Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Time Machine do you trust it
- Thread starter thewall
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
mw360
macrumors 68020
It's not foolproof. I once wiped a system, installed a new OS version and then restored the back-up. I wasn't happy about the performance of the new OS so I immediately (within an hour) attempted to roll back everything using the same back-up. Except, MacOS seemed to have wiped the back-up from the disk as soon as it had finished restoring.
Last edited:
Time Machine stopped including a full backup of macOS quite a few years ago (since the introduction of the SSV). You have to reinstall the macOS version you want to go back to and then migrate your data.
So are you saying to have to install Mac OS first then restore from TM is that how you do it I have never done anything like this
Last edited:
throAU
macrumors G4
I have had Time Machine lose the plot on a single external back up drive often enough to not rely on it alone.
It is *a* backup source, I would not rely on it as your only backup. I work from iCloud mostly so thats one level, Time Machine is another, important stuff on my NAS is another...
It is *a* backup source, I would not rely on it as your only backup. I work from iCloud mostly so thats one level, Time Machine is another, important stuff on my NAS is another...
Apple_Robert
Contributor
I would not solely rely on TM. I haven't found it to be reliable over the years. It would be a good idea to also include something like Carbon Copy Cloner.
maflynn
macrumors Broadwell
It saved my bacon numerous times, very happy with how apple implemented this. One could argue that the feature list is minimal, but it does two things really well. Backing up your data, and allowing you to restore your data.
My primary use for Time Machine is to data transfer to a new Mac. Done it three times now, including from Ventura to Tahoe, which I thought might pose some challenges for it, given the great gulf in OS versions. It's been solid for that purpose; really solid as in can't imagine much improvement as the transition from one machine to the next is as seamless as one could wish for.
On a very rare occasion, I need to restore a file (I also use dropbox for real-time backup, but it's just certain folders of client documents, so there is a level of redundancy there). Been solid there also, but admittedly rare usage.
On a very rare occasion, I need to restore a file (I also use dropbox for real-time backup, but it's just certain folders of client documents, so there is a level of redundancy there). Been solid there also, but admittedly rare usage.
knappeduivel
macrumors 6502
I would never rely on a single backup and I always have two workflows. Time Machine is most convenient, Carbon Copy Cloner most dependable.
Empirically, yes it backs up all user data, including 3rd party apps and config files. That said, I'm not sure what the defaults are. As mentioned, I have used it several times to move data, settings, and apps from an old mac to new, and everything is the same. I have yet to find some setting or item of data that didn't transfer.
For example, as mentioned, I recently configed an M4 from a 2017 MBP. The OS was markedly different and there were a number of 3rd party apps that transferred but needed to be updated to Silicon versions from Intel. Even so, all my configurations transferred, at least as far as I can tell.
You can exclude folders/files if you wish.
For example, as mentioned, I recently configed an M4 from a 2017 MBP. The OS was markedly different and there were a number of 3rd party apps that transferred but needed to be updated to Silicon versions from Intel. Even so, all my configurations transferred, at least as far as I can tell.
You can exclude folders/files if you wish.
Apple_Robert
Contributor
Not sure what you mean by "not up to speed." It has more granular control than what TM offers.
Fishrrman
macrumors Nehalem
If you want a backup you can trust, use CCC.
What are you going to do?
What are you going to do?
Carbon Copy Cloner (link) and SuperDuper (link) have run into issues in the past. Because of the increasingly complex structure of the macOS boot drive (link), it is getting increasingly difficult for the 3rd-party Backup App developers to keep up.
This was said on a previous thread i started about cloning
My plan is to reinstall MacOs get rid of all the rubbish first, doing this because the fan sometime goes mental to the point I shut down, if I do this does TM reinstall say the last hour
If I am reading you correctly, it depends on your TM settings.
To be certain, you can manually back up shortly before you erase.
However, there is some risk that the backup contains rubbish, if you intend to restore everything from the backup.
If you restore selectively, say app by app, folder by folder, I suppose there's less risk of bringing the rubbish along.
I would buy a new external drive... move all data manually.
I just copy my folders then re install osx and then move everything over.
I just use Time Machine as a last resort.. I usually just manually manage all my data
I just copy my folders then re install osx and then move everything over.
I just use Time Machine as a last resort.. I usually just manually manage all my data
FreakinEurekan
macrumors G3
Essentially yes - install macOS and then "migrate" data from the Time Machine backup.
FreakinEurekan
macrumors G3
CCC is quite reliable - but it's not a true "Backup" in the sense that Time Machine is. CCC is simply a clone from one particular moment in time; if the data you want wasn't present at the time of that clone it's no good to you.
Time Machine uses incremental backup so that you can restore any file to any point that is saved on the backup. So if I, for example, am making edits on a particular file every day and realize that 7 days ago I accidentally deleted something important from it - with Time Machine I can scroll back to the latest backup before I made that mistake, and restore the file from that date.
I use CCC like you described just to clone my drive, but it does have a couple optional settings that leverage macOS snapshots to keep archival backups much the same way Time Machine does. Have not used it, so can't comment how well it works.
eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
My problem with TM's incremental backups is that my backups are stored on a NAS. My hardware is 2012 and earlier, including NAS boxes and Macs.
Time Machine always wants to create a sparse bundle on network drives. I can never get it to make a sparse disk image. The difference is that if I need to move a drive image from one place to another, the sparsebundles that TM makes throw up all sorts of permission errors. And if TM loses the plot in backing up, then you're set for an extremely long full back up. Historically, TM lost the plot a lot, because…network drive. And older versions of TM on older versions of MacOS like to fail a lot at drive image creation on network drives.
I finally got tired of all that. Anything important enough to undergo incremental backups goes on Dropbox. Dropbox has incremental backups built in. Just restore the file you need from the website. They go back 6 months.
Carbon Copy Cloner allows me to use sparse disk images, which are easily movable. And then I can just repoint CCC to the disk image. I schedule backups with CCC. One of them, is a hourly backup. But primarily I have daily backups and weekly backups. My weekly backups go to Dropbox. That gives me offsite storage.
In the last month CCC has saved me twice. That's in addition to all the times it's saved me in the past. And since it's a full backup, all I have to do is clone a disk image to a drive. No reinstalling the OS then restoring a backup.
I cannot recall when Time Machine has ever saved me.
Last edited:
maxoakland
Suspended
Hate to say it but DO NOT trust Time Machine. It’s never been there when I needed it. Too often the only solution is “delete all your backups and start fresh”
I recommend simmering like carbon copy cloner
I recommend simmering like carbon copy cloner