How do I transfer a specific backup from my external hard drive to my mac book air?

How do I transfer a specific backup from my external hard drive to my mac book air? I downgraded my mac's software from Mavericks to Mountain Lion because of the computer's limations so I need to transfer all the info I had when Mavericks  and down to Mountain Lion. I already went to the Apple Genius Bar and they helped me downgrade, but I want to transfer information from a specific backup on my external hard drive?

time machine backup?   Go into the backups.backupdb (time machine) and extract out the specific files, drag them to your desktop etc.
consider in the future additional backup methods than time machine for easy file extraction.
Methodology to protect your data. Backups vs. Archives. Long-term data protection

Similar Messages

  • How do I transfer files from an external hard drive to my mac book pro

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    What files are they? Is it a clone, a TM backup, or simply drag 'n drop?
    If it's the latter, simply drag them back. If something else, please post back with detailed info.

  • How do you transfer your itunes library from an external hard drive?

    I've just bought a new internal hard drive for my macbook because I've run out of space. I'm planning on putting my itunes library on an external hard drive then putting it on the new internal hard drive... but i have no idea what the best way to do that is, since it isn't just the files that are important, my playlists and all the changes to song names need to stay intact. and also i'm gonna put snow leopard on the new hard drive if that makes any difference?
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    peacexx

    I have much the same problem. I have my iTunes files on an 80GB external drive along with my iPhoto files. Currently, my MacBook Air sees and operates from the iTunes setup on the 80GB drive. To provide more space to handle these files I got a 500GB portable external drive. Now I want to bring the iTunes files back into my MBA and, when complete,put them out on the 500GB drive from which I'll operate my iTunes. This might be simpler if the MBA had two USB2 ports instead of one. I've tried the method noted in "Transferring Your iTunes Library" (http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to -a-new-hard-drive/), but couldn't seem to get the 80GB files back to the MBA such that iTunes would see them there. (I copied the files over, but the link's broken.) Ideas?
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  • HT1296 How do I transfer my music library from my external hard drive to my new PC?

    I saved all my music to an external hard drive so that it could be moved to my new PC.  All my song titles are showing up on the new PC, but whenever I try to play something, it says the file cannot be found.  If I plug the HD in, it will play the music.  As soon as I unplug the HD, I can no longer play anything.  My music library includes both items purchased from iTunes and music I added from CDs I own.  Please advise.  Thanks!

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    ahdn when you play something it will only play when the e-hd is connected ?
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    some of us wish to move our media to NAS's to save storage on our computers
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  • How do I migrate my itunes library from an external hard drive to my mac mini's internal hard drive?

    I have my iTunes library on an external hard drive because my macbook pro's internal hard drive didn't have enough room.  I would like to migrate or transfer the itunes files while continuing to keep my playlists.  Is there a way to do that with the migration software?

    Thank you for your help.  My biggest concern is losing all of my sorted music into playlists. I have 124GB of music and resorting it will very difficult.  When I moved the itunes library with the help of a supervisor at apple tech to the external HD I had to resort it.
    Will it move the entire library and setting as they are now?

  • How do I transfer music and playlists from an external hard drive to my new computer?

    I just got a new pc and I need to transfer music and playlists that were saved to an external drive from 2 seperate computers.  There are 2 different sets of music and playlists, one mine and the other my husbands.
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    Thanks in advance

    iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer (Mac or Windows):
      http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
    Do you now have two different iTunes libraries, or just two different accounts on iTunes

  • How do I copy a home made HD video file (MP4 codec) of 10 GB from an external hard disk to my Mac Book Pro? Thanks

    How do I copy a home made HD video file (MP4 codec) of >10 GB from an external hard disk to my Mac Book Pro? Thanks

    I will never know if the problem was one of transfer or format compatibility.  The movie would not copy from one external hard diask to another, both attached to my MAC. But when the movie (which was in mpg by the way) was downloaded directly (without any other intermediary) into my external disk from the computer (a PC) where the movie was originated, the file did copy. And when I attached that external hard disk to my MAC, i could see it  using the MPEC streamclip app.
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  • How do i transfer my iphoto events to an external hard drive and have the pictures remain within their original events?

    How do i transfer my iphoto events to an external hard drive and have the pictures remain within their original events? Every time i try it splits up all of my pictures one by one. You'd think you'd be able to just drag and drop the event, but no such luck. Help!!

    What version of iPhtoo do you have?
    To export the photos in an event use the file menu == export command - see the user tip on exporting for the available options
    TO use your iPhoto library on an external drive
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    And backup soon and often - having your iPhoto library on an external drive is not a backup and if you are using Time Machine you need to check and be sure that TM is backing up your external drive
    LN

  • How do I move my iphoto library from one external hard drive to another?

    how do I move my iphoto library from one external hard drive to another?

    Drag it there in the Finder and then launch iPhoto with the Option key held down. Point it to the new instance of the library.
    (58012)

  • HT1329 How do I transfer my iTunes Library to an external hard drive?

