Will Time Machine restore software problems as well as data?

Hi all -
I've got a 20" aluminum (2007) iMac with Leopard (all updates installed) and Time Machine. I'm having a shutdown problem that I'm trying to resolve. Yesterday, the computer started powering itself off randomly, as if someone pulled the power plug. I ran both the quick and extended Apple Hardware Tests, and both came up clean (no errors). I'm thinking this may be a software problem.
I'd like to reload Leopard to clean up the software. However, I already tried doing a Restore via Time Machine yesterday, and the problem did not go away. I restored to the previous day - prior to when the shut downs started happening.
My question is - If I reload Leopard using the "Restore" feature of Time Machine, does that also copy any problems I had backed up in software to the reloaded system? My guess is yes, since all of my applications remain intact after the Time Machine Restore.
That said, I find Time Machine to be absolutely brilliant in its simplicity and functionality, and think it should be in every single computer user's hands.
At any rate, I'm fearing that I'm going to have to do a clean install and then reinstall all of my software manually to get a truly clean system, then restore data manually via my Time Machine backup. I hope I'm wrong.
Can anybody shed some light? Thanks,
Shelly

it really does back up almost everything, even broken files. Go back to the initial backup and restore from that. If that doesn't fix it, you've got hardware problems.
Crashes are one thing, hangs another, but actual shutdowns where the computer just goes completely off really indicate hardware problems. Software by itself won't do that, even if it's broken.
- gws

Similar Messages

HT201250 When getting a replacement Seagate hard drive for my Imac through Apple, will they restore my system to it's current state? Or will I have to do it myself though Time Machine? Will Time machine restore all the programs as well?

Apple has determined that certain Seagate 1TB hard drives used in 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac systems may fail. These systems were sold between October 2009 and July 2011.
Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) will replace affected hard drives free of charge.
Will this replacement program restore my system to its current state after the new drive is installed? If not, will I have to have all my original disks to re-install all the programs on my current computer, or will Time Machine restore them as well?

Most of them will tell you to backup your data.
Time Machine is nice, but unless you are interested in archival backup, Carbon Copy Cloner is a lot easier to recover from:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-1992

Time Machine restore password problem

I had my HDD replaced by Apple. Was running latest Lion OS version before the fault, and had fully backed up with Time Machine. Booting up the iMac with the restored Lion was going well. Had selected restore from time machine. Then i was asked for my password. I know 100% that the password i entered (several times) is correct. There isn't any possibility at all that it is wrong but my iMac will not proceed further saying the password is wrong.
As I can't get past this stage I cannot access anything including the operating system - I can't get to the desktop even without any data. So I cannot get to any Lion recovery partition either. Have tried Lion interent recovery but that simply hasn't worked. Apparently I didn't purchase Lion through my Apple ID - utter rubbish. I've tried every Apple ID that I have used and no records of Lion purchase in any of them - how the **** did I download it and use it for ages then?!!
I bought the iMac originally with Snow Leopard so have that install disk but it seems I can't go back to that.
Going back to the apple store is a real pain the proverbial.
I am happy to wipe the HDD completely and start over, with Snow Leopard then pay (again) for Lion and then copy across the data I need from Time Machine manually and/or thru migration assistant. So here's the main question: How should I do that - wipe the HDD when I have no access to the desktop? I guess I'm going to have to boot up using Cmd C or similar and then type in some code. I have no experience/knowledge of that code so any help will need to be idiot proof please!.

