Restore one hard disk from Time Machine backup

Is it possible to restore only one disk from Time machine backup?  I have a SSD with OSX 10.8.5 on it while user folders are on a separate 4TB hard drive. I also have a Time Machine volume for backups.  Yesterday the user drive failed beyond repair, but fortunatly I do have a recent backup.  When I tried to resotre following insructions provided in the Time Machine manual, it does not give me an option to resore a specific disk from the backup, and tries to resotre only the System disk backup, in this case the SSD.  Is there a way to restore a disk on which no system is installed?

Time Machine - Troubleshooting E3. I can't see backups for a disk/partition that's no longer connected

Similar Messages

  • Restore to different disk from Time Machine backup

    Using Snow Leopard. I installed a larger hard disk in my Macbook Pro just over a week ago, and kept the old disk. Time Machine had worked before the update and continued to work after the update. So I did another week of work and created new documents, etc. hopefully all backed up.
    Then the new larger hard disk crashed, so I had to revert to my old disk which still had the old data on it. The old disk was named xxx180 and the new disk large disk xxx500. The user name and account name were the same on both.
    With the old disk now back, if I look into Time Machine, I can only see backups containing data from dates previous to the upgrade, but all of those files are already on my disk. The later dates are there in time machine, but they have no files.
    I have tried migration assistant, but it says that I can't have 2 user accounts with the same name - I don't want to re-create the account, just restore a few files.
    I have booted from the Snow Leopeard disk and gone into Disk Utility to 'restore from Time Machine', but it says that the large disk information is 475 GB and will not fit onto the old small disk. I know that I only added a few documents and that they shoud fit on the spare space on the old small disk. The difference is only a few days of important text documents.
    Can I see the backup files on the Time Machine disk other than through the Time Machine application?

    Time Machine - Troubleshooting E3. I can't see backups for a disk/partition that's no longer connected

  • HT1553 I restored my hard drive from time machine. Why is iPhoto not displaying images properly?

    I restored my hard drive from time machine after power blinks corrupted the file system so badly that disk utility could not repair it. Since then, iPhoto has not displayed images correctly. Events are there, and blank squares are shown, but that's all. I rebuilt small and all thumbnails and permissions -- I think the top three or four options in the iPhoto rebuild utility, which took five hours to do but which seems not to have changed anything. The iPhoto library is still more than 100GB, so the photos are there. I didn't choose rebuild from backed up --- whatever the final option on the rebuild menu offers -- because that seems to be appropriate only when a backup is interrupted. Could certainly do it, though. How do I get iphoto behaving again? I have full time machine backups saved automatically and another fairly recent copy on a separate hard drive stored remotely. Thanks for whatever help anyone can provide. I've looked at existing questions and solutions without success so far.

    What version of iPhoto and system are your running?  Since you've tried rebuilding with iPhoto give this a try:
    Using iPhoto Library Manager  to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
    Download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
    Click on the Add Library button, navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.
    Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the File ➙ Rebuild Library menu option
    In the next  window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.
    Click on the Create button.
    Note: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments. However, books, calendars, cards and slideshows will be lost. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.
    If you have an external HD you might want to have the rebuilt copy created on it unless you have well more than 100 GB available on your boot drive.
    OT

  • How can I restore Parental Control Settings from Time Machine Backup?

    I was trying to adjust one of the parental controlled accounts for my child.  I disabled parental controls, rebooted, and re-enabled it.  Now all the settings that I had setup before are gone.  How can I restore Parental Control Settings from Time Machine Backup?

    Hi ...
    I've found a solution to my problem.
    Time Machine locates extenal HDD backups differently depending if they were done via a network or via a USB/FireWire/Thunderbolt connection.
    My initial backup was done via a direct Thunderbolt connection. I ran into the above issue b/c the second time when I tried looking for the backup file the HDD was conencted to my iMac and I was accessing it via a network conenction.
    I simply connected the drive directly to my MacBook pro and ... voila. I was able to see the backup, select the iPhoto library and begin the restore.
    Hope this helps.
    BTW - I found this out by reading the 'blue box' selection on this page: http://pondini.org/TM/E2.html
    (Thanks goes to Pondini!)

