Mac backup options

Forums › Mac OS › Mac backup options

Wills1

710 posts

Ultimate Geek

#172031 8-May-2015 19:24

Hi there, just wondering what backup options are best for Mac running Yosemite?

Macbook Pro 13" with 512GB SSD which I installed myself. When I copied data over from the old drive I didn't create a recovery partician. Is there a way I can do this now I would I need to format and start again?

I am interested in Time Capsule although the cost is a bit out of my reach right now. Does anyone use a portable HDD and if so is there a type that is best suited for the Time Machine application?

I was prompted to start this thread after a critical error caused the Mac to restart and show a icon of a folder with a question mark in it. After restarting with the power button it came right and sent error report to Apple.

TIA

MikeB4

18435 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#1300940 8-May-2015 19:29

I have been using Time Machine to a external HDD 2TB. I also use Cloud storage and once a week I copy the HDD to a second drive that is stored away from the home.

rendezvous

194 posts

Master Geek

#1300954 8-May-2015 20:07

I'm using just a regular external hard drive for mine. time machine lets you swap out the backup drive whenever you want. If you change them once a week then worst case your backup is a week old.

rendezvous

194 posts

Master Geek

#1300956 8-May-2015 20:09

http://www.macworld.com/article/2026503/how-to-create-redundant-time-machine-backups.html

chiefie

I iz your trusted friend
5877 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1300961 8-May-2015 20:33

You don't need Time Capsule, unless you're also on the hunt for a Wi-Fi router upgrade. As suggested by others, just plug in an external HDD and OSX will ask you whether you want to make use it as Time Machine.

Here are some links on how to add a recovery partition to your OSX:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202294
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-restore-an-os-x-recovery-partition/
http://lifehacker.com/re-create-os-xs-recovery-partition-if-youve-removed-it-1585382425

Internet is my backyard...

«Geekzone blog: Tech 'n Chips Takeaway» «Personal blog: And then...»

Please read the Geekzone's FUG

alasta

6687 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#1301006 8-May-2015 22:01

I have never seen the value in the Time Capsule because it looks too awkward to take off site. I have a Western Digital My Passport which is very compact, so I keep it at work and take it home once a week to let Time Machine do its thing.

Wills1

710 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1301284 9-May-2015 20:54

chiefie: You don't need Time Capsule, unless you're also on the hunt for a Wi-Fi router upgrade. As suggested by others, just plug in an external HDD and OSX will ask you whether you want to make use it as Time Machine.

Here are some links on how to add a recovery partition to your OSX:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202294
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-restore-an-os-x-recovery-partition/
http://lifehacker.com/re-create-os-xs-recovery-partition-if-youve-removed-it-1585382425

Thanks very much, I used the guide you posted to create a recovery partition. Will go and buy an external back up drive tomorrow for time machine.

granada29

56 posts

Master Geek

#1301326 10-May-2015 07:53

Have a look at Carbon Copy Cloner. Its a wrapper around rsync and is very flexible. Creates bootable external drives, can be automated, etc etc.
https://www.bombich.com/

Wise

Send money globally for less with Wise - one free transfer up to NZ$900 (affiliate link).

littleheaven

2128 posts

Uber Geek

#1307841 19-May-2015 15:44

granada29: Have a look at Carbon Copy Cloner. Its a wrapper around rsync and is very flexible. Creates bootable external drives, can be automated, etc etc.
https://www.bombich.com/

This. I use it on my 2008 Mac Pro - I have a spare drive sitting in one of the 4 drive bays and I clone my main hard drive to it. While backups like Time Machine are fine, they take time to restore your files in the event of a drive failure. Carbon Copy Cloner makes your backup drive bootable, meaning you can just hold down the Option key with the backup drive connected, select it from the boot options that come up on the screen, and get back to what you were doing straight away. It also means you can clone back to a new drive without having to muck around reinstalling the OS first. When I replaced my main SATA hard drive with a solid state, I just cloned it to the spare drive, swapped in the SSD, then booted from the spare drive and cloned it back to the SSD, then set the SSD as the boot drive.

I also use LiveDrive cloud backup as well, because a physical backup is only useful in the case of drive failure, and not much help in event of total equipment loss in a robbery or fire. You really need VDSL or faster for that, though, otherwise it takes months to complete the initial backup!

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.

aboylikedave

243 posts

Master Geek

#1316099 2-Jun-2015 12:21

There are different backup scenarios and you should consider all of them IMHO.

FIrstly, what if your machine and bsckups in your house are destroyed or stolen? For this you will need off site backup, either to the cloud or by literally carrying an external drive off site. For this I use Backblaze, it is about $5 per month per machine for inlimited off site backup. You can access any file remotely from a web interface which is great. However, to restore a new machine will obviously take a long time since you will need to download a very large file size. OR you can pay 100 bucks or so to have a disk sent, but the key thing here is that while you will not lose any files, if you buy a new aching it will take a whole to get up and running.

Secondly, you might need to access a file where you have just accidentally deleted it or overwritten it, For this Time Machine is great. .

.

FInally, what if your hard drive crashes? You will want to boot a backup on your machine and get up and running stright away? For this something like Carbon Copy Cloner is great,

There are variousl options out there, but my point is these are three different scenarios and each requires a different solution. I actually go with all three.

you will need to think which. Is actually important to you - as the word backup covers various things.

My EPL football websites: Get the results but hide the score of your team at HidetheScore.net. Compare league positions with wage bills at RealPremierLeague.net.