As I had a brand new HDD installed by the Apple store this was the sequence of events (slightly different from the original post due some new info):
1     The external HDD which was the original Time Machine back up was plugged into the firewire port.
2     Booted up (as normal) for the very first time to be met with a fresh installation process just the same as when you buy an entirely new iMac - setting up language etc.
3     During that set up sequence I was asked if I wanted to restore from Time Machine, I selected that option.
4     About 3 hours later, c450GB of data is seemingly successfully loaded from the Time Machine external HDD to the internal, new HDD
5     The only option I now have available on screen is to log in using the same password as had on my original set up (before the internal HDD replacement). The forgot password hint is available, and clearly indicates that I should be able to enter my password to move, but no matter how many times I input the correct password (and, just in case, all other possible password options each with all conceivable varieties of CAPS on and off etc.). Nothing is accepted. No option to go backwards (eg uninstall the restore or anything else), and no ability to get to the desktop.
6     Several expletives later....I decide the only option is cmd+R reboot, internet recovery....and this is the udpate from the original post....
7     I'm in the UK and I try doing internet Lion recovery at about 11pm UK time. Indications are this will take 4+ hours. The trick is, I have now discovered, instead, if based in the UK at least, is to try this at 6am (when most people in the US will be asleep) and it takes about 10 minutes!
8     That brings up a chance to recover the "OS X". Great I think, just enter my Apple ID....error: "This Apple ID did not buy Mountain Lion"...cannot proceed. Mountain Lion? Where was the Lion only option? Doesn't exist seemingly. (Q: has Lion internet recovery been withdrawn? If not how on earth does one get to it?) BTW, I cannot see any partition on the internal HDD with the Lion recovery.
9     However, with the failed internet recovery (inviting me to install Mountain Lion, if only I'd actuall bought that before, but no option to select Lion or buy Mountain Lion there an then!), what I do get is a menu option to "Choose Startup Disk". "Choose the the system disk you want to use to start up your computer". One icon is there...my internal HDD...BUT I see that says "Mac HD OS X 10.6.8" - what? That's Snow Leopard, not Lion. I bought my iMac (from new) with Snow Leopard then upgrade to Lion when that came out. On the original set up (step 2 above) there's nothing to indicate what OS is running. I just assumed that as I had Lion the Apple store would have reinstalled Lion when the swapped by HDD. Likely then this is not the case. V annoying Apple Store (Brent Cross, London!). Idiots.
I guess there's a possibility that my Time Machine restore won't work because it is a Lion based backup.
Not had time to do this next step yet but likely to be my only option before admitting defeat and driving to the store again...internet recovery, get to disk utility from there, wipe the internal HDD and load Snow Leopard from the installation CD I still have (phew). BTW have tried to cmd+C and boot from the Snow Leopard CD. No joy..just ejects. Doesn't want to know!
If you've got this far..thanks for your patience. Thanks even more if you've got any ideas.

Will Time Machine restore my computer to pre-Snow Leopard days?

Since installing Snow Leopard I have had nothing but problems with VMWare Fusion, with printing from Aperture and iPhoto to to my Epson R1800 printer (even though I downloaded and installed their new Snow Leopard drivers) etc., etc. I wish to return to simpler times as I am not a software engineer and don't wish to go through the hoops that seem necessary to make this work.

If you still have your Leopard installer, it will restore to the last Leopard backup, or the first Leopard backup you have stored on your Time Machine backup.

Time machine restore - email problems

Hi there
I'm trying to restore email - either individual messages or folders from a local Time Machine back-up - yesterday's. I can see the mail I need to back up in the local (white coloured) snapshot listings. I click restore, the machine processes the request and then a blank screen appears in Mac Mail with 'No mailbox selected'. I've dug around in Mail and can't find the restored mail anywhere. All operating systems and versions of Mail are the same.
Any ideas? Thanks very much.

it really does back up almost everything, even broken files. Go back to the initial backup and restore from that. If that doesn't fix it, you've got hardware problems.
Crashes are one thing, hangs another, but actual shutdowns where the computer just goes completely off really indicate hardware problems. Software by itself won't do that, even if it's broken.
- gws

If i move my iPhoto library to an external hdd, will Time Machine backup these photos as well?

I've moved my iPhoto library to an external HDD, I was wondering if now it has been moved outside of my iMac whether Timemachine will still back up my photos, or do I have to change any timemachine preferences to accomodate such a change, any responses will be welcomed-thankyou!

Thanks, Linc, you are the greatest!
So I moved my iTunes library to my external disk. When I checked Time Machine's Excluded list it was not there. Then I entered TM and saw that the library had been backed up from the external disk. So all is well and apparently the OS guys stopped adding external drives to the Excluded list.

Will time machine restore an application?

I am new to MAC. I have been backing up my files since I started using my new machine in November. Recently I have had a lot of trouble with the iMovie application. It seems to have started after the January 15th update. I would like to restore the application to its state on January 14th to see if the problem is eliminated. Can I go to January 14th and restore the iMovie application files?
Thanks
NEPA

You iMovie 08 application either came on your install disk that came with your computer or on an iLife 08 retail disk.
If your computer came with a Leopard CPU upgrade dvd or if you bought a retail version, the iLife apps are not on that disk.
They will be on either the retail iLife disk or the original install disks that came with the computer, which would have had to have been Mac OS X 10.4.10 install disks in order to have the iLife 08 package included.
You would need to insert disk 1 of that pair in order to launch "Install Bundled Software Only" and then insert disk 2 when prompted.

