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Take Control of Easy Backups in Leopard
Your guide to making easy and reliable backups in Leopard!
Because of the release of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, this ebook has been revised and re-issued in a new edition called Take Control of Easy Mac Backups.
Take Control of Easy Mac Backups covers Mac backups from a 2010 perspective. It gives you the skinny on backups in both 10.5 and 10.6 Snow Leopard.
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- Contents & Intro
- What's New
- FAQ
- Reader Comments
- Blog
Book Info
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About the Author
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Book Reviews
Author Interviews
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Joe Kissell has written numerous books about the Macintosh, including many popular Take Control ebooks. He's also Senior Editor of TidBITS, contributes frequently to Macworld, and previously spent ten years in the Mac software industry.
Table of Contents
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Read Me FirstGood backups protect the important information on your computer from many dangers. This book describes an easy yet reliable strategy for backing up your Mac, of which Leopard's Time Machine feature may be one component. This book was written by Joe Kissell, edited by Jeff Carlson, and published by TidBITS Publishing Inc. |
Introduction
This afternoon—a couple of hours before I sat down to type this introduction—I had a surprising experience. I had just downloaded a file from a Web site, and when I double-clicked it, the wrong application opened. When I tried to open it with the right application, I found that the application itself was missing. In fact, a whole folder full of applications was missing that had definitely been inside my main Applications folder a day or two ago.
I have no idea where the folder went. Obviously I must have done something to delete it inadvertently, but since I didn't notice myself doing it at the time, I don't know what that was or when it happened. But—and here's the happy ending—I was able to restore the missing folder, using Time Machine, in exactly four clicks. I've been testing Time Machine for a long time, but it just so happened that on the day I was to begin writing a book that covers it in detail, I had my first experience of using it to recover something I'd lost in real life.
My point in telling you this story is not to say, "Oh look, Time Machine actually works!" (though that's true as far as it goes). The point is, the experience of randomly and surprisingly losing some important file can happen to anyone, even to a computer geek like me. That file might be an irreplaceable photo of your child, the song you've been composing for the last month, or an email message from a celebrity. It was that last one that jarred me out of my own complacency about backups years ago: a disk crash wiped out all my saved email, including a coveted piece of correspondence that I can now never, ever get back or even prove existed.
By including Time Machine as part of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Apple has highlighted the importance of good backups for every Mac user, and has also made it easier to back up and restore files than any previous backup software had done. I couldn't be more pleased to see this crucial issue addressed as part of Mac OS X, and if Time Machine gets millions of people to back up their computers who had never done it before, the world will truly be a better and happier place.
But...
Well, there are a few "buts" here. In the first place, Time Machine, nifty as it is, is not for everyone. Many a Leopard user will discover that, for any of several reasons, they need something different to meet their backup needs.
Second, Time Machine has a few—how can I put this delicately?—curiosities. Some important features are missing, some are hidden, and some don't work the way one might expect. Even the features that do work properly aren't explained well in Apple's documentation.
And finally, although Time Machine elegantly solves certain backup problems, it doesn't solve every backup problem. It is not a complete or foolproof system, and therefore I don't recommend it as the sole means of backup for anyone.
All of which brings us to the reason for this book. Time Machine needs some further explication, without a doubt, and I provide that here. But this isn't just a Time Machine book. It's a simplified look at all the important aspects of backing up your Mac.
Among the many other things I've written about backups is Take Control of Mac OS X Backups, which aims to be a comprehensive guide to the many choices for a Mac backup strategy. That book is much longer than this one, and although I think it's quite good (if I do say so myself), sometimes comprehensive isn't what you want. Perhaps you're a busy person, and understanding the intricacies of backup technology isn't your idea of a good time. You want someone to say, "Look, just do this." Well, in the book you're now reading, I cut to the chase and show you exactly how to make sure you have excellent backups. Not every way to do it, just one very good way.
This book shows you how to get easy and reliable backups, with a minimum of fuss. Time Machine may be an important part of your backup plan, and because I think it's so cool and useful, I've included quite a bit of information about it. Whether or not you use Time Machine, though, your backup strategy needs other components, and I walk you through all of those here—with just enough background information and theory to get the job done.
This book is for people running Leopard. Although parts of it also apply to other operating systems, including earlier versions of Mac OS X, I focus on software and strategies appropriate for Mac OS X 10.5 or higher.
Quick Start to
This book is best read in order, as I begin by explaining the strategy I recommend and progressively work through each part of a complete backup system. Even if you choose to skip around, be sure to read Understand Joe's Basic Backup Strategy first.
Get your bearings:
- Learn the three essential parts of a complete backup plan, and find out what decisions you must make in order to carry it out. See Understand Joe's Basic Backup Strategy.
- Time Machine is a fantastic backup tool, but it's not ideal for every situation. Read Decide if Time Machine Is Right for You to determine whether it will be part of the plan you follow.
Set up your hardware:
- One way or another, you'll be storing your backups on a hard drive (or maybe more than one). Learn what to look for when buying a drive for backups in Pick a Hard Drive.
- You may need to partition or format your backup drive in a certain way to be suitable for backups. Find out how to do so in Prepare Your Hard Drive.
