How can I make a backup without Time Machine?

I'm finally upgrading to Mountain Lion, but my Seagate GoFlex harddrive isn't letting me backup via time machine. do I have to reformat the harddrive to be used with time machine? or is there an app I can download so I can get a clean install of OS X without having to loose any of my files or apps?

The disk for Time Machine should be firmatted as HFS+
If you want to do a backup so that you can do an erase & install, I suggest that you make a bootable clone with either CCC or SuperDuper.
Allan

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How can i delete a 'backups' from time machine for a computer i no longer have

i have been using my time capsule for a few years now, everything was great until my imac died and i had to replace it
when i did, the time capsule worked perfectly, as it allowed me to "migrate" all my backed up data onto my new machine, joy
but now, as it wants to start its backups of the new imac, there just isnt enough disk space on the drive, and i suspect this is due to every file on my new machine is marked as never have being backed up which means i need like 400G, and most of the time capsule's space is still consumed by the old backups
how can i remove this old back up from the time capsule without reformatting the whole drive (i have other machines that are still using the backup service and i dont want that interrupted)
it just seems like, since i am no longer on the old machine, i cant access that machine's backup in order to delete them (through the time machine interface), and i cant seem to find a single tutorial on how to do this that is written in non-programmer speak (i really dont feel comfortable cracking open terminal and command-lining this sort of thing)
am i just nuts or is this really all that uncommon a problem with no easy solution?!?
any advice is appreciated, thanks in advance

how can i remove this old back up from the time capsule
click here for instructions.

How can i find missing backup on Time Machine (for Mac)?, How can i find missing backup on Time Machine (for Mac)?

I backed up my computer on August 8th 2010 with Time Machine. I'm absolutely certain I did. But some reason there's a gap. I have a backup of my computer from just before that date, and just after that date, but August 8th is missing.
Is there any way to recover my files from this date? What's happening? It can't have started automatically deleting files because I have backups from as far back as June 2010 (when I started using time machine).
Thank you

See:
A whole lot about Time Machine for help with TM problems. Also you can select Mac Help from the Finder's Help menu and search for "time machine" to locate articles on how to use TM. See also Mac 101- Time Machine.

Mountain Lion causing apps not to work, how can I downgrade to Lion without Time Machine Back-up?

Since installing Mountain Lion, I have found applications that don't work. I want to go back to Mountain Lion, unfortunately I had trouble with my Time Machine back up hard drive a couple days after installing Mountain Lion and I don't have any back up to work from. Tried to go to App Store and redownload Lion from there under purchases, but I got message that said "You can’t upgrade this version of Mac OS X because a newer version is installed."
I have another mac that I can download the Lion install package to and then drag it over to this computer, so the question is, Will I be able to re-install Lion over the upgraded Mountain Lion without any problems?

Babowa - By On Screen, I mean it still shows up in the disk utility and reads the following:
MATSHITA DVD-R   UJ-898:
Firmware Revision:    HE13
Interconnect:    ATAPI
Burn Support:    Yes (Apple Shipping Drive)
Cache:    1024 KB
Reads DVD:    Yes
CD-Write:    -R, -RW
DVD-Write:    -R, -R DL, -RW, +R, +R DL, +RW
Write Strategies:    CD-TAO, CD-SAO, DVD-DAO
Media:    To show the available burn speeds, insert a disc and choose File > Refresh Information
There are several links here on the support forums with manyyy others having the same problem: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4150905?start=30&tstart=0

How do I delete all backups of Time Machine in OSX 10.7.2?

I had some huge photo files (100gb) that were on my computer for a few weeks and have now been processed and deleted. I suspect that Time Machine backed them up on my external hard drive. How can I delete all backups from Time Machine and start with a fresh series of backups?
Tks

That would work also.
I like to reformat the disk just to rebuild the directory when I clean one.
Allan

How can I make a backup to an external hard drive from iPhoto if it won't open?

how can I make a backup to an external hard drive from iPhoto if it won't open? I just wan't to make a backup to my pictures not my entire computer so how does Time Machine work on that?

you could also clone the drive or volume, or just some of the user folders. look for carbon copy cloner, then enable the "use checksum to insure file integrity."
you can have multiple iPhoto Library catalogues in different locations.
Continue to use TimeMachine and make sure it has 350% or more capacity than your system and data.

