Retrieving data from time machine

Dear people, this may sound somewhat daft but I just can't get it right...
Bought a bigger harddisk for my macbook 13". (was 160 is now 500 Gig)
Have all my data on time machine.
But i cant seem to get the data from time machine onto the new disk so that everything works and my macbook will look the same....
Progams fail, Libraries seem to dissapear...
I have put back my old harddisk back in the machine to be able to at least work...
Can anyone tell me how to go about getting it right.

If you have good, complete TM backups, it should be easy to restore your entire system from them.
If you've excluded certain things, via TM Preferences > Options, then maybe not.
The procedure is fairly simple. See item 14 of the Frequently Asked Questions post at the top of this forum.
If that's not the procedure you used, please tell us what you did.

Similar Messages

How do I retrieve data from time machine from an old mac (which was running 10.5) on my new iMac running mavericks?

How do I retrieve data from time machine from an old mac (which was running 10.5) on my new iMac running mavericks?

See B 5/6.
Time Machine Troubleshooting

Retrieving files from Time Machine after updating to Snow Leopard

Updated my 2 year old iMac to Snow Leopard and erased the hard disk first to do a clean start. Having carried out all the updates and loaded on iLife11 tried to use the migration assistant to retrieve data from Time Machine backup but will only find the updated iMac! How do I get it to retrieve from previous Time Machine backups? Know they are on the external Hard Drive somewhere as it still has 400GB on it. Thanks

+Setup Assistant+ and +Migration Assistant+ automatically use the most recent backup. There's no choice. See #19 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
Your best bet is to do a +full system restore+ per #14 in the FAQ. Choose the last backup before the upgrade. That will, of course, put you back on Leopard.
Then just install Snow Leopard (there are no +Erase and Install+ or +Archive and Install+ options anymore). That will install the new version of OSX, without touching anything else.
Potential problems with using +Migration Assistant+ (after setting-up a user account), are that you end up with an extra account; and the accounts you migrate may not be recognized as the same ones as on your backups or other volumes, and won't have the proper permissions to them.
Message was edited by: Pondini

HT3275 how can i retrieve information from time machine if my computer has less storage capacity? How can I access data that is on my time machine but can not be copied to a computer with less storage capacity? I used to have 180 GB, now I have 128 GB.

how can i retrieve information from time machine if my computer has less storage capacity? How can I access data that is on my time machine but can not be copied to a computer with less storage capacity? I used to have 180 GB, now I have 128 GB.

Plug an external drive into the computer and use that to expand data onto.
http://pondini.org/TM/16.html

Retrieving Chrome Library data from Time Machine?

How can I Retrieve Chrome Library data from Time Machine? It seems no Library data has been backed up. Any ideas why not and How I can get the hidden library to be backed up in the future and have access to it in Time Machine?

We might help you better if you possibly knew what you were talking about. OS X only hides the user's /Home/Library/ folder. Only the Chrome developers know where they would be hiding a Chrome library, if there is such an animal.
If you want to find the /Home/Library/ folder:
Exposing the /Home/Library/ Folder
Pick one of the following methods:
A. This method will make the folder visible permanently. Open the Terminal application in your Utilities folder and paste the following at the command prompt:
chflags nohidden ~/Library
Press RETURN.
B. Click on the Desktop, press the OPTION (⌥) button, select Library from the Finder's Go menu.
C. Select Go To Folder from the Finder's Go menu. Paste the following in the path field:
~/Library
Press the Go button.

OS 10.5.8 Leopard. Recovering old data from Time Machine after HD replacement.

