Mac file copying program. How to Backup MAC OS Using Time Machine. Bootstrapping Backup
The problem of data loss was relevant 10 years ago, it is now and will be in the future. Lose everything necessary information Can different ways: damage the media due to infection with viruses or accidentally delete them. There are not many ways to restore information, and restoring from a backup is considered the most reliable. What's the point - you insure yourself and do backup copy necessary data, when everything is in order with it, but when an unexpected problem occurs, you simply restore it from a backup copy. Don't think that creating backups is hard handmade, not at all, today there are quite a lot of programs that will do everything for you; once you set up such a program, you can forget about it and remember only when you need to restore something. Already built into Mac OS similar program for data backup and it is called Time Machine.
In order to fulfill backup(also called backup) using Time Machine you need OS X 10.5 Leopard or higher + external media where the backup will be performed (this can be external HDD, connected via USB, Thunderbolt or FireWire, network drive, AirPort Time Capsule or other similar Apple devices). Next, you need to decide on the size of the external media, the calculation is as follows: The occupied space on the MAC OS hard drive multiplied by two, i.e. If you have 50 GB of disk space, then you only need to allocate 100 GB of space for backup. To see how much space you have on your hard drive, click “Finder” - “Programs” - “Utilities”.
Then select Disk Utility.
Select your main disk and below you will see information about how much disk space is occupied.
In my case, about 60 GB will be needed for backup. The backup process will look like this, the first backup will be “Full”, i.e. the entire OS along with the data and will take up the same amount of space as occupied by MAC OS; all subsequent backups will only back up changed data and will require significantly less space. Time Machine stores:
- Hourly copies for the last 24 hours;
- Daily backups for the last month;
- Weekly backups for all other months of work.
As soon as there is not enough space on the external storage device, the old data will be overwritten by new ones.
From theory, I propose to move on to practice, connect the media on which you will make a backup, go to “Finder” - “Programs” - “Time Machine”.
In the window that opens, select "Select backup disk."
Select the media to back up to. If you wish, you can password-protect the backup; to do this, check the “Encrypt copies” checkbox. This procedure is optional and is only needed to protect your backup from outsiders.
If there is any information on this media, it must be transferred, since Time Machine will delete all information on it and format the media in Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
If necessary, you can exclude some folders from the backup; to do this, click the "Options" button, click on the "plus" and indicate those folders that do not need to be backed up.
2011 is coming to an end - we are all summing up its results and making plans for the future. Some promise to quit drinking, others - smoking, others - to play sports or lose excess weight. But, as a rule, it is difficult to say goodbye to habits if there is no strong desire and willpower. Why not promise to do it in the new year? backup files on your Mac device?
Doing this is much easier than fighting bad habits or exhaust yourself with difficult physical exercise. In addition, if this is not done, sooner or later you may lose valuable and irreplaceable information on your computer. And if you take into account that backups should be done regularly, you will have enough new beginnings for a whole year. Of course, this advice is not new at all and almost every user knows about the need to backup files, but this procedure should be done diligently and carefully so as not to start the process of irreversible changes on the device’s hard drive.
What to copy?
A year earlier, Chris Breen, in his work “How to Make a Thorough Backup of Files on a Mac,” spoke in detail about this process, emphasizing: “You can completely do without a backup huge amount files: applications from Mac App Store and other programs and applications for iOS available for download on the Internet. You also don’t have to back up your email if you use by IMAP mail or Gmail account. On these postal services messages are stored on a remote server, so you can open your messages online. The question of information security and data confidentiality on such services remains open. You also don't have to make a backup. music files, if you use . Of course, backup provides a much higher speed of data recovery in case fatal error, but to save time and perform the operation relatively quickly, you can make a superficial backup of files.
The most important files that should be backed up in mandatory, are text documents in Word, photos, home video. Of course, if you want to do a more thorough data backup on your Mac device, check out other backup plans. We will concentrate on the most simple solutions, accessible to every user, even a beginner.
Backup using Dropbox is the easiest solution
Download Dropbox from the website and install the program. If everything went well, Dropbox folder will appear in the main user directory of the device, as well as in the sidebar of the search window.
