Is Super Duper ideal to continuously Back-Up?

[Dal123]

I cloned my Hard-Drive yesterday, and it seems like Super-Duper is not really a programme to continuously Back-Up a Mac with; am I correct in this assumption? Maybe advanced features I just saw briefly on youtube does not seem like it.
I'm using OS X 10.4.11 and don't think Time Machine is compatible. What's a good programme to continuously Back-Up with?

 

[slpdLoad]

Just schedule superduper to do incremental backups.

 

[Dal123]

Just schedule superduper to do incremental backups.

Thanks; I take it incremental manage to scan it first and only add neccessary stuff, unlike cloning the whole thing.
One thing I am worried about, when cloning will it create exact copies of my bookmarks and settings of my program mes as these are very important to me. Can't be spending ages sorting all this out again .

 

[Dave Braine]

One thing I am worried about, when cloning will it create exact copies of my bookmarks and settings of my program mes as these are very important to me.

Yes. If, having cloned your Mac's HD, said HD fails, cloning your clone back onto the Mac's new HD will put it back to exactly how it was when it was cloned.

You can always check this out as follows. Having made your clone, start your Mac up holding down the Option key, and you can choose to boot from the clone, so you can check that everything is OK.

 

[Dal123]

Thanks Dave; I've just tried booting from external hard drive and only drive coming up is the HD in computer .
So I went to create another clone; as I was about to I noticed 'super duper will now copy files except from temporary and user specific files which apple recommends excluding'. What is this referring to?
Wish I had Time Machine Super Duper seems a bit too unnecessarily complicated.

 

[Dave Braine]

What is this referring to?

Don't know, I'm afraid. I use Carbon Copy Cloner for cloning. Give it a try, it's free.

 

[wandal]

Thanks Dave; I've just tried booting from external hard drive and only drive coming up is the HD in computer .

notice that PPC Mac's would only boot from FireWire attached HDs. Intel Macs from USB attached HDs. I guess you have a PPC Mac and a USB attached HD.

I noticed 'super duper will now copy files except from temporary and user specific files which apple recommends excluding'. What is this referring to?

Some files are not to be cloned: cache files, for instance. SuperDuper knows how to take the job. The message is just for your awareness.

Wish I had Time Machine Super Duper seems a bit too unnecessarily complicated.

You can set SuperDuper this way: every time you connect the external HD, the incremental backup will take place automatically, then the Mac will switch off. No menus, no clics. The only thing you will have to do, do connect the external HD for backup.

 

[Dal123]

Thanks for input everyone - appreciated!
Wandal I'm using a Powerbook G4 PC Macbook 17". I thought I had firewire 800 connected (turns out it was 400 ).
I've tried holding down 'option' key and starting up - still only seeing computers HD. I've tried all three connections:
Firewire 400
Firewire 800
USB

None of them manage to show the external HD as a bootable from start-up; so if my computer breaks I'm in trouble .
I'm guessing I've made a mistake when creating my back-up. Anyone got any suggestions . I thought maybe I need to create a disk image, but it says that I'm already creating one when I do back-up and won't let me.

 

[wandal]

sorry for my wrong guess, you are with the right connection.

so if my computer breaks I'm in trouble

I think so.

I thought maybe I need to create a disk image, but it says that I'm already creating one when I do back-up and won't let me.

take a breath, then start over again.

You have to choose among: 1) the HD (or a partition on it) entirely dedicated to backup copy (the best choice, in my opinion), and 2) a disk image you create tu put the backup copy into. You can create the disk image directly from within SuperDuper; DiskUtility isn't needed.

This is if you choose 1):
First, you have to initialize the external HD. DiskUtility - 1 Partition - HFS Journaled.
Second, launch SuperDuper and "backup - all files" to the Backup HD. Let make the copy bootable. You have to wait, maybe a couple of hours.
You should obtain the bootable backup HD, at last.

When the job is done, you may set Options... > On successful completion > Shut down computer and Schedule... > When you connect Backup HD to your Macintosh

If you choose 2), you cannot boot from the external HD at startup.

