Restore from Time Machine from a MacBook running 10.4

Ok,
So long story short. I cannot remember how I upgraded all my computers to 10.5. It was forever ago, but I had a problem with my Macbook and decided to reinstall with the original Macbook Install discs. Problem is, they were 10.4. So now all those perfect Time Machine backups of my old user profile are sitting there useless to me.
So how do I restore to my last time machine config without having 10.5 CD's?
Thanks everybody!

To restore your entire system, you must use a Leopard or Snow Leopard disc. There's no way around it.
If you can borrow a retail (black) Leopard disc, it doesn't matter what version it is, or violate the license, since you don't install OSX from it.
Otherwise, you may have to buy one. I understand AppleCare has them for the original $129; many other places charge much more.
And be very careful buying sight-unseen; if they're the gray discs that came with a different model, they're hardware-specific and probably won't boot your Mac.

Similar Messages

  • I restored Pages from Time Machine to my MacBook Pro and I cannot open it.  How can I open it?

    I restored Pages from Time Machine to my MacBook Pro and I cannot open it.  How can I open it?

    You don't get all files you need from Time Machine. Do a reinstallation and updates from you iWork disc or if you bought from AppStore install from AppStore but then you have to uninstall first.

  • Restore a Time Machine backup from an overwritten partition?

    I had a TimeMachine backup on an external disk. 
    I accidently overwrote the partition containing the TimeMachine files. 
    How can I retrieve my Time Machine backup?  All data recovery software I have found will find jpgs, mp3s, etc, but not restore an overwritten partition or recover the TimeMachine backup.

    You can try using a partition recovery tool to try rebuilding the partition tables and hopefully restoring the filesystem on the drive so it provides the system with a properly set up Time Machine drive; however, this will be a hit or miss success.
    One tool that may work here is TestDisk: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk
    ...though keep in mind that this is not guaranteed to work.
    If you cannot do this, then it will be very difficult if not impossible to restore the Time Machine backup database in a usable fashion when the partition has been destroyed, as in order to do so you would need to restore a number of important files including all of their metadata that is often not possible to do with file restoration tools.
    To get Time Machine running again your best bet would be to start fresh, though if you want to keep files from your lost Time Machine drive then you should use another one until you can scour this one and restore the files you've lost.

  • I've recently received an error message from Time Machine that my Macbook Pro's sparsebundle is in use.  What is this and what can I do about it?

    I've recently received an error message from Time Machine that my Macbook Pro's sparsebundle is in use.  What is this and what can I do about it?

    This is asked at least 5-6 times a day here.
    Look at the right hand column.. more like this.
    It is a bug in Mountain Lion.
    Read C12 http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
    But the fast solution.. unplug the TC.. count to 10.. plug it back in.

  • Issues with restoring a Time Machine backup onto new Macbook Pro Retina

    I recently got a new Macbook Pro Retina and I've been trying to restore a Time Machine backup made today from my old Macbook Pro laptop. I didn't restore from the first start up (foolishly, seemingly) simply because of the trivial reason of wanting to see the system all clean and new.
    I've tried the Migration Assistant but it gets stuck on "looking for source..", despite having the ex.HD plugged in and double checking the existance of the backup itself on the ex.HD.
    I've also tried booting the laptop up in the 'restore' mode (cmd R) and restoring from there but it sends me in a constant loop of 'this backup was from a previous model of laptop' or something to that affect. It also doesn't display the recent backups at all, only displaying those from the beginning of this year for some reason. All backups are in the same place on the ex.HD so its not an issue with locating the backups.
    Really stuck on this one! Would really appreciate some help!
    Thanks a lot, and merry Christmas

    Yes, you can restore to another machine if needs be.

  • Can I restore Time Machine "B" to Macbook "A"  and then back again?

