Backup and protect info before repair

Can i just backup the entire USER folder and delete it off the system before sending it to apple for repair?
I need to protect sensitive data.
Does anyone see a downside to this in this new OS?
MacbookAir, 2014, OS 10.10
macuser since 1984

You will be making things difficult for the person doing the repair. Since he will not be able to boot the system up to check out his work without a Home directory.
Really if you have any sensitive data it should be stored in an encrypted Sparse disk image all the time. Once you do then no one but yourself can every see the sensitive data.

Similar Messages

  • My system was re-set during repairs and I have lost my Firefox bookmarks. Are these stored anywhere on the system? I did a full backup of documents and programme files before repair, but can't find any bookmark file.

    I did not do backups of the bookmarks regularly, since I thought these would be saved somewhere. However, I can't find any bookmark files on my backed-up system.

    Thanks - now I can see an applications folder, and have found a .default file, hope this is the one. Should I now follow these instructiosn to restore my profile, or just go to organise bookmarks and import the default file?
    Copying files between profile folders
    Note: Firefox must be closed down while copying files between profile folders.
    1. Open your profile folder:
    * (Firefox 3.0 and 3.5): See How to find your profile
    1. (Firefox 3.6): At the top of the Firefox windowOn the menu bar, click on the Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information.... The Troubleshooting Information tab will open.
    2. Under Application Basics, click on Open Containing FolderShow in Finder.
    2. From the menu at the top of the Firefox windowbar, select FileFirefox and then select the ExitQuit FirefoxQuit menu item.
    3. Right-clickHold down the Ctrl key while you click on a file you want to copy and choose Copy.
    4. Open the new Firefox profile folder.
    5. Right-clickHold down the Ctrl key while you click inside the profile folder and choose Paste Item.
    Repeat steps 2-5 for each file you wish to transfer over to your new profile folder.
    While copying your personal data from an old Firefox profile to a new Firefox profile, it is possible that you could copy over the file that is causing the problem you are trying to get rid of! The more files you copy over, the greater the chance of this happening. It is therefore recommended that:

  • When Time Machine tries to back up to my Seagate HD before the HD is fully on, it fails. Then Time machine thinks it needs to back up the entire drive and there's not enough room. It won't just do the backup of new info now. Any thoughts?

    When I try to do a Time Machine backup with my Seagate HD, and if I accidentally have Time Machine automatically on, it will fail if the HD is not fully on and recognized by the computer yet. But the problem is that when this has happened (twice now), it seems it loses all knowledge that it has backed up using Time Machine before and it will only try to back up the entire Mac HD to the Seagate. The Seagate already has 147 GB of data from prior Time Machine backups and I only need to backup the latest stuff since my last backup, but it won't let me do that. It tries to do the whole drive and it says it can't because there is only 135 GB of space left and it needs to backup 147 GB. Anyone know how to fix this and get it to start backing up again without erasing the drive and starting over? That's what I did last time. I erased the Seagate and then reset it as my Time Machine drive and it started working fine again until it failed and reverted to the problem. Thanks

    These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.
    Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
    ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.
    Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left. If you don't see that menu, select
    View ▹ Show Log List
    from the menu bar.
    Enter the word "Starting" (without the quotes) in the String Matching text field. You should now see log messages with the words "Starting * backup," where * represents any of the words "automatic," "manual," or "standard." Note the timestamp of the last such message that corresponds to an abnormal backup. Now
    CLEAR THE WORD "Starting" FROM THE TEXT FIELD
    so that all messages are showing, and scroll back in the log to the time you noted. Select the messages timestamped from then until the end of the backup, or the end of the log if that's not clear. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.
    If all you see are messages that contain the word "Starting," you didn't clear the text field.
    If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Don't post many repetitions of the same message.
    When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.
    Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
    Some personal information, such as the names of your files, may be included—anonymize before posting.

  • My iphone is broken,and i came to store to change a new one today. When I come home, I found I lost my backup and may be mistake is made during before backup.The information in my previous iphone is really important for me? how can I get the backup back?

    my iphone is broken,and i came to store to change a new one today. When I come home, I found I lost my backup and may be mistake is made during before backup.The information in my previous iphone is really important for me? how can I get the backup back?