  • HT201250 Restore playlist to iTunes from Time Machine backup

    I need to restore my playlist to iTunes from Time Machine backup. Anyone know how?

    cindy1023 wrote:
    i had a hacker get in my computer, got all my info used my name and passwords to convert safari into windows on another computer? and APPLE IS THE ONE GAVE HER THE PASSWORD.
    There is no way to "convert" Safari into Windows.   And very unlikely for a hacker to get into a Mac. 
    But, ok, your system is all messed-up somehow.
    First, what version of OSX is on your Mac?  If you don't know, click the Apple icon at the upper-left of the screen and select About This Mac.  You'll see a display like this:
    We need the Version number.
    Second question: do you have backups made with Time Machine (on an external HD or the like) that you want to restore, or do you want to start your Mac over fresh, the way it came from the factory?
    p.s. i dont have the disc it came with , my daughter set it up for me to get started !
    You may need that, depending on what version of OSX you're running, to restore the backups or start fresh.
    You really should have a copy of the original disc, as there's an Apple Hardware Test on it, tailored to the hardware on that Mac. You'll need it it there's ever a problem.  If your daughter can't send it,  call AppleCare (800-275-2273),and  give them your serial number -- they can send you a replacement for a nominal fee.
    Sorry, but it's late here, and I'm going to bed, but will be back tomorrow.

  • Restoring hard disk from time machine

    trying to restore from time machine.  I restart holding down the command and R key but the menu does not start.  I also tryied verifying my hardware restarting holding the D key and the diagnostics does not start also?

    Try holding the 'option' key instead as you start up. You should get a list of disks to start up from, including the Recovery HD and Time Machine.

  • HT201250 Mac OS 10.6 - How to restore OS and Data from Time Machine Backup

    my exisitng iMac have a defective hard drive that i need to be replace. how do i restore the OS and data to the new hard disk? i have Time Machine backup from the previous hard disk. (note: the OS is 10.6, and i do not have the install disk)

    cindy1023 wrote:
    i had a hacker get in my computer, got all my info used my name and passwords to convert safari into windows on another computer? and APPLE IS THE ONE GAVE HER THE PASSWORD.
    There is no way to "convert" Safari into Windows.   And very unlikely for a hacker to get into a Mac. 
    But, ok, your system is all messed-up somehow.
    First, what version of OSX is on your Mac?  If you don't know, click the Apple icon at the upper-left of the screen and select About This Mac.  You'll see a display like this:
    We need the Version number.
    Second question: do you have backups made with Time Machine (on an external HD or the like) that you want to restore, or do you want to start your Mac over fresh, the way it came from the factory?
    p.s. i dont have the disc it came with , my daughter set it up for me to get started !
    You may need that, depending on what version of OSX you're running, to restore the backups or start fresh.
    You really should have a copy of the original disc, as there's an Apple Hardware Test on it, tailored to the hardware on that Mac. You'll need it it there's ever a problem.  If your daughter can't send it,  call AppleCare (800-275-2273),and  give them your serial number -- they can send you a replacement for a nominal fee.
    Sorry, but it's late here, and I'm going to bed, but will be back tomorrow.

  • Reformatting my External Hard Drive from Time Machine Backups

    I used an existing external hard drive as my Time Machine Backup, but it only has 80 GB capability while my hard drive is 30 GB. I will buy a new one external hard drive and I want to revert the existing one back to a shared external hard drive. How do I reformat my existing external hard drive? Do I open it through iMac and delete the folders and rename the drive?

    How do I reformat my existing external hard drive? Do I open it through iMac and delete the folders and rename the drive?
    NO. There are some hidden files/folders TM uses, and which you won't be able to delete through Finder.
    Open /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility, select the non-indented drive just above the external (make sure you have the right one, NOT your internal), select the "Erase" tab, and erase it, formatting it to Mac OS Extended (Journaled). While you're there, make sure it's partitioned as GUID if you have an intel-based Mac, and APM if you have a PPC-based mac.
    Both those operations will completely wipe the drive. You won't be able to recover any files from them after the wipe.
    Good luck!
    Message was edited by: joshz

  • Help Restoring New Hard Drive from Time Machine

    To replace a failing Macintosh HD, I created an OS X Mountain Lion boot disk on a flash drive, put my new hard drive in a USB external dock, booted to the flash drive, partitioned and formatted the new drive (selecting GUID partition), and have tried and failed three times to restore from Time Machine, which is on a Firewire-connected drive. The error I get is that it's unable to create a restore disk.
    I could reformat the new drive and try again, but is there something else I'm missing? For example, should I have left the new drive in the external dock, or should I move it to bay 1 and then try to restore, considering that latency is a possible issue or that Time Machine won't restore to a USB drive?

