How to restore external drive using Time Machine?

My external drive quit working and it held my iTunes library and other important documents.  Everything is backed up to Time Machine.  Time Machine is another external drive.  The external drives are Seagate Go Flex that sit on the removable bases.
Any tips going forward?  I was thinking about Drobo?  I need safe backups. 
Should I stop everything, get another good drive and somehow restore?  I can't just tell Time Machine to restore contents of lost drive - correct?
How much risk is there? 
I have an iMac 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7
Running 10.8.2 - everything is up to date
Thanks for helping.  This is scary.

I can't just tell Time Machine to restore contents of lost drive - correct?
Sure you can. Follow the instructions linked below:
I can't see backups for a disk/partition that's no longer connected

Similar Messages

  • Can you restore an external drive using Time Machine

    I have my media libraries (iphoto, imovie, itunes) on a separate external drive connected to my mac. They are being backed up to another HD through my time machine backups. However, should my media external drive fail, is it even possible to restore the files to a replacement external HD using time machine? Would it be better to partition my time machine external drive and use half for time machine and the other half to manually copy/backup my external medial HD?

    Cumby
    Would it be better to partition my time machine external drive and use half for time machine and the other half to manually copy/backup my external medial HD?
    Bad idea, thats putting everything in once place. Worst premise for data protection
    Methodology to protect your data. Backups vs. Archives. Long-term data protection
    Everything is about 1. redundancy, 2. redundancy and 3. multiple storage platforms (DVD, multiple HD, online server archives ala a personal website etc.)
    The first realization is that your data on your computer is highly vulnerable
    The second realization is that you need a HD backup of your OS and data
    The third realization is that you need at the very least a secondary HD backup
    The fourth and final realization is understanding the fragility of any and all HD & ferromagnetic storage, and that vital data needs to be “frozen” on unassailable redundancies across multiple storage platforms including multiple HD, online backup, archival DVD burns comprising at the very minimum triple platform redundancy of data you have been working on for years or decades that cannot be replaced.
    The B.A.R. “rule” (backup-archive-redundancy)
    Backup: Active data emergency restore. Backups are moved from backups to archives; or from backups to the computer for restore or data retrieval.
    Archive: Active and static data protection with the highest level of redundancy. Archives are only moved from itself to itself (archived copies). Generally a “long-term retention” nexus.
    Redundancy: A fail-safe off-site or protected and “frozen” copy of your vital data and foolproof protection against magnetic degradation and HD mechanical failure. A likewise failsafe from theft, house fire, etc.
    Redundancy has two points of premise:
    A: redundancy (copies) of data archives.
    B: redundancy of data on different platforms (optical, online, magneto-optical, HD).
    Send your backups to your archives (as often as possible), and your archives to self-same redundancies.
    *When referring to backups and archives here, this is in reference to your data saved/ created/ working on,... not your OS, your applications, and your system information / settings,...which is the idealized premise for use of Time Machine as a system-backup after internal data corruption or HD-failure.
    Here we are referring to data backups and archives, not system-backups for restoring your OS-system.
    If your data on your hard drive is the cash in your wallet, a backup is your bank account/debit card, and an archive is a locked safety deposit box.
    Its easy to get your wallet emptied (corrupted) or stolen, your backup checking account is somewhat easy to get corrupted/drained or damaged, but your bunker security is in the lockbox inside the vault, where your vital data and archives reside. In the premise of preventing data loss, you want as often and as much as possible one-way transfers from your “wallet” to your safety deposit box archives; and further still a minimum of two copies of those archives.
    Highest priority (archives) requires highest redundancy.  In the premise of often copying data from backups to archives, backup redundancy plays a minor role.
    Long-term active file backups (a book, a major time-involved video creation etc.) requires double-active redundancies, preferably a minimum of Time Machine and an autonomous external formatted HD, so there are at least three copies of this data: internal drive, Time Machine, and secondary non-TM HD backup.

  • HT201250 How to backup the Time Capsule to an external drive using Time Machine?

    Most of my data is on my Time Capsule since the hard drive on my iMac is too small for my music/movies/pictures and also so multiple devices can wirelessly access the data. I want to back up the files from my iMac and the Time Capsule on an external hard drive using the Time Machine. However, it seems that the Time Machine ignores the Time Capsule as a data source. How can I get this to work?

