New to Mac: Backing Up Applications (without Time Machine)

I just got my first mac and I'm wondering if applications can be backed up or need to be reinstalled? I'm used to working with partitions in Windows and currently I only backup my data partitions -- I never backup my /Windows or my /Program Files because if I reinstalled Windows I'd need to reinstall the applications anyway (let's ignore Windows backup imaging programs for now).
I've never been a fan of imaging programs for a lot of reasons. I'm in the process of trying Time Machine so I don't want to talk about that here because I'm trying to learn about backing up outside of time machine (even though it may be the best solution for many people).
So on my mac I'm currently only backing up my home directory. If I go ahead and backup my /Applications directory, is this something that could be copied directly back from an external hard drive? If I were to reinstall OS X 10.6, could I then attach an external drive and just copy over the /Applications folder and have it work??? As everyone knows, in a Windows environment this is impossible, so I'm eager to see if this is one of the other things that make Mas flexible. It would be mind blowing for me to find out that re-installing photoshop on a Mac is just a copy and paste operation, whereas on the PC it's a production!
And lastly, since there is no registry per se, where are application preferences stored on a Mac -- so I can back that up, too.
Thank you!

I think we've answered you query: I'm wondering if applications can be backed up or need to be reinstalled? The answer is yes they can be backed up and no they don't have to be reinstalled. That's accomplished by using cloning apps such as CCC or SD! Time Machine is a different animal and you've excluded it from the discussion. This is Macland and we use cloning apps to make bootable backups which meet all of our needs and eliminate any of what you also included in your OP.
Peruse these for more details:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106941
http://www.bombich.com/mactips/image.html
http://www.macmaps.com/upgradefaq.html
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/installswupdates.html
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/backuprecovery.html
Once you sort out this area, see:
Switching from Windows to Mac OS X,
Basic Tutorials on using a Mac,
Mac 101: Mac Essentials,
Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts,
Anatomy of a Mac,
MacTips, and
Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Snow Leopard Edition.
Additionally, *Texas Mac Man* recommends:
Quick Assist.
Welcome to the Switch To A Mac Guides,
Take Control E-books, and
A guide for switching to a Mac.

Similar Messages

Backing up documents without Time Machine

Could someone please explain to me how to back up my pictures without using Time Machine? I bought an external hard drive but when I plug it in, it immediately connects to Time Machine every time. I don't want my entire computer backed up, just pictures and certain important documents.
Thanks so much for your time, I greatly appreciate it.

You can exclude specific folders from the backup in Time Machine's Preferences:
Otherwise use a backup application like Synk Pro that incrementally backs up selected folders.
OT

Do i need to back up applications with time machine?

I received a message that Time Machine was running out of room to back up. I've only used 112GB on my computer, but my Time Machine drive has a capacity of 163GB, so I don't understand why I am running out of room.
Do I need to back up my applications? Is there anything that I can omit from a backup to save space? I already keep all of my photos and movies on a seperate hard drive, and I don't include that in the backup.
Running 10.8.4 on a new iMac.

denisefrombay village wrote:
... I don't understand why I am running out of room.
Time Machine requires sufficient space to keep one complete copy of your entire hard disk's contents, plus additional space for older backups. You are likely to need much more than 163 GB for Time Machine to function as designed. See Apple Support Communities contributor Pondini's FAQ: How big a drive do I need for Time Machine?
Do I need to back up my applications?
Strictly speaking no, but I would. The way in which Apple (and others) are moving in favor of the download-only method of app distribution, a Time Machine or similar backup has now become the only way to revert to a previous release of an app should a newer one not perform as expected.

HT4527 My old mac book was backed up to a Time Machine drive. That Macbook is dead. I have a new Mac Mini. How do I get the iTunes library (not just the music files but all other data...playlists, ratings, etc) on the new Mac from my Time Machine?

My old Mac died. I had it backed up to a Time Machine external drive (fortunately). I have a new Mac. I want to get my entire iTunes library from the Time Machine drive to the new Mac. I want not only the music files but all the "library" metadata, playlists, song rankings, unique genre designations. How do I do this?

