Help with 'dead' SSD and restore strategy please

[gmehje]

Hi,
I hope someone can help or at least point me in the right direction.
I keep all my applications on an SSD in the MacPro.
As of 3/4 hours ago it no longer boots up - the Mac starts up from the default instalation still on the original HD (one of 4 internal drives).
I don't have a bootable copy of the SSD but I do have a copy of the files on a TimeMachine backup from yesterday.
The problem is two fold:
1. The backup of the SSD is just copy of the disk/files and is not bootable. Can I make it so?
2. Due to 'insufficient space' the Time Machine backup does not contain all my client files. It's a new disk seems to have copied only the SSD and two external USB drives that were attached to the Mac Pro. So I can't restore everything from Time Machine as I would loose the files I currently have safe?

I want to be able to boot from the SSD that's within my folder called Backups.backupd on my TimeMachine drive. Is this possible?

Huge thanks for any help. I've done some googling and can't read or find clarity what to do!

Kind Regards,
Ged

 

[goMac]

If the SSD is still mounting, can you reinstall OS X on there? It wouldn't delete any of your files.

You cannot boot from a Time Machine backup. You must first restore it to a new drive.

 

[bplein]

1. Put in your replacement boot drive (SSD or otherwise)
2. Boot from your Mac Installation Disk as shipped with the Mac Pro
3. Install a new OS to the new boot drive
4. When prompted, restore from Time Machine to restore your files.

If you didn't have Time Machine backing up your applications, you will need to restore those too.

Painful, yes.

 

[gmehje]

Update (help still needed!).
The ssd has no data on whatsoever.
I upgraded one of the internal drives to 10.6 using SL disks and software updates. Then I 'migrated' from my bootable backup of my laptop (which has most applications on it).
It would only do this if I set up a new user - so I did.
The problem is that 1. it doesn't have all the applications (that were on my MacPro) 2. I've now got two users neither of which are correct 3. all my draft and sent emails are nowhere to be found.
I don't know what to do next! I know I can switch between users but I though that a migration would just give me one user. Can I create master user?
A lot of my application support is now in at least two different locations for the two users - how on earth do I work out which is the proper data?
What a pickle!
G

 

[goMac]

I don't know what to do next! I know I can switch between users but I though that a migration would just give me one user. Can I create master user?
A lot of my application support is now in at least two different locations for the two users - how on earth do I work out which is the proper data?
What a pickle!
G

Nope, migration does not merge users.

You'll need to sort this out by hand.

 

[xgman]

You need to pull everything from Time Machine then. then try to re-initialize and format your broken SSD I suppose.

 

[philipma1957]

This is why superduper clone or carbon copy clone is needed. once you fix this get a small cheap hdd and clone the new ssd. it will save you a boat load of time. here is a low cost enclosure for cloning



http://cgi.ebay.com/Thermaltake-N00...ge_Internal&hash=item41566d398a#ht_693wt_1009