Time Machine -- Frequently Asked Questions
_*Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions*_
This post contains answers to many common, general questions.
It does not, however, cover diagnosis and correction of specific problems or errors.
*1. How big a drive do I need for Time Machine?*
*2. What can TM back up, and where can it put it's backups?*
*3. Can I use my TM disk for other stuff?*
*4. Can I use one TM disk to back up 2 or more Macs?*
*5. I just bought an external drive. How do I get it to work with Time Machine?*
*6. Can I use a drive with other data already on it?*
*7. How can I tell what Time Machine is doing during a backup?*
*8. How can I tell what Time Machine is backing-up?*
*9. Why are my backups so large?*
*10. Can I tell Time Machine not to back up certain things?*
*11. What should I exclude, and what should I not exclude?*
*12. Should I delete old backups? If so, How?*
*13. How can I change TM's schedule of hourly backups?*
*14. How do I restore my entire system?*
*15. How do I restore a file/folder?*
*16. How can I restore a file/folder to an alternate location?*
_*1. How big a drive do I need for Time Machine?*_
A general "rule of thumb" is, TM needs 2 to 3 times as much space as the data it's backing-up.
But this actually varies greatly, depending on how you use your Mac. If you frequently add/update lots of large files, then even 3 times may not be enough. But if you're a light user, 1.5 might do. Unfortunately, it's rather hard to predict, so if in doubt, get a bigger one!
Also, there are some OSX features and 3rd-party applications that take up large amounts of backup space, for various reasons. See question #9 for details.
This is a trade-off between space and how long TM can keep it's backups, since TM will, by design, eventually use all the space available. But it won't just quit backing-up when it runs out: It starts deleting the oldest backups so it can keep making new ones. Thus, the more space it has, the longer it can keep your backups.
_*2. What can TM back up, and where can it put it's backups?*_
Time Machine can back up from any +directly attached+ drive/partition it can read. It will back-up your entire system (OSX, applications, user data, settings, preferences ... "the works."
In fact, by default, it will back up any +directly attached+ drive/partition it can read (except the disk/partition where it's putting backups), unless you specifically exclude them.
Time Machine can back up to:
An external disk (USB or FireWire), or
A secondary internal disk or partition, or
A Time Capsule, or
An available Mac OS X Server version 10.5 volume.
Anything else is unsupported by Apple and therefore unreliable.
_*3. Can I use my TM disk for other stuff?*_
Yes. TM will not delete anything you put there.
But it's much, much better to partition the drive into 2 (or more) parts ("Volumes"). Assign one to TM, for it's exclusive use for backups; use the other partition(s) however you want. (See question #5 or 6 for instructions.)
There are two reasons for this: first is, TM will, eventually, fill all the space available to it before it begins deleting old backups. When it gets near full, you may not be able to put anything else there. Second, if you ever want or have to delete all your old backups and start over, you can just erase the partition via Disk Utility; if there's other data there, it would be erased also. It is possible to delete individual backups via the TM interface, but it's one-at-a-time, so rather tedious (see question #12 for details).
But don't be tempted to just delete them via the Finder -- all sorts of things may go wrong.
For most purposes, each partition is treated as if it were a separate disk drive: each will be shown separately on your desktop and/or Finder sidebar, for example, using the name you assign to it.
Note that TM will, by default, try to back-up any attached disk/partition it can read, including any "other" partitions on it's drive. If you don't want it to do that, exclude those partitions from TM via TM's System Preferences > Options. (see question #10 for details)
_*4. Can I use one TM disk to back up 2 or more Macs?*_
Yes. TM keeps track of which computer is which (by a hardware identifier, not computer name), so it will always keep it's backups for each Mac separate from each other.
It is advisable, though, to partition the drive into one part ("Volume") for each Mac (see question #5 or 6 for instructions).
There are two reasons for this: first, TM will, eventually, fill all the space available to it before it begins deleting old backups. When multiple Macs are "competing" for the same backup space, TM might have room for several months of backups for one, but only a few weeks for another. Second, if you ever want or have to delete all the old backups for one Mac and start over, you can just erase the partition via Disk Utility; if there are other Mac's backups there, they would be erased also.
