Recover OS X using Time Machine Backup

Hi All,
I have created time machine backup for my entire system after a clean install  of Mountain Lion on Aug. 01, 2012 to a 16 GB USB drive. Now, as per my discussions with Apple Care, they told me that using Time Machine backup I can get back into the state where I created the backup (including Mountain Lion files). This is fine with me and I know that I can only get the files back for the time I created that backup.
Although, I don't want to restore my system now but just for being on safer side, I tried to learn the process of recovery. I followed the steps below to get into recovery mode:
1. Press the option key while system started.
2. Selected Recovery Mode from the available options.
3. Selected Time Machine Backup from the recovery mode.
Now, system displayed me the time machine backup for Aug. 01, 2012. I choose the one and click on next.
Now, here I have a few questions:
There was a drop down disabled on top that says "Restore From" and the option selected was "Machintosh HD on Ashish's...". What is this option? Is it telling me from where I had created the backup or it's telling me from where the system restore will take place?
Secondly, let's say that my whole machine was corrupted due to some reason and I am not able to start OS X then do Time Machine backup also restores my OS X?
Thank you in advance,
Regards,
-Ashish Sharma

Secondly, let's say that my whole machine was corrupted due to some reason and I am not able to start OS X then do Time Machine backup also restores my OS X?
It restores what was on the source volume when the backup took place, apart from logs, caches, the contents of the Trash, and whatever you choose to exclude. If the OS was corrupt when you backed up, it will still be corrupt after you restore.

Similar Messages

  • Recover OSX Mountain Lion using Time Machine Backup

    Hi,
    Can anyone help me to recover OSX  Mountain Lion using TIme Machine backup as i accidently corrupted the recovery HD and the Macintosh Drive?
    Regards,
    Sanil

    As Linc stated, you can boot from your Time Machine backup of OS X Mountain Lion.
    Restart your machine and hold down the Option key. Select the Time Machine backup drive to boot from. When it boots into the TM drive you will get the same OS X Utilities screen like in the recovery HD. You can use Disk Utilities to erase your Macintosh HD then restore your Mac OS X from Time Machine.

  • How can I restore files from my old iMac to this new purchased MacBook Air? I am using time machine backup in my old imac.

    How can I restore files from my old iMac to this new purchased MacBook Air? I am using time machine backup in my old imac.

    Hi,
    Try Target Disk Mode
    OS X Yosemite: Transfer files between two computers using target disk mode
    There is also Migration Assistant.
    OS X Yosemite: Transfer your info from a computer or storage device

  • HT1338 Can I do a clean install after using time machine backup?

    Can I do a clean install after using time machine backup?

    Hi, if I understand correctly yes, but may I ask the purpose of doing so?

  • HT4848 iMac crashed, trying to use Time Machine backup. In Restore From:it only offers Macintosh HD on ..... (grayed). There are backups listed below.

    iMac crashed, trying to use Time Machine backup. In Restore From:it only offers Macintosh HD on ..... (grayed). There are backups listed below. When I click on a current backup and click on continue I get a "Select a Destination" with Searching for disk, but nothing comes up.
    I am connected to my Passport if that helps, but I think that is where it is getting the backup list.
    Any help on how to proceed?
    Thanks,

    Thanks for your help on this. I was trying to restore from a new drive. The problem I have is that Time Machine will not let me do so, so far. 
    When I go into 'Restore from Time Machine Back up) I can access the Time Machine HD ok. But then when I go onto next page (Select a Back Up) the 'Restore From' option only has the greyed out name of my crashed HD (this seems wrong?). If I continue the process to erase starts and then stops, message says:
    An error occurred while adding a recovery system to the destination disk.
    it only seems to want me to back up to my crashed HD which I have no intention of using

  • I have already used time machine backup and I last used on june 2012 . Today when I tried to backup the time machine is still stuck on preparing my backup?What shallI do?

    I have already used time machine backup and I last used on june 2012 . Today when I tried to backup the time machine is still stuck on preparing my backup?What shallI do?

    See Section C here  >  http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
    From Here  >   http://pondini.org

  • How do I use time machine backup to restore onto a different computer

    I am trying to troubleshoot the best way to back up my Mac.  I have been a mac user since 20009 and always used a time machine.  The two times I have needed it for backup, my computer did not read the portion the backup was.  You could tell under disk utility the space was used.  Just before the need of backup, it was backing up.  So, I am wondering if I  need to use a different method.  I lost all of my Christmas 2015 movies.  My computer did some weird thing with passwords and it needs some resetting I had to do with the support team on the phone.  The support person could not figure out how to access the back up on time capsule.  I noticed the password resetting made my computer name different by putting a 3 behind the name I assigned it. 
    One thought that has crossed my mind is can you use the time machine backup and open it up on a completely different computer? If so, I should have been able to someone access my information.  I would like to know the answer and how do it so I know in case this ever happens again and so that I can rely on this expensive back up machine I have purchased two different times on two different computers and never been able to actually use.