    My family had 2 Macbooks-- I'll call them A and B -- each equipped with an external USB hard drive that we used for regular Time Machine backups.
    Macbook B contained some digitized family videos.  About 8 months ago it was destroyed by spilled coffee (family member shall remain unnamed!)  Apple tech said it would cost as much to repair as it would to replace, and I ended up doing neither.  Coffee-spilling family member went off to college with a new Macbook Pro (equipped with a thin plastic keyboard cover!!!)
    Macbook A continues to be used, and backed up (by a family member who doesn't drink coffee, BTW).
    I would like to recover those video files -- at least to burn them onto DVD's or whatever -- but I'm assuming the only way to access files from a Time Machine backup is to restore that backup onto a Macbook. 
    So I'm wondering if I can be sneaky by restoring Time Machine "B" onto Macbook "A", getting those video files copied off it, and then restoring Time Machine "A" back onto Macbook "A" again.   Would there be any ill-effects from doing this?
    Thanks!
    Joe

    No. See:
    iOS: Unable to restore from backup of a newer device

  • Can't update from 10.8 to 10.8.2 on Macbook Pro Retina 15" (restored from old Macbook Pro 13")

    So I bought the new Macbook Pro Retina 15" and restored from my Macbook Pro 13".  Everything is good except that when I go to AppStore to update other Apps it says I need the latest 10.8.2 update but that doesnt' even show up.  Is there some new update coming out soon that will resolve my problem?

    If the 10.8.3 comes out and I can't update it from the AppStore, then I'll try your original method you wrote "
    Boot to the Recovery HD partition, Command+r at startup, and select Reinstall Mac OS"
    But with that method, do I keep everything or will I lose everything?  If it keeps it, I can do that right now then.
    Thanks!!!

  • My MG8120 won't print wirelessly from my MacBook running OS 10.9.5. Works fine with HP printers.

    My MG8120 won't print wirelessly from my MacBook running OS 10.9.5 (Mavericks).  It works fine with all of the other HP printers in the office.  Another user has the same problem with her PC running Windows 7.  And she, too, has no problems printing on the other HPs.  I or she cannot print to any of three Canon printers in the office. 

    Hi,
    Please try the following steps,
    Download every updates from Apple and HP
    Reset or Delete the printer from your mac (it may work trhough USB)
    Reset all settings into default settings on your printer
    Turn off or unplug mac, printer, modem, router
    Plug everything and reboot all
    Reconnect the printer to home wifi network and mac also reconnect to the correct network
    I work for HP. I am speaking for myself and not for HP.
    Say thanks by clicking the Kudos Thumbs Up in the post.
    If my post resolved your problem, please mark it as an Accepted Solution

  • Can't restore latest Time Machine backup after drive replacement- only the very first.

    My 13" Macbook Pro running 10.8.5 had a bad hard drive which had to be replaced. After the new drive was put in I tried to restore everything to the new drive with Time Machine but could only restore the first backup I ever did after getting the computer, which was over a year ago.  I can drag and drop files but I would rather have all my preferences and bookmarks etc.  How do I restore the latest backup which was only about a week ago?  Thank you.

    Not yet; I'm not sure if Migration Assistant is quite right. Since I posted the question I ran across this youtube video
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYUem-QfYBs
    which suggests that I need to start up from a bootable external disc in order to restore a Time Machine backup to the same computer that the backup came from when the drive is replaced.  The video actually seems to describe my issue exactly.  The only confusing thing is I don't know why I would have been able to restore the very first Time Machine backup if I need to boot from an external disc.  More investigation needed.

  • HT204382 mpeg video file won't open in quick time player on my macbook running snow leopard. Works fine in iMac running mountain lion. Any ideas

    mpeg video file won't open in quick time player on my macbook running snow leopard.
    works fine on iMac running mountain lion.
    any ideas?