No backup is a huge mistake.
You can redownload some itunes purchases in some countries:
Downloading past purchases from the App Store ... - Apple - Support

I have bought a Seagate Backup Plus 1TB drive, first time I have selected Mac Windows option which excludes Time Machine to work on it, but now I want to go back and select Only Mac option to activate my Time Machine application. I request you to help me

I have bought a Seagate Backup Plus 1TB drive, first time during plug-in, I have selected Mac Windows option which excludes Time Machine to work on it, but now I want to go back and select Only Mac option to activate my Time Machine application.
I request you to help me with the procedure of the same?

IMPORTANT - This will reformat your Seagate drive and hence wipe it. If there is anything on your Seagate drive you want to keep, save it somewhere else FIRST.
Plug the drive in.
In Finder select Applications > Utilities > Disc Utilities.
Select the external drive, select Partition option, give it a name (I call mine Mac Backup), select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as the Format and under the drop down menu "Partition Layout" select the number of partitions you want (so if you want the drive to just be for Time Machine, select 1 Partition, if you want part of the drive to be for Time Machine and the rest for something else, select 2 partitions and so on). Click apply and the Disc Utility will partition and reformat your drive ready to use.
When this is complete, open Time Machine in System Preferences. Use Select Disc to select the drive (or if you have multiple partitions, the partition of the drive) you want and you are good to go.
This may be a long way round, but it gives you the option to partition your disc which you may want.

I bought a new external hard drive for backups, but time machine won't do a full back up. I think it is remembering backing up onto previous external hard drives, which I don't own anymore. How do I do a new full backup?

I bought a new external hard drive for backups, but time machine won't do a full back up.
I think it is remembering backing up onto previous external hard drives, which I don't own anymore. How do I do a new full backup?
When I bought the new (used) iMac, I also bought an external hard drive for backups. It worked fine, but my husband stole it.
Then I bought a new external hard drive (Seagate) and it worked fine for three weeks, then died.
So I just got a new external hard drive, which was put together from an internal hard drive and a hard drive enclosure.
Time machine did the first backup today, and it should have taken 9 hours like it did on the previous first time full back up. Instead, it took 30 minutes. That can't be right. I want to start over and do a full backup to make sure everything gets onto my new external hard drive, but I can't figure out how to do that. Please help.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below to select it:
tmutil compare -E
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C).
Launch the Terminal 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 Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V).
The command will take at least a few minutes to run. Eventually some lines of output will appear below what you entered.
Each line that begins with a plus sign (“+”) represents a file that has been added to the source volume since the last snapshot was taken. These files have not been backed up yet.
Each line that begins with an exclamation point (“!”) represents a file that has changed on the source volume. These files have been backed up, but not in their present state.
Each line that begins with a minus sign (“-“) represents a file that has been removed from the source volume.
At the end of the output, you’ll get some lines like the following:
Added:
Removed:
Changed:
These lines show the total amount of data added, removed, or changed on the source(s) since the last snapshot.

HT201250 After Time Machine has backed up my files, can I delete my originals from my Mac and do something in Time Machine to ensure it will never automatically delete them from the backup in the future?

I'm new to using Time Machine - I'm making my first backup right now - and I have a few concerns.
So let's say my precious photos are taking up most of my Mac's hard drive space. I back them up with Time Machine on an external hard drive. After that, I want to delete my photos from my Mac because I want more space and my photos are now stored in the external hard drive. I have a few questions about that.
First, does Time Machine's backup system follow the same concept as having extra storage (so would this be a reasonable decision to make)?
Second, if it does, then could I access/open these photos from Time Machine's backup anytime I want?
Third, would I need to use the restore backup function of Time Machine every time I want to open my photos are there alternative ways of accessing my photos, like through opening directory paths to the photos?
Lastly, when the external hard drive becomes full and Time Machine wants to delete my oldest backup files, what can I do to ensure that these photos will never get deleted unless I manually do it? Like, is there a way to lock and secure these files? Or, is it like if these photos are the only copies saved in the backup, I can rest assure that Time Machine will never delete them?
Thanks