After downloading the program, you will be provided with up to 2 GB of disk space for free. If you have a few backup files at your disposal, this is more than enough. If you need extra space, you will have to pay $99 per year. Move important documents and photos to the Dropbox folder, and the service will synchronize them with remote server V automatic mode.
Installation Dropbox and upload to the server important information takes just minutes. But if you don't mind spending a little time and money, there are other ways to make a more thorough backup of the data on your Mac device.
Next simple solution: Time Machine
You probably know about free program Time Machine for Mac, which allows you to back up your data. But if you've never configured Time Machine, it's unlikely to come to your aid. But if you configure the program correctly, it will take very little time for the backup.
The plan is:
1. Buy another hard drive. For less than $100 you will get at least a terabyte of disk space. When purchasing, focus on drives that work with Mac OS; keep in mind that Thunderbolt drives are faster.
2. Connect the drive to the device.
The system will ask you if you want to use new disk for a backup from Time Machine, after your consent, a backup copy of the data will be created to a new disk. This procedure is very effective and most painless. If you purchased big disk, then you can be sure of the safety of your data just in case. The program saves information, and if you have already changed the file, you can always return to it old version, if such a need arises. Also, if you accidentally deleted a file, you can restore it at any time.
The advantage of Time Machine is the program's ability to make regular backups of data, even if the files are updated by the user. As soon as this happens, a new backup is automatically launched. In the event of a fatal error, the program provides a backup up to the minute of the previously unforeseen situation. And unlike Dropbox, Time Machine copies everything to another drive, and you don't need to check if all the files are transferred to the backup folder.
Time Machine can also be used to backup files to remote network drives.
Of course, working with Time Machine involves purchasing extra hard disk and regularly synchronize it with the program. But there is another possibility to do backup files, and this does not require additional Hardware, but only a monthly or annual subscription and Internet access. This:
CrashPlan
This program is already loved by many users. A subscription costs only $3 per month, thanks to which you can backup information on one computer; for $6 a month you can backup data on 10 computers personal use. These prices are valid for a one-time payment for a period of 4 years, but if you intend to pay monthly, then this service will cost a little more.
With CrashPlan there is no need to purchase additional hard disks for backup. CrashPlan backs up data via the Internet, which eliminates the possibility of a one-time error.
All you need to do is subscribe to CrashPlan, select a plan, download the appropriate software, and wait. The program will automatically back up files using worldwide network to CrashPlan servers. You can run the application and watch the copying progress, or just leave the program closed and it will quietly do its job.
CrashPlan will also notify you by e-mail or on Twitter about the status of backups, and in case there has been no backup for several days. If you need to recover a file, you can easily do so through the CrashPlan app or website. Like Time Machine, CrashPlan backs up multiple versions of files, so you can access more if necessary. earlier versions files. The same applies to files that you have deleted. The service provides virtually unlimited data backup capabilities at a reasonable price.
Bootstrapping Backup
But none of these systems, neither Dropbox, nor Time Machine, nor CrashPlan, provide for running a bootstrap backup. This means that you won't start your Mac if your hard drive fails. But this problem can be solved thanks to the mode emergency assistance Lion.
If you use Snow Leopard, or it doesn’t suit you Recovery Mode, but still want to make the backup bootable, the most suitable tools for this are SuperDuper and Carbon Copy Cloner. But working with them requires more attention and effort.
Make sure your backups are working
It's very good that you finally decided to do it. backup data. But how can you check if it will work? emergency? After all, you must agree that losing valuable data is a great disappointment, which is very difficult to cope with. And if there are no duplicate files on disks or flash drives, this frustration intensifies and becomes doubly unpleasant. That is why Macworld journalist Adam Engst even proposed celebrating International Backup Health Test Day. And we must agree that this is very good idea. This year the day falls on January 13th.
It’s easy to check if your backup is working: find a couple important files, make sure that you can successfully recover them in the event of a fatal error - and open these files.
