For those using an external HD for backup purposes only, do you recommend getting one that is the same capacity, smaller, or larger than the originating HD?
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What do i backup?
- Thread starter SBik2
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Coming from the perpective of using one external per backup and doing a clone backup each time, I would recommend two external HDs that are the same size as your internal HD.
euhm, this is about 11 clones in one reply ...
My head aches also. Can someone explain what I should do instead of cloning ?
As a matter of fact, until now I got some serious problems in the fifteen years that I use Mac but I was always able to recover all my data.
It all depends on what you want to back up.
Not trying to be funny, but it depends on your needs and desires.
If you want to back up everything, then cloning is the way to go.
If you want to back up your documents, then back up your Documents folder.
If you want to back up your music, photos, documents, etc. and assuming that they have not been relocated from their default locations, then you could back up your ID folder.
If you have multiple users, you could back up the User folder.
Bottom line, it all depends on what you want to back up. I believe that is why cloning is becoming more popular since you backup everything and don't need to make a decision that might result in not backing up something you meant to backup.
I've found over the years that most people are like you in this regard. Most do not backup until they have a failure and cannot recover from that failure be it a software/directory issue or a real HD crash.
In case you missed above, here is an example of a HD physical crash. Once this happens, generally there is no way to get your data back unless you go to a professional shop where they attempt to recover your data. If however, you have head to head crashing like this one, the heads themselves may damage the platters physically or electronically. YMMV.
Anyhow, backing up your data is like getting life insurance. You hope that you don't need it, but it is there just in case. And if unfortunately, you have a HD crash you are prepared.
I hope this makes sense. Anyhow, enjoy the HD crash audio.
cool11, spork183,
SuperDuper is amazingly cool. Once you set it to Copy All Files you get your complete computer on the external HD, assuming the apple store erases your computer's HD, then when you get your computer back you just boot up from the Backup you made on the external, and open SuperDuper and set it to Copy All Files, again, but this time it's copying from the External HD back to the Computer.
To boot from the external drive you just plug it in to the computer and start up with the Option key held down then you will be given a choice to boot from the external.
After I made a bootable copy of my emac, I then plugged the external drive into a friend's powerbook and started up from my copy. The result was that his powerbook was in effect my computer, every aspect was identical.
"Also, I do not believe in Smart Cloning"
What's not to believe, it's just a normal backup that doesn't copy anything that hasn't changed.
SuperDuper is amazingly cool. Once you set it to Copy All Files you get your complete computer on the external HD, assuming the apple store erases your computer's HD, then when you get your computer back you just boot up from the Backup you made on the external, and open SuperDuper and set it to Copy All Files, again, but this time it's copying from the External HD back to the Computer.
To boot from the external drive you just plug it in to the computer and start up with the Option key held down then you will be given a choice to boot from the external.
After I made a bootable copy of my emac, I then plugged the external drive into a friend's powerbook and started up from my copy. The result was that his powerbook was in effect my computer, every aspect was identical.
"Also, I do not believe in Smart Cloning"
What's not to believe, it's just a normal backup that doesn't copy anything that hasn't changed.
hi, im slow in the head so forgive my noobish question, i just like to verify if i think this correctly...
i plan on selling my mbp and would like to copy everything on my mbp HD. i guess you call this the image? so i want to copy everything from my personal files, software i installed, user preferences etc....
i want to purchase a new computer like the macpro.
i then want to overwrite the tiger os on the macpro with what i exactly had on the mac book pro.
so it seems all i need to do, is use superduper, backup my mbp on external drive, wipe clean the mbp, buy new computer, connect external drive to new computer, and just do a copy all from external drive to new computer?
thanks.
i plan on selling my mbp and would like to copy everything on my mbp HD. i guess you call this the image? so i want to copy everything from my personal files, software i installed, user preferences etc....
i want to purchase a new computer like the macpro.
i then want to overwrite the tiger os on the macpro with what i exactly had on the mac book pro.
so it seems all i need to do, is use superduper, backup my mbp on external drive, wipe clean the mbp, buy new computer, connect external drive to new computer, and just do a copy all from external drive to new computer?
thanks.
How about incremental back up?
I do not think anybody mentioned that. Do any of the tools let you do incremental back ups? I would want to avoid copying the same data over and over again. I just want to copy the new/changed files.
I do not think anybody mentioned that. Do any of the tools let you do incremental back ups? I would want to avoid copying the same data over and over again. I just want to copy the new/changed files.