Backing Up Your Files

Could anybody recommend an application that I can use on my MacBook Pro to manage the regular back up of my files (photos, music, documents etc).
I have an external harddrive that I connect and have manually copied the files to be backed up over, but it would be great if I could get something that would automate this for me.
Any suggestions greatfully received.
Thanks.

What exactly is SuperDuper (of course its a backup program) but what is it good for? You wouldn't just backup your files on the internal hard drive right? You would back them up on an external? Am I correct?
Yes, you're right. What SuperDuper does is back up your files to an external hard drive, with some options on how you do it. It can back up your entire hard drive to the external hard drive and make it bootable if desired. It can just back up your user files, if you don't want to bother backing up all of the system files. And it can make incremental backups of changed and/or new files since your last back up, so that after your initial backup, your backup procedure is much quicker and still adds anything new or changed to your backup drive.
And what are the uses in a bootable backup? I'm afraid I'm a bit new to this.
One use is simply that you can boot from the external drive if something goes wrong with your internal drive. Another advantage is that you can test your backup, making sure everything worked properly, by booting it and using it for a bit.
Bootable backups are also used by beta testers, since they can clone the system and their files to an external drive, boot from it, then install beta software on the clone and test it in what is otherwise their usual setup. (Obviously not something you should do without some thought and additional backups.) And SuperDuper has extra features for that purpose, creating a bootable backup that clones the system but shares your user files with your original hard drive. (Also not for the faint of heart and requiring additional backups to be sure nothing gets irrevocably damaged when testing beta software.)
But don't listen to me. Read SuperDuper's web site to learn more.

Similar Messages

Backing Up your files and HD content.

Just wondered what program everyone was using to back up there files and HD. I tried iBackup but as I have so much music on my MBP it was taking ages to do it. But, then after time if I had added 2 more cd albums to my iTunes then tried to back it up again I had to delete my previous back up and start over. Not the best.
Does anyone know if there is a Back Up program that when you go to Back Up your files for a second time, it just adds the ones missing from your previous back up?
Would love to know as I have already been stung once with my previous PowerBook.
Thanks all..
RICKY
MacBook Pro 2.33Ghz C2D 3GB RAM, MacBook 2.0Ghz C2D 1GB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.10) I'm an Apple Pervert.

Get an external Firewire drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
1. Retrospect Desktop (Commercial - not yet universal binary)
2. Synchronize! Pro X (Commercial)
3. Synk (Backup, Standard, or Pro)
4. Deja Vu (Shareware)
5. PsynchX 2.1.1 and RsyncX 2.1 (Freeware)
6. Carbon Copy Cloner (Freeware - 3.0 is a Universal Binary)
7. SuperDuper! (Commercial)
The following utilities can also be used for backup, but cannot create bootable clones:
1. Backup (requires a .Mac account with Apple both to get the software and to use it.)
2. Toast
3. Impression
4. arRSync
Apple's Backup is a full backup tool capable of also backing up across multiple media such as CD/DVD. However, it cannot create bootable backups. It is primarily an "archiving" utility as are the other two.
Impression and Toast are disk image based backups, only. Particularly useful if you need to backup to CD/DVD across multiple media.
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on maintenance, optimization, virus protection, and backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.

The best practice when backing up your files

Hi,
I recently started using Carbon Copy Cloner after using only Time Machine as my back up solution. I do understand the purpose of each application TM and a cloner utility such as Super Duper or CCC but I was wondering what the best process is when using these two methods to backup you files.
For instance I use TM to back up my files as frequently as possible to keep all my recent changes updated, but I don’t see how I would keep my clone updated and make sure that when something happens I will have a workable boot disk and not something that contains corrupted files. In other words I think these cloner utilities have some sort of feature to keep your clone drive updated every time something changes but this got me wondering what if you update your clone drive and for some reason one of the updated file was corrupted, without you knowing it if course, now you have a backup that contains bad files and may affect your system (corrupted fonts files etc.) and when you realized that something is not working right in your system you may want to recover from your clone but you will basically end up with the same problem because the bad files were also backed up.
How do you ensure that your clone will always be ready and that it will not contain bad files?
What is your backup process? Be so kind and share your method.
Again, I’m ok with TM I just need to know how you guys are managing your clone drives using ether Super Duper or Carbon Copy Cloner.
Thanks a lot!

