Questions regarding backing up, and ejecting

[Dragomer]

Brand new mac user here.....

First question. I'm picking up the WD Scorpio 500gb because 160gb just is no where near enough space. I had more space on my 4 year old laptop....

Now I know I could either clone the drive, or use time machine to back it up. I'm wondering which is better, and most user friendly/ straightforward way to go about doing this.

Secondly, I have a few applications installed (Skype, Mozilla) that whenever they are run come up on the desktop. I have to eject the program whenever I am finished using it to make this go away. This really bothers me (OCD?) and was wondering if I'm just doing something wrong, or if there is a way to fix it.

 

[BlueRevolution]

Brand new mac user here.....

Welcome!

Now I know I could either clone the drive, or use time machine to back it up. I'm wondering which is better, and most user friendly/ straightforward way to go about doing this.

Either way will work, but I suggest using Carbon Copy Cloner to make a cloned backup. Restoring a Time Machine backup requires you to go through the OS install process.

Secondly, I have a few applications installed (Skype, Mozilla) that whenever they are run come up on the desktop. I have to eject the program whenever I am finished using it to make this go away. This really bothers me (OCD?) and was wondering if I'm just doing something wrong, or if there is a way to fix it.

Mac software is often downloaded in .dmg files, which are like mini portable hard drive partitions. While you can run applications from these files, it's a good idea to copy them to your Applications folder first. You can then eject the partition from your desktop and trash the .dmg file you downloaded.

 

[Dragomer]

A cloned backup sounds good then.... So I can just clone to my external and then boot from it once the new HD is in place? Are macs able to but from a usb external HD? I had a time trying to get a few vista and xp machines to do this....


Wow thank you so much haha.... that was driving me absolutely crazy....

 

[BlueRevolution]

A cloned backup sounds good then.... So I can just clone to my external and then boot from it once the new HD is in place?

Yes. Better yet, Carbon Copy Cloner can clone the running system partition, so you don't have to mess around with booting to disks or anything.

Are macs able to but from a usb external HD?

All Intel Macs can do so, yes. I've heard speculation that late-model PowerPC Macs can as well, but haven't seen any conclusive evidence. To boot to the external drive, just hold the option key on startup.


The install process would look something like this:

1. Clone your internal drive onto the external.
2. If you're planning to resell the internal drive, you may want to wipe it. To do so, reboot to the external and use Disk Utility to format the drive, selecting the 7-pass erase option.
3. Replace the internal with your new drive.
4. I'm not sure if the external in question is a third drive or if you're using the newly-purchased drive, but if it is another drive, reboot to the external and use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone your data back on to the new internal.
5. Switch to the internal. You're done! You can format the extern and use it for Time Machine or whatever you like.