Q: How to access Time Machine from Another Computer?

What about when Time Machine isn't in the dock? Is there really no way to access this function than through a right-click on the App's dock icon? That seems absurd, it's extremely un-intuitive: I was looking within the Time Machine interface itself, which seems like the logical place to me to have access to Time Machine backups.

You can use the TM icon in your menubar.  Hold the Alt/Option key, and the Enter Time Machine option will change to the Browse ... option.

Thanks Pondini! That helps.

Hi this relates to an earlier distinction between control-click and option-click. I don't have Time Machine in the Dock, I have it's icon in the menu bar. I haven't tried right clicking on the application or adding it to the dock. I presume a control-click works in these situations. However when it is in the menu bar, it is definitely option-click.

Chris

I was able to access the older time machine backup on the external HD, but when I hit 'restore' it says:

“Applications” can’t be modified or deleted because it’s required by Mac OS X.

Can someone help please?

Thank you!

What were you trying to restore?   You should be able to restore individual apps, but not the entire Applications folder. 

And, if the backups were from a different Mac, you need to use the Restore to an Alternate location option, per Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #16.

Yesterday I bought a new iMac, hooked it up, and was hoping to transfer some files from one of the old iMac's backups. I've tried the Option+Click route on Time Machine and I can definitely see my old drive in the list that comes up. However, when I select it and enter TM, I still only see the one back which appears to be the last one it did before I hooked up my new iMac. Unfortunately it is missing some stuff that I know exists in previous backups.

Any ideas?

I followed these instructions but when I clicked on a file to open in the other computer's back-up a window appeared saying I was not authorised to open the file.  How do I get around this?

What are you trying to do?  If you want to set up a new Mac like an old one, or transfer a user account to a different Mac, the Browse... option is not the way.  See How do I set up a new Mac from an old one, its backups, or a PC?

But if you're trying to restore a few selected files, yes, the Browse... option is what you want.  What's happening is, the user account you're logged-on with isn't recogized as being the same one that did the backup (and one user, even an Admin user, doesn't normally have access to a different user's files).

Try a different user account (if you don't have one, make one via System Preferences > Users & Groups on Lion, or System Preferences > Accounts on earlier versions of OSX).

I just want to be able to access the files from one computer's back up from a different computer.  I will try that, but I don't understand why if its not letting me into the files on one user account why creating a new one will fix it.... will that not just be another user account that will not have access because it will still be different from the original one?

elizabeth.d wrote:

. . .

will that not just be another user account that will not have access because it will still be different from the original one?

No; it has to do with the mostly-invisible UID assigned to each user.  See the pink box in Problems after using Migration Assistant for an explanation.

I just discovered that what I thought were being saved it wasn't

Following the instructions provided in this conversation I did the +Browse TM backups from other disks. I had a Mac mini and wanted to recovered some files I am missing now in my new iMac.

I selected the Mac mini backups and when the windows open I can say any thing in the folders. If I click the folder where the documents should be I get the message: "The alias "XXX" can't be open because the original item can't be found"

So...

First, this is terrifying! I have empty backups??? Am I missing something?

Second, what did it go wrong? What did I do wrong setting up the backup? How come TM has been a week doing backups without saving anything?

Third, how can I be sure that TM is now saving from my iMac?

Overall... What happened?

Any idea anyone?

It sounds like the backups may be damaged. 

Try repairing them, per #A5 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.

Well... Now I really do not understand anything! I am happy but I don't get it!

I didn't tell you that the backups where supposed to be saved in an external HD that the iMac accesses throu a AirPort Extreme.

I just move the HD from the AirPort extreme to the iMac and now I can browse throu all the Mac mini backups! The files are there!!!!

Again.... What am I doing wrong? What am I missing????

CP2000 wrote:

. . .

I didn't tell you that the backups where supposed to be saved in an external HD that the iMac accesses throu a AirPort Extreme.

Ah, the proverbial "other shoe." 

I hate to have to tell you this, but backing-up that way is unreliable and not supported by Apple.   See:  Using Time Machine with an Airport Extreme Air Disk.

I just move the HD from the AirPort extreme to the iMac and now I can browse throu all the Mac mini backups! The files are there!!!!

Time Machine stores its backups differently when they're done to an internal or directly-connected external disk vs. over a network.  Network backups are inside a rather odd container called a sparse bundle disk image; those done locally aren't.

Plus, you can't just switch back and forth for doing backups.  See the blue box in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #17 for an explanation.

I don't recall seeing the different permissions handling that you seem to, but I haven't fooled with that in a while.