I use CCC exclusively and update my clones every couple of days or after installing updates. I have no use for TM, since I've never had to go back and get something I deleted or changed. I do, however, boot into those clones on a routine basis to ensure that they look and act like the originals. This has worked for over seven years, but YMMV.

Is a disk image of the whole hard drive a good way of backing up your files?

I have to make a backup of my macbook pro because its being taken to the technician.
I wanted to know if creating a disk image of the whole internal hard drive to an external one using disk utility is a good and secure way?
After this I would erase my hard drive using this thread : OS X Mavericks: Erase and reinstall OS X
Is this a good procedure? I not which one would be the best one? I read something about bootable clones but I don't seem to fully understand it and I don't know if its what im looking for.
Your help would be awesome!
Thanks!

Disk Utility>Restore will copy the OSX, the Recovery Partition and ALL user data. It will be an identical copy of the internal HDD.
Third party software such as Carbon Copy Cloner can also perform that same function, but also allow for incremental changes.
Ciao.

Disk utility can't repair this disk.... Is it still possible to back up my files?

I was just on Word earlier and the mac crashed, I restarted it and it wouldn't load past the grey screen. I then used my install disc to go into disk utility, where it tried to verify and repair my Macintosh HD but failed to do both. I don't know what's cause this but more importantly I need to know where it's still possible to back up my files without having to purchase Disk Warrior. If I was to take it to the Apple store, what would they suggest?
I don't know what my operating system is, I recently did a system update last week I believe if that means anything?
Thanks for your time
Luke

Okay thanks Thomas Reed, it's a shame this has happened. It was so sudden...one minute I'm typing on word, the next minute it's broke beyond repair?
It's peculiar how it says Disk Ultility can't repair the drive but to try and back up your files...when it's actually impossible to do so without any software. I'm assuming things like creating a new image etc. won't help at all.
I'm hoping the Apple Store people will be able to help me out, I've heard DiskWarrior is good so I may check that out.

Can Best Buy back up my files without saving my computer?

Best Buy told me they have to remove my virus to save my computer. I asked them to back up my files of course there is a fee. Is there a way for them to back up my files on a CDR or DVR and not fix the virus. I don't care if they dump my computer and I get a new one. I just need my files.

Find a KNOPPIX or Ubunutu Linux LiveCD, and boot from that. Back up your files to an external hard drive using the LiveCD.
Then virus scan the external HD. DO IT FROM THE LiveCD! A LiveCD can't get infected by a virus (read-only media), and in addition 99%+ of Windows viruses can't infect a Linux distribution.
*disclaimer* I am not now, nor have I ever been, an employee of Best Buy, Geek Squad, nor of any of their affiliate, parent, or subsidiary companies.

Look at your iphoto 'page'. On the left is a margin running vertically down the page and within that margin are shown your files/folders - e.g 'events', I can't get that margin contents back

Look at your iphoto 'page'.
On the left is a margin running vertically down the page and within that margin are shown your files/folders - e.g 'events', 'last 12 months', 'anniversary' etc etc.
Now visualize the 'page' but WITHOUT the margin and the entries in it. It just disappeared while I was editing photos.
I've tried all the 'File', 'Edit', 'View', 'Share' 'Window' & 'Help' options, but no success.
There is no apparent way of calling up onto the screen any photos, folders etc. because I can't get the margin and its contents back onto the iphoto page.
I've tried restoring the page from my backup, where it is all perfect, but that didn't work.
Help please!

Move your cursor to the extreme left hand side of the iPhoto Window until it turns into a '+' and then click and drag right.

Warning: Backing up your iWeb 'Domain' file will not save you.

