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How do you back-up your macbook?
- Thread starter dragon01
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For when I receive mine, I already have its backup setup ready. I'll use the same routine I use for my iMac (although for the MacBook, I won't use a RAID1 dual drive setup, but rather 'just' a single external drive).
My MacBook will be backed up using SuperDuper!. It's a cloning tool. Basically, it's free software, but for ultimate convenience, one might actually want to buy it. Once registered, it offers a 'smart update' feature, which will update an existing clone to a state that's exactly like that of the drive that's being cloned. And such a 'smart update' will take just a fraction of the time a full clone will take.
This routine is nearly perfect, as you'll have a full backup that bootable. Very convenient. It's best for a MacBook clone to have it on a external 2,5" SATAII hard drive, as you'll be able to just put that in the MacBook if/when its internal drive fails. For extra security (if you're afraid of accidentally deleting files yourself or of files getting corrupted), you might want to unevenly partition your internal drive (large and small) and use the small partition for constant Time Machine backups.
If you choose to use both routines, you'll have a full, bootable backup at home, and individual file backups on the go.
My MacBook will be backed up using SuperDuper!. It's a cloning tool. Basically, it's free software, but for ultimate convenience, one might actually want to buy it. Once registered, it offers a 'smart update' feature, which will update an existing clone to a state that's exactly like that of the drive that's being cloned. And such a 'smart update' will take just a fraction of the time a full clone will take.
This routine is nearly perfect, as you'll have a full backup that bootable. Very convenient. It's best for a MacBook clone to have it on a external 2,5" SATAII hard drive, as you'll be able to just put that in the MacBook if/when its internal drive fails. For extra security (if you're afraid of accidentally deleting files yourself or of files getting corrupted), you might want to unevenly partition your internal drive (large and small) and use the small partition for constant Time Machine backups.
If you choose to use both routines, you'll have a full, bootable backup at home, and individual file backups on the go.
Time Capsule +1
I use a 500GB Time Capsule for both of my MacBooks.
Really useful especially when one of the hard drives failed back in the summer.
Just put a new one in, installed Leopard DVD connected to Time Capsule and restored everything perfectly.
I use a 500GB Time Capsule for both of my MacBooks.
Really useful especially when one of the hard drives failed back in the summer.
Just put a new one in, installed Leopard DVD connected to Time Capsule and restored everything perfectly.
Question about SuperDuper: I have OSX and WinXP (via bootcamp) installed on my Macbook. When creating a cloned HDD, does SuperDuper capture the WinXP (NTFS) partition as well?
If it did capture both partitions for a complete, bootable backup solution, I would find it to be the... well... super duper solution.
Nope. You select one partition to be cloned. Of course, you can partition the external drive the exact same way you've partitioned the internal drive. That way, you can use a Windows cloning tool for the Boot Camp partition. Make sure, if you go that route, you format that second partition as NTFS or FAT32. You can do that in Windows, but be sure to select the right partition, or you'll lose all data on the drive.
I did that once with my internal iMac drive, before I learned that Windows XP SP1 wasn't a supported OS for Boot Camp. The drive setup screen came up during XP's installation and I created the partition I set with the Boot Camp utility. Or so I thought. Tried booting back into OS X, but no luck. The drive was erased fully. Thank god for full, bootable backups! I cloned the clone back to my internal drive and was up and running in half an hour again.
I use a Time Capsule with Time machine and Deja Vu on an external drive. Time Machine is manually set to backup every 6 hours.
I always have a backup in more than 1 place of my important data, that way if 1 of the drives fail, I'll still have all of my data.
I really like the way Time Capsule works. It's very convenient and works flawlessly with Leopard, but also know that the drive in it will fail at some point in the future. The odds of all of my drives failing at the same time are not likely.
General rule: 2 is 1, 1 is none
I always have a backup in more than 1 place of my important data, that way if 1 of the drives fail, I'll still have all of my data.
I really like the way Time Capsule works. It's very convenient and works flawlessly with Leopard, but also know that the drive in it will fail at some point in the future. The odds of all of my drives failing at the same time are not likely.
General rule: 2 is 1, 1 is none
I use Backup 3 (free with mobileme account) and an external firewire HD.
I might switch to Time Machine now that I have Leopard.
I might switch to Time Machine now that I have Leopard.
