How do I import a time machine backup onto a machine?

[MegaMillions]

I have a hard drive that has backed up my desktop computer using time machine. My desktop computer is now on it's way to my new location, and in the meantime i'd like to put all the backed up stuff onto my laptop. How do I load all the time machine stuff onto the laptop? Is there a way of like, important it all, or do I have to go in and just manually copy over whatever I want?

Thanks

 

[deboni]

TC Restore

If I understand you correctly, all you need to do is run Time Machine on the laptop (with that drive connected and mounted, of course) and "restore" the files you want there. If you right-click (there's a key combo for this, if you don't have a right mouse button) on the Time Machine icon in your dock, you can select "Browse Other Time Machine Disks" and then select the drive with your backup set on it.

 

[pkoch1]

If you want to have your laptop be a clone of the time machine backup, restore (clean install) the OS, and then choose to restore from your Time Machine backup when the OS restarts.

 

[MegaMillions]

If you want to have your laptop be a clone of the time machine backup, restore (clean install) the OS, and then choose to restore from your Time Machine backup when the OS restarts.

Do I do an archive and install, or erase and install? And then I have the time machine drive plugged in when I restart the computer after installation, and it'll give me an option to restore from the time machine drive? Where can I manually find the command to restore from the time machine backup?

edit: And what if I don't have the OS install CD on hand? Is there any other way to simply restore the time machine drive onto the laptop hard drive?

 

[pkoch1]

Do I do an archive and install, or erase and install? And then I have the time machine drive plugged in when I restart the computer after installation, and it'll give me an option to restore from the time machine drive? Where can I manually find the command to restore from the time machine backup?

edit: And what if I don't have the OS install CD on hand? Is there any other way to simply restore the time machine drive onto the laptop hard drive?

it would have to be a clean install. You could keep the TM drive plugged in, and choose it in Migration Assistant when the computer boots back up. Unfortunately you would need an OS install CD, or else you could go to an apple store and see if they would do it for you.

I don't know of any manual command, like in Disk Utility or something, because the TM drive is not a bootable drive.

Good luck!

 

[allan.nyholm]

I think the Migration Assistant that resides in the Utilities folder is what you need. It will allow you to restore from a Time Machine backup.
No need to reboot and erase & install on your laptop. Just plugin in the Time Machine backup to your laptop and use this Migration Assistant.