NeuroBrain wrote:
Since my new external hard drive is have a lot of space, I'm thinking of splitting it for Time Machine and external storage.
This is a common mistake and I highly advise against it.
1: TimeMachine saves states of changes and thus requires more room on the TM drive than the boot drive it's backing up.
2: Something happens to the TM drive, loss, theft, dropped, power surge, etc., you lose both backups.
3: The storage drive might become a portable need, with it being on the TM drive, now your increasing the risk to the TM backup that something could happen to it along with the storage drive, due to increased movement.
Seriously, have a read,
Most commonly used backup methods
it's ASC User Tip that saves us regulars all the trouble of having to repeat ourselves over and over again in the posts, because we tend to forget things too, or not here sometimes etc.
"Plan for the worst and the good will take care of itself" - Donald Trump

My mac 10.8 does no have the file, com.apple.desktop. plist I wentto lIbrary, preference and look for it and it is not where in my mac. I also launch time machine and file is no where on my Mac. How do I get this file back?

My mac 10.8 does no have the file, com.apple.desktop. plist I wentto lIbrary, preference and look for it and it is not where in my mac. I also launch time machine and file is no where on my Mac. How do I get this file back?
thanks

System files are hidden by default in Finder now, search for what you want then click the little + button on the top right of the bar that appears when you do a search. A new bar comes up and click the first box (that says "Kind"), change it to "System Files". Then change the box that says "aren't included" to "are included" and your file should show up.
http://osxdaily.com/2009/02/25/show-hidden-files-in-os-x/

New mac set up problems with time machine

Bought a new 21 inch mac yesterday and going through set up I tried to use my time machine disk at the appropriate point (when it asked me) to copy the data. Now the mac refuses to move on, after it rebooted I get the apple sign and the swirling thing despite a pram reset and booting in safe mode.
Any ideas on how I can force the mac to go back to original settings, it's literally just come out of the box and problems happened at the time machine part on set up.

Startup your Mac while holding down the Option key.
That should launch the Startup Manager window where you can select the startup disk then click Restart.
If that doesn't work, startup your Mac while holding down the Command + R keys.
From there you will have access to the built in utilities to restore OS X using OS X Recovery.
There is an option to restore from a Time Machine backup using OS X Recovery, but in this case, just restore OS X first. Get your Mac working again before using Time Machine.

Blurb Book in Lightroom 5 on my Mac disappeared after 3 days of work. Where can I find a backed up copy via Time Machine or anywhere else?

Blurb Book in Lightroom 5 on my Mac disappeared after 3 days of work. Where can I find a backed up copy via Time Machine or anywhere else?

Welcome to the WD Community.
1) I assume I can just hook the unit up via USB to my Mac and use iPartiion to reformat the drives, assuming each of the 4T drives will be seen by iPartition as a separate drive. That much seems straighforward.
Yes, and in case you ipartition dont see the unit properly, you can use the disk utilities on your Mac and you will be able to reformat the unit to make it compatible with your system.
2) Is my next step to reinstall the WD software and how do I do that? I've downloaded the Drive Utilities and Securities install apps - I assume I just run these with the drive still connected and that's all I need to do?
Yes, just run the applications.
3) What about the firmware update for Mac - when should I run that??
Normally, firmware updates are released to fix any issues that you might encounter on the drive. the latest one was released on 9/24/2014 and it fixed an issue with the drive dropping off of the list after system wakes up from standby mode.
5) And what about the "My Book Live Duo Setup" app for Mac - is that for a completely different model? What's the difference between "My Book Live Duo" and "My Book Duo"? It's these little things that I find so confusing.
Those are different units. The MBL Duo is a NAS (Network attached system) and the My Book Duo is a DAS (Direct attached system)
6) Lastly, when I have all the software installed, is that when I follow the procedure described in the Knowledge Base article ID 5724, "How to install a My Book Live or My Book Live Duo on Windows (8, 7, Vista, or XP) or Mac OSX for the first time"? Or is that procedure only for "My Book Live Duo" but not for "My Book Duo"??
That procedure is for the network units, not for your drive.