    Why don't you install ML on it and then see?
    Better yet use any of the 4 internal drive bays instead of USB - slow and terrrible place!
    It does not matter where or what drive bay.
    Unable to unmount drive.
    CLONE your system - a couple times, pure Apple Mac OS once you have one and later for working copy and one before you install or apply updates or programs or otehr changes.
    CCC carbon copy cloner - will create recovery partition when you clone a system.
    I assume your flash drive works, not everyone is successful first shot.
    I prefer a clean install to start with. Esp as you say your system was failing I don't like relying on the Time Machine for everything.

  • Cannot restore iphoto library correctly from time machine backup

    Hi all,
    Yesterday I had to reinstall my mac with no particular reason. Suddenly the startup screen with the "circle" went on indefinitely for 10+ minutes before shutting down the system. Yes, the power cord was plugged in. No, I didn't manage to start it in safe mode...
    I thought it wouldn't be a big deal since I regularly back up my mac on an external drive by Time Machine. So I reinstalled and restored the system.
    I could log in fine, but here's the catch:
    1) only 3 iPhoto events out of 30 are restored
    2) for all other events I seem to have the thumbnails but not the original or modified files
    3) trying to browse into the Pictures folder shows that:
    - the iPhoto library file does not appear with the usual icon
    - if I examine the package, for all events that don't show up in iPhoto, the event hierarchy (e.g. 2008/eventxyz) exists but the folders are empty in both the "Original" and "Modified" hierarchies
    - same if I click on the same file in ANY of the 4 backups I have on the time machine disk
    By the way TM restored the system to MacOSX 10.5.2 even if I'm sure I had a later version. In fact, I can't open iTunes either because it says the library has been created with a later version of iTunes. But what really worries me is that I can't even find the .JPG original files.
    Can somebody please help? I relied on Time Machine and there's 6 years of memories there...
    Thank you

    I have the same symptom, but as the result of an external hard drive failure. My Time Machine backups from June 2009 - August 2009 contain the iPhoto library. When I restore the iPhoto library (pick any random backup date) I can see the thumbnails or a blank dashed outline of the old photos. When I click on the thumbnail I can get the metadata (photo location, photo date, etc...) but the photos are gone. When I am in iPhoto the lower left corner of the interface shows the library size is 42Gb, but the restored library package is only about 3Gb. My guess is the difference in file size is equal to the size of the original (and modified) files that didnt get backed up. None of my iPhoto library packages in Time Machine are larger than 3Gb.
    I brought my backup drive to the folks at the Genius Bar. They were perplexed. They suggested I bring in my Mac Mini so they could look at the console. I took a look at the console at home and searched for "Time Machine" and found nothing out of the ordinary.
    Not sure why Time Machine would appear to run so smoothly yet selectively not back up my original photos. I can restore everything else from my Time Machine backup to my new external drive just fine.

  • Why does restoring a Hard Drive from Time Machine break all my software registration?

    I've just upgraded the hard drive in my MacBook Pro using a Time Machine backup. (In the past I've used Carbon Copy cloner to duplicate the drive before installing it, but this seemed like an easier option.) The restore from TM went fine... but now all my apps are acting as if I've just installed them for the first time. Mail and Dropbox went thru their first time startup screens, and are reimporting all my files/messages. Word and Photoshop are asking for the registration serial numbers. What a hassle!
    Does anyone know what Time Machine is doing, and why? Why aren't my apps fully restored? And is there any workaround?

    I imagine it is because of the way CCC does makes an exact clone of your drive.
    Time Machine restores the drive file-by-file and doesn't necessarily restore support files. Most apps know when they've been moved and ask for serial numbers.
    However, I have never restored a complete hard drive with Time Machine, so I don't know exactly what to expect.
    Pondini may have some info here: http://pondini.org/TM/14.html

  • Cannot restore some files/folders from Time Machine Backup

    When I try and restore files or folders from my Pictures folder, which is a sub folder of my user I get the message "The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have permission to access xxxx". As far as I can tell this has only just started to happen because I've recovered stuff from the folder since I bought the machine in July. Yesterday I deleted an old Time Machine backup folder from the Time Machine disc. This caused empty trash to go berserk - the "files to delete" count went negative and I had to stop/restart the empty trash command about 20 times before it sorted itself out. Maybe this has screwed some permissions somewhere? I have run disc utility and repaied permissions on my hard drive and verified the TM drive. Still no joy. The permissions for Pictures look OK. Anyone any ideas?

