Time Machine Backup Generations on several partitions

Question

I used an iMac for almost a year. At the beginning I established Time Machine Backup to a large WD FireWire drive and then I let it on its own, satisfied to have a safe backup system. After that year, I bought a new iMac and selected the option to restore my data from the said TM Backup. So far, this worked fine, except for certain applications, which showed that data were missing (the worst was iPhoto with many photos disappeared).
Since this experience (and a similar experience I made earlier), I don't trust TM fully. TM for me is still a convenient tool which helps to revert to certain situations after inadvertent deletions or changes.
What I'm planning to do now, is to use a large (2TB) drive and to partition it into 6 partitions (A, B, C, D, E, F, all of the same size, each of them will be large enough for a TM Backup of my data for many months). Every 2 to 3 month I intend to start a new TM Backup, to a new partition in each case. After partition F has been used, partition A will be erased an then used again for backup (and so on), or I might even buy a new backup drive. This is to avoid Time Machine Backups to the same destination for a very long time period.
Now my question: Let's assume the current TM backup is made to partition D, when I find out, that I need a file from the backup in partion B a few months ago. Is it possible, to access an old TM backup after new TM backups have been started?
Thanks for your answer.

Answer 1

First of all: Thanks for your response!
Pondini wrote:
... feel free to tell Apple at: http://www.apple.com/feedback/timemachine.html
I'm going to do that.
... But it should "catch up" with the changes on a subsequent backup when iPhoto is not open.
It certainly should, but I doubt it does. Before I put the old iMac out of operation, I stopped all applications (including iPhoto) and then I forced a TM backup - with the result that iPhoto data were missing.
... but a much better solution may be making separate, independent backups to a separate HD via a separate app. See #27 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum), for some suggestions.
Of course, I additionally make separate, independent backups from time to time. For that I create a Disk Image by means of the Disk Utility, booted from the Install DVD. This seems to me the only way to be sure, that no files are open. The disadvantage of this method however ist, that it might not work to be used for backup to another Mac (different drivers), unless the other Mac it is identical.
But I believe, that the longer TM runs to a certain backup set, the more vulnerable it becomes. That's why I want to keep the backup period to the same backup set relatively short (2 to 3 months). Something else: The longer TM runs to the same backup set, the slower it becomes (that's something I have definitely observed).
Yes. Use the +*Browse . . .+* option, per #17 in the FAQ.
This answers my question. I appreciate it.