After all, if the backup is inoperative, consider it not there. Verification will help you sleep peacefully at night without worrying about the safety of your data.
Enjoy the start of the New Year and achieving your goals
If you started New Year Since you have pleased yourself with confidence in the safety of important information, you can consider that a good start has been made for changes for the better. After all, you will spend very little time on backup, but the result is worth it. A good start- half the battle.
In order not to lose a configuration dear to your heart Mac settings OS X and a set of installed and correctly configured programs, you need to make backup copies of your operating system from time to time.
Despite the reliability and stability, MAC OS X may still “fall” due to incorrect user actions. And at the most inopportune moment. But no one wants to lose their personal, so dear to their hearts configuration of settings and a set of installed and correctly configured programs...
To avoid ending up in this situation, it is imperative to make backup copies of your operating system from time to time.
In contrast to the numerous difficulties and prohibitions associated with cloning living beings, no one bothers to create exact copy your Mac OS X on another hardware.
Cloning animals is difficult, time-consuming and illegal, but OS- simple, fast and, in a sense, even mandatory
So, let's create our “apple” sheep Dolly.
Time Machine
There are many ways. The first option for backing up your system is built into MAC OS X itself, starting with version 10.5 and later. This is Time Machine.
Time Machine automatically backs up the system and all important files on an external hard drive and must “go back in time” to restore system files V original form for the moment when you need it. If you enable Time Machine in System Preferences, it will offer to create “backups” (spare copies) and ask for a directory to save them.
But Time Machine has a couple of drawbacks. The first of them is that she “eats” very quickly. disk space. Although not completely. After the first backup is created, Time Machine continues to save only the changed files.
Second problem - automatic copy prevents it from working normally by starting on its own.
To at least somehow level this out, let’s turn to additional application, which allows you to configure Time Machine itself.
This is TimeMachineEditor. You can download it. TimeMachineEditor will allow you to more flexibly customize the schedule of your procedures. For example, hourly on Mondays, daily after work, and so on.
Using this utility, we increase the intervals of “time jumps”, “curbing the appetite” of Time Machine itself, and adjust its backup sessions to a schedule convenient for us.
Thus, Time Machine has the ability to backup your system during various failures and “roll back” back, but it is cumbersome and not very convenient for this purpose. Including the “backup” disk is not bootable and for recovery it requires starting from the installation disk Mac drive Os X.
Disk Utility
Another way to “grow” your “clone sheep” is to use a standard disk utility. By default, it is located in the Applications/Utilites folder.
We launch this application and select the name of your system drive in the menu on the left, for example, X. Now drag the icon of your startup disk (X) into the “Source” line window, and drag the disk icon into the “Destination” line. which will save your clone, for example, Backup. This can be an external FireWire or USB drive, as well as an internal hard drive or a flash drive of sufficient capacity.
If you need to pre-format this directory, switch to Erase. For external media the format does not matter (as a rule, this is Mac OS Extended Journaled), and for a hard drive on a Macintosh with Intel processor, it is preferable to select “GUID Partition Table”.
Now click “Restore” and enter your password. Go.
After some time, another “Dolly the Sheep” will appear - an absolute copy of your system disk.
Now, if your Mac OS X crashes fatally, and no “cure” will help, you can repeat this procedure in reverse, replacing the damaged system with your saved copy.
To do this, you need to “start” from the backup system itself: turn on your Mac while holding option key, then select the disk with the finished clone as a boot disk (in our example, Backup) and perform the recovery procedure in reverse order.
But before you do this, you must definitely try to “cure” the damaged system with the same “Disk Utility”.
Select the “damaged” disk in the left menu (in our example it is X and in the “First Aid” section do the following procedures: “Verify Disk Permission” and, if necessary, do “Restore access rights” ( Repair Disk Permission) and, accordingly, “Verify Disk” - “Repair Disk”.
The familiar OnyX program can also provide irreplaceable help here.
Despite the ease of cloning using " Disk Utility", this method has one drawback. Absolutely all information, without exception, is copied. And if we're talking about about a small spare disk, or even a flash drive? The files may simply not fit on them.