It is possible to delete individual backups via the TM interface, but it's one-at-a-time, so rather tedious. See question #12 for details. (And don't be tempted to just delete them via the Finder -- all sorts of things will go very wrong.)
_*5. I just bought an external drive. How do I get it to work with Time Machine?*_
First decide if you're going to put other data on the drive. If so, see question #3 before proceeding.
Most disks come with various things on them that you don't need. So even if the drive says "Mac Ready" or the like, you should erase and format it with the Disk Utility app (in your Applications/Utilities folder):
A. When Disk Utility starts, select the new drive in the sidebar (the line with the size and make/ID).
B. Select the Erase tab, then confirm. This will erase the entire disk. (If you want, you can select +Security Options,+ then +Zero-Out Data+ to physically erase the entire disk by writing over everything. This will take quite a while, and shouldn't be necessary.)
C. Select the Partition tab, then set the number of partitions from the drop down menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.)
D. Click Options, then choose either GUID (for Intel Macs), or +Apple Partition Map+ (for PPC Macs)
E. For each partition, click on it (it will then be outlined in blue), then supply a name (this is the name that will appear on your desktop and/or Finder sidebar) and size (either by typing in the box or dragging the dividers), and be sure the format type is +Mac OS Extended (Journaled.)+ Don't use any of the other options unless you're sure you need to.
F. When you've got everything the way you want it, click Apply and wait until the process has completed.
_*6 Can I use a drive with other data already on it?*_
Maybe. Partitions must be contiguous, so just because your disk has enough available space on it, it may not have enough contiguous available space for a new partition. The only way to tell is by trying -- if there isn't enough space, it will just fail without actually changing anything.
Before doing this, back-up the data you want to keep, just in case.
Here's how to partition without erasing:
A. When Disk Utility starts, select the drive in the sidebar (the line with the size and make/ID).
B. Click the Partition tab. DU will show a chart of the current partition(s), with the amount used in each shaded in blue.
C. Click the partition you want to split. DU will outline it in blue.
D. Click the plus sign at the bottom. DU will split the partition into two parts, and name the new one the same as the old, but with "_2" appended.
E. Click the new partition, so DU will outline it in blue.
F. Give it a name (this is the name that will appear on your desktop/Finder sidebar).
G. Adjust it's size, either by dragging the divider between the new and old partitions, or typing the desired size into the box.
H. Make sure the Format is +Mac OS Extended (journaled)+ unless you're sure you need something else.
I. When you have it the way you want it, click Apply.
J. The drive will be re-partitioned, unless DU can't get enough contiguous space, then it will send you an error message.
_*7. How can I tell what Time Machine is doing during a backup?*_
If you press the TM icon in the menubar, or select TM's preferences, you may see "Preparing" or a progress message ("xxx MB/GB of yyy MB/GB), plus a progress bar (Preferences pane only, sometimes there's also a separate window).
For more detail, download the +Time Machine Buddy+ widget. It shows the messages from your logs for one TM backup run at a time, in a small window.
Here's what some common messages mean:
+Event store UUIDs don't match+ naming your internal HD (or any other drive being backed-up). TM can't be sure the OSX internal log of file changes that it normally uses is correct. This is usually caused by an improper shutdown, a full restore, or many days without a successful backup. It may cause a lengthy backup, so if you see it frequently, you need to figure out why.
+Event store UUIDs don't match+ naming your TM drive/partition. TM isn't sure that everything on it is what TM expects. This may be because the drive was disconnected improperly, or it doesn't appear to be the drive TM expects. Again, if you see this frequently, investigate.
+. . . node requires deep traversal.+ Instead of the log of file changes TM normally uses, it must examine every file and folder on the named drive/partition to be sure what needs to be backed-up. Obviously, this is a lengthy procedure. You may not see any more messages for quite a while.
+Backup content size: xxx MB/GB excluded items size: yyy MB/GB for volume zzz+ These sizes are rough estimates (and sometimes quite high).