Good luck

 

[Dal123]

Thanks for your time and effort on this wandal, I'm going to repartition the drive and see how it goes.
-Just tried:
Thanks again- much appreciated.
I don't have HFS; my only options from disk-utility are:

Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Mac OS Extended
Mac OS Extended (Case-Sensitive, Journaled)
Mac OS Extended (Case-Sensitive)
UNIX File System
Free Space

I'm pretty angry at myself needing help on a basic topic like this , I should be able to back-up!
Thanks for your help.

 

[flyfish29]

I used Super Duper to make a supposedly bootable SD copy of my HD.

(I had also made a partition on that same hard drive with user folders just copied to it just in case. I also had tried to get time machine to backup continuously but unfortunately it stopped backing up using time machine four months ago and I have not taken the time to redo that.)

Well two weeks ago my HD died in my MBP! UGGG. So I tried to boot up from my "bootable SD copy" (which was unfortunately 2 months old). It would not boot up. IN fact, trying to boot up from it made the data unaccessable (on both partitions for some reason!!!) So by now I am freaking out-

$275 later (bought a new external 1TB HD with usb, FW400 and FW800 and Data REscue 3) I was able to retrieve my data from both the user folder copies and SD backup.

So I try to use Migration Assistant to transfer data from my SD bootable copy. Well, it won't recognize it as a bootable copy of OSX. the only thing I can figure is that I did not have SD backup everything and must have excluded some files. I don't remember doing this, but that must be what happened.

So despite having three backup options none were ideal....I thought I was prepared. I have all my data luckily, but it has been a pain to restore! I am having to drag individual files over to newly created user folders that are identical in name. Not fun, but like I said- at least I have my most important data(8,000 pics of my kids growing up!!)

So my points are:

• make your SD bootable copy (like Wandel said- option 1)
• make sure your SD bootable copy will boot (before a HD failure!!)
• make sure your SD bootable copy is up to date and continually saves all new data changes.
• have a second backup option (perhaps just another HD with user folders copied to it.)
• store a BU off site just in case of fire or equipment theft.

Now I have to get back to restoring my own computer data....file by file...ugg!

 

[Dal123]

Thanks for your input flyfish, glad I'm testing it out now and amazed it hasn't worked so far .
Does anyone have a script that will enable super-duper to make a back-up when I go to shut down the mac?

 

[bobr1952]

I use Super Duper and I did make the mistake of not having the external drive properly configured. Be use to make it bootable by having it formated as GUID Partition Table--this in addition to have the disk formated as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't boot until I corrected that and made a new clone. You can easily check to see if OS-X recognizes the clone as bootable by going into System Preferences and looking under Startup Disk--you should see the clone as a bootable option.

I do a weekly incremental backup with Super Duper and also use Time Machine for daily backups on my Time Capsule. Always best to be prepared.

 

[Dal123]

I use Super Duper and I did make the mistake of not having the external drive properly configured. Be use to make it bootable by having it formated as GUID Partition Table--this in addition to have the disk formated as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't boot until I corrected that and made a new clone. You can easily check to see if OS-X recognizes the clone as bootable by going into System Preferences and looking under Startup Disk--you should see the clone as a bootable option.

Thanks bob, interesting... GUID Partition Table- it says for intel macs, I'm on a Power PC Mac.
I'm going to try what you're saying now and thanks for your input .

 

[flyfish29]

I use Super Duper and I did make the mistake of not having the external drive properly configured. Be use to make it bootable by having it formated as GUID Partition Table--this in addition to have the disk formated as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't boot until I corrected that and made a new clone. You can easily check to see if OS-X recognizes the clone as bootable by going into System Preferences and looking under Startup Disk--you should see the clone as a bootable option.

I did GUID PT and the OS extended Journaled, so I must have not copied all.


Great to know you can check it as a startup disk under system prefs....but I still will try to boot up from my SD occasionally to be sure. Can't hurt- right? the worst that could happen is my external HD is messed up....there could be no worse....right?!?!

Dal123- yes, it is great that you know all this BEFORE it is needed.

 

[mugtastic]

when i made a bootable copy with superduper it worked fine, but then when i did incremental additions to keep it up to date it became unbootable.

this was a while ago but i contacted them and they confirmed it was normal - so be aware!

i now use time machine but keep one untouched older super duper backup for emergencies, because i've had problems with time machine as well.

