Time Machine excluded files and booting from backup

[aki]

ive just started using time machine and actually surprised how well it works go apple

one question i want my time machine drive bootable just in case..... right now i am excluding the system library and user library cache folders from backup at the moment... thats ok right? it doesnt affect bootability or anything else serious right?

just want to be sure no point in a useless backup hehehe

thanks

 

[gusious]

I'm not quite sure but i think i've read somewhere that you can't boot from copies made by TM.

But you can from apps like SuperDuper and Carbon Copy Cloner.

 

[sickmacdoc]

Well first off, as gusious suggested Time Machine is not capable of making bootable backups in any fashion. Since that is the case, the question about excluded items is not a concern.

 

[aki]

Well first off, as gusious suggested Time Machine is not capable of making bootable backups in any fashion. Since that is the case, the question about excluded items is not a concern.

is that true.... oh ok i was probably not saying it right i read u can boot from a leopard disc and then use that to recreate your hd using the time machine backup.... so not boot from the backup but use it to remake a bootable copy

for that use do i need cache files?

 

[sickmacdoc]

is that true.... oh ok i was probably not saying it right i read u can boot from a leopard disc and then use that to recreate your hd using the time machine backup.... so not boot from the backup but use it to remake a bootable copy

for that use do i need cache files?

Yes, that is correct. What actually happens with what you are describing is that you begin by starting the installation process from the installer DVD disk. When you begin the re-installation (and you have your TM drive attached) it will ask if you want to restore the data from it as part of the OS installation process.

At that point you don't even have to use the TM information actually- the OS installer will install a full bootable copy of Leopard by itself without it. The advantage to using the TM backed up data as part of a restoration is that restores other applications, user preference files and such rather than just leaving you with a brand new bare/basic OS as was on the computer when you got it.

Theoretically, the cache files should not be necessary to be part of a restoration but to be honest I just let it back them up on the only drive I use TM for rather than have to wonder- but then again I use Carbon Copy Cloner (below) for restoring purposes anyhow!

Using a program like Carbon Copy Cloner or Superduper rather than TM will result in a fully bootable backup which can be restored quickly.

OK, that explanation is all a little confusing but I hope it makes some sense anyway!

 

[aki]

thanks the long expanation about what it actually does was very useful

i did use ccc for a long time but basically as they say backup is only as good as your routine and i just didnt do it often enough.... so i really need timemachine coz its for lazy people

the big thing i guess about ccc is you can have your bootable replacement running right away but timemachine way you have to do the "reinstall" process

anyway for now i will backup caches too

again thanks to everybody for advice!!

 

[sickmacdoc]

thanks the long expanation about what it actually does was very useful

i did use ccc for a long time but basically as they say backup is only as good as your routine and i just didnt do it often enough.... so i really need timemachine coz its for lazy people

the big thing i guess about ccc is you can have your bootable replacement running right away but timemachine way you have to do the "reinstall" process

anyway for now i will backup caches too

again thanks to everybody for advice!!

One thing I wanted to add about that--- in the current versions of CCC you have the ability to set it up to run automatically- on a hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis as desired or you can set it up to run automatically whenever you attach the backup drive. This is actually more flexible than the options for Time Machine which only allows you to run it hourly or when you attach the drive.

 

[aki]

or you can set it up to run automatically whenever you attach the backup drive.

okay.... i didnt know it did that......maybe i should use ccc then as really i wanted the pluginandautomaticallybackupchanges part of time machine not the untrash trashed files part.... and having bootable backup is good

back to the start then thanks again for the information!!

 

[sickmacdoc]

No problem. It is not commonly known that CCC can do that it from what I have seen.

Just set up your backup and head into "Scheduled Tasks..." under the Carbon Copy Cloner menu and make your settings.

Good luck

 

[aki]

ah... well i tried ccc but it just hangs on "Initializing Backup (or something i forget what word) Engine..." (the first step) ... i ran it overnight and no change... i also ran after reboot and same thing

on the forums at the ccc site they say sometimes startup in safe mode can let it work properly.....but if i have to reboot every time i want to backup there no point using ccc

back to time machine for now i guess