Have Time Machine questions

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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