    Yesterday I deleted an old Time Machine backup folder from the Time Machine disc. This caused empty trash to go berserk - the "files to delete" count went negative
    Probably you corrupted your Time Machine Backup by manually deleting older backups- that is dangerous.
    See Pondni's advice on how to fix it - Time Machine trouble Shooting
    I hope that helps
    Léonie

  • Can't restore new hard drive from time machine back up

    Looking for some help on this one....
    Briefly: iMac 24" aluminium early 2008 (model 2134) trying to upgrade the original 320 gb HDD. So I bought a WD Caviar Black 64 mb, 6gb/s 1Tb drive, intalled it pretty smoothly and then using an install disc restored it from a time machine back up. That went fine then I could not restart the mac (kernel panic). So i trouble shooted with an extended hardware test, disk repair and everything seemed fine. I reinstalled my old HDD again and worked perfectly so I figured my iMac doesn't like this Caviar (due to sata3 perhaps??) so I went and bought a Seagate barracuda sata2 1 TB 7200 rpm and repated the whole process. Again everything went super smooth until the restoring process ended and the iMac was restarted. Kernel panic again. Already tried PRAM, option key. Booting from the CD or my old drive is not a problem at all but from the newly installed drive (x2) ... Impossible
    Any thoughts ???
    Thanks

    Booting from the CD or my old drive is not a problem at all but from the newly installed drive (x2) ... Impossible
    Disconnect all peripherals from your computer except for the keyboard and mouse. Double check to make sure that you installed the hard drive correctly - http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Browse/iMac#SectioniMac_Num20
    Select your imac then select hard drive replacement, and there are the instructions.
    Video instructions - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzuBW3mu7LI and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVzYXgUhygI

  • Restore full macbook pro from time machine backup stored on Synology DiskStation DS411

    Hi,
    I backed up my macbook pro (running Mac OS x 10.8) with time machine on a Synology DiskStation DS411.
    I never had any problem to backup my entire computer (~330gb) with Time Machine, others colleagues do so.
    Recently my hard drive failed and I had it replaced. I want to restore the full computer from this DiskStation. When I turn on the computer with the new drive, It proposes me to restore the data from a disk but can't find it even though I am plugged on the netwrok.
    I tried to copy and paste the entire folder on an external hard drive with a windows 7 machine, then plugged the hard drive to the macbookpro but it could still not see the hard drive.
    I don't really know what to do anymore. Can anyone help?
    Thanks.
    J

    Backing up to a third-party NAS with Time Machine is risky, and unacceptably risky if it's your only backup. This is an example of what can happen.
    If your only backup is on the NAS, contact the vendor for support.
    If you want network backup with Time Machine, use as the destination either an Apple Time Capsule or an external hard drive connected to another Mac or a mini-tower (802.11ac) AirPort base station. Only the 802.11ac base station supports Time Machine, not any previous model.

  • Restore Individual Package Contents from Time Machine Backup

    Sorry to have put this in the wrong forum, but I posted the question some time ago in the Time Machine forum and have had no responses...hence giving this a go.
    I'd like to be able to restore individual photos from iPhoto in order to test backups without restoring the whole of my photo library. Is it possible to do this? Any help would be much appreciated.

    Many thanks for your reply. I've had a go, but unfortunately that still doesn't work. Rather than the iPhoto Library folder being a regular folder (like it was in previous versions...I'm currently running version 8.1) it is a package, so that in order to see its contents, you have to right-click it to see the dated folders inside it.
    This is fine in the regular Finder window, but in the TimeMachine screen, the right-click function is disabled, so I can't see any way of selecting the specific date that would enable me to restore only one or two photos....it might be that this is a problem I need to contact Apple about.
    Finally, can I just say it did amuse me to see that Mr. Dee was helping Mr. Gee (puerile I know).
    Many thanks, Marcus.

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