New harddrive but I've lost my osx disk

[PeterButler]

Hi everyone.

I've got a problem in that my hard drive failed the other day. I've bought a new one but I can't find my Snow leopard disk. I've still got all my data on a backup drive using Time Machine.

Is there a way that I can install the OSX from that drive. Or do I have to buy a new version of OSX?

Thanks in advance


Peter Butler

 

[simsaladimbamba]

You have to buy another 10.6 DVD, as TM can't be booted from, like a clone via CarbonCopyCloner would be able to.

 

[PeterButler]

That's a pain.

What if I borrow some ones disk will my mac then be able to see my serial number within Time machine?

 

[Sc00tr]

That's a pain.

What if I borrow some ones disk will my mac then be able to see my serial number within Time machine?

It would need to be a retail version. The CD that comes with the Mac is specific to the model purchased.

 

[PeterButler]

Thanks Scoot.

I decided to just upgrade to Lion, so I bought it on the app store. Stupidly I didn't realise that it doesn't just download it in a pack that you can burn or transfer.
It's asking for me to choose a drive. But I've downloaded it on my Mac pro which I don't want to install it on.

I've read somewhere that you can hook two computers together using a firewire so that you can look at one of the computers drives.

Could I do this here? Connect my Laptop to my Pro and then install Lion to my laptop that way? If so, do I have to use a firewire cable or can you use USB?


Pete B

 

[avflinsch]

Thanks Scoot.

I decided to just upgrade to Lion, so I bought it on the app store. Stupidly I didn't realise that it doesn't just download it in a pack that you can burn or transfer.
It's asking for me to choose a drive. But I've downloaded it on my Mac pro which I don't want to install it on.

I've read somewhere that you can hook two computers together using a firewire so that you can look at one of the computers drives.

Could I do this here? Connect my Laptop to my Pro and then install Lion to my laptop that way? If so, do I have to use a firewire cable or can you use USB?


Pete B

you can take the downloaded package and burn a installation dvd from it

http://lifehacker.com/5823096/how-to-burn-your-own-lion-install-dvd-or-flash-drive

doing it this way makes it easier to install on multiple machines also. no need for a monster download to each of your macs.

 

[Fishrrman]

"I've got a problem in that my hard drive failed the other day. I've bought a new one but I can't find my Snow leopard disk. I've still got all my data on a backup drive using Time Machine.
Is there a way that I can install the OSX from that drive. Or do I have to buy a new version of OSX?"

Too late to really help now, but I'll offer some advice.

This is exactly what happens when you use TM to backup, instead of creating a REAL bootable backup using either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.

If you had created a true "bootable backup clone" on your external drive, you could have just plugged that in, rebooted, and "re-cloned" your backup to the new drive. You'd be up and running again in the time it would have taken to do the copy-over.

In the future, I strongly suggest that you eschew Time Machine, and instead begin using CarbonCopyCloner (bombich.com) as your backup tool of choice. It's one of the best pieces of Mac software out there. It will serve you well.

Your post is PROOF that Time Machine DID NOT "serve you well" in a moment of need....

 

[Mal]

"I've got a problem in that my hard drive failed the other day. I've bought a new one but I can't find my Snow leopard disk. I've still got all my data on a backup drive using Time Machine.
Is there a way that I can install the OSX from that drive. Or do I have to buy a new version of OSX?"

Too late to really help now, but I'll offer some advice.

This is exactly what happens when you use TM to backup, instead of creating a REAL bootable backup using either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.

If you had created a true "bootable backup clone" on your external drive, you could have just plugged that in, rebooted, and "re-cloned" your backup to the new drive. You'd be up and running again in the time it would have taken to do the copy-over.

In the future, I strongly suggest that you eschew Time Machine, and instead begin using CarbonCopyCloner (bombich.com) as your backup tool of choice. It's one of the best pieces of Mac software out there. It will serve you well.

Your post is PROOF that Time Machine DID NOT "serve you well" in a moment of need....

Ridiculous. Time Machine works great, if you just remember not to lose your OS disks. It's a different approach than CCC, and there's nothing wrong with that approach, but this story is certainly not an example of Time Machine being a bad approach to backup. With any approach, there are factors that you have to account for. With Carbon Copy Cloner, you lose the simplicity and incremental backups of Time Machine.

jW

 

[Sc00tr]

"I've got a problem in that my hard drive failed the other day. I've bought a new one but I can't find my Snow leopard disk. I've still got all my data on a backup drive using Time Machine.
Is there a way that I can install the OSX from that drive. Or do I have to buy a new version of OSX?"

Too late to really help now, but I'll offer some advice.

This is exactly what happens when you use TM to backup, instead of creating a REAL bootable backup using either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.

If you had created a true "bootable backup clone" on your external drive, you could have just plugged that in, rebooted, and "re-cloned" your backup to the new drive. You'd be up and running again in the time it would have taken to do the copy-over.

In the future, I strongly suggest that you eschew Time Machine, and instead begin using CarbonCopyCloner (bombich.com) as your backup tool of choice. It's one of the best pieces of Mac software out there. It will serve you well.

Your post is PROOF that Time Machine DID NOT "serve you well" in a moment of need....

That is because TM is not bootable.

 

[PeterButler]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

I managed to use the target disk approach to install Lion onto my Laptop. Worked great.

Many thanks


Peter Butler