Is it sufficient to just backup users directory in time machine?
I am backing up my macbook to my Buffalo Linkstation Live. Is it ok if I just backup the users directory to save all the images,movies,files etc? It is a bout 40 gig.
I use garageband, iweb and all the ilife programs and assume all these items including my itunes music/backups is in this directory?
I am not concerned about the system files as I can restore them if need be.
Thanks
doobias123 wrote:
I am backing up my macbook to my Buffalo Linkstation Live. Is it ok if I just backup the users directory to save all the images,movies,files etc? It is a bout 40 gig.
I use garageband, iweb and all the ilife programs and assume all these items including my itunes music/backups is in this directory?
The data for those apps is probably there (unless you've moved it), but the apps aren't.
I am not concerned about the system files as I can restore them if need be.
Please reconsider. Strongly consider letting Time Machine back up your entire system. You're only saving a few GBs (10 - 20) by omitting your System and Applications folders, and only on the first backup, because very little changes there, but here's what you'll have to do when (not if) your internal HD fails, or something else awful happens to your Mac:
Install OSX from your Leopard or Snow Leopard Install disc.
Go through the set-up procedure: setup your Internet connection(s), server names, etc.
Download and install the "combo" update, to get back to your current version of OSX.
If you upgraded iLife since purchasing your Mac, find and restore your iLife apps.
Find all the discs for 3rd-party apps and install them. Re-enter any purchase keys.
Find the websites for all downloaded 3rd-party apps, download and install them. Re-enter any purchase keys.
Restore whatever data you saved.
Wonder what you missed, and find out the hard way . . . for months or longer.
In most cases, this is a no-brainer.
Similar Messages
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How do I just backup just one user account on Time Machine?
Hello everyone,
I've moved to a new computer with Mountain Lion and didn't have my backup disc available when I first set up the computer. Now, after restoring from my backup, I have two user accounts that I am trying to combine as per instructions here. I know it's challenging and I may have to reinstall the OS and start from scratch, so I'd like to backup before I do it. Unfortunately I haven't plugged in Time Machine since I've used Migration Assistant, because I didn't know if I could or if it'd overwrite my old data.
How can I back up the new computer without creating two user accounts (the ones I'm trying to combine) on my external drive? And please don't recommend just buying another external hard drive. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks.Aside from starting over, losing whatever you've done on the new machine, see Pondini's Transferring files from one User Account to another. If you haven't done much and can afford to lose that data, I suggest starting over, following the steps in Pondini's Setup New Mac guide. That should result in just one user account.
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Migration problem: migration assistant won't migrate both user accounts from time machine backup
My Mac was formatted due to some technical issues. Before handing to the lab- I backed it up using time machine ( and only that ).
I had two user accounts on the Mac before handing it to the lab.
One of them I never actually used -I'll call it the secondary.
The second one was the main one - which I used all the time - the principal account. All my data is there on that account.
The Mac was formatted at the lab.
Using the setup assistant I migrated one user from the Time Machine Backup.
Only later I realized it was actually the account I never used.
Since I never used it - I couldn't remember the login password and had to reset it, took a while.
I then tried to to migrate the principal account - the one I actually wanted to migrate, in the fist place, during the setup procedure - using the migration assistant.
At the relevant window I tick the principal account- the mac does some thinking and then in the login window my only options are the secondary account and guest account, the principal account is not to be seen.
I'm really really stressed and worried.
BTW -when looking into the actual external disk used for the Time Machine at this path: computer name--> backups-->macintosh HD -->users--> principal account - I see all the folders and files with a 'no entry' icon next to them.
clicking on the folders - I get the following notice - 'the folder xxx can't be opened because you don't have permission to see the contents''
What's going on?
I'm running on a 2.9Ghz intel core i5
16GB RAM 1600MHz DDR3
SW version: 10.9.4
would appreciate any kind of help,
Thanks
Danathanks,
the thing is the Mac was behaving strangely - that's why I sent it to the lab in the first place.
This Mac is just over a year old but it's content was initially migrated from the older mac.
And it (the new Mac) wasn't working properly from the get go..
It took ages for it to start up and wouldn't start up if any external disk was attached (via USB).
I had to start it up and only then connect external disks.
In the lab - They couldn't find and HW issues.
So they formatted and reinstalled the OS - I think that's all they've sone in the lab
The idea was to start afresh and slowly reinstall softwares - only those necessary.
So, having said all that- does that change your answer? -
Hi there,
I was using MacPro with older snow leopard just now i install OS X LION,before install i backup all deta to time machines about 70GB,now when i connect i dont know how can backup the old deta to OS X LION,but it just backup the recent deta to time machine,pls guide me how i can backup my old deta to my computer??
Will be much appreciated !!
Thanks.>Step 1. Backup existing data using time machine.
Time Machine is nice, but you have very little in terms of ability to verify that your data is all backed up. I find Time Machine is better for the occasional recovery of previously written data at specific times. A good backup solution that survives an erase and install (there is no clean install in Mac OS X), is a clone, and preferably TWO clones. See my FAQ*:
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html
Time Machine can work as good as a clone, and in fact I once had to rely on it because my hard drive died. Thankfully it did recover everything. But I had my clone just in case it didn't work. Now I feel more comfortable since clones allow you to boot themselves, and thus prove all the important system information got saved, and not just the user data.
Clones are also easier to import with the migration assistant. -
If i restore a user folder from time machine, is it just restoring the files associated with the user or programs as well? Im asking because Apple Store just reset my system and said to restore files i needed and not to do a full restore. to try and determine if it was a software issue causing the problems.
Just the user's folder. Nothing else. See Pondini's TM FAQs, for details.
