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Q: Hard drive failed - steps to restore from time machine

The HD on my aging iMac died and I have had to have a new drive installed as a stopgap measure. My question is this: the new drive has OS X El Capitan loaded which is the same as the old one ran. How do I restore from my most recent time machine back up and will it load the Apps (such as MS Office, iBank, Chrome etc) or will I need to load these first?  I also understand I need to create a new user first to avoid any conflict over usernames. It is an old iMac and I wanted to recover everything first before buying an entirely new machine since I am hopeful that Apple will update the iMac line soon. 


many thanks 


iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11), 4GB RAM

Posted on Sep 12, 2016 4:04 PM

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Q: Hard drive failed - steps to restore from time machine

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  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Sep 12, 2016 4:12 PM in response to Allez Epic
    Level 10 (271,392 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 12, 2016 4:12 PM in response to Allez Epic

    Please visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with Time Machine. This is an extensive site with most everything you may need for using Time Machine. You will not find a better resource for Time Machine in one location. Due to the passing of James Pondini the site is no longer being updated. Therefore, some of the information may be a little outdated.

  • by John Galt,Apple recommended

    John Galt John Galt Sep 12, 2016 4:31 PM in response to Allez Epic
    Level 8 (49,678 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 12, 2016 4:31 PM in response to Allez Epic

    Please read Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac - Apple Support.

     

    Follow the instructions under "Restore everything".

     

    ... will it load the Apps (such as MS Office, iBank, Chrome etc)

     

    Yes.

     

    I also understand I need to create a new user first to avoid any conflict over usernames.

     

    That will not be necessary, since restoring everything will erase the internal drive first, including its operating system and user accounts.

  • by Allez Epic,

    Allez Epic Allez Epic Oct 1, 2016 1:28 PM in response to John Galt
    Level 2 (223 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 1, 2016 1:28 PM in response to John Galt

    Thanks John Galt.  My problem is that my backup is located n a QNAP server and I can see the sparse bundle when I log into the server but I cannot get TM to point at it in order to restore from it.  I am supposed to be talking to the QNAP people next week but of course welcome any input prior to that.

  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Oct 1, 2016 2:38 PM in response to Allez Epic
    Level 8 (49,678 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 1, 2016 2:38 PM in response to Allez Epic

    ... my backup is located n a QNAP server

     

    Unfortunately, that is not a supported Time Machine configuration. To learn how to use Time Machine read Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac.

     

    Despite their manufacturers' insistence to the contrary, there are no non-Apple NAS devices that will reliably work with Time Machine. If you want to use your NAS device to back up your Mac's contents, then use a backup strategy other than Time Machine.

     

    The exhaustive list of devices supported by Time Machine are as follows:

     

    • External drives directly connected to the USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt ports on your Mac
    • The built-in drive of an AirPort Time Capsule
    • A USB drive connected to the USB port of a Time Capsule or AirPort Extreme 802.11AC base station
    • A networked volume served by OS X Server using Apple File Protocol (AFP)

     

    That is all.

     

    Use whatever backup device you want, but you should be aware that this site is full of reports of misery from hapless individuals who had been using third party NAS devices for Time Machine backups, only to find that they were incomplete, corrupted, or useless in the dire circumstances in which they were required. Apple won't care if you lose your data while using a Time Machine configuration specifically excluded from their technical support documents.