How can I make a backup from my Macbook Pro?

How can I make a backup from my Macbook Pro?

Basic Backup
For some people Time Machine will be more than adequate. Time Machine is part of OS X. There are two components:
1. A Time Machine preferences panel as part of System Preferences;
2. A Time Machine application located in the Applications folder. It is
     used to manage backups and to restore backups. Time Machine
     requires a backup drive that is at least twice the capacity of the
     drive being backed up.
See Mac Basics- Time Machine. Please visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with all things Time Machine.
Alternatively, get an external 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. Carbon Copy Cloner
2. Get Backup
3. Deja Vu
4. SuperDuper!
5. Synk Pro
6. Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files. For help with using Time Machine visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with all things Time Machine.
Although you can buy a complete external drive system, you can also put one together if you are so inclined. It's relatively easy and only requires a Phillips head screwdriver (typically.) You can purchase hard drives separately. This gives you an opportunity to shop for the best prices on a hard drive of your choice. Reliable brands include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Fujitsu. You can find reviews and benchmarks on many drives at Storage Review.
Enclosures for FireWire and USB are readily available. You can find only FireWire enclosures, only USB enclosures, and enclosures that feature multiple ports. I would stress getting enclosures that use the Oxford chipsets especially for Firewire drives (911, 921, 922, for example.) You can find enclosures at places such as;
1. Cool Drives
2. OWC
3. WiebeTech
4. Firewire Direct
5. California Drives
6. NewEgg
All you need do is remove a case cover, mount the hard drive in the enclosure and connect the cables, then re-attach the case cover. Usually the only tool required is a small or medium Phillips screwdriver.

How can I make a backup of my iWeb page, How can I make a backup of my iWeb page

How can I make a backup of my iWeb page? Is iWeb also disappearing on June 30?

Here are some Apple help sheets about backing up your files:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1813
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1105
And I found this one written by an independant guy very thorough and helpful:
http://iwebfaq.org/site/iWeb_Backup_retrieve.html
iWeb is not going away, but I would be skeptical about how much longer Apple keeps it around.
If you are looking for a new place to host your website, I use and would recommend Little Oak (www.littleoak.net). They are a Mac hosting company, and are even offering a discount right now for iWeb users (http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/web-hosting-sales-and-promos-roundup-jun e-29-2012)

How can i restore old backup without deleting my existing data

how can i restore old backup without deleting my existing data. unfortunately i have deleted few of my old photos and restored them from my old backup. i got the deleted photos but lost my recent data and photos. how can i get those too.

You cannot. However, if your back up is through iTunes on your computer and you do an internet search for something like "iPhone BackUpExtractor", I believe there is software that will help you access the SQL database that is your back up. You may be able to pull out what you need.
Once you restore from a back up, any data that was on the phone is gone.

How can I make a backup listing of all of my Firefox bookmarks, with complete URLs, so I can print it out from a word processing document?

== Issue
==
I have a problem with my bookmarks, cookies, history or settings
== Description
==
How can I make a backup listing of all of my Firefox bookmarks, with completely written out URLs, so I can print it out from a word processing document? Please email me the answer-
[email protected]
<blockquote>duplicate. Locked. Please continue [https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/forum/1/727213 here] -MJB</blockquote>
== Firefox version
==
2.0.0.4
== Operating system
==
PPC Mac OS X Mach-O
== User Agent
==
Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.8.1.4) Gecko/20070515 Firefox/2.0.0.4
== Plugins installed
==
*-Netscape Navigator Default Plug-in
*Runs Java applets using the latest installed versions of Java. For more information: Java Embedding Plugin. Run version test: Test Your JVM.
*Plugin that plays RealMedia content
*The QuickTime Plugin allows you to view a wide variety of multimedia content in web pages. For more information, visit the QuickTime Web site.
*Shockwave Flash 9.0 r260
*Provides support for Digital Rights Management
*Provides support for Windows Media.
*Java 1.3.1 Plug-in (CFM)
*Macromedia Shockwave for Director Netscape plug-in, version 8.5.1
*Java 1.3.1 Plug-in

Hello.
Although possibly not related to your problem, I have to remind you that the version of Firefox you are using at the moment has been discontinued and is no longer supported. On top of this, it has known unpatched bugs and security problems. I urge you to update to the latest version of Firefox, for maximum security, stability, performance and usability. You can get it for free, as always, at [http://www.getfirefox.com getfirefox.com].