Configure your backups:
- If you're using Time Machine, learn all you need to know about configuring and using it in Set Up and Use Time Machine.
- If you decided to use a different program to create archives, get setup advice in Set Up and Use Other Archiving Software.
- Bootable duplicates are an essential part of a complete backup plan. Read Create a Bootable Duplicate for instructions.
- Backups are useless if they're destroyed or stolen. Find out how to keep them safe in Store an Extra Backup Offsite.
Recover lost data:
- The whole point of backups is being able to get your data back when you need it. Learn the steps you'll follow in What to Do When Disaster Strikes.
Version 1.1 is a significant update. Among numerous other things, it includes the following major changes:
- Information on Apple's Time Capsule backup appliance. This involved numerous changes, but in particular, see:
- Why Use an External Hard Drive?.
- Should You Buy a Time Capsule?.
- Restore a disk using Time Machine. This section also now describes how to restore an entire disk over a network.
- Updated information on QRecall; see both QRecall and QRecall Tips.
- A warning about certain Western Digital hard drives that aren't bootable with PowerPC-based Macs; consult Choose an Interface (or Several).
- A sidebar about how Apple almost, but not really, yet sort of enabled Time Machine for AirPort Disks; read The AirPort Disk Fiasco.
- Throughout the book, mentions of the system-wide Time Machine menu that Apple added in Mac OS X 10.5.2; see, for example Set Up and Use Time Machine.
- A sidebar explaining how to Migrate from a Drive to a Time Capsule.
- Updated information on working with CrashPlan in Items to consider excluding.
- A corrected description of what happens when you delete items from a Time Machine backup; see Delete Files from a Time Machine Backup.
- Additional suggestions for solving or avoiding Time Machine problems; refer to:
- Remount network volumes.
- Find out what Time Machine is really up to.
- Avoid running Time Machine when applications have large files open.
- Info on how to Increase wireless network throughput.
- A look at storing your Time Capsule offsite with the Transport service; see Use Transport.
Patricia Curtis writes:
This is the first Take Control book I've bought—the announcement came out at exactly the time I was setting up Time Machine to back up my new computer. I just wanted to let you know that it's excellent, especially the information that isn't available—or isn't easily found—on the Apple support site and in the discussions, like the fact that Time Machine doesn't make backups if the computer is on battery. Not even the tech support guy knew that! (Or if he did, he didn't mention it.) Thanks so much.
David Watts writes:
I bought this book in your MacSanta sale and I am very impressed with it indeed. It answered all my questions (before I upgrade my G4 to Leopard) as I want to back up both my G4 and two Mac minis wirelessly to a separate backup disc. The two minis are used by my kids and Time Machine seems a very sensible way to back up their school work working in the background. I found the style of writing just right—technical but also accessible. I'll be buying more—particularly at these prices.
Send Us Your Comments!
How could we not publish such kind words? If you'd like to send us your comments (good or bad, though we hope they're all good), just click the Feedback link on the cover of your copy of the ebook. Be sure to let us know if we can publish your comment. Thanks!
Update Plans
January 2010 -- Although we do not intend to update this particular ebook again for Leopard users, we have created a brand new ebook—effectively the second edition of this ebook— called Take Control of Easy Mac Backups. The new ebook covers Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and 10.6 Snow Leopard. Along with Snow Leopard details, the new edition has been overhauled with Joe's latest thinking and recommendations. It has new information about third-party backup applications (including ChronoSync, Retrospect, Backblaze, CrashPlan, Jungle Disk, and MozyHome), refreshed coverage of Apple's Time Machine and Time Capsule, and an expanded and revised look at how to pick a third-party hard drive.
—Tonya Engst
Get Inspired to Make Better Backups in 2010
January 12, 2010 --
In MacVoices Podcast #1003, Take Control author Joe Kissell chats with host Chuck Joiner about many aspects of making successful Macintosh backups. Joe talks at length about deleting un-needed files and about how you determine if a file is no longer needed. He also talks about the many reasons to make backups and provides insight on the latest trends and techniques for backups, including his thoughts on USB 3, hardware encryption, and online backup services.
This podcast comes in conjunction with the release of Take Control of Easy Mac Backups.
—Tonya Engst
Author Joe Kissell Talks about Backups
September 22, 2009 --
For years, not much changed in the world of backups, but that's no longer the case. You can listen to Joe talk about what's new with backups in MacVoices #9100 with host Chuck Joiner. In the interview, Joe talks about his new fourth edition of Take Control of Mac OS X Backups and discusses Snow Leopard, Time Machine, and Time Capsule; which option he trusts for making encrypted backups, why deduplicating is interesting, Retrospect 8, and more.
—Tonya Engst
Free Web Content: Joe Kissell Compares Over 100 Backup Programs
April 20, 2009 --
I've thoroughly updated the online appendix that goes with Take Control of Mac OS X Backups. The Web-based appendix includes feature comparisons of well over 100 Mac backup programs. Most recently, I added 10 new programs and updated the listings of 24 other programs for which newer versions are now available.
—Joe Kissell
AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule Gain New Features
March 3, 2009 --
Apple today released significantly revised models of the AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule. These new models have three important new features: dual-band networking, guest network access, and remote file sharing via MobileMe.
—Tonya Engst
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