+ . . . xxx MB/GB requested (including padding), yyy MB/GB available.+ The amount requested is more, usually about 20% more, than the total of the Backup content sizes listed. TM needs extra free workspace.
+No pre-backup thinning needed.+ TM has room for the new backup.
+Starting pre-backup thinning,+ usually followed by:
+No expired backups exist - deleting oldest backups to make room,+ and a list of deleted backups. These are weekly backups that TM must delete to make room for the new backup.
+No post-backup thinning needed.+ There are no expired backups.
+Starting post-backup thinning,+ followed by a list of deleted backups. These backups are either hourly backups over 24 hours old, or daily backups over a month old.
_*8. How can I tell what Time Machine is backing-up?*_
Download the TimeTracker app, from www.charlessoft.com.
It shows most of the files saved by TM for each backup (excluding some hidden/system files, etc.).
_*9. Why are my backups so large?*_
There are some OSX features and 3rd-party applications that cause large Time Machine backups. Common ones are FileVault, vmWare Fusion, Parallels Desktop, and Entourage. Any application that uses a large database may do this.
FileVault (System Preferences > Security) converts your entire Home Folder into a single, encrypted disk image. So any change to anything in your Home Folder is treated as a change to the encrypted image, and the whole thing is backed-up. TM minimizes the impact, though, by only backing it up when you log out, but it's still going to eat up a lot of space on your TM disk.
Some apps, such as Entourage, sometimes use a single file, often a database, to store their data. With Entourage, for example, every time you send or receive a single message, the whole database is changed, and will be backed-up the next time. Apple mail, of course, stores messages individually to prevent this.
One solution is to simply exclude the item from TM so it isn't backed-up regularly, then when you do want it backed-up, just copy it somewhere that's not excluded. See question #10 for instructions.
_*10. Can I tell Time Machine not to back up certain things?*_
Sure. Go to TM's Preferences and click Options.
In the next panel, click the plus sign at the bottom.
In the sidebar of the next panel, select your computer, drive, or folder, then navigate to the file/folder you want to exclude.
Select it, click Exclude, then Done.
_*11. What should I exclude, and what should I not exclude?*_
First, TM automatically excludes some system caches, work files, trash, etc., so you don't need to worry about those.
You may want to exclude some special files/folders that cause extra-large backups (see question #9.)
Some exclude their Desktop and/or Downloads folders, as they use these for "working storage" and put the finished product in a permanent location that does get backed-up.
If you do a lot of step-by-step processing of large files, such as video processing, you might want to do it on a "scratch" disk, partition, or folder that you exclude from TM, so the intermediate steps won't all be backed-up. When done, be sure to put the finished product somewhere it will be backed-up. If you do this, of course, it means that you can't recover those intermediate steps. It's a trade-off between convenience vs. CPU time and disk space.
Some people exclude their /System and/or /Library and/or /Applications folders, to save space. Generally this is unwise, as it won't save very much disk space, but will make recovery from a disk failure *very, very* tedious and time-consuming. You'd have to first install the OS from your Leopard disc; migrate or restore your data; download and install the "combo" Software Update to bring your OS current; and reinstall any 3rd-party software (possibly having to re-enter license codes); then hope you didn't miss anything. Major hassle for minor space saving.
_*12. Should I delete old backups? If so, How?*_
Under normal circumstances, you shouldn't have to. TM automatically "thins" (deletes) backups on the following schedule:
"Hourly" backups after 24 hours (except the first of the day, which is a "Daily" backup).
"Daily" backups after a month (except the first of a week, which is a "Weekly" backup.)
"Weekly" backups are kept until TM needs the space for new backups; then one or more of the oldest weeklies will be deleted.
However, TM will never delete the backup copy of anything if the original is still on the disk being backed-up.
But if you want or need to, you can delete either all backups of a particular file or folder, or an entire backup (sort of). Do not attempt this via the Finder. Use the TM interface: +Enter TIme Machine,+ or +Browse Other Time Machine Disks.+
Locate the backup or item you want to delete via the "cascade" of Finder windows.