    Are you running Yosemite.. because it is the cause of loads of problems.
    As to opening the TM backup from another computer.. yes you can.
    Please read our TM expert Pondini.
    Q14-17 on restore here.
    http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
    Particularly as you will see Q17 and it will reference the prior info you need.
    I have gone through this with several people.. and I have a post showing a manual file location and restore.
    Can't access old files on time capsule
    But not from Yosemite.. it has its own bunch of bugs.. as mentioned. Good luck with those.
    I also strongly recommend people use a secondary backup method.. there are excellent third party.. I use Carbon Copy Cloner.. it is reasonable price.. $40 based on standard rsync.. and will create either bootable clones to a local drive or sparsebundle on a time capsule etc.
    The bootable clone is the ideal way to recover files. since it is based on a simple computer reboot and then access of files that are in exactly the same place as you left them.. TM backs up in a most complicated manner.
    See how tm works here. The top couple of articles and how it is different to clones. As Pondini suggests.. using both is no bad thing.
    http://pondini.org/TM/Home.html
    This is also useful for yosemite.. it is not working as TM used to.
    Find files in Yosemite.
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6681850?searchText=time%20machine%20yosemit e#27139370
    While in Time Machine, press the key combination shift-command-C. The front window will show all mounted volumes. All snapshots should now be accessible. Select the one you want and navigate to the files you want to restore.
    I am not sure why your previous use of TM failed.. In the midst of all its problems it does still work ok.. as mostly people can recover stuff they do.. albeit it needs a lot more messing than is typical Apple.

  • New hard drive on iMac but can't use time machine backup

    I just installed a new hard drive on my 2007 iMac but it will not let me back up to a time machine backup.  I can see the files i want but has the red circle with this message  :The folder “Documents” can’t be opened because you don’t have permission to see its contents.  help!

    You haven't gone about this the right way. After installing OS X, when you booted from the new drive, you were prompted to transfer data from a Time Machine backup, among other options. That's what you should have done. The simplest, but not the fastest, way to recover is to start over by erasing the startup volume and installing again.
    OS X: How to migrate data from another Mac using Mountain Lion and earlier

  • How to recover RSS feeds from Time Machine backup?

    Hi,
    I have deleted an RSS feed and so even his messages are gone. Then I have tried to recover it from my TM backup but I just discovered that TM shows me the RSS feed but it does not allow me to select them to recover.
    Is it correct?
    Is there any way to recover that?
    thanks!

    Thanks for the response BDAqua, I did use Migration Assistant to transfer her data from the SuperDuper backup.  Are you suggesting that I use Migration Assistant to transfer data from the Time Machine backup?  Will that result in duplication?  Sorry, but I've no experience at all with Time Machine backups and don't know whether you can 'pick and choose' what to restore from the Time Machine using Migration Assistant.
    Cheers
    Tricia

  • Recovering Calendar files from Time Machine backups in Mavericks

    I have somehow deleted all previous Calendars and entries prior to the day I set up iCloud. They have gone from iCloud also. This occurred after I tried to remove duplicates. Calendar entries after setting up iCloud are more or less OK but everything before that day has gone (except for birthdays and a few other entries).
    Can I recover them from a previous (Mavericks) time-machine backup and if so how please?
    I have looked for calendar files on my external backup HD but can't see anything recognisable.
    Other posts on this topic seem to refer to previous operating systems.

    I used the process outlined here successfuly just now:
    http://www.wilmut.webspace.virginmedia.com/notes/icloudtm.html
    I am running Mavericks. Things I learned or to clarify/amplify what he says (at the URL I just listed):
    * If you have partial data saved in Calendar now, I highly recommend you export and save it as an .ics file so you won't lose anything.
    * Make sure you close Calendar before trying to restore.
    * To restore Calendar files, go back to the date you want to restore in Time Machine, and in your home folder (or whatever you may have renamed it), go to Library > Calendar. Highlight ALL files in this folder. The Restore button should turn white in the bottom right of the Time Machine and hit that. It will move them all into your calendar.
    * Follow his procedure otherwise. When you import the old data into your newly created On My Mac version of your calendar, it will say there is a "new event" or message and ask you where you want to put it. That would be the newly created calendar you just set up chosen off the list. It's pretty obvious but his directions didn't say so I like to be explicit with details.
    * I found that calendars I had created since losing my old ones were not overwritten or lost when I followed the above procedure.