Okay, I have and iMac dual core Model A1224, EMC 2210, 20" screen, 2.66GHz processor, 2GB RAM, came, when I bought it, with a 500 GB drive circa late 2008. The drive started to fail about 2 weeks ago, random shut downs, wouldn't boot up, couldn't find the OS. Could sometime recover booting up from the original OS disk in the C drive, but eventually even that failed. Had run disk first aid and TechTool Pro6 to no avail, they all passed the drive so it was a mechanical failure,not bad sectors.
REPLACED the drive with a brand new Seagate Barracuda 1TB drive, figured I was all set, Time Machine had backed up the old drive every day since 2009 to an external 1TB drive. I could even see the data there. Now new drive is installed and I need to load the OS to it and retrieve my data from Time Machine. Put in the old disk, Leopard 10.5.1, and walked along and asked it to bring in the data from Time Machine.... except, the data is saved on Time Machine in a new version of Leopard, ver. 10.5.8 and so the 10.5.1 version can't import it, but of course Migration Assistant will allow you to import it later.
So, I continue to load the OS via the disk, then go to software update after creating a new computer name, which I didn't want to do. Updated the software so I am now running OS 10.5.8, open Migration Assistant and attempt to migrate / recover the old data from Time Machine. I can get some stuff, but it insists on my resetting everything up all over again, all new accounts in Quicken and Thunderbird and Microsoft Office, no recovery of data already there and I can't access the accounts that were set up by others, it indicates I don't have sufficient privileges though I was an Administrator on the old computer and on the current system as well.
Frankly, I need that old data, so how do I get it? Do I bite the bullet and upgrade the system to Snow Leopard OS10.6.XX, will that allow me access to old data under OS 10.5.8? Will it be backwards compatible? How about moving up to Lion? Would that be a better way to go and will I be able to recover that old data then?
VERY frustrated here! Thanks for help or direction you all can provide.

HI,
Have you looked through Pondini's extensive TM help site?
http://Pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
Can't imagine what he hasn't covered!

Cannot retrieve files from Time Machine.

I cannot retrieve files from Time Machine. I can enter it, but the arrows don't seem to function and when I click on a date/time, nothing happens.

I don't know what you mean by "arrows". After Entering TM, put your pointer over one of the coloured (usually purple) dated bars at the right of the screen. That will bring (usually the desktop) for that date to the front. Navigate in the usual way to find the old file, select it, and press the big Restore button on the bottom left of your screen. As I remember it, a copy of that file will appear beside the current original with something like "Restored" added to is title. When you quit TM (Cancel) that restored file should appear beside its current version. (Or, if it's host folder has been deleted, smewhere else but I can't remember where - search for it.)

Can i retrieve items from time machine into mavericks

Dear people
I am looking to install mavericks but don't want to do a clean install, ( i will if it messes my machine up though ).
If i install mavericks i take it that;
A: all the apple apps will still work.
B: if it is messed up then i wil be able to retrieve items from time machine back up.
C: is it worth doing a seperate back up to a hard drive other than by time machine.
D: i previously installed my last software via a clean install, as the upgrade to mountain lion messed up my emails
is it better to do a clean install or are the problems with email boxes etc not relevant in this up date.
Thank you

All the Apple apps will still work- that's a very positive, hopeful statement. Probably they will.
You should be able to retrieve something from your TIme Machine backup. Yes.
A duplicate backup: it depends on how criticially important your data is, and how paranoid you are. One backup is good enough for me.
I am a fan of the clean install. However, I did not do one this time with Mavericks. Lazy. But it works fine.
I would suggest that you restart in safe mode, though, before running the installer. I couldn't get the installer to work until I did.
Regarding a clean install vs. an update install, I think you are asking the wrong question. My opinion is that the vast majority of problems that people have with their Macs are due to:
crapware. I will elaborate on this if you want more. If not, stop reading now.
Crapware = unneeded "haxies", "cleaners", "optimizers", "defragmenters", antivirus software, and GUI modifiers. These are usually poorly written, typically ports from the Microsoft world. They are unnecessary and usually cause problems. They can be impossible to uninstall. They are popular with recent converts from the Microsoft world. I avoid them. My mac almost never, ever has any kind of problem, and I use it a lot, and not just for word processing and checking my email. I do audio recording and editing and some video editing too.
So I do not think the problems people report are due to the OS itself. People want to blame the OS, but I think it's unreasonable for Apple to be able to control and supervise every software developer on the planet.
I would suggest: if you have crapware on your computer, do a clean install, and then don't reinstall the crapware. Just my 2 cents.
If you don't have crapware, the Mavericks upgrade will probably work fine.
a good backup, Time Machine or otherwise, is always a good idea, especially when installing a new OS.