    No, I don't believe this solves your problem.
    TIme Machine can be used with a Time Capsule as a backup solution from connected macs and their drives but not from network drives, NAS or Time Capsules.
    Thus, if you store files for LAN access on a TC internal drive, and want to back them to the USB/external drive attached to that TC, you cannot use Time Machine to do so.
    Time Machine has not way of backing up ANY Time Capsule or NAS or WInPC or other networked drive, as far as I can tell. You will have to use some other backup software.
    This is exactly what I bought the TC for myself (tried to use the internal drive on the TC as a NAS for my LAN, storing my music and photos and documents and bought a LaCie 2TB USB3 extneral drive to connect to the TC and hoped to be able to use Time Machine to backup the internal drive to the LaCie drive....but this does not work, as TM cannot backup from a network drive or TC device.

  • Backing up an external drive using Time Machine

    I am trying to back up an external hard drive with Time Machine, but in Options, the drive is greyed out and cannot be removed from exclusions.
    I read that it cannot back up Fat32, if that is true, how do I work around that?  My Aperture library is on this drive.

    If the drive is formatted FAT32 then there is no way around it. Time Machine will not be able to backup the drive. You would have to repartition and reformat the drive for OS X, but that will make it unusable on a PC. You should try using a third-party backup utility if you cannot reformat the drive:
    Backup Software Recommendations
    Carbon Copy Cloner
    Data Backup
    Deja Vu
    SuperDuper!
    Synk Pro
    Tri-Backup
    Others may be found at VersionTracker or MacUpdate.
    Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore.  Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.
    If you backup to the same drive used for your Time Machine backup, then you should create a separate partition on the drive for these backups.

  • Re-Creating Entire System on New Mac From External Drive Using Time Machine

    Hi all -
    Sorry if this question has been posted, I've look extensively and haven't seen it in this exact form, and I'm paranoid about this stuff. I also can't get a straight answer from Apple store employees.
    I travel extensively with my MacBook, and when I'm home, I use Time Machine to back up all data from my MacBook onto an OWC external hard drive.
    My question is, if my MacBook is ever lost, stolen, or damaged, and its internal hard drive is no longer accessible, and I have to buy a new MacBook, can I use Time Machine to access the backup data on my external drive and transfer it to my new MacBook's internal drive, thus re-creating my entire system on my new MacBook, including all settings, preferences, files, absolutely everything exactly as it was on my old MacBook?
    This is by far the most likely need I'll ever have for this backup data, so if Time Machine doesn't help me to re-create my system exactly as it was on a new laptop, it's not of much use, and I'll switch backup software.
    Related question - I read somewhere that Time Machine keeps making backups on your external hard drive until it runs out of space. Does that mean it literally uses up every bit of space on the external drive? Because overstuffing my old external drive is what killed it, and cost me a huge chunk of change and several weeks to get the recoverable data off the drive. Or does Time Machine know enough to stop backing up when there is only "X" amount of space left on the drive, and if so, at what amount of remaining free space does it stop?
    Thanks for your help!

    If you need to restore everything to a new Mac, you simply have your TM drive connected when you start up the new Mac and during the Welcome routine that runs when you start up a new Mac for the first time you will be presented with the option of migrating your user info, settings, files, applications, etc., from a Time Machine backup. You just click "Yes" and all your backed-up info will be transferred to your new Mac.
    Time Machine continuous "cleans up" backups so you do not need to worry about TM pushing a drive to its capacity limits, or even close to that.

  • AirPort Time Capsule back up of external drive using Time Machine

    I have a Mac mini and back it up using time machine onto the AirPort Time Capsule- that works fine. I need to back up an external USB drive containing my iTunes to the AirPort using time machine. How can I do this?

