Access Time Machine Backup from a different computer

Question

Access Time Machine Backup from a different computer

Hi everyone,

I have recently had to put my Macbook in for repair and have been told it will be about a month before I get it back. My wife has a Macbook of her own, so I using that for the time being to continue working on my MA essays due in the next two weeks. My problem is that I dutifully did a complete backup of my files through Time Machine before sending my own Macbook away, only to find I cannot access the files on my wife's computer!

I realise this is completely my fault, but the files in the Time Machine backup represent months of work and I desperately need access to them! I have tried accessing the backups via Time Machine, and when this failed I went through Finder to the Backup folder on my external hard drive, only to find a little no entry sign next to the relevant folders. When I try to open them I get told I 'do not have sufficient access privileges'. Is there ANY way around this? I am desperate!

Macbook, Mac OS X (10.5.2), 2.4Ghz; 2Gb RAM; Black Model (2008)

Posted on Apr 23, 2008 1:31 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Jeremy P

Level 3

740 points

Apr 25, 2008 8:58 PM in response to The Northern Contingent

Have you tried the Browse Other Time Machine Disks menu option? If that doesn't work, would it be possible to migrate your user to your wife's machine using Migration Assistant?

Be the way, when you get your computer back from the workshop remember to tell them that you are using Time Machine and you need the computer to still have the same MAC address it had when you took it in (relevant if, for instance, they change the motherboard).

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Answer 2

SharonZ

Level 2

490 points

May 6, 2008 9:56 AM in response to The Northern Contingent

The Northern Contingent wrote:
Hi everyone,

I realise this is completely my fault, but the files in the Time Machine backup represent months of work and I desperately need access to them! I have tried accessing the backups via Time Machine, and when this failed I went through Finder to the Backup folder on my external hard drive, only to find a little no entry sign next to the relevant folders. When I try to open them I get told I 'do not have sufficient access privileges'. Is there ANY way around this? I am desperate!

You should post this with something to do with "Access privileges" in the title so the right people read it - those who don't use Time Machine probably won't bother with this thread. You were right to try a direct-access route through the Finder, because you can drag Time Machine files directly when you need to. I don't know enough about permissions to help you with the permission thing; it might be as simple as setting up an account on your wife's machine that has the same username and password as your own machine.

But note (in regard to the Jeremy's post) that if you do get a new logic board - yes, he's right, you'll have a different MAC address, which means you can't continue on with your TM backups. But you can't change the MAC address on the logic board; instead, there's a nice, geeky way to change the Time Machine backups record of what MAC address they were married to. You'll find the info here:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080128003716101

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