After migrating data from Time Machine, some of my photos are not showing up in iPhoto. I get a 'dashed rectangle." When I click on it I get ' ! in a Triangle" When I click on that, I actually can see the photo. I want to see my photos

After migrating data from Time Machine, some of my photos are not showing up in iPhoto LIbrary view. I get a 'dashed rectangle." When I click on it I get ' ! in a Triangle" When I click on that, I actually can see the photo. I want to see all my photos in 'Library' view, and I can't figure out how these photos seem to be arbitrarily hidden. Help, please.

Try these for the first attempt:
First be sure to have a backup copy of the library if you already don't have one.
OT

Not enough space on my new SSD drive to import my data from time machine backup, how can I import my latest backup minus some big files?

I just got a new 256GB SSD drive for my mac, I want to import my data from time machine backup, but its larger than 256GB since it used to be on my old optical drive. How can I import my latest backup keeping out some big files on the external drive?

Hello Salemr,
When you restore from a Time Machine back up, you can tell it to not transfer folders like Desktop, Documents. Downloads, Movies, Music, Pictures and Public. Take a look at the article below for the steps to restore from your back up.
Move your data to a new Mac
http://support.apple.com/en-us/ht5872
Regards,
-Norm G.

HT201250 Circle and cross through iTunes icon afte the seagate hard drive replaced and restored data from time machine backup.

Circle and cross through iTunes icon: had the seagate hard drive replaced and restored data from time machine backup. Why does the iTunes icon have a circle and cross through it? As though incomplete? tried everything and still Circle and cross through iTunes icon.

No it isn't something you'd find on the computer, it has to be custom installed from the 10.6 installer disc or Software Update if it wasn't before. It allows you to use older PowerPC applications on your Mac. On the other hand double check the version of iTunes you have does not require 10.7 minimum either.

Need to wipe hard drive to restore to previous date from time machine back up. Unclear how to do this. Please advise or provide link to this procedure on website. Thanks.

Need to wipe hard drive to restore to previous date from time machine back up. Unclear how to do this. Please advise or provide link to this procedure on website. Thanks.

See Pondini's TM FAQs for starters.

So I have just had my potentially duff hard drive replaced and uploaded my data from time machine to discover that pages is now speaking to me in a different language. The keyboard has been selected as UK during setup. How do I get back to qwerty?

So I have just had my potentially duff 1Tb hard drive replaced by apple and uploaded my data from time machine only to discover that pages is now speaking to me in a different language. The keyboard has been selected as UK during setup. Any idea how I can get back to qwerty?

roxandiv wrote:
pages is now speaking to me in a different language.
What exactly are you referring to? Are the menus or templates for Pages in a different language? Does something strange appear on the screen when you type?
Could you perhaps use the Camera icon here to post a screenshot of what you are seeing?
To make sure you have the right keyboard, go to system preferences/language & text/input sources and make sure that only the box for US or British is checked (and that the box for French or German or anything else is not checked).

HT201250 (1) Where is the "Time Machine menu" and the choice to "Enter Time Machine" (mentioned in the "Restoring data from Time Machine backups" section)?

1) Where do I find the "Time Machine menu" and the choice to "Enter Time Machine" (as mentioned in the "Restoring data from Time Machine backups" section in the Mac Support article "Mac Basics: Time Machine")?
2) How would I restore e.g. a particular photo from a backup I made with Time Machine? I can see how this is done with Word documents, but can't see how to do it with photos?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
1. The Time Machine icon is on the menu bar.
2. If you want to do that with individual photos, it's the same way as for documents. If you want to do it with iPhoto, you have to restore the whole iPhoto library, not only one photo

How do I restore Mail data from Time Machine

Hi I am trying to retstore my "Mail" data from Time Machine...I have worked out how to find
Mail data on my computer , thanks to this community, but as it is a hidden file I cant work out how
to "see" it and restore it from TIme Machine.
Thanks

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4182934

Retrieving data from time machine

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