    Connect the drive to the Mac mini, open the Time Machine pane of System Preferences, and remove it from the list of drives set to be excluded. It needs to be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
    (102795)

  • Restore external HDD using Time Machine

    Hello Apple users,
    First let me explain my time machine set up so that you guys will be able to help me out. I've 2 external USB hard drives: one is 1TB and the other is 500GB. In the 500 GB USB HDD I store my main Aperture 3 library and other things like music, movies etc., and I use the other external hard drive to backup my files using Time Machine.
    So after, I've backed-up my external hard drive as well as my mac using Time Machine, I can't access my backups in my external hard drive without connecting the 500GB hard drive. What I mean to say is that, when I enter Time Machine without connecting my 500 GB USB hard drive, I'm unable to see the files that are saved in the backup. Does that mean if my 500 GB hard drive goes kaput, I won't be able to restore those?
    When I do connect the 500 GB hard drive, I can see the files that are stored there and the changes that took place using Time Machine.

    Everything Time Machine

  • How to Restore iWeb website using Time Machine

    I used Time Machine to back up everything on my hard drive.
    I went to the Apple Store, with a question about iWeb.
    The guy moved a bunch of stuff around, and "tried" a bunch of stuff.
    When he exited out of iWeb, he automatically clicked SAVE.
    I want what it looked like Before he touched it.
    With every other application, you just need to open the app, then click Time Machine, and it will search for the Backed Up Versions.
    Time Machine does not do this with iWeb!
    When I search for an "iWeb" folder, I CAN NOT.
    I can only search for FILES with the word iWeb. Why?
    I know there is a folder called iWeb under Library/App Support/
    but that is the Domain.
    How do I get my old files back?
    -B

    You were on the right track.
    The domain-file in Library/Application Support/iWeb is the file you need to put back with Time Machine.

  • How to choose external drive for Time Machine?

    Having recently changed from a pc to a Mac, I realise that the backup comapny I was using (Carbonite) is not compatible with Mac. I also noticed that Leopard comes with Time Machine and backup features which require an external drive. The website says that pretty much any HFS+ hard drive will do. After having done a search for hard drives and HFS+, I only found one.
    Does this mean that I cannot go to my local retailer and ask for a hard drive and plug it in, or do I specifically need to say it's for a Mac?
    Is the best way to try and find an online backup company and forget about Time Machine?
    I am totally confused...

    Stop. Do not go to a local retailer and buy "a hard drive".
    I will assume that your PC only had USB ports.
    Well, you new iMac is better. It has both USB 2.0 and FireWire 400.
    You want to get a drive that supports both. And then, you will use the FireWire connection.
    Why FireWire?
    1. You can create a bootable copy of your internal hard drive using software such as SuperDuper! from http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html . This means that if your internal drive fails, you can boot from the external one.
    2. FireWire 400 is faster than USB. See http://www.barefeats.com/usb2.html for proof.
    So, surf to http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/1394/USB/EliteAL/400+USB2/ and buy a Quad interface drive in the size your want. If you are not happy with OWC, then look at LaCie.com, G-Technology.com
    How large should this new drive be? As large as you can afford. Your SuperDuper! backup partition should be equal to your internal drive and the second partiion can be used by Time Machine. A quad interface drive will be viable for many years. I would start at 500GB and go up from there.

  • How to restore home directory using time machine

    I had moved my home directory to an external drive.  Unfortunately that drive died a horrible death when one of my cats knocked it off the shelf.  I have Time Machine backups of my home directory, and I would like to restore the entire directory, but I get an error saying that I can't delete the directory because it is required by the system.  Can someone tell me how I can go about performing the restore?
    Thanks!

    Thank you for the information.  I actually figured out slightly different way of doing it.  I had already formatted the replacement drive so that it was again mounted under /Volumes/Primary.  I then navigated to the drive, and entered Time Machine from there.  My old home directory appeared, and I was able to restore successfully.  Once everything was restored I merely changed the location of my home directory from its default location in /Users, and pointed it to the newly restored directory in /Volumes/Primary.

  • Backing up iPhoto library from an external drive using time machine

    I have a rMBP that is rapidly running out of storage.  I purchased an external USB drive to store my iphoto library on.  I have a time capsule that backs up my rMBP.  If i include the external drive in the time machine set up, what happens when  it backs up and the USB drive is not connected?
    Any one have a similar setup that can give some advise i would appreciate it. 