  • How to take os recovery with out using time machine backup

    I ve just bought a macbook pro & I m very new to MAC OS. I wanna to take recovery of only Original OS with out using time machine & I also dnt want 2 store my personal files & stuffs. Pls guys suggest some tips for recovering my os If any problem occurs in future.

    S@ggy wrote:
    I ve just bought a macbook pro & I m very new to MAC OS. I wanna to take recovery of only Original OS with out using time machine & I also dnt want 2 store my personal files & stuffs. Pls guys suggest some tips for recovering my os If any problem occurs in future.
    It's not real clear what you want to do.
    Do you mean you don't want to back up your personal data at all, just the operating system?  If so, why?  Usually it's the personal data -- documents, photos, videos, etc., that are most important to folks, so should be backed-up.
    Or do you mean, you have some sensitive data that you don't want anyone to be able to recover if they get your backup disk?  If so, Time Machine can encrypt the backups, so anyone without a backup can't recover anything.
    Or something else?

  • How Çan I Recover Files Without Using Time Machine?

    Before Time Machine, you used to be able to recover files using, I think, one of the utilities.
    Now if you search for "recover files" in Help, all the options involve using Time Machine with and without Spotlight.
    I don't have a backup drive to use Time Machine yet but I would still like to try to recover an accidentally deleted folder.
    How can I do that now without Time Machine?

    Basics of File Recovery
    If you simply put files in the Trash you can restore them by opening the Trash (left-click on the Trash icon) and drag the files from the Trash to your Desktop or other desired location. OS X also provides a short-cut to undo the last item moved to the Trash -press COMMAND-Z.
    If you empty the Trash the files are gone. Recovery is possible but you must not allow any additional writes to the hard drive - shut it down. When you delete files you erase only the directory entries, not the files themselves. However, the space occupied by the files has been returned to the system as available for storage. Writing to the drive will then eventually overwrite the space once occupied by the deleted files in which case the files are lost permanently. Also if you save a file over an existing file of the same name, then the old file is overwritten and cannot be recovered.
    If you stop using the drive it's possible to recover deleted files that have not been overwritten with recovery software such as Data Rescue II, File Salvage or TechTool Pro. Each of the preceding come on bootable CDs to enable usage without risk of writing more data to the hard drive.
    The longer the hard drive remains in use and data are written to it, the greater the risk your deleted files will be overwritten.
    Also visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on Data Recovery.
    There has never been file recovery software in OS X. Recovering deleted files is not the same as restoring files from a backup. The best way to prevent losing a file is to maintain a backup. Obviously you aren't doing that, so you should consider adopting some kind of backup plan.
    Basic Backup
    Get an external Firewire 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. Retrospect Desktop (Commercial - not yet universal binary)
    2. Synchronize! Pro X (Commercial)
    3. Synk (Backup, Standard, or Pro)
    4. Deja Vu (Shareware)
    5. PsynchX 2.1.1 and RsyncX 2.1 (Freeware)
    6. Carbon Copy Cloner (Freeware - 3.0 is a Universal Binary)
    7. SuperDuper! (Commercial)
    8. Intego Personal Backup (Commercial)
    9. Data Backup (Commercial)
    The following utilities can also be used for backup, but cannot create bootable clones:
    1. Backup (requires a .Mac account with Apple both to get the software and to use it.)
    2. Toast
    3. Impression
    4. arRSync
    Apple's Backup is a full backup tool capable of also backing up across multiple media such as CD/DVD. However, it cannot create bootable backups. It is primarily an "archiving" utility as are the other two.
    Impression and Toast are disk image based backups, only. Particularly useful if you need to backup to CD/DVD across multiple media.
    Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on maintenance, optimization, virus protection, and backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.
    Although you can buy a complete FireWire 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 (911, 921, 922, for example.) You can find enclosures at places such as;
    Cool Drives
    OWC
    WiebeTech
    Firewire Direct
    California Drives
    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.