Here's the transcript from my chat with a MobilMe Support Rep. after losing (they simply disappeared) all of my blog's very valuable comments (hundreds), for nearly two years of blog entries.
I have many backed up 'domain' files, and each shows the comments that have been received and saved for all the entries when iWeb first starts up. But then, for some reason iWeb scrubs them (they just disappear) and when I "Publish All" to the web, the entries are published but not the comments attached.
Read MobilMe's response and consider yourselves warned. Backups won't save you. They simply won't. And yet . . . I was actually told I should have backed up. When I told my tech rep I had, then the reality of the situation came out. This is amazing to me.
Read on . . .
You are chatting with Omran A, a MobileMe Support Representative
Hi, my name is Omran A. Welcome to Apple!
Omran A: How are you?
Omran A: I see that you have lost your comments.
Omran A: Correct?
Perry: Yes. Phone just rang, so my responses will be a bit slow for a few
Omran A: I apologize for the inconvenience.
Omran A: Have you upgraded iWeb recently?
Perry: Yes, Omran, is there any way to retrieve them?
Omran A: I am sorry this has happened to you. Losing comments tend to happen when upgrading iweb:
Perry: I'm running the latest version, and have been since it came out. Had problems with people even leaving comments for a while, as did everyone who was using iWeb, but that had become an issue of the past for a few months as memory serves.
Omran A: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2094
Omran A: Please let me know if you can view the link
Perry: We are well past the info in this upgrade doc. Upgraded long ago
Perry: Yes, I've got it up
Omran A: I just wanted to show you that upgrading iWeb tends to delete comments
Perry: I am at step 6, contact MobilMe support.
Omran A: Can you please give me a link to your site?
Perry: http://web.me.com/davidperryphoto1/GardenBlog/APhotographers_Garden_Blog/A_Photographers_GardenBlog.html
Omran A: Can you please give me a link to your site?
Omran A: Thank you
Omran A: Please hold while I do some investigation
Omran A: Did your comments get deleted after updating to iWeb 2.0 or did happen month after that?
Perry: More than a month afterward. Just a week or so ago
Omran A: OK
Omran A: Thank you
Omran A: Please hold while I do some further investigation
Perry: Still there?
Omran A: Yes
Omran A: I am still performing a investigation.
Omran A: Please give me a few more minutes.
Perry: Thanks. I'll just keep on working here...
Omran A: Thank you for your patience
Omran A: I am terribly sorry. I search all over the servers and I am not able to recover your comments.
Omran A: I suggest backing up comments regularly.
Omran A: I suggest backing up comments regularly.
Perry: When I start up iWeb with my saved "domain" file, I see the comments, but then, within moments, the program scrubs them, because, apparently they are no longer out there on the web. Is there anyway to recapture them from the saved domain file?
Perry: How the heck do I back up my comments if they are stored in some obscure place on one of your servers and seperate from my website?
Omran A: So you see them and then they disappear
Perry: yes
Omran A: OK
Omran A: I believe the following link shows you how to backup to save comments
Omran A: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2094
Perry: Omran, look. I have a backed up copy of my domain, just as they direct. When I start up iWeb with this file, I see the saved comments. But when I publish all, as directed, I get the blog but I get no comments published. That's why you and I are talking. I've apparently got the comments still in some form in my saved domain, but the program, or .ME scrubs them. What the **** good does the backed up file do me if I can't get Mobil Me to recognize the comments and re-post them? This is my issue.
Omran A: OK
Omran A: I am sorry I did not fully understand you
Omran A: One moment please.
Omran A: I am sorry even though you are able to see the comments for a split second. You can not recover them from the domain file.
Omran A: Just for clarification
Perry: Can we agree that this is a gigantic "cluster #@$*" and that this wonderful new opportunity presented us in the form of MobilMe has been very painful and expensive for many of your loyal customers?
Omran A: You see the comments with the domain file you backed up in iweb but can not see them once you published them to the internet, correct?
Perry: correct.
Omran A: Do they disappear in iWeb ?
Perry: But the program or something tends to scrub them within a minute or so of the program starting up. They are there, in all the entries dating all the way back, and then they are not. They just disappear.
Omran A: I am sorry the domain is there but We can not recover the comments. I am sorry that you have had a bad experience with MobileMe. We have given our loyal customers a 90 day extension for your patience with us.
Perry: Do you or anyone there know of a resource that I can send the domain file to take it apart and retrieve the comments. Someone has to know how to burrow into the file and pull that stuff. Anybody there know of a resource?
Omran A: Let me check
Omran A: I just checked with my supervisor and he checked the servers and said there is no way to recover your comments.
Omran A: My sincere apologies. I understand loosing comments that span for two years is very sad.
Omran A: If there was a way I would let you know.
Omran A: I am sorry that you experience with MobileMe has not been that great, you may leave a feedback and let us know what issues has frustrated you
Omran A: MobileMe feedback
Omran A: Upper manager reads the feeback
Omran A: Feedback
Perry: Thanks to you personally Omran for your efforts. I'll be saving and perhaps publishing this dialogue between us on the blog as a warning to others, along with a few choice words and pictures illustrating my newly formed opinion of MobilMe. Watch for it.
Omran A: If you select the blue close button and you will receive a survey.
Omran A: Please note that the survey reflects only me.
Omran A: I am sorry that I was not able to help you.
Perry: NO worries. Thanks!
Omran A: If you create the blog can you change my name to something else
Omran A: It would be horrible to have people coming in and saying oh no it is you!
Perry: Why, you were awesome. It is iWeb and this new, rammed down our throats long before it should have been, MobilMe that is the problem, not you. You were a real peach.
Omran A: Thank you Perry
Omran A: Thank you for chatting and I hope MobileMe services improve to meet your needs
Omran A: And have a great day
Perry: You can be certain that I do too! Thanks again!