    HI,
    If iChat is Open and your think Accounts/Screen Names are logged in then go to the Window Menu
    This should list the accounts that are logged in with various keystrokes ( Apple/CMD ( or ⌘) and a Number) shown next to them.
    Using these should get the Buddy list "back".
    It is possible to Hide the Buddy list and then Quit iChat.
    iChat will then "remember" where the windows were eve if this was Hidden.
    Can you confirm that after reinstalling or restoring from Time Machine with possibly an Earlier Version you have Downloaded the COMBO version of OS X 10.6.8 and "run the COMBO" (Installed it - again) to update iChat ?
    It is possible the text chat Window is also Hidden on double clicking a Buddy.
    The easiest way for this to happen is to use a second Display and drag some windows to the second Display.
    iChat "remembers" where you last had Outgoing Chats so Audio and Video windows will be where you left them as will Text Chats.
    Incoming Chat Invites are normally in set places unless there is a chat already open to that Buddy.
    With  Windowing issue like this is sometimes pays to delete com.apple.ichat.plist itself  (on it's own) and restart iChat  (this plist holds the window positions amongst other things)
    8:49 PM      Monday; February 27, 2012
    Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
      iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
     G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
     MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
     Mac OS X (10.6.8),
    "Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

  • Restore a Time Machine backup on a newer version of the OS

    My MacBook running Leopard (10.5.5) was recently stolen, but fortunately I have a Time Machine backup.
    I'll make do with an old iBook running Tiger for now, but when I 've saved up a bit, and when Snow Leopard is released (and preferably a new version of iLife as well), I'll buy a new MacBook.
    I was wondering though, what would happen if I would restore my Time Machine backup (made under Leopard) to a machine running Snow Leopard. Of course nobody can tell now, but has anybody tried restoring from a TM backup made in a previous version of the OS? For example from 10.5.2 to a Mac that came with 10.5.4 pre-installed? Do you need to update the OS afterwards?
    If updating is necessary: is it easy to use the grey disk that comes with your computer to update the OS? I never needed it before...

    In the situation you are talking about, Time Machine offers the option of migrating data, using Migration Assistant, from a Time Machine backup, ie the same process you use to transfer to a new computer but coming out of a backup rather than a previous machine. This process will generally work between different versions of operating system and so it's a reasonable bet it will work to transfer from a backup under Leopard to a machine running Snow Leopard. That process allows you to bring applications and settings across as well, although whether that would be a good idea would depend on how confident you were that your apps would work under Snow Leopard.

  • Can't fully restore my Time Machine/Time Capsule Backup to my newly-wiped SSD/HDD

    On receiving my leased, Bootcamp-enabled MacBook Pro, I saw that there were no installation discs for Windows or OSX, and that there were 2 partitions (or so I thought) for Mac and Windows: 375GB each. As I produce music using software in both OSs, I wanted to create a 185GB FAT-32 partition to store my sound samples, projects etc. I attempted to create this partition by resizing (halving) my Bootcamp partition in OSX Disc Utility. The first time I attempted it, resizing was possible, but after the new partition was created, I had problems booting and so had to edit my GPT in order to boot again. Once ‘fixed,’ (by deleting the new partition) I couldn’t resize the Bootcamp partition to fill the 185GB gap, and that 185GB was ‘lost.’ The Bootcamp partition was 375GB but its used space + free space added up to 190GB
    So the other day, I tried to follow what I thought was a more logical approach, which I was *sure* would work. My plan was to:
    Use Windows Backup (and/or Clonezilla, or Disk Utility) to store an image of my Windows partition.
    Uninstall/wipe the Windows partition using BootCamp Assistant, creating 1 big OSX partition
    Use BootCamp Assistant to re-partition the HDD for Windows, OSX and ‘shared,’ and then re-install Windows, leaving 175GB for shared music production files
    Restore the image/backups (approx 70GB) and carry on as before.
    During the process, I deemed that this wasn't possible on my system for a variety of reasons: My laptop already had 4 partitions (Windows Recovery, Bootcamp/Windows, Mac Recovery HD, and Mac) and my understanding is that the MBR of my SSD only supports 4 partitions in its Bootcamp + OSX-compatible state. I have never got this '5 partition' strategy working.
    I was unable to restore my Windows partition after re-installing Windows via Bootcamp. As a solution, I then decided to wipe the OSX partition (at that point the only 'visible' partition on the disk) and in-place re-install Mac OS X, with a view to installing Windows after OSX.
    Once I wiped my hard drive, however, restoring my files and settings, didn't work as expected. Time Machine backups etc were inaccessible after a normal re-install. Re-installing with file transfer at setup froze at the 10% mark, with an estimated 200 hrs to go. The option to try a full-system restore via Time Machine is greyed-out. Even the Migration Assistant failed at a similar point. On the occasions where it claimed to complete successful (most recent situation) it seemed to neglect files, etc., and I'm now stuck at this stage.
    I can view files/backups in Time Machine but I can't completely restore my computer to the state it was on 18th May...and 11 days without a fully-functioning laptop is really annoying. I wasn't able to ‘clean’ *or* ‘in-place’ re-install OSX using my existing settings and so I'm frustrated that Time Machine isn't a flawless backup & restore process. Migration Assistant didn’t transfer everything. Can I get things back to the way they were?
    Things that haven’t restored correctly:
    None of my icon customisations at the top of the screen were there (DropBox, Evernote, Google Drive, Kuvva, the way battery icon was displayed
    Safari: Top Sites, History, Plugins
    Logic Pro: Downloaded sounds, presets (10+GB), recent items, plugin settings/AU manager
    Mail: Settings (and I’m assuming, the downloaded/cached mail: 7GB)
    Trash can: Empty
    All recent item lists apart from cloud-based services like Evernote, Notes, contacts
    iTunes library
    Dock view and settings
    Settings for most programs
    And I'm sure there are more!

