When time machines backs up, does it overwrite the old stuff?

[0186279]

Im new to the whole time machine/external HD thing. When I plug my external in and time machine does its thing, will it overwrite the existing copy of my computer that the external already has?

Also, will it copy my windows partition (and everything within) or do I do that seperately?

Thanks : )

 

[BlueRevolution]

Im new to the whole time machine/external HD thing. When I plug my external in and time machine does its thing, will it overwrite the existing copy of my computer that the external already has?

Was this existing copy made with Time Machine or manually/with another app?

It won't delete anything not Time Machine-related on the external drive. Once its initial backup is made, all subsequent versions contain only the material that has changed since the previous backup. Older file versions are not overwritten until the Time Machine disk fills up, at which point it starts discarding the oldest content to make room for new backups.

Also, will it copy my windows partition (and everything within) or do I do that seperately?

You will have to back that up separately.

 

[0186279]

Ok gotcha. Yes the orignial backup was made with time machine. So it will only backup things that have changed next time. This is good to know.

What exactly do I do when I "enter" the time machine program? Its a bit scary.

 

[BlueRevolution]

It's quite straightforward.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/68829/time-machine.mov