Yeah, if your Domain won't fit on a CD or you don't have space to save it, at LEAST set up Backup to annoy you at regular intervals. Once you've clicked cancel a few times due to wanting to get something else done, perhaps it will begin to wear on your psyche and guilt you into going ahead and doing it!

TS1901 Disk Utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.

Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
*** ??? I need to take out the data from a WD320 that shows this error and then format the WD and put the data into again
THANKS !!!

I'm sorry, is there a question here? You seem to know precisely what you need to do…

Can I fix a disk with this message?-Disk Utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.

Can I fix a disk with this message?
Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.

Some problems can indeed be fixed this way. But working from Recovery_HD or Disk Warrior DVDs and working in the restricted environment those provide can be difficult. You can literally spend days working on this problem (while your regular work is unavailable) only to discover the old drive is unsalvageable.
There is no way to know up front whether you are facing a major Hardware failure or a minor software glitch, or something in between. Often you are forced to work from the drive you no longer trust. I continue to recommend you do this work from a different, fully functioning Mac OS X booted from a different drive.
If you have had the foresight to (as The hatter often recommends) clone your virgin install onto another drive for use in such situations, you will be able to recover from such problems in record time. If not, my previous recommendations stands:
Buy a new Drive. Or two. Install Mac OS X from scratch on a new drive, and get your Mac running again. Later, you can use the full power of Mac OS X to attempt to rescue your data, if needed. Then Zero the old drive, to see if it can hold data again reliably.
If the old drive eventually provides some needed data, and is salvageable, Merry Christmas.

Macbook pro won't boot and when I tried to back up the hard drive I got "disk utility can't repair this disk backup as many of your files as possible"

My macbook pro froze and initially would not even recognize the power chord. Now it charges, but will not load up. I opened in in disk utility to try and back it up so that I could take it to apple to have it fixed but I got the message that said "disk utility can't repair this disk backup as many of your files as possible". How do I back up the files???

Nichelle215,
you can try the method described on this Apple page, in the “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility” section. (You can skip step 6, since you already know that your disk is irreparable.) Note, however, that this method is not guaranteed to work. Once you get your disk straightened out, you might consider purchasing an external hard disk for use as a Time Machine backup destination, so that a similar problem in the future won’t wipe out the only copy of your files.

Cansomeone please tell me what the simplest way is to backup your files from you Mac and then completely restore it back to when I first bought it? I do not want to download or purchase any software, and I would like to keep my important files-pics, music

I just would like to completely reset my MAC. I dont want to have to download or purchase a software to download, and I dont quite understand what the time machine is supposed to do if you have not been told to use if before. Shouldn't mac have some type of in home software already installed? And how can I completely restore my mac back to its original system?

1: Connect a external powered drive like a Firewire or USB drive. If you question the drive format or need to format it, first do that in Disk Utility before transfering any files to the drive. MSDOS, FAT32 or exFAT is best for any Windows or Mac to access the files.
2: Transfer your files manually by dragging and dropping your Users Folders like Pictures, Movies, Documents and Music (do not use TimeMachine!!) Eject the drive and disconnect from the computer.
3: Next insert the cd that came with your computer and reboot holding c
4: Two screens in is a menu option called "Utilities" select Disk Utility.
5: On the left is your internal boot drive, select it and Erase > Format HFS+ Journaled > Security Option > Zero All Data. Wait about a hour or so until it's finished.
6: When it's done, quit and your back in the installer again, install OS X and when finished, shut down.
The next time the computer reboots, it will go through the "welcome" video and the initial setup, just like a new Mac.