    Thanks Pondini; I'd hoped you'd reply. I'm still getting used to this tech, no can't even quote here.
    Pondini wrote:
    AkaraE wrote:
    Time Machine backups etc were inaccessible after a normal re-install.
    If you mean you installed OSX and created a user account, then couldn't find the backups, that's because they're treated as being from a different disk, until you either transfer your data or do a manual "associatedisk".  See the blue box in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #19 for details.
    Yet to try the associatedisk...didn't realise this was possible until reading your guides. The explanation makes sense now. On installing OSX it said transfers were possible after installation, so I put off transferring as the first 'restore' had frozen on 10%, thinking I'd do it afterwards.
    Re-installing with file transfer at setup froze at the 10% mark, with an estimated 200 hrs to go
    That sounds like damaged/corrupted backups. Try to Repair them, per #A5 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.
    Yet to try...didn't realise this was possible until reading your guides
    The option to try a full-system restore via Time Machine is greyed-out.
    You mean, on the Mac OS X Utilities menu on the Recovery HD?  I've never heard of that.  That should always be selectable, so you can specify where the backups you want are located.  Nothing happens when you click it?  Can you click the other options there?
    Even the Migration Assistant failed at a similar point. On the occasions where it claimed to complete successful (most recent situation) it seemed to neglect files, etc., and I'm now stuck at this stage.
    Also sounds like directory or file problems on the backups.
    This is just when I go into Time Machine/Star Wars. I can't just go to the latest backup and click "Restore" (which I assume would just restore my whole computer/HDD, although I have no experience in this). I can only select files and restore them individually. 
    Time Machine isn't a flawless backup & restore process.
    There has never been any such thing.
    I bought into the Time Machine 'hype' and thought it was an easy and reliable tool, but was a lot more difficult to do a full restore than I thought. 
    Trash can: Empty
    Correct.  Time Machine (like most backup apps) don't back up trash.
    All the rest should have been backed-up and restored.  Do you see them in the backups?  What, if anything, was excluded from being backed-up?
    As a non-native Mac user, I'm not sure where all these things are stored...perhaps in Library? I think that not having the full hard-drive just restore annoyed me...I felt that backing up my whole hard drive every hour should've allowed me to restore everything to as it was without a hitch, and when it didn't work I just tried a few things before posting on here.
    If repairing the backups finds and fixes things, you might want to try again.
    Gonna try now
    If not, and if you can see the missing items via the Time Machine browser (the "Star Wars" display), you should be able to restore them selectively.

  • Can't restore latest time machine backup

    I have just had my the hard drive in my macbook pro replaced and am trying to restore from a time machine backup.  I back up regularly (about once a week) to an external hard drive, but the most recent option for backup is October... help!
    I can see a backup from yesterday if I navigate the hard drive in finder, but it won't show me this option in the restore from time machine backup prompt.

