preacher3

Q: What is the difference between Time Machine and backing up Files?

I need to send my MacBook Pro off to repair.  I have used Time Machine to protect data.  I'm confused as to whether or not there is any difference between using Time Machine or other forms of backing up applications and files. 

 

For example, does Time Machine save actual software.  I have Lightroom and Aperture and i want to make sure these programs, not just the files are backed up.

 

I have 1T hard drive I'm going to use to back up.

 

Suggestions?

 

Mac 10.6.8

Model Name: MacBook Pro

  Model Identifier: MacBookPro6,1

  Processor Name: Intel Core i5

  Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz

Posted on Jun 20, 2014 12:54 PM

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Q: What is the difference between Time Machine and backing up Files?

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  • by Csound1,Helpful

    Csound1 Csound1 Jun 20, 2014 12:56 PM in response to preacher3
    Level 9 (50,202 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 20, 2014 12:56 PM in response to preacher3

    Time Machine backs up the entire Mac, otherwise you would not be able to perform a complete restore of your Mac.

  • by clintonfrombirmingham,Helpful

    clintonfrombirmingham clintonfrombirmingham Jun 20, 2014 12:58 PM in response to preacher3
    Level 7 (30,009 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 20, 2014 12:58 PM in response to preacher3

    In your situation, I would recommend making a clone of your machine onto the one TB external. My cloning software of choice is Carbon Copy Cloner, but you could use SuperDuper! as well, since you've no Recovery partition that needs cloning.

     

    Good luck,

    Clinton

  • by RJTUK,Solvedanswer

    RJTUK RJTUK Jun 20, 2014 12:59 PM in response to preacher3
    Level 2 (185 points)
    Notebooks
    Jun 20, 2014 12:59 PM in response to preacher3

    Hi preacher3,

     

    Time Machine will back up absolutely everything on your Mac and should restore this in place, this includes all applications and preferences as well as documents. Provided you've let Time Machine do a full backup you should be fine with this.

     

    One of the advantages of using Time Machine apart from it being really simple to set up is that it's so easy to restore, once you've restored from a Time Machine backup you'll find your Mac back in pretty much the same state with apps and files as it was at the time of the last backup.

     

    See All about Time Machine for some great tips and to learn more

     

    I hope this helps

  • by Allan Eckert,

    Allan Eckert Allan Eckert Jun 20, 2014 1:02 PM in response to RJTUK
    Level 9 (53,418 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 20, 2014 1:02 PM in response to RJTUK

    Time Machine will not backup absolutely everything. It will only backup what is required to recover the Mac. This does not include anything in Trash, many of the cache and log files.

     

    The rest of your post I agree with.

     

    Allan

  • by AustinJGibson,

    AustinJGibson AustinJGibson Jun 20, 2014 1:06 PM in response to Allan Eckert
    Level 4 (1,023 points)
    Jun 20, 2014 1:06 PM in response to Allan Eckert

    Who cares about cache and log files besides the people that are going to delete them anyways to free up space?

     

    Austin

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Jun 20, 2014 1:11 PM in response to Allan Eckert
    Level 9 (50,202 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 20, 2014 1:11 PM in response to Allan Eckert

    Time Machine backs up everything that is required to restore a Mac and none of the bits that aren't, how's that?

  • by Allan Eckert,

    Allan Eckert Allan Eckert Jun 20, 2014 1:12 PM in response to AustinJGibson
    Level 9 (53,418 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 20, 2014 1:12 PM in response to AustinJGibson

    Yes, that is correct. I was only commenting because of the comment that it backed up absolutely everything.

     

    I have know people to get upset when those things were no in the backup.

     

    There are some people that save files in Trash. Why I have never been able to figure out. Then they empty Trash only to discover that they can't recover it from the backup.

     

    Deleting cache to free up space is worthless because the system only reloads them to speed up access to that data and thereby improve the performance of your Mac.

     

    Allan

  • by clintonfrombirmingham,

    clintonfrombirmingham clintonfrombirmingham Jun 20, 2014 1:22 PM in response to preacher3
    Level 7 (30,009 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 20, 2014 1:22 PM in response to preacher3

    I still think that, for your particular situation, the best backup would be a clone. Then you can 're-cycle' the one TB external drive as a Time Machine backup. See -> Most commonly used backup methods.

     

    Clinton

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Jun 20, 2014 1:37 PM in response to clintonfrombirmingham
    Level 9 (50,202 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 20, 2014 1:37 PM in response to clintonfrombirmingham

    Time Machine and Clones both have their place, it's just not the same place.

     

    And I agree, for this job a Clone would be my choice.