What is the choice?
There are many options for cloning your Dolly the Sheep. Up to use command line according to instructions from Apple itself. “Mere mortals” may find other utilities more accessible, such as SuperDuper!, Clone X, Tri-BACKUP or MacTuneUp. In my opinion, the most advanced among them, convenient and at the same time absolutely free, is called Carbon Copy Cloner.
Carbon Copy Cloner is produced by Bombich Software. You can download it. Voluntary donations to developers (Donate) are welcome.
Mike Bombich, the creator of this wonderful program, in an interview with a popular American website, especially noted the “highlights” of his brainchild: the speed of the cloning process, the ability to selectively transfer data and additional protection from random actions in the form special list all possible candidate disks with a request for their ID (Unique Identifier).
Carbon Copy Cloner allows you to create a full or partial clone of your system, moving it to another disk or saving it as a .dmg (disk image). IN latest versions Carbon Copy Cloner, targeting the Snow Leopard system ( Snow Leopard), compression is supported in file system HFS+, displaying the sizes of folders and drives in the decimal system has become noticeably more convenient, copying speed has increased, and databases are also ignored Time data Machine if they have already been created.
Carbon Copy Cloner can be very useful when upgrading a system disk and replacing it with a more capacious one. It is enough to transfer the previously rejected system to a new disk.
Before you start creating a backup copy of your system, it would be a good idea to first clean out all the “garbage” that has accumulated on the system using the OnyX utility and put it in order.
Install Carbon Copy Cloner and launch it. If necessary during operation, enter your usual password and unlock the “lock” at the bottom left.
At the top left in the Source Disk menu, select the one from which your system will be cloned (in our example, this is drive X).
Top right Target Disk ( Target drive) select the one on which the “twin” of your MAC OS X will be saved. (In our case - X2. It is important to note that this utility has the ability to record the system in .dmg format and even to remote computer over the network.
Now let's take a look at another feature of Carbon Copy Cloner: create special filters that allow you to exclude some files from the clone based on their extension, for example .mkv or .avi, and then movies of this format will not be cloned. This will help save space.
In order not to complicate our life, let's try to do some manually preliminary procedures, allowing to facilitate the spare system and speed up the cloning process.
It is not necessary to save your entire media library to a system backup: digital photos, music, movies, supporting documentation, and so on. And also work files that can weigh more than one gigabyte. You can also refuse "heavy programs" if there is not enough space on the backup disk.
Find Items to be copied in the left window and look carefully, unchecking some of the checkboxes opposite unnecessary files. If they are not stored haphazardly on your disk, then most likely they will be in the Users/macuser (your username) directories. For example, in this configuration we disable the Calibrie Library and the books it contains. After all, they are already recorded on a separate DVD.
Then in the section on the right Cloning options (Clone mode) select Incremental backups of selected items (incremental “backup” of selected items) this dynamic mode will allow you to transfer only the changed data the next time you update the version of the spare system. The checkbox below Delete items that don’t exist on the source in synchronization mode will not “take with you” old programs and other files that you have not used for a long time.
Protect root-level items on the target will keep you in superuser mode if you are one. And finally, Archive modified and deleted items will allow you to create a separate archive of modified and deleted files. In my opinion, it is better to disable this so as not to waste time.
If Carbon Copy Cloner “gives the go-ahead” - This volume will be bootable, - which means there is enough space on the spare disk or flash drive, and this volume will become bootable, you can start.
All made by you presets will be saved if you click Save Task if you are going to clone your drive on a specific schedule, like in Time Machine. But to create backup Mac OS X is unlikely to need this.
Click Clone.
How many files are stored on your system disk? It turns out tens of thousands. so the process may take some time: from fifteen minutes to an hour or two. It depends on the amount of information.
And so it ended. Now we have two “Dolly sheep” - mirrored Mac OS X. And you can be sure that you will not be left with nothing at the most inopportune moment.
Find out why you need to back up your Mac and how it can help Time app Machine.
Why do you need a backup?
The backup stores your Mac's data - documents, installed applications, passwords, photos. If necessary information lost or you are “moving” to new computer, data can be easily restored from a copy.