How can i make it so every time i save something the date is included in the title?

how can i make it so every time i save something the date is included in the title?

More information would be helpful. Are you doing this in an application? If so, what application.

Everything on all the webpages are so small, and only take up half the screen. How can I make it bigger, without changing the settings on my computer and by that change the size of everything on my computer.

Everything on all the webpages are so small, and only take up half the screen. How can I make it bigger, without changing the settings on my computer and by that change the size of everything on my computer.

The Firefox [https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Page+Zoom Page Zoom] feature does a domain by domain level of saving the users preferred zoom level settings, there is no default Page Zoom level setting in Firefox, as with some other browsers.
Try the Default FullZoom Level extension: <br />
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6965
Or the NoSquint extension: <br />
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2592/

Backups without Time Machine?

I'm wondering what the options are for backups without Time Machine. I'm a tech support guy from a way back who's primarily worked with *nix and Windows machines, and I'm no stranger to setting up networks, NAS devices and filers, etc.
This is an all-Apple setup - MacBook Pros, iMacs, iPads, iPhones, etc. There were 2 Time Capsules in the mix, but they both began to fail so we replaced them with a single Seagate 4-bay NAS attached to 2 LAN ports. This is a 10/100/100 network with N-wireless and Gigabit switches.
Both before and after swapping out the Time Capsules for the NAS, we received the "
Time Machine completed a verification of your backups. To improve reliability, Time Machine must create a new backup for you.
message on the MacBooks, less often on the iMac. Post-NAS implementation, we are still seeing on the MacBooks. I've tried relaxing the backup settings to every 3-4 hours since all machines were set to backup every hour as default and I believe they were stepping on each other.
I'm not ruling out the network, or anything at this point, but it seems odd that Time Machine will complete a backup, then at some point in the future find that it's not valid and need to go again from scratch. It's not ideal to use Time Machine if it needs a new full backup every ~2 days or more.
So I'm simultaneously looking for any advice on how to resolve the Time Machine error, and/or how to perform routine backups to the NAS without Time Machine.
Thanks in advance.
MM