    Welcome to Apple Support Communities
    It looks like you want to have the whole backup restored. In this case, instead of using the Time Machine app and restoring files individually, you need to use Migration Assistant (in /Applications/Utilities).
    If you do not have anything you need on your new MacBook Pro's hard drive, there's even a cleaner way of restoring the backup. Hold Command and R keys while your Mac is starting up to start up into OS X Recover, select the option to restore a Time Machine backup and follow its steps. The backup you select will be restored and your Mac will be the same as before replacing the hard drive

  • Restore using Time Machine to new hard drive, but last "full" backup was 2012.  how do I restore the rest of the Time Machine backups, particularily IPHOTO libraries for each user?

    Restore using Time Machine to new hard drive, but last "full" backup was in 2012.  How do I restore the rest of the Time Machine backups, particularily IPHOTO libraries for each user? 
    I entered Iphoto for my user and only photo up until 2012 were in the library.  I thought the restore would do the incremental Time Machine backups too.....
    Running 10.8.2

    It usually means you are running Mavericks but have an earlier version of iPhoto. Open the App Store and upgrade your version of iPhoto to the Mavericks version.
    The iWork apps are free with a new iOS device since 1 SEP 2013. They are free with a new Mac since 1 OCT 2013. They are also free with the upgrade to OS X Mavericks 10.9 if you had the previous version installed when you upgraded.The iWork apps are free with a new iOS device since 1 SEP 2013. They are free with a new Mac since 1 OCT 2013. They are also free with the upgrade to OS X Mavericks 10.9 if you had the previous version installed when you upgraded.
    iWork and iLife for Mac come free with every new Mac purchase. Existing users running Mavericks can update their apps for free from the Mac App Store℠. iWork and iLife for iOS are available for free from the App Store℠ for any new device running iOS 7, and are also available as free updates for existing users. GarageBand for Mac and iOS are free for all OS X Mavericks and iOS 7 users. Additional GarageBand instruments and sounds are available for a one-time in-app purchase of $4.99 for each platform.

  • Using target mode and g4 to restore my time machine on my imac? help

    I have a imac 27" intel 10.6 that became  stuck on grey screen, Tried everything.
    problem dont have original cd install cd snow Leopard 10.6...
    so I used target mode from a g4 10.4 mac and erased data on my imac
    then went into the disk utility and draged the time machine drive (which was greyed out) into the section that says drive you wish to restore.
    I could not run the scan disk image because the time machine drive was not avaliable.
    so then i draged my new imac drive to the location to be restored part, hit restore and it says its copying
    its been a day and a half and only copied 50g out of 280g
    can i safley stop this?
    is this even going to work?
    Can disk utility restore my time machine back onto my reformatted hfs ext drive on my imac?
    Imac 27", Mac OS X (10.6.4)

    White screen on startup?
    Startup - Gray, Blue or White screen at boot, w/spinner/progress bar
    Startup - Gray Screen
    Startup Issues - Resolve
    Startup Issues - Resolve (2)

  • TS3423 Mac book pro stops responding after Maverick OS restart. Currently have a circle with a line through it after 20+ hours. Tried to shut it down and use the Time Machine to restore but no response. How can I restore with Time Machine if it will not s

    Mac book pro stops responding after Maverick OS restart. Currently have a circle with a line through it after 20+ hours. Tried to shut it down and use the Time Machine to restore but no response. How can I restore with Time Machine if it will not start?

    sonjadg,
    you can purchase a replacement pair of grey installation DVDs for your MacBook Pro from either Apple or iFixit. If Startup Manager is only showing an OS X Installer volume, then it sounds like the Mavericks installer had a problem midway through its installation process. To fix this, you’re going to need to erase your internal disk and reïnstall your original version of OS X from the grey Mac OS X Install DVD, use Software Update  to get it back to 10.6.8 (presuming that your MacBook Pro originally came with Snow Leopard), and then restore from Time Machine.

Maybe you are looking for