Will 'Time Machine' Back up bootcamp as well?

If I run timemachine on the OSX side of my machine, will it back up the Windows XP partition as well? or do I have to back that up separately? Any suggestions on how to back up my Windows XP partition? Thanks!

WinClone http://www.twocanoes.com
Only HFS+ volumes get backed up by TM.

Music icon changed after time machine restore

I recently did a Time Machine restore and everything went well, except now my audio icon files are white instead of black like they were before I did the restore.
Here is what they look like now:
but before they were black with the grey music symbol. Does anyone know if this is a setting that changes this?
Thanks.

If the user account is associated with an Apple ID, and you know that account password, the Apple ID can be used to reset your user account password.
Otherwise, boot into Recovery by holding down the key combination command-R at startup. Release the keys when you see a gray screen with a spinning dial.
When the OS X Utilities screen appears, select Utilities ▹ Terminal from the menu bar.
In the Terminal window, type this:
resetpassword
That's one word with no spaces. Then press return. A Reset Password window opens.
Select your boot volume if not already selected.
Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if not already selected.
Follow the prompts to reset the password. It's safest to choose a password that includes only the characters a-z, A-Z, and 0-9.
Select  ▹ Restart from the menu bar.
You should now be able to log in with the new password, but you won't be able to unlock the Keychain. If you've forgotten the Keychain password (which is ordinarily the same as your login password), there's no way to recover it. You’ll need to reset your keychain in the preferences of the Keychain Access application.

Will time machine reinstall photoshop and other softwares that i have added on my iMac ?

I am backing up my disk with time machine so i can fomat my imac and reinstall Lion as i expirience some problems with the faction of my imac !
Will time machine reinstall photoshop and other softwares that i have added on my iMac ?
Do i have to install them again from scratch ?
I have a six year's university work + my research paper for my dissertation , will be restored or i will lose them ?
PLEASE HELP ..
ps: time machine is taking way too long to back up 83gb , is it normal ?

See Pondini's TM FAQs for starters.

Reactivate software needed after Time Machine Restore?

So I'm getting ready to upgrade the HD in my MBP and I am going to try the time machine restore feature (hopefully) to reload the new HD to exact status of old HD. From what I've read this is pretty easy to do. What I can't find in my searches is if all the apps on my HD will need to be reactivate after this procedure.
Once I restore the new HD does all the software need to be reactivated? I have a ton of apps that I have no idea where the serial #'s are and would be screwed if I had to reactivate them. Or does the restore to the new HD work seemlessly so that it's as if I didn't even swap HDs.

The only 'problem' I've ever had after a restore was with the MS Office for Mac suite 2011. It required me to either re-enter my activation code or sign-on to my Office 365 account (I did the latter).
Never had a problem with Adobe products, though. I can't guarantee that you won't, of course, but I've personally never had a problem with Adobe products.
Clinton