How do I back up iPhone to time machine?(I'm new)

How do I back up iPhone to time machine?(I'm new)

-Mayor- wrote:
How do I back up iPhone to time machine?(I'm new)
If you're new to this, I suggest you read the manual:
http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1565/en_US/iphone_user_guide.pdf

I am having sporadic issues after new hard drive install and recovery using Time Machine. The same sluggish response, start up screen pixelating...If I reinstall Lion will it wipe out other applications? My HD was formatted and partitioned correctly, I ha

I am having sporadic issues after new hard drive install and recovery using Time Machine. The same sluggish response, start up screen pixelating...If I reinstall Lion will it wipe out other applications? My HD was formatted and partitioned correctly, I have a late 2009 iMac.

Use the trackpad to scroll, thats what it was designed for. The scroll bars automatically disappear when not being used and will appear if you scroll up or down using the trackpad.
This is a user-to-user forum and most people will post on here if they have problems. You very rarely get people posting to say there update went smooth. The fact is the vast majority of Mountain Lion users will not be experiencing any major problems with the OS, or maybe with apps which are not compatible, but thats hardly Apple's fault if developers don't update their apps.

HT3275 EMERGENCY!!!!!!!! NEED TO RETREIVE AN ACCIDENTALLY DELETED BACKUP! BACK UP FROM MY TIME MACHINE DRIVE???? In other words, I emptied out a folder on my main MAC to make space and the next subsequent backup backed up the EMPTY FOLDER and then delet

EMERGENCY!!!!!!!!
IS THERE ANY WAY TO RETREIVE AN ACCIDENTALLY DELETED BACK UP FROM MY TIME MACHINE DRIVE????
In other words, I emptied out a folder on my main MAC to make space and the next subsequent backup backed up the EMPTY FOLDER and then deleted the "old backup" that actually contained the contents of the very important folder.
Now only the emptied folder exists on my MAC and in the two backups on my Time machine backup drive.
This was clearly a big mistake on my part not realizing that the "old backup" being deleted by Time Machine would include backed up files that I had no intention of getting rid of....
What can I do now?
Is DATA RETREIVAL even an option?
I am sure that the Folder of files that I need are on the most recently deleted "OLD BACKUP" but how do I get to this, if even possible?????
Super desperate situation here...
M

inna-help-me wrote:
Is DATA RETREIVAL even an option?
It may be possible to recover some of the data, if it hasn't been overwritten, but it won't be cheap or easy.
You've posted in the Time Capsule forum, but you mention a "backup drive." If your backups are on a Time Capsule's internal HD, instead of an external HD, it's even worse.
See Data Recovery.
Good luck.

I get this error message when I try to back up my laptop: Time machine could not complete the backup. The backup disc image "/Volumes/Data/Lou Ann Buesing's Mac Book Pro. sparse bundle is already in use. Anyone know how to fix it?

I get this error message when I try to back up my laptop:
' Time machine could not complete the backup. The backup disc image "/Volumes/Data/Lou Ann Buesing's Mac Book Pro. sparse bundle' is already in use. "
Anyone know how to fix it?

Reboot the TC.. Sometimes you need to reboot the whole network.
This is what comes of Lion and then made worse in Mountain Lion of Apple not spending enough time to fix the bugs.
Read C12 in pondini.
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
C17 can be related I think.

I have the new 2011 macbook pro, with lion preinstalled. I want to change the harddrive. I have backed up everything on time machine. when i put my new blank hard drive in will the lion screen startup.How do i get the lion dmg when i am already using lion

I have the new 2011 macbook pro, with lion preinstalled. I want to change the harddrive. I have backed up everything on time machine. when i put my new blank hard drive in will the lion screen startup.How do i get the lion dmg when i am already using lion

NicholasLiban -
When you use the Lion restore as described, it does a fresh install on the hard drive that you can select at the beginning of the process. This provides a complete install of the very latest version of Lion, including the recovery partition. The drive that you choose for the installation destination winds up like what you would have on a brand new computer from Apple.
- Randy

New to Mac: Backing Up Applications (without Time Machine)

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