 

[wandal]

I don't have HFS; my only options from disk-utility are:
Mac OS Extended (Journaled)

This is your best choice.

Be use to make it bootable by having it formated as GUID Partition Table

This is fine for an Intel Mac.

 

[flyfish29]

This is fine for an Intel Mac.

But what should the OP do for a PPC mac?

 

[wandal]

But what should the OP do for a PPC mac?

"Apple Parition Map" or something like it, I don't have an english system here.

You find it in Partition > Options...

Great to know you can check it as a startup disk under system prefs...

... if there is a working system on it.

.but I still will try to boot up from my SD occasionally to be sure. Can't hurt- right?

Right!

 

[Dave Braine]

I'm on a Power PC Mac.

PPC Macs need to be partitioned using the Apple Partition Map(APM) to be bootable. I thought of this last night and wondered whether you had a PPC Mac.

As an aside, although most say that Intel Macs need to be partitioned using the GUID table, they will boot from an APM partitioned drive, as all three of mine boot from an APM drive.

 

[Dal123]

when i made a bootable copy with superduper it worked fine, but then when i did incremental additions to keep it up to date it became unbootable.

this was a while ago but i contacted them and they confirmed it was normal - so be aware!
.

Thanks mugtastic- can't believe it's normal- whole point of a hard-drive is regular back-ups.

Thanks for everyones help so far, I'm sorry to say I've tried everything now and no joy yet. I've just found this article http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1787 and it looks like my Western Digital Studio Book is not bootable from a PowerPC which I am very unhappy about. Just spent £120 on a useless drive .

 

[Fishrrman]

"Thanks for everyones help so far, I'm sorry to say I've tried everything now and no joy yet. I've just found this article http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc....p?p_faqid=1787 and it looks like my Western Digital Studio Book is not bootable from a PowerPC which I am very unhappy about. Just spent £120 on a useless drive"

Important questions:
- Does your WD drive have a separate "CD partition" on it, containing some proprietary WD software, that includes a password?
- If so, do you have the password protection enabled?

A friend also bought a WD external -- I would not have recommended it, but he made an impulse purchase without consulting me. It, too, would not boot --- UNTIL I discovered that he had password-protected the drive using some proprietary software that comes bundled on the drive.

I was able to find a way to remove the password protection. After that, the drive booted normally (via USB with his aluminum 24" iMac).

I also got him to use CarbonCopyCloner. We were able to clone the internal drive, and (again, with password protection removed), verify the boot from the external.

Suggestion to original poster:
Take the problem WD drive to _another_ Mac, hook it up, just see if you can get it to mount on the destkop.
If you can do that, and if it has something called WD Tools (or some similar name) on it, go in there and disable the password (assuming that you may have had one entered).
Then, try rebooting via USB.

Suggestion to ANY reader of this post:
If you are using either SuperDuper or CarbonCopyCloner to clone your internal drive to an external, and you have never actually tried booting from your clone, it might be a good idea to try that, just to see if it will actually work for you in a "moment of extreme need". I believe that when running SuperDuper, there is an option that can be set that will automatically reboot from the clone when the backup is finished, just to be sure that it's "a good clone". Yes, this takes a bit more time, but gives you the peace of mind that you HAVE a "bootable clone" in the wings....

My own strategy (that has worked for me for years -- I have files from 1987 that are instantly accessible to me on this Mac):
I keep my most important data on a SEPARATE PARTITION other than my boot partition. Yes, that means there's another icon on my desktop (I currently have no less than SEVEN drive icons on the desktop, so what?) Because system files aren't involved, that "Main data" partition can be relatively small in size -- in my case, a 40gig partition, only a small fraction of that actually represents the data.

But -- I can use SuperDuper to do an incremental backup of that [exclusive] data partition only. I just did one reading this post -- elapsed time was about 12 seconds. Can you spare 12 seconds to backup your most important files?

 

[flyfish29]

it looks like my Western Digital Studio Book is not bootable from a PowerPC which I am very unhappy about. Just spent £120 on a useless drive .

That stinks- but you can always make it a non-bootable copy of your user folder data, then I guess get yourself a drive that will boot if you feel that is what you need.
I am now running two hard drive backups + my Time Capsule after having some serious problems getting my data back during my recent HD crash!