If you want to delete all backups of a particular item, select it in the window.
Then select the "gear" icon and either +Delete Backup+ (the entire backup) or +Delete all Backups of <item selected>."
You'll see a confirmation prompt, then one for your Administrator's password.
If you delete an entire backup, it will disappear from the timeline and the "cascade" of Finder windows, but it will not actually delete the backup of any item that's also present in any other backup. Thus you may not gain much space.
If you delete all backups of an item, TM will not back it up again unless/until it's changed.
_*13. How can I change TM's schedule of hourly backups?*_
You can use the free Time Machine Editor: http://timesoftware.free.fr/timemachineeditor/
_*14. How do I restore my entire system?*_
It's surprisingly easy. Boot from your Leopard Install disc (hold down the "C" key while starting up, with the Leopard disk inserted).
That takes a few minutes. Then select your language from the list shown.
On the next screen, select Utilities from the top menubar, then +Restore from Backups+, and follow the on-screen instructions.
You'll be prompted to select the disk where your TM backups are (or search for a Time Capsule), then which of the backups you want from a list showing date & time of each completed backup, and the version of OS on that backup. Note that the times on the list may not match your current time zone. In the U.S. at least, they're in Pacific Time.
You're also prompted to select a destination, then a confirmation, then the process starts.
If you want to monitor the installation, select Window, then +Show Log+ from the menubar
It is, of course, a lengthy process, but your Mac will be restored exactly as it was at the time of the backup you selected. Then you can just start up normally.
When you do, you may want to immediately turn Time Machine off, as it's next backup will be a full one -- everything it just restored will be backed-up again. You cannot prevent this, only delay it. It will of course take quite a while, and a lot of space on your TM disk, so you may wish to wait until you're sure your system is the way you want it, or even erase your TM disk with Disk Utility and let your backups start anew.
_*15. How do I restore a file/folder?*_
With a Finder window open, +Enter Time Machine.+ Locate the item you want to restore in the "cascade" of Finder windows, select it, click Restore in the lower right, and TM will put the selected version in the same place it was saved from.
That's it!
_*16. How can I restore a file/folder to an alternate location?*_
Locate the item as above, click the "gear" icon in the Finder window, then +Restore <item selected> to ...".+
Then you'll see a prompt where you can select a location, and TM will place it there.
This post contains answers to many common, general questions.
It does not, however, cover diagnosis and correction of specific problems or errors.
*1. How big a drive do I need for Time Machine?*
*2. What can TM back up, and where can it put it's backups?*
*3. Can I use my TM disk for other stuff?*
*4. Can I use one TM disk to back up 2 or more Macs?*
*5. I just bought an external drive. How do I get it to work with Time Machine?*
*6. Can I use a drive with other data already on it?*
*7. How can I tell what Time Machine is doing during a backup?*
*8. How can I tell what Time Machine is backing-up?*
*9. Why are my backups so large?*
*10. Can I tell Time Machine not to back up certain things?*
*11. What should I exclude, and what should I not exclude?*
*12. Should I delete old backups? If so, How?*
*13. How can I change TM's schedule of hourly backups?*
*14. How do I restore my entire system?*
*15. How do I restore a file/folder?*
*16. How can I restore a file/folder to an alternate location?*
_*1. How big a drive do I need for Time Machine?*_
A general "rule of thumb" is, TM needs 2 to 3 times as much space as the data it's backing-up.
But this actually varies greatly, depending on how you use your Mac. If you frequently add/update lots of large files, then even 3 times may not be enough. But if you're a light user, 1.5 might do. Unfortunately, it's rather hard to predict, so if in doubt, get a bigger one!
Also, there are some OSX features and 3rd-party applications that take up large amounts of backup space, for various reasons. See question #9 for details.
This is a trade-off between space and how long TM can keep it's backups, since TM will, by design, eventually use all the space available. But it won't just quit backing-up when it runs out: It starts deleting the oldest backups so it can keep making new ones. Thus, the more space it has, the longer it can keep your backups.