    If you don't have a backup then the only possible solution is to go back to the store and see if they can get your old phone and create a backup of that. I know very often that Apple employees will wipe the returned iPhones clean before shipping them back to wherever they ship them.
    When you say your old phone was "broken" does this mean it is dead and won't turn on?
    Do you have a Time Machine backup of your computer, or a clone that might have this info on it?
    Other than that I hate to say you may be out of luck. Time Machine and/or a cloning program performed regularily will inevitably save your a** in situations like this.
    Good luck
    PM

  • My hard disk is damaged and i have no external hard drive, and i was wondering, if i sent my computer to Apple, would they back up my files for me before repairing it?

    My hard disk has been damaged for about 4 months now. When I ran the disk repair under disk utility, it told me to back my files and send it in for repairs. My problem is that I had a external hard drive, but I lost it, so I obviously can't back up my files. Also I tried using other external hard drives and that didn't work, pretty sure it was because they were not formatted for a mac. So my question is that if I send my computer to Apple, for repair, that would they back up my files there before repairing my computer. It could be a dumb question but at least I asked. Also my mouse pad no longer works. The "clickability" of it stopped about 3 months or so after getting the computer and just around last Christmas the mouse would not click anymore at all, it would move if one put there fingers on the mousepad but it would not "touch click" anymore. So yeah, help!
    And the OS X was still a snow leopard, not sure the number of the OS.

    Can't you just get another external drive, format it for Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and backup some if not all of your files? Apple's not in the data recovery business. You should have maintained a backup and now it might be too late. Your best bet would probably be just to call it a loss and buy both an internal, to put in your machine, and an external, for backup purposes. You can boot from your installer disc, format the 'new' internal and begin restoring your apps at least.
    I'll never understand why some people don't have backups. Drives fail. It's best to have redundant backups so that all three or four drives don't all fail at once.
    Sheesh - I know that I'm not helping your problem but maybe now you've learned your lesson and others will as well.
    Clinton

  • Should I backup my hard drive before I do a disk repair in disk utility?

    I want to do a disk repair but I don't have an external hard drive to backup information on, so I'm wondering if I can just not back it up and do the disk repair? Does it kill information? How does disk repair even work? Is it a defragger?

    You should always have a reasonably current backup and especially before any major software change such as an OS upgrade and, in this case, a disk repair.  Running without a backup is like walking a tightrope without a net.  External disks are inexpensive.  Your data is not.  Choose an external USB 3.0 disk that is double or more the size of your system disk and dedicate it as your Time Machine backup.
    Time Machine Basics: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1427
    Most commonly used backup methods: 
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3045
    A disk repair is actually a filesystem repair.  It updates links that are in the filesystem directory.  Usually this runs quickly and repairs any faulty links with no issues.  It is a fairly safe action.  Sometimes the directory cannot be repaired and the cure is to erase the disk, reinstall the OS and reload the data from a backup.  Of course one does not erase the disk until they have completed the backup.
    When you are ready to repair the disk:
    Disk Utility 12.x: Repair a disk
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5836

  • I restored my hard drive with time machine but when I log in I get "home folder protected by fire vault and needs to be repaired. But I can't get past the regular log

    I restored my hard drive with time machine but when I log in I get "home folder protected by fire vault and needs to be repaired. But I can't get past the regular log

    Maybe you might find some info to the right>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

  • "Fire-vault protected home folder did not open and needs to be repaired."

    I recently updated my macbook to leopard and after my laptop downloaded system updates, it had to restart but when I came to the login section and tried to login, I get this message:
    "Fire-vault protected home folder did not open and needs to be repaired. Click OK to repair the folder and continue logging in. Click Cancel login to log in as a different user."
    I don't have a different user so I clicked OK, but then I get this message:
    "You are unable to log in to the user account "Kyle" at this time. Logging in to the account failed because an error occured."
    So now I can't login and I'm a college student and need important files on my computer. Someone please help! I have class tomorrow!

    Sorry, I re-read your question and realize from the title you had file vault on upgraded and now it won't let you into the home folder. This is a known issue and I hope Apple produce a fix. I encountered this problem but fortunately I took a bootable image backup to a firewire drive. I booted off that as root and then opened the sparese image which is the home folder. This gave warnings but let me copy important documents to safety and also export address book and safari book marks.
    If you do not have a backup I am very sorry to say you may have lost those files. It is worth backing up important college work, even if it is just to CD. I hope Apple come up with a fix for this because many of us hit this problem. Part of the reason for owning a Mac is you do not expect to have these issues. It made me feel like I had just installed XP!