    How do I transfer my iTunes Library to an external hard drive?

    See this support article:
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305451

  • I had to reformat my OSX 10.5.8 and i can't restore my emails from my time machine backup from an external hard drive - only the latest (post backup) time machine back ups are available to restore. Please can any help

    I had to reformat my OSX 10.5.8 and I can't restore my emails from my time machine backup from an external hard drive - only the latest (post backup) time machine back ups are available to restore. Please can any help? I can find the mail folder in my libraries, but the Restore Button is grayed out

    OSX treats the reformatted drive as a different one; it's the same as replacing it, and the old one is no longer connected.
    See #E3 in  Time Machine - Troubleshooting to see and restore from the "old" drive.
    And, you may not want to restore via the Finder; see the blue box in #15 of  Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.

  • I threw out 24 time machine backups from an external hard drive into my desktop trash and now I can't empty my trash.

    I threw out 24 time machine backups from an external hard drive into my IMac desktop trash and now I can't empty my trash.

    Since you didn't mention what type of error message you were seeing, I'm going to guess on what is happening.
    I'm guessing that since you threw away Time Machine backups, that Time Machine is probably active on your Mac. There is a chance then that the files you tossed are marked as in use. You can't delete files that are in use.
    Try turning Time Machine off, then restart your Mac. Then try deleting them again.
    Once done, turn Time Machine back on.
    Tom

  • Is there a way to get my photos off an old time machine backup from an external hard drive?

    Is there a way to get my photos off an old time machine backup from an external hard drive?

    You will have to connect the Time Machine HDD and click on the Icon.  You will see one folder called Backups.backupdb.  Click on that and you will have to continue until you find the home folder.  The iPhoto library (where the pictures are, not the application) will probably be in your pictures folder.  You will have to drag that to your desk top.  Then you will have access to individual images.
    Ciao.

  • Time machine will not backup to empty external hard drive after replacing Mac's internal hard drive and restoring

    First - I live in a tiny fishing village in Belize, so getting support here is virtually non-existent. There is no one else in my village who even uses a Mac. Recently, my hard drive in my 2012 Macbook Pro 13" went bad (said it suffered a "shock"?) and I was traveling to Cozumel, Mexico, so had it replaced there. We used an external hard drive backup to restore the data to it's last time machine backup (October of 2014). Everything was working fine, until I returned home, added some pictures, and wanted to do a fresh backup. Now, time machine will start the backup, but gets about 113,000 of 181,000 done, and it locks up. I can do nothing - everything freezes, and I have to eventually power down the computer. I even tried deleting the old backup from the external hard drive, erasing it completely, and reformatting the external hard drive using disk utility. Still locking up. It is a 5 GB external hard drive, so space shouldn't be an issue, and it was backed up to the same external hard drive previously with no issues. I'm still running Mavericks, and don't want to try to upgrade to Yosemite until I can be sure I have a backup of my old data and pictures. I am a writer, and use that to make my meager living LOL
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    Thanks!

    SMH5206 - I tried letting it sit and crank overnight twice. First time I thought it was my error causing it to lock up. Now I know better. I haven't changed any of my time machine settings - and actually never used time machine regularly. Only reason I had a fresh backup from last Oct was because I did one before I upgraded to mavericks. Everything worked fine then - and we used that to restore when the hard drive crashed and was replaced. I have actually deleted hundreds of pictures off my hard drive and one entire user, so it should actually be a much smaller backup - so if it did it before on the same external hard disk, I don't understand why it won't now.  I'm really confused.
    Kahjot - the external hard drive is the same one I backed up to previously - and I have completely erased it and reformatted, and the information I'm backing up now is less, so there should be no reason why it doesn't have enough room now, when there is actually less information on my current hard drive (see my reply to SMH5206). When I plug it in, it says it is a 500.07 GB WD "My Passport"
    I've even tried to have time machine only backup certain files, and not the whole thing. Still locking up.
    I'm sure it's my error somewhere, - I just don't know how or where

  • I want to take files from my PC (using a Seagate external hard drive) then plug this Seagate External hard drive into my Mac Book Pro and move the files from the Seagate External Hard drive onto my Time Capsule. I do not want to put these files on my Mac

    I want to take files from my PC (using a Seagate external hard drive) then plug this Seagate External hard drive into my Mac Book Pro and move the files from the Seagate External Hard drive onto my Time Capsule. I do not want to put these files on my Mac. How do I do this? Where do I put these files on my Time Capsule? Will it affect the functioning of my Time Capsule?

    Mixing files with data is not always great idea.
    See info here.
    Q3 http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html
    Why not just connect the PC directly to the TC by ethernet and copy the files over?
    It is hugely faster and much less mucking around.
    In windows load the airport utility for windows.. if you have not already as this will help you access the drive.
    There is more info here.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1331

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