HT201250 Will using AirPort Utility to "restore to original settings" make you have to re-back up your computer's files on a Time Capsule?

Will using AirPort Utility to "restore to original settings" make you have to re-back up your computer's files on a Time Capsule?

The advantage is CCC has built in routines that "bless" (see the Terminal.app command "bless") the
os x installation so it will boot properly on the new volume it is being installed on.
Disk Utility simply copies (restores) files from one volume to another. Many times this works just fine.
Sometimes it won't boot afterwards. Most of the time (as long as there are no system files missing
or corrupted) a person may "bless" the drive and restore it to working condition.
CCC is not a "magical" application, it is in fact a front end to applications that already exist separately
in OS X (asr, hdiutil, diskutil, bless, etc.).
It doesn't matter to me how you do it. It's your time not mine. Everyone should spend some time
behind the command line in terminal. I do many tasks using the command line, including and not
limited to complete system restores, backing up data, disk partitioning, installing software, disk
repair, permissions repair, ACL management, restoring data, managing disk images, network
management, user management, file management, etc. Many people are fearful of the command
line. I feel just the opposite, I'm fearful without it.
Say Hello to my little friend.
http://manuals.info.apple.com/enUS/Command_Line_Adminv10.5.pdf
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/unixopensource/clix.html
http://www.macobserver.com/tips/macosxcl101/index.html
http://www.matisse.net/OSX/darwin_commands.html
Kj

Backing up your mac to external drive and how to access individual files

I have managed to back up the information on my computer to a external drive as a whole but need to access different files, projects so that i can then delete them from my computer to save space. how do I access the different files on my external drive???

You CAN access the backed up file from a time machine backup. Just attach the external drive you used for time machine backups to your notebook and then Start Time machine (First under preference - slide the switch to "off" so it does not start an automatic backup right then) Once you open the backup files in Time Machine on your Notebook you can navigate back to older backups to get to that file. (Even if you've deleted it on your notebook after having backed up that file)
NOW - I would recommend having another back up, like the other poster, before you delete the file from your notebook. Redundancy is a good thing. The way time machine works is that over time as your external drive begins to fill it will delete the oldest backup(s) and you could potentially loose that file forever.
I have two other back ups - I have a Super Duper (exact) cloned version of my MBP on a second ext. hard drive. Now, this would not work for you since you want to delete that file from your MBP. Since it is an exact copy if you delete that file from your notebook and then go back to do a back up with Super Duper it would delete that file on the cloned version on your ext. hard drive (too keep them exactly the same). There may be other settings to avoid this, but I generally just use it as a clone. I also have a 3rd mobile hard drive where I set up folders for files I want to keep forever and just drag and drop those onto this drive.
You can cut down on having too many ext. drives if they have a big enough capacity by partitioning them in Disk Utility. (i.e one big drive with a partition for Super Duper and another for standard backups)
Hope that helps a bit.
Thanks.
Mark

Backing up ONLY files from your hard drive

So recently installed Yosemite and it caused even more problems I had on this MBP. I now get the grey screens of death during start ups many times before it will actually boot up completely. So I went to back it up and it wouldn't work and I read online that formatting your back up and re-backing up solved the problem and it did. But now I wanna downgrade back to mavericks so I created mavericks boot install and it formatted my HDD and then used my boot OS X Mavericks drive and I was now back in mavericks. And the mavericks new owner intro thing popped up and made me set up my computer info and aske if id like to restore data and i selected yes and selected my external back up drive and it said I could not do it because that drive only had a Yosemite back on it (Because I deleted my mavericks back up earlier) so I went into recovery mode to restore my files I selected my external back up HD and it worked this way but when it finished restoring it restored all my files but it restored It to Yosemite because that was my last back up. So is there any way to back up my files without backing up the OS as well. Would I just have to select every file individually?

Boot into the recovery partition.
Select Disk Utility from the 4 option menu.
Drag the indented VOLUMES to the Source and Destination fields.
Ciao.

Backing Up Your Files

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