I'm wondering what the options are for backups without Time Machine
Time machine is NOT a data backup, its a system (/emergency) backup. (whats the difference? the system is data?!, Yes, however the difference is huge).
....and most pros (nearly all) are absolutely NOT using Time machine as a source, and never as a single source to archive important data.
Time machine by definition is absolutely not a data archive, nor a storage nexus for vital data, which is secure by definition.
here you go:
Methodology to protect your data. Backups vs. Archives. Long-term data protection
Data Storage Platforms; their Drawbacks & Advantages
#1. Time Machine / Time Capsule
Drawbacks:
1. Time Machine is not bootable, if your internal drive fails, you cannot access files or boot from TM directly from the dead computer.
OS X Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks include OS X Recovery. This feature includes all of the tools you need to reinstall OS X, repair your disk, and even restore from a Time Machine
"you can't boot directly from your Time Machine backups"
2. Time machine is controlled by complex software, and while you can delve into the TM backup database for specific file(s) extraction, this is not ideal or desirable.
3. Time machine can and does have the potential for many error codes in which data corruption can occur and your important backup files may not be saved correctly, at all, or even damaged. This extra link of failure in placing software between your data and its recovery is a point of risk and failure. A HD clone is not subject to these errors.
4. Time machine mirrors your internal HD, in which cases of data corruption, this corruption can immediately spread to the backup as the two are linked. TM is perpetually connected (or often) to your computer, and corruption spread to corruption, without isolation, which TM lacks (usually), migrating errors or corruption is either automatic or extremely easy to unwittingly do.
5. Time Machine does not keep endless copies of changed or deleted data, and you are often not notified when it deletes them; likewise you may accidently delete files off your computer and this accident is mirrored on TM.
6. Restoring from TM is quite time intensive.
7. TM is a backup and not a data archive, and therefore by definition a low-level security of vital/important data.
8. TM working premise is a “black box” backup of OS, APPS, settings, and vital data that nearly 100% of users never verify until an emergency hits or their computers internal SSD or HD that is corrupt or dead and this is an extremely bad working premise on vital data.
9. Given that data created and stored is growing exponentially, the fact that TM operates as a “store-it-all” backup nexus makes TM inherently incapable to easily backup massive amounts of data, nor is doing so a good idea.
10. TM working premise is a backup of a users system and active working data, and NOT massive amounts of static data, yet most users never take this into consideration, making TM a high-risk locus of data “bloat”.
11. In the case of Time Capsule, wifi data storage is a less than ideal premise given possible wireless data corruption.
12. TM like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
13. *Level-1 security of your vital data.
Advantages:
1. TM is very easy to use either in automatic mode or in 1-click backups.
2. TM is a perfect novice level simplex backup single-layer security save against internal HD failure or corruption.
3. TM can easily provide a seamless no-gap policy of active data that is often not easily capable in HD clones or HD archives (only if the user is lazy is making data saves).
#2. HD archives
Drawbacks:
1. Like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
2. Unless the user ritually copies working active data to HD external archives, then there is a time-gap of potential missing data; as such users must be proactive in archiving data that is being worked on or recently saved or created.
Advantages:
1. Fills the gap left in a week or 2-week-old HD clone, as an example.
2. Simplex no-software data storage that is isolated and autonomous from the computer (in most cases).
3. HD archives are the best idealized storage source for storing huge and multi-terabytes of data.
4. Best-idealized 1st platform redundancy for data protection.
5. *Perfect primary tier and level-2 security of your vital data.
#3. HD clones (see below for full advantages / drawbacks)
Drawbacks:
1. HD clones can be incrementally updated to hourly or daily, however this is time consuming and HD clones are, often, a week or more old, in which case data between today and the most fresh HD clone can and would be lost (however this gap is filled by use of HD archives listed above or by a TM backup).
2. Like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
Advantages:
1. HD clones are the best, quickest way to get back to 100% full operation in mere seconds.
2. Once a HD clone is created, the creation software (Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper) is no longer needed whatsoever, and unlike TM, which requires complex software for its operational transference of data, a HD clone is its own bootable entity.
3. HD clones are unconnected and isolated from recent corruption.
4. HD clones allow a “portable copy” of your computer that you can likewise connect to another same Mac and have all your APPS and data at hand, which is extremely useful.
5. Rather than, as many users do, thinking of a HD clone as a “complimentary backup” to the use of TM, a HD clone is superior to TM both in ease of returning to 100% quickly, and its autonomous nature; while each has its place, TM can and does fill the gap in, say, a 2 week old clone. As an analogy, the HD clone itself is the brick wall of protection, whereas TM can be thought of as the mortar, which will fill any cracks in data on a week, 2-week, or 1-month old HD clone.
6. Best-idealized 2nd platform redundancy for data protection, and 1st level for system restore of your computers internal HD. (Time machine being 2nd level for system restore of the computer’s internal HD).
7. *Level-2 security of your vital data.
HD cloning software options:
1. SuperDuper HD cloning software APP (free)
2. Carbon Copy Cloner APP (will copy the recovery partition as well)
3. Disk utility HD bootable clone.
#4. Online archives
Drawbacks:
1. Subject to server failure or due to non-payment of your hosting account, it can be suspended.
2. Subject, due to lack of security on your part, to being attacked and hacked/erased.
Advantages:
1. In case of house fire, etc. your data is safe.
2. In travels, and propagating files to friends and likewise, a mere link by email is all that is needed and no large media needs to be sent across the net.
3. Online archives are the perfect and best-idealized 3rd platform redundancy for data protection.
4. Supremely useful in data isolation from backups and local archives in being online and offsite for long-distance security in isolation.
5. *Level-1.5 security of your vital data.
#5. DVD professional archival media
Drawbacks:
1. DVD single-layer disks are limited to 4.7Gigabytes of data.
2. DVD media are, given rough handling, prone to scratches and light-degradation if not stored correctly.
Advantages:
1. Archival DVD professional blank media is rated for in excess of 100+ years.
2. DVD is not subject to mechanical breakdown.
3. DVD archival media is not subject to ferromagnetic degradation.
4. DVD archival media correctly sleeved and stored is currently a supreme storage method of archiving vital data.
5. DVD media is once written and therefore free of data corruption if the write is correct.
6. DVD media is the perfect ideal for “freezing” and isolating old copies of data for reference in case newer generations of data become corrupted and an older copy is needed to revert to.
7. Best-idealized 4th platform redundancy for data protection.
8. *Level-3 (highest) security of your vital data.
[*Level-4 data security under development as once-written metallic plates and synthetic sapphire and likewise ultra-long-term data storage]
#6. Cloud based storage
Drawbacks:
1. Cloud storage can only be quasi-possessed.
2. No genuine true security and privacy of data.
3. Should never be considered for vital data storage or especially long-term.
4. *Level-0 security of your vital data.
Advantages:
1. Quick, easy and cheap storage location for simplex files for transfer to keep on hand and yet off the computer.
2. Easy source for small-file data sharing.
#7. Network attached storage (NAS) and JBOD storage
Drawbacks:
1. Subject to RAID failure and mass data corruption.
2. Expensive to set up initially.
3. Can be slower than USB, especially over WiFi.
4. Mechanically identical to USB HD backup in failure potential, higher failure however due to RAID and proprietary NAS enclosure failure.
Advantages:
1. Multiple computer access.
2. Always on and available.
3. Often has extensive media and application server functionality.
4. Massive capacity (also its drawback) with multi-bay NAS, perfect for full system backups on a larger scale.
5. *Level-2 security of your vital data.
JBOD (just a bunch of disks / drives) storage
Identical to NAS in form factor except drives are not networked or in any RAID array, rather best thought of as a single USB feed to multiple independent drives in a single powered large enclosure. Generally meaning a non-RAID architecture.
Drawbacks:
1. Subject to HD failure but not RAID failure and mass data corruption.
Advantages:
1. Simplex multi-drive independent setup for mass data storage.
2. Very inexpensive dual purpose HD storage / access point.
3. *Level-2 security of your vital data.
Time Machine is a system hub backup, not a data hub backup
Important data you “don’t dare lose” should not be considered ultimately safe, or ideally stored (at the very least not as sole copy of same) on your Time Machine backup. Hourly and daily fluctuations of your system OS, applications, and software updates is the perfect focus for the simple user to conduct ‘click it and forget it’ backups of the entire system and files on the Macbook HD.
Bootable clones are the choice of professionals and others in that Time Machine cannot be booted from and requires a working HD to retrieve data from (meaning another computer). Your vital data needs to be and should be ‘frozen’ on some form of media storage, either in a clone, as an archived HD containing important files, or on DVD blank archival media.
A file that is backed up to Time Machine is unsafe in that if that file is deleted off the computer by accident or lost otherwise, that file will likewise vanish from Time Machine as it reflects changes on the internal computer HD/SSD.