  • Password protect files before sending to backup

    I use dropbox for online backup. They lack the ability to password protect files before sending them to dropbox. Is there a way to do this, given how dropbox works?
    Or, is there a backup service similar to dropbox (windows and mac in one account) that does provide password protection before sending?
    One option is to compress and encrypt the files then drop that zip into a dropbox folder. I'd loose the auto backup monitoring since I would have to get involved with each backup but that's ok if nothing else is available. Any suggestions on something free that can compress and password protect the compressed file? Or if nothing free, what else is good?

    How do I know the DMG is going over to dropbox encrypted?
    Control-Click on the .dmg
    Select Show Package Contents.
    You should now see the individual 8MB chunks that make up the Encrypted Sparse Bundle.
    Open any of them (maybe using TextEdit, or TexWrangler, or Smultron). If you can figure out what is says, then encryption is not working. However, what you should see is gobbledy gook (encrypted data).
    Also, the DMG initially set its size to 100MB. Can that grow dynamically?
    I am not sure, but I think it will not. However, because you are using a Sparse Bundle, it will only consume the space it needs to hold the files you put into the mounted .dmg, so you can size it for a very large size. Maybe the size limit Dropbox imposes on you.

  • System state synchronizations and express full backups of protected 2012 R2 machines overload DPM server.

    I have one DPM 2012 R2 UR2 server which is running on Windows 2008 R2 and 2 protection groups (A, and B). The server uses direct attached storage for all replicas and recovery volumes.
    Group A protects the system state and bare metal recovery of 25 Windows 2008R2 servers. It creates recovery points using express full backup each night at 6PM. The servers range from file/print, SQL, domain controllers, terminal servers, web servers, etc. Total
    data 3TB.
    Group B protects the system state and bare metal recovery of only 3 Windows 2012R2 servers. It creates recovery points using express full backup each night (morning) at 1AM. The servers are 1 domain controller, 1 WSUS server, and 1 server that runs VMware VCenter.
    Total data 90GB.
    During group A's nightly backup, which takes approximately 2 hours, the DPM server becomes noticeably slower but remains functional. I can open Windows update and check for updates, copy files to and from network locations, launch intenet explorer, etc. It's
    stressed since 25 servers are creating backups on it but it remains functional.
    During group B's nightly backup the DPM server grinds to a complete halt. Launching internet explorer takes an hour (literally), 10 minutes will pass before I get a menu after clicking the start button. Basically it becomes completely unresponsive until the
    backups finish which typically doesn't happen because I'm forced to cancel them upon arriving at work...8 hours later.
    I read that DPM uses the built in Windows Backup to protect system state and bare metal recovery. Did something change in Windows Backup from 2008R2 to 2012R2 that would cause this? Why can my DPM server easily backup 25 Windows 2008R2 machines at once in 2
    hours yet freezes solid for 8 hours or more when backing up only 3 Windows 2012R2 machines?
    I left performance monitor running during the night and it showed an average disk queue length of 49 during group B's backup but everything else was normal. Seems the disks on the DPM server are the bottleneck but again I ask why can my DPM server easily backup
    25 Windows 2008R2 machines at once in 2 hours yet freezes solid for 8 hours or more when backing up only 3 Windows 2012R2 machines? Both protection groups use the same disks.
    How can I fix this?
    Teenage angst has paid of well, now I'm bored and old.

    Hi CS,
    You can also run a performance monitor.
    For some basic perfmon counters to help narrow down the possible bottleneck:
    Perf Counters for DPM
    Logical Disk/Physical Disk
    \%idle
    • 100% idle to 50% idle = Healthy
    • 49% idle to 20% idle = Warning or Monitor
    • 19% idle to 0% idle = Critical or Out of Spec
    \%Avg. Disk Sec Read or Write
    • .001ms to .015ms  = Healthy
    • .015ms to .025 = Warning or Monitor
    • .026ms or greater = Critical or Out of Spec
    Current Disk Queue Length (for all instances)
    80 requests for more than 6 minutes.
    • Indicates possibly excessive disk queue length.
    Memory
    \Pool Non Paged Bytes*
    • Less that 60% of pool consumed=Healthy
    • 61% - 80% of pool consumed = Warning or Monitor.
    • Greater than 80% pool consumed = Critical or Out of Spec.
    \Pool Paged Bytes*
    • Less that 60% of pool consumed=Healthy
    • 61% - 80% of pool consumed = Warning or Monitor.
    • Greater than 80% pool consumed = Critical or Out of Spec.
    \Available Megabytes
    • 50% of free memory available or more =Healthy
    • 25% of free memory available = Monitor.
    • 10% of free memory available = Warning
    • Less than 100MB or 5% of free memory available = Critical or Out of Spec.
    Processor
    \%Processor Time (all instances)                                                                  
    • Less than 60% consumed = Healthy
    • 51% - 90% consumed = Monitor or Caution
    91% - 100% consumed = Critical
    Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread. Regards, Mike J. [MSFT]
    This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

