open Disk Utility from the pulldown menu first and erase the system drive, which should further asure there are no errors about a version mismatch. This really isn't necessary, but surely couldn't hurt.

Provided you have an OS X installer DVD of the same version you used to have, that matches youe Time Machine backup, this can definately be done!


Good Luck!

 

[mark-itguy]

It sounds like when you tried to get back addresses you were doing so by accessing your Time Machine backup before doing the full system restore. So there is a version mismatch between the version currently on the system, the Time Machine backup version, and maybe the OS X installer DVD.

Use matchine sets, and all will be fine However, you won't have to restore individual items like addresses. Once you successfully go through what I outlined above, everything will be just as it was when you took the backup...

 

[Mantaray7]

Ok
I did as you instructed and booted from the OsX installed dvd
now my mac right now is running snow leopard installed

so i booted from the dvd and got this message
You cannot install mac osx on this volume with out
changing your installations settings
click options to change settings (this may be where I messed up on sat)

my options are

upgrade osx

archive and install

erase and install.

I do not remember which one I used on sat.

Now I have to get ready for work

side note, the install dvd I am using is the original one that came with
my iMac when I bought it, then in sept I up graded to snow leopard

Thanks again

 

[skorpien]

As others have mentioned, you need to be using the Snow Leopard install discs, despite what discs came with your machine (as that is the version of your latest backup to which you are trying to restore). Reboot your system with Snow Leopard in the drive holding down the c button, select English (or whichever) as the installation language, and when the screen comes up asking which drive to install Snow Leopard on, use Disk Utility from the Utilities drop down menu and erase your hard drive. Once it's erased, continue with the installation. This will install a clean copy of Snow Leopard. Then when the screen comes up asking you to migrate the settings, select the option that states "from another volume on this Mac" or something along those lines. Make sure your Time Machine drive is hooked up to your computer, select it from the list of volumes, and it will restore your settings to how they were before your computer crashed. Do NOT try reinstalling using OS X 10.5.XX (Leopard) as you will continue encountering issues.

 

[mark-itguy]

As others have mentioned, you need to be using the Snow Leopard install discs, despite what discs came with your machine (as that is the version of your latest backup to which you are trying to restore).

What he said... Thanks skorpien

 

[mark-itguy]

The notes from skorpien will also work. If you use the correct 10.6 DVD though, and go with the way I first mentioned, you can use Time Machine from within that installer menu to to a full disk drive restore without even having to first (re) install Snow Leopard. Which ever you feel more comfortable with...

 

[Mantaray7]

Ok,
My first problem was I was using the wrong install disc
So I followed the instruction that Skorpien posted.
looking forward to seeing my desk top as it was before the hard
drive crashed. In short after everything was done
my desk top still looks like a new iMac out of the box
with the standard desk top picture, my desk top picture is not there or any of the file folders I had on my desk top.
none of my music in iTunes is there, no internet addresses
None of my apps are in the applications folder, nothing
was restored like it was before the hard drive crashed.

I will try it again Wed morning and let you know
Thanks again

Andrew

 

[Mantaray7]

This morning I checked my hard drive and the back I did yesterday restored
all of my pictures and art work, but nothing else
I tried to open iTunes and got this message
The title iTunes cannot be read because it was created
by a newer version of iTunes.

Next I accessed the back up drive to check on my information
which goes back about a year, and I found the date before my hard drive crashed. everything seems to be there but my email address book is empty
and none of my web site addresses were restored, I started a home based business and I need those web sites, I know they are there but I do not know
which file to look at
I do not know what I am doing wrong

its 10:25 AM now so I do not have enough time to try to do what was suggested before going to work.

Andrew