Nope. You select one partition to be cloned. Of course, you can partition the external drive the exact same way you've partitioned the internal drive. That way, you can use a Windows cloning tool for the Boot Camp partition. Make sure, if you go that route, you format that second partition as NTFS or FAT32. You can do that in Windows, but be sure to select the right partition, or you'll lose all data on the drive.
I did that once with my internal iMac drive, before I learned that Windows XP SP1 wasn't a supported OS for Boot Camp. The drive setup screen came up during XP's installation and I created the partition I set with the Boot Camp utility. Or so I thought. Tried booting back into OS X, but no luck. The drive was erased fully. Thank god for full, bootable backups! I cloned the clone back to my internal drive and was up and running in half an hour again.
I just did some googling for a solution that would clone all partitions on a mac HDD (block level backup that captures any and all partitions, regardless of the format). Found a tool called Carbon Copy Cloner that seems to fill the bill. Has anyone used it?
You go through that every week? Every month? Oy. Get something that backs up incrementally!
SuperDuper FTW.
No neither SuperDuper (SD) or Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) backup the Windows partition at this time.
So use CCC (my preferred) or SD to clone your internal HD to an external.
Then you can use WinClone to backup your Windows Partition to the external HD.
You must not have many files on your HD for an image that small.
I've found that Disk Utility doesn't like to make images of large HDs. Small ones are okay.
Over the years I have been hosed with so many different incremental backup systems.
Now I only do clones each week using CCC. Simple and easy to do. And I have an immediate bootable backup to use if the internal HD goes bad.
USB drive attached to APE
I use Time Machine on an external drive on my airport extreme. That first backup takes a wicked long time, even over the ethernet cord, but I was really glad Apple finally allowed that feature again. You can't beat a wireless hourly backup (just like Time Capsule, but easier to expand later.) Every month or so, I do a CCC to a firewire drive as well for a bootable version.
I use Time Machine on an external drive on my airport extreme. That first backup takes a wicked long time, even over the ethernet cord, but I was really glad Apple finally allowed that feature again. You can't beat a wireless hourly backup (just like Time Capsule, but easier to expand later.) Every month or so, I do a CCC to a firewire drive as well for a bootable version.
Yes, I used it until I switched to SuperDuper! (SD). I suggest you go and read this article. The information might be a tad outdated, but heed its general advice. Having said that, there are people that love SD (myself included) and there are people that love Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC). Both are good, in my book. As I remember reading a while back, CCC has switched to a different sync layer (psync, instead of ditto) on top of which the GUI runs, which has brought the results up onto a level close to that of SD. So I guess using CCC will be just fine, too. Especially if it does the things you want it to do.
Time Capsule
I use a 500GB Time Capsule to back up both my machine and my boyfriend's machine and have no complaints. I also have an external Lacie Drive that I keep an extra backup of all of my music on just as a precautionary measure.
I use a 500GB Time Capsule to back up both my machine and my boyfriend's machine and have no complaints. I also have an external Lacie Drive that I keep an extra backup of all of my music on just as a precautionary measure.
Every few weeks, don't want or need incremental backup. This way I've got a small file that can be put on a fileserver until I need it. If I used superduper I'd keep filling up the external drive, then I might as well use time machine.
Currently just around 20gb including os x.
I use Time Machine to back up all of our Mac's to a FreeNAS VM I have setup on my VMWare server (Ubuntu Server). I have a 1TB drive dedicated to the FreeNAS VM.
Previously it ran under VirtualBox (which is my virtualization software of choice), but I have some work VM's for my lab (I work from home) that are supported under VMWare only, so I recently had to make the switch. (but still use VBox primarily for my VM's running ON my Macs)
Previously it ran under VirtualBox (which is my virtualization software of choice), but I have some work VM's for my lab (I work from home) that are supported under VMWare only, so I recently had to make the switch. (but still use VBox primarily for my VM's running ON my Macs)
Can you provide more info on Backup 3?
is this what you are talking about (Data Backup 3)? how is it free with mobileme?
I have a 500GB external harddisk with Firewire.
I made 2 partitions in this external harddisk. One partition for a bootable backup and the other for the Time Machine.
First, I've used Carbon Copy to clone the whole Macbook to the external harddisk. If there is anything wrong, I can boot with the external harddisk and clone it back.
Second, I am using Time Machine for daily backup.
I made 2 partitions in this external harddisk. One partition for a bootable backup and the other for the Time Machine.
First, I've used Carbon Copy to clone the whole Macbook to the external harddisk. If there is anything wrong, I can boot with the external harddisk and clone it back.
Second, I am using Time Machine for daily backup.