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Can more than one Mac backup on the same Time Machine?
My husbond and I have one USB HD connected to an Airport Express router and we both want to back up our Macs on the same HD.
There is space enought (300Gb). But it seems like after my Mac is set up and running TM, his Mac will not event connect to the disk. He can see the disk, but in TM, when he trys to connect, the "on-Off"- button switches to "Off".
Is there a limitation on one user only?
Thanks for any help!!
SitaraThere is no single-user limitation to Time Machine.
Are you saying that you can see the TM backup volume in the Finder, you start up TM Preferences, press the Change Disk button, select the TM backup volume, and when you press Use For Backup, the TM slider turns off? And you can't turn it back on? -
How can I restore my data from iCal? I didn't make any backup, but I use time machine with an external HD. I deleted iCal when I deleted my gmail account. I have tried to restore, but I can only restore the iCal software and not the data.
So what is your question?
If you forgot your encryption password:
Warning: Make sure it's a password you will remember or write it down for safekeeping. If you encrypt an iPhone backup in iTunes and forget your password, you can't restore from backup and your data will be unrecoverable.
If you can't remember the password and want to start again, you must perform a full software restore and chooseset up as a new device when iTunes prompts you to select the backup from which to restore.
The above comes from here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946 -
What is Airport Utility and why do I need to access Airport witeless devices in order to backup my iMac using Time Machine...HELP!!! PLEASE??
AirPort Utility is required to configure an Apple AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule.
Time Machine can use a Time Capsule or a locally connected volume. You only need to use AirPort Utility if you are using a Time Capsule. -
I bought an external hard drive for backups to use with Time Machine, but however when I try to connect it with the other windows laptop it doesn't work ? intact it doesn't work on any other device except my MAC ?
Do not worry about it.
Time Machine needs that your external drive is formatted in HFS+, or better known as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)". This filesystem is used by Apple on Macs and Windows cannot read or write drives formatted with this filesystem, being this the reason why all your devices do not read the external drive except your Mac.
You can only use your external drive to make Time Machine drives. If you store anything different, you may damage the Time Machine structure, so it is better not to use it as a drive to store other data. Instead, get another external drive to do it or create a second partition on the external drive formatted in FAT32 by using Disk Utility > http://pondini.org/OSX/DU3.html FAT32 can be read by Windows PCs -
Does Time Machine backup items on the time machine disk?
If I designate disk B as my Time Machine disk, are items on disk B, that aren't part of what Time Machine puts there, backed up? In other words, can I use a disk for both storage and Time Machine backups and have those stored items backed up too?
If you intend to use disk B as both a Time Machine Backup Disk and a Data disk to hold your files, the only way to do that would be to partion the Disk B volume.
How do I partition an external hard drive ?
When an external is connected to a mac, the computer sees that Hard Drive as a Volume. Paritioning the volume is the ability to "Split" the volume in more parts that are limited by size. Time Machine will use the entire partition of a volume if the whole volume is used as a single partition. If you use the right tools and "Split" the external hard drive in smaller logical volumes then you can comfortably use the external hard drive for both your Time Machine Backups and your Data that you want to carry on an external drive.
The easiest way to partition a volume in more the one partition or logical volumes is to use the Disk Utility application that comes with every mac. Use the Finder to go to your Utilities folder and open Disk Utility, or search for it in Spotlight. Whit Disk Utility you can select your external Hard Drive and either change the partition to add a second one or erase all data on the existing external hard drive and create 2 Partitions that you can adjust in size. Remember Make sure you understand that if you choose to erase the existing external drive to make room for a new partition , that all data present on the external drive will be deleted.
Now that you have your two new partitions you can assign one to Time Machine and use the second one for Data. And with Time Machine Options you will be able to exclude or include your new external data partition to backup to your new Time Machine Backup Partition ! -
I try to backup my Macbook with Time machine, it goes fine and at the end it says that it could not be completed because "/Volumes/Data-2/ MacBook.sparsebundle is already in use".. What is that?!
See #C12 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting
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When I press "select backup location" in the Time Machine section of System Preferences, my external hard drive doesn't appear as an option. How do I change this? My external hard drive is a FreeAgent GoFlex Drive.
Hi, what Format is the external Drive?
They usually come PC Formatted for Fat32/MSdos, or NTFS... is there anything on it now?
How to format your disks...
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/partitioning_tiger.html
(To Install OSX on an IntelMac the Drive it needs the GUID Partitioning scheme mentioned at the bottom.)
Thanks to Pondini, Formatting, Partitioning, Verifying, and Repairing Disks...
http://Pondini.org/OSX/DU.html -
My Time machine won't back up. Recently updated to OS x 10.7.5. Error message is as follows: "The backup disk image “/Volumes/Time Machine Backup/Scott’s MacBook Pro.sparsebundle” is already in use." What is wrong and how do I fix it? Thanks.
Have you tried restarting the computer? Also, see Time Machine Error from this pages sidebar under More Like This.
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bought referbished macbook pro oct 2011 version, just set it up using time machine and quicklime pro has disappeared. I have quicktime but not quicktime pro. Any ideas? thanks!
Try, in preferences, resetting 64 bit to 32 bits. Should work fine. the older vidoes, etc will not work with 64 bit. Had the same problem/scare. Let us know if this helps and works!
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After installing iOS 8 on my MacBook Pro I've been unable to backup my laptop to Time Machine - any advise?
I would really like to know how you managed to do that seeing as how the MBP is not capable of running iOS
iOS is only for mobile devices such as iPhones, iPads and iPods
The MBP uses OS X instead
Maybe once you get your story straight we can help you
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