  • Trouble loading backup iCal and Contacts info

    Just replaced my hard drive on my Mac and I can't restore my Calendar or contacts info.  I saved that information to a WD external drive using the external drive software.  I tried to import and revert to backup and neither worked.  Any tips?

    You would think it would sync/update automatic before updating, I thought so to.  The same thing is happening with my wife's iPhone. Why in the **** did it not backup prior to updating? I'm still working to see if somehow we can get back the contacts.

  • HT4528 My apps store will not go online with verizon network, but on wifi it works. I am on an iphone 4, verizon.  I tried to do a complete, backup and restore on the phone 1 day before i noticed this problem,  The backup finished the RESTORE would fail c

    My apps store will not go online with verizon network, but on wifi it works. I am on an iphone 4, verizon.  I tried to do a complete, backup and restore on the phone 1 day before i noticed this problem,  The backup finished but the RESTORE would fail I had an error, could not access Apple server ( some server name I cant remember).
    I have plenty of space available on the iphone,
    8gb free,
    ios version- 6.1.3 ( 10B329)
    carrier - Verizon 14.0
    Modem Firmware - 3.0.04
    Can someone help.
    I tried doing my backup restore on the same computer as I once did a year ago. and THis time I cant do the restore on the iphone.
    computer osx is 10.5.8
    itunes version 10.
    I do not wish to go to ios 7 at this time.

    Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
    Basic troubleshooting is reset, restart, restore (first from backup then as new).  Try each of these in order until the issue is resolved.
    If the issue continues, contact the carrier to troubleshoot the network connectivity issues.

  • Not able to sign into Blackberry Protect. Backup and Restore function not working. "Your device isn't associated with a Blackberry ID"

    Not able to sign into Blackberry Protect.  Backup and Restore function not working. Message is: "Your device isn't associated with a Blackberry ID."  My Blackberry Messenger and Blackberry World is working fine so I am sure its not an ID issue on the phone.  I can sign into Link, Blackberry.com and Protect.  I see my device in Protect but cannot send messages or view it on a map.  Times out with cannot reach device message.  BB Protect on Device has a swirling circle beside the on/of switch.  Cannot turn off.  
    I have deleted Link and re-installed.
    I have reset phone to default(factory) and signed in. 
    OS level is 10.2.1.3062
    BB Link is 1.2.3.56
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    I managed to figure this out myself. I had to delete the device from the Blackberry Protect website.  protect.blackberry.com.  I wiped my device again and signed in with my Blackberry ID.  I dont know if the step of wiping was necessary as I did not try my backup with the current configuration on the device following the delete.  Restore is in progress for me!

  • I need to have my macbook pro repaired how can I hide passwords and banking info?

    I need to have my macbook pro repaired how can I hide passwords and banking info?

    Create a new admin account named repair and only give them the password for that account. Alternately you could back up or clone your system, erase the hard drive and then reinstall OS X with one admin account that has no personal information.

  • TS1424 My Apple ID has been disabled, it won't let me updated my previous purchases. No reason for why it has been disabled or how to enable it again. I reset my password, security questions and billing info. Nothing- Anybody has seen this before?...

    My Apple ID has been disabled, it won't let me updated my previous purchases. No reason for why it has been disabled or how to enable it again. I reset my password, security questions and billing info. Nothing… I even called Apple SUpport 1-800 # and they said they can't help me...Anybody has seen this before?...

    You need to contact itunes support.
    http://www.apple.com/support/contact/
    There is NO telephone support for itunes.  Use the link above.

Maybe you are looking for