How can I do to use (useful) Time Machine Buddy OUT of Dashboard ?

Hello dear friends,
How can I do to use (useful) Time Machine Buddy OUT of Dashboard ?
I know there must be a way to use it as an application.
I've noticed TinkerTool can do it, but how do you proceed ?
Does anybody have the solution ?
Thank you for responding
With my kind regards
Olivier Herrbach

Dear Dave Sawyer,
You're perfectly right, I posted the same question in two different topics.
I apologize for that, but I was thinking
that more people would respond if I used :
1) The "Time Machine" topic (it can also interest people to know there's a widget for T.M.) ;
— and there are other softwares that Pondini describes, like Backup Loupe) —
2) The "Using Snow Leopard" topic, because I was talking about ALL other widgets too.
In fact, I didn't know which one I had to choose for my question (?),
in the way that both topics were concerned.
I'll try in the future NOT to publish the SAME question in more than ONE place.
Thank you very much for your remark
With my kind regards
Olivier Herrbach

I have bought a time capsule to use as time machine device. Until now I have used a external hard disk. How can I transfer the the old time machine datas to the time capsule?

I have bought a time capsule to use as time machine device. Until now I have used a external hard disk. How can I transfer the the old time machine datas to the time capsule?

This is really difficult to the point of not really worth it.
Keep the old TM backups in archive.. and start afresh on the TC.
Time Machine has a different way of backing up on Network drives cf Local drives.
Pondini does have a method to do it... but I would not recommend it.
http://pondini.org/TM/18.html

How can I make a backup without Time Machine?

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