  • Recover files with no Time Machine Backup and disk 'can't be repaired'

    My Macbook Air (Mac OS X 10.7.4) was acting funny for a few days (crashing Safari, crashing Mozilla, crashing other third party software, requiring reboot, etc.). When I tried to reboot it, a loading bar and a rotating wheel came, but got switched off. It happened every time I tried. I got into Recovery mode (by pressing Command + R) to fix the disk. The disk could not be fixed. I tried reinstalling MacOSX, but it is not showing any disk to reinstall the OS in. I do not have Time Machine On.
    I have some really important pictures and documents in the Mac. I want to save these files before I erase the whole disk. Any advice?
    Thank you!
    TL;DR
    Mac dies while booting
    Disk can not be fixed
    Shows no disk to reinstall the MacOSX in
    Never switched on the Time Machine
    Want to save important files before deleting whole disk

    One of the data recovery apps needs to be run on the disk.  You have some options, none good:
    • Take your Mac to an AppleStore (make a reservation at: http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/), or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (start here to find one: https://locate.apple.com/country).  They won't run the recovery, but can tell if the drive is physically damaged.  If so, and your Mac is under a year old, or covered by AppleCare, you won't have to pay for the replacement, but be sure to get the old drive back.  It can then be put into an enclosure, making it an external HD for use with one of the other options:
    • Take your Mac (or the drive) to a recovery service.  They'll charge a large fee, and return an external HD with whavever data they can recover.  You'd then need to erase the internal HD, install OSX, and try to reassembe your data from the external.
    • Do it yourself. Buy an external HD (better, get two: one 3-4 times the size of the data on your Mac) and do it yourself.  You'll install OSX on it and run from it to recover whatever data you can to the other external:
    Start from the Recovery HD and format them both for a Mac (even if they say Mac Ready).  See #1 in Using Disk Utility if you're not sure how to do that.
    Then install OSX on one of them.  When your Mac restarts, it will start from the external, and you'll set up a user account, etc, just as with a new Mac.  When it starts again, you'll be running from a "bare-bones" system on the external HD. 
    Get one of the data recovery apps, install it on the external, and follow it's instructions to try to recover your stuff to the other external.  As noted in the yellow box in the link above, you may get a lot of the orginal folder structure back, so you can just drag things to the proper location on the external you're running from.  But you may find some or many files with partial names, perhaps numbers, etc.  Some may have extensions you can identify (such as .png or .jpg), some may not.  Try to open them and see what they are.
    If you don't recover a lot, and are willing to spend yet more $$, you might try a different recovery app -- often one will recover things a different one can't. 
    When you've gotten everything you can off the internal HD, reformat it, then "clone" the external OSX drive to it and restart from the internal.  
    Then start making regular backups. If you want to use Time Machine, erase and use the one thats 3-4 times the size of the data it's backing up.
    Also make periodic "secondary" backups to the other drive.  See Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question
    #27 for an explanation and some suggestions.

  • Can you recover app data using Time Machine

    When I got my 3GS, I consciously elected to create a new phone, rather than restoring from my previous backup. (Thought it would be best to start from scratch since I hadn't yet installed OS 3.0).
    Anyway,I did this forgetting that only one app I use has any significant data associated with it -- my workout app.
    Is there a way to recover the data for just that app using Time Machine?
    Thanks.

    Had a similar issue with Peggle (close to the last level, but my saves didn't transfer! AAAHH!!!). What I had to do (according to AppleCare) was to restore my phone from a backup. This doesn't take long at all, and you don't have to redownload the OS to do it (it simply replaces "your stuff" with the backup. Doing it this way (instead of going with "new phone" fixed my problem. From there, you can change the name of your phone or whatever you want in iTunes.
    Hopefully you made a recent backup of your old phone so you can do this. If you deleted your backup, you can use Time Machine to restore it and THEN restore from backup on your new phone. But to my knowledge (and according to the Apple rep I talked to) there is no way to simply transfer data within the app itself.

  • Finder crash upon login with one account, better to copy files to new account or use Time Machine backup?

    The finder crashes when I login to my old account. Briefly my problems started with iPhoto crashes and eventually to finder crashes. The finder would crash when I would try to transfer picture files from one directory to another.  I'd deleted com.apple.iPhoto.plist as well as com.apple.finder.plist but these did not help.  The crash is characterized by there being no menu items on the top left, but with dock icons which cannot however be clicked, and I can only resort to a hard reset to get back to the login window.  I created a new admin account -- this one works -- but cannot decide whether I should just transfer files from the old account to the new account (as described somewhere in the archived support) or whether I should "go back" in time to when the system was working well (about December 2012 was the last "good" Time Machine backup  -- I did a backup in February, but that was when I was already having problems).  I am afraid that if I transfer certain files (especially the picture files and iphoto files) to the new account, I might cause the same problem on the new account.  Any suggestion as to how to resolve this problem would be greatly appreciated.

    Transfer files off the machine to a external storage drive and disconnect, that way you can do anything you like.
    TimeMachine may fail to restore if your drive is corrupted and can't be easily verified if your data is truly on it or will restore.
    Most commonly used backup methods
    ..Step by Step to fix your Mac
    How to erase and install Snow Leopard 10.6
    For Snow Leopard Speed Freaks
    https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents

Maybe you are looking for