Install new hard drive, restore from Time Machine, File Vault Problems

Hello all,
I spent way too much time on this seemingly simple task, so I thought I would share my experience with others so they can avoid some pitfalls when upgrading a hard drive in a system that uses File Vault 2 encryption. The basic goal here is to replace a drive in a system that has only one drive, and the OS is Mavericks, and then have the new drive encrypted as before.
The problem is that a Time Machine restore onto a new drive will leave that without a Recovery Partition, which is required for File Vault 2 and some other important things. So we need to build a recovery partition. There are possibly several ways to do this.
Here's what worked for me (this is compiled from many sources that I found and already closed the tabs in my browser so I can't list all my sources):
1) Make a full backup to an external hard drive using Time Machine.
2) Go into the App Store and download OS X Mavericks but dont install it (close the window when it pops up asking to continue the install). Do this even if you already have Mavericks. At this point, there will be a folder in your Applications folder called Install OS X Mavericks (or similar).
3) Insert a USB drive that is at least 8 GB and format it using Disk Utility, naming it the default "Untitled".
4) Open a terminal and type
sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --nointeraction
5) Wait for this to finish (took me about 30 min). Eject the USB drive and power down.
6) Remove the old hard drive and set it aside. Keep it for a few weeks until you know the new drive is working as expected.
7) Install the new hard drive and insert the USB drive. Hold the option key and press the power button. Choose to boot from the USB installer.
8) Use the disk utility to erase whatever partition shipped with the new drive, replacing it with a Mac OS Extended (Journaled) system. Verify that GUID is the partition type (in Advanced options).
9) Close the disk utility and install Mavericks. This can take a long time. My new drive is an SSD, and it sat at the "1 second remaining" part for about 20 min. Let it reboot (maybe it was 2 times?) and go through the setup until it finishes the install.
10) Boot into the freshly installed OS and open a terminal and type:
diskutil list
11) If there is a partition listed as Apple_Boot Recovery HD (mine was 650 MB), then you now have a recovery partition. If not, then go into the App store and download Mavericks, but don't use the USB this time, choose to do a regular install (or reinstall to be more correct).
12) Now there will be a recovery partition on the new drive and Time Machine will not overwrite it when restoring. Power down the system.
13) Plug in the Time Machine backup drive used in step 1. Press the option key and power on. Choose to boot from the recovery partiton (Mavericks).
14) Choose to restore from Time Machine backup. Wait until it finishes and log into the old familiar account.
15) Start a terminal and verify the recovery partition is still there (type diskutil list and see that the Apple_Boot Recovery HD is there). If it's missing, choose to download Mavericks from the App Store again and run the installation from this one.
16) Once there is a Mavericks recovery partition on the restored data you can simply turn on File Vault from the System Preferences Security section. It will require a reboot and then you login and wait for it to finish.
What a major pain to go through all of this for the sake of upgrading a hard drive. This should not be anywhere near as complicated. I hope this helps others avoid the very time consuming trial and error I went through in developing this procedure.

Talked with Apple last night. Everything we did to restore lost images failed to fix the issue. I did have the images still on my camera's SD card so I was not breaking out in a cold sweat.
All Time Machine backups showed the same issue. HOWEVER, I suddenly remembered I also had a SuperDuper backup and voila. The images were there.
Moral of the story: you can't ever be too rich or have too many backups (I also have an offsite backup).

Problem after Time Machine restore

So i just did a time machine restore since i replaced the HD in my old macbook, and whenever i start up the machine it stays at grey screen and eventually pulls up a folder with a ? mark. But if I hold down option at start up and select the drive, it boots fine, even if i do a restart from start up settings in system preferences it works fine. Just if I'm booting after shut down, it won't work without holding option key, Is there something I did wrong, or anyway I could fix it?

Are the specs for the replacement drive, especially for power consumption, similar to those for the original drive? If not, it may be that new drive takes too long to spin up from a cold start or some similar, specification related issue is causing this problem.
You also should make sure that the partition scheme of the drive is not MBR & that the file format of the startup volume is "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)." Disk Utility will tell you both of these characteristics when you select the drive & the volume respectively from the list on the left. (Look at the bottom of the window for this info.)
You can also try resetting PRAM & then reselecting the startup disk in the system preference.

Drobo NAS and Time Machine restore problems

My HDD crashed. I installed a new one. Reinstalled OSX Mavericks and tried a Migration Assistant from a DROBO 5N NAS (holding the Time Machine sparse.bundles). Profiles reinstalled, no data, no applications. Weird. I have tried Drobo, I have tried Apple consultant - recommended by Apple's support website. No success in getting the restore to take place with Apple software. Wondering if I can do this file by file. I really only care about the 1TB of movies, music, photos I have on iTunes and Aperture backups inside of the sparse.bundle files. Everything else I can reload. Please help. I have been down since July 15 on my home theater and photo library. Need to get this up and running ASAP. Everything looks OK on the backup file. When I try to simply copy the data files to my new HDD I get the dreaded OSX file copy error after about 200GB - which takes an incredibly long amount of time on my wireless home network (about 5 hours). Really need an expert to help out on this one. Please let me know if you can.
Thanks,
GJM120

Hi Bret,
You state it's running 10.5.8 but that it's only 9 months old; those two don't match up. If it is only 9 months old, bring it in to an Apple Store ("genius" bar appointment) and have them check it over. It sounds like it may be a HD issue to me.

Mail problem after Time Machine restore

New to the community..........hello everyone!
I just did a Time Machine restore and everything seems to be fine except
for the fact that my mail seems to be stuck.........spinning as if there was mail to be sent out?
I found a post with a similar problem: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1897021&tstart=0
Just wondering if I should follow the advice mentioned on that post or is there an easier way to resolve this issue?
Thanks

Make sure your out going mail server set up is correct according to what your ISP requires. Mail>Preferences>Accounts>Account Information.

Will Time Machine restore software problems as well as data?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for