Time Machine - simple and convenient way Mac backup. With it you can restore how separate files, and the entire system. In addition, it is preinstalled on all Mac computers, which means there is no need to look for third-party applications.
How Time Machine works
Time Machine periodically copies data from your computer to an external HDD or flash drive. She can do this hourly, daily and weekly. When the disk space runs out, Time Machine will delete the oldest copies and replace them with new ones.
At the same time, the program stores not only current version files, but all are old. Therefore, you can return to a specific system restore point.
MacBooks running OS X Yosemite and later now have the ability to create a local backup. It will be saved once a day or week in the laptop memory. When the memory is more than 80% full, the old backups will be deleted.
How to enable backup in Time Machine
Step 1: Open " System Settings» > Time Machine.
Step 2: Click Select Backup Disk.
Step 3: Select an external hard drive or flash drive to which the backup will be saved.
Step 4: Select the "Create backups automatically" checkbox.
Your Mac will now be backed up to the specified hard drive.
How to remove certain files from a backup
If you do not want any files or folders to be backed up:
Step 1: Open System Preferences > Time Machine.
Step 2: Click Options and select the folders and files you want to exclude from the backup.
How to restore specific files from a backup
Step 1: Open System Preferences > Time Machine.
Step 2: Check the "Show Time Machine in Menu Bar" checkbox.
Step 3: Click on the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and select "Enter Time Machine."
Step 4: Find required file or folder and click "Recover".
The selected file will be copied to its original location on the Mac.
How to restore a system from a backup
If you bought new mac, you can transfer all the data from your old computer to it, including system settings.
Step 1: Turn on your computer, and as soon as the Apple logo appears on the screen, press and hold Command keys(⌘) + R. The Mac will boot into recovery mode.
Step 2: Select "Restore from Time Machine Backup" and click the "Continue" button.
Step 3: Select a backup copy of Time Machine and click Continue.
Step 4: Select the latest backup and click Continue.
The system will begin to recover, and after the operation is completed, the computer will reboot.
Tri-BACKUP is an effective and easy-to-use tool that will automatically perform backup and normal copying on your Mac. This program can create bootable copy your his hard drive and automatically update this copy. In case of problems or if you want to replace the hard drive, you can simply restart your computer from a bootable copy and get your usual environment with all your settings, applications and documents. With Tri-BACKUP you can perform a backup certain folders, make a copy of documents or synchronize two computers.
Save your data, of utmost importance if you believe your data has any value. The computer or drive may stop working, data may be accidentally destroyed, or the computer may be stolen or destroyed in a fire. Whether personal or professional, some data is irreplaceable and will never be recoverable if lost: photos of a certain event, documents you create, etc. Tri-BACKUP allows you to protect your data from a single copy on an external drive to a series of steps To make a copy on different medias, which you can save in different locations for maximum security (including online backups). With Tri Backup you have all the tools to easily install your backups and monitor proper implementation. With all its many features, you can create a system backup just for you.
Copy the disk: Create a bootable copy of your disk that is updated regularly and automatically. You can restart from the copy at any time and get all your data and applications in your normal environment.
This feature is also useful if you want to change your boot disk or duplicate environments on multiple machines.
Save your data: Tri-BACKUP automatically and regularly copies files to one or more internal or external drives, on another machine, network, FTP server, etc.
You can multiply your backups to improve the security of your data.
Transfers your data: Synchronize multiple computers, share files and groups of documents with multiple users, over a local network or via external drives, and you can even use systems such as Dropbox updated with Tri-BACKUP.
Backup automation: Let your backups run automatically in background without disturbing you or slowing down the use of your machine.
Programmed actions can be triggered at a time and frequency of your choice, or performed automatically when the drive is connected, or when exiting the application.
Compare and manage: With Tri-BACKUP's immediate Backup actions, you compare the contents of two folders and you can control what exactly needs to be backed up, synchronized or deleted.
What's new
Version 7.2.0:
- Various minor enhancements and interface changes
- Various minor corrections