    If i include the external drive in the time machine set up, what happens when  it backs up and the USB drive is not connected?
    Well, since the drive is not connected, any changes since the last backup will not be backed up.
    When you reconnect the USB hard drive, Time Machine will backup your Mac and the USB drive.

  • Restored hard drive using Time Machine and tons of free space appeared?

    Hi all
    Went to install Snow Leopard yesterday, and learned I didn't have enough free space left on my Macbook. Went to clear some space and....long story short, cleared up too much stuff, Macbook wouldn't restart, had to restore from a Time Machine backup I did right before trying to clear off space.
    Fine.
    Back up, running fine.
    But, um, I now have 32GB of free space, where I had about 5 before
    I seem to have my iPhoto and iTunes libraries, and can't see what I've lost, but I'm nervous as ****.
    Anybody have any idea what could have happened to create so much free space?

    First, check to see if you have anything on the Tm exclusion list in TM system preferences->options.
    there are also a few things that TM never backs up and some of them may have been too big. that includes your Trash so if you are not in the habit of emptying it regularly that may have been the reason. also, you could have had runaway log files. log files are not backed up either. another possibility is huge swap files. they are not backed up either.

  • How do I restore a failed external hard drive using Time Machine?

    I have an external hard drive connected to my iMac that is being backed up with Time Machine.  I just realized that should it one day fail and no longer appear as a connected device, I'm not sure how to restore its data to another external drive.  When I disconnected the external hard drive (to mimic a drive crash) and entered Time Machine to see if I could verify that the external hard drive was, in fact, being backed up - I didn't know where to find it.  Under the Today (Now) information, I didn't expect to see it there as it was no longer connected to the machine.  But when I went back a few days, I expected to see its backup appear in the Sidebar.  But no!
    So - how do I restore a failed external hard drive using Time Machine?
    Searches for this information on Google yielded "iffy" results.  I'm hoping someone here is able to offer some clear steps to follow.  Perhaps I'm missing something silly.  Thank you very much!

    I came across this discussion after encountering the same problem. Since my internal HD was cose to full I added an additional external HD to my setup. I moved my iPhoto files to an external HD and backed both this external HD and my internal HD up with Time Machine to another external HD. So far the theory. When I wanted to test if this setup worked I noticed that I could only see my iPhoto libraries on the external HD in Time Machine when the external HD was connected to my computer, but not if I turned it off. This led me to search for a solution on the Apple Support Communities discussion board.
    The suggestions made Kappy seem right, at least in my experience, in that my Time Machine simply did not back up the external HD until I followed the steps he suggested above. These were the following:
    "So, if you want it backed up then here's what you need to do:
    1. In Time Machine preferences remove the external drive from the Exclude list.
    2. Verify that it is now included with your other drive in the backup list.
    3. Do a Backup Now to create a new backup of the external drive."
    After doing this, my external HD showed up in the Backups.backupd as a seperate folder. I could clearly see the Time Machine back-up for my internal HD and my external HD. In addition, in Time Machine itself I was able to find the external harddrive by clicking on my own computers name under "Devices". I hope my experience helps to resolve your issue as this discussion board has helped me resolve mine (which I believe to be very similar).
    Cheers!

  • Had to wipe my drive so I could do a clean install of snow leopard Now I look every where on how to move bookmarks, address book and I cal settings.  I have them back up on a external drive with Time machine but can not move, copy or restore my old sett d

    Had to wipe my drive so I could do a clean install of snow leopard.   Now I have look every where on how to move bookmarks, address book and I cal settings.  I have them back up on a external drive with Time machine but can not move, copy or restore my old settings.  The instructions I have found or no help or needs more clarafication on what to do.

    Use migration assistant to move your files.  http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4889

  • I've used an external drive for time machine which has important files on it. After trying to back up my computer, it suddenly needed to be "repaired" by utilities. Now it's not being "seen" at all! How do I recover my important files off the drive?

    I've used an external drive for time machine which has important files on it. After trying to back up my computer, it suddenly needed to be "repaired" by utilities. Now it's not being "seen" at all! How do I recover my important files off the drive?

    If the external drive can be seen at all in Disk Utility, follow the instructions for repair here.

Maybe you are looking for