Installing OS X from Time Machine Backup. Questions

Hi. I have a quick question.
When you buy a new iMac, and you re-install/restore OS X from a Time Machine Backup taken from another machine, is EVERYTHING copied across?
What I mean is, will it restore the new machine into EXACTLY the same state as the old one? Will it carry across the same OS X version (10.6.2), all the Apps you had installed (and registered), every single detail?

Reuben Feffer wrote:
Thanks V.K.
What are Time Machines two restore options?
Here's the situation. I have a brand new 21.5-inch iMac that I would like to get exchanged, because it's faulty. I've put quite a lot of data on the new iMac and I have a Time Machine drive attached to it. It would save me A LOT of time if I could simply restore that data from the faulty 21.5-inch iMac to the properly-working 21.5-inch iMac. So, exact same hardware.
Tell me more about this Backup Utility on the Snow Leopard install DVD. If I perform a restore using that, will it re-install the Operating System, all the Fonts, Apps, EVERYTHING from my Time Machine backup?
yes, everything. but it should only be done on exact same hardware as i said. if you'll get a new mac which is exactly the same hardware as the faulty one then you can use it. to use it boot from the snow leopard install DVd and choose "restore system from backup" from the utilities menu. then just follow the instructions. this will wipe the hard drive and restore your whole system just as it was at the backup time.
if you get a different kind of mac then use setup assistant instead. that will keep your user data, apps, fonts etc but give you a fresh OS.
Message was edited by: V.K.

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