_*2. What can TM back up, and where can it put it's backups?*_
Time Machine can back up from any +directly attached+ drive/partition it can read. It will back-up your entire system (OSX, applications, user data, settings, preferences ... "the works."
In fact, by default, it will back up any +directly attached+ drive/partition it can read (except the disk/partition where it's putting backups), unless you specifically exclude them.
Time Machine can back up to:
An external disk (USB or FireWire), or
A secondary internal disk or partition, or
A Time Capsule, or
An available Mac OS X Server version 10.5 volume.
Anything else is unsupported by Apple and therefore unreliable.
_*3. Can I use my TM disk for other stuff?*_
Yes. TM will not delete anything you put there.
But it's much, much better to partition the drive into 2 (or more) parts ("Volumes"). Assign one to TM, for it's exclusive use for backups; use the other partition(s) however you want. (See question #5 or 6 for instructions.)
There are two reasons for this: first is, TM will, eventually, fill all the space available to it before it begins deleting old backups. When it gets near full, you may not be able to put anything else there. Second, if you ever want or have to delete all your old backups and start over, you can just erase the partition via Disk Utility; if there's other data there, it would be erased also. It is possible to delete individual backups via the TM interface, but it's one-at-a-time, so rather tedious (see question #12 for details).
But don't be tempted to just delete them via the Finder -- all sorts of things may go wrong.
For most purposes, each partition is treated as if it were a separate disk drive: each will be shown separately on your desktop and/or Finder sidebar, for example, using the name you assign to it.
Note that TM will, by default, try to back-up any attached disk/partition it can read, including any "other" partitions on it's drive. If you don't want it to do that, exclude those partitions from TM via TM's System Preferences > Options. (see question #10 for details)
_*4. Can I use one TM disk to back up 2 or more Macs?*_
Yes. TM keeps track of which computer is which (by a hardware identifier, not computer name), so it will always keep it's backups for each Mac separate from each other.
It is advisable, though, to partition the drive into one part ("Volume") for each Mac (see question #5 or 6 for instructions).
There are two reasons for this: first, TM will, eventually, fill all the space available to it before it begins deleting old backups. When multiple Macs are "competing" for the same backup space, TM might have room for several months of backups for one, but only a few weeks for another. Second, if you ever want or have to delete all the old backups for one Mac and start over, you can just erase the partition via Disk Utility; if there are other Mac's backups there, they would be erased also.
It is possible to delete individual backups via the TM interface, but it's one-at-a-time, so rather tedious. See question #12 for details. (And don't be tempted to just delete them via the Finder -- all sorts of things will go very wrong.)
_*5. I just bought an external drive. How do I get it to work with Time Machine?*_
First decide if you're going to put other data on the drive. If so, see question #3 before proceeding.
Most disks come with various things on them that you don't need. So even if the drive says "Mac Ready" or the like, you should erase and format it with the Disk Utility app (in your Applications/Utilities folder):
A. When Disk Utility starts, select the new drive in the sidebar (the line with the size and make/ID).
B. Select the Erase tab, then confirm. This will erase the entire disk. (If you want, you can select +Security Options,+ then +Zero-Out Data+ to physically erase the entire disk by writing over everything. This will take quite a while, and shouldn't be necessary.)
C. Select the Partition tab, then set the number of partitions from the drop down menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.)
D. Click Options, then choose either GUID (for Intel Macs), or +Apple Partition Map+ (for PPC Macs)
E. For each partition, click on it (it will then be outlined in blue), then supply a name (this is the name that will appear on your desktop and/or Finder sidebar) and size (either by typing in the box or dragging the dividers), and be sure the format type is +Mac OS Extended (Journaled.)+ Don't use any of the other options unless you're sure you need to.
F. When you've got everything the way you want it, click Apply and wait until the process has completed.
_*6 Can I use a drive with other data already on it?*_
Maybe. Partitions must be contiguous, so just because your disk has enough available space on it, it may not have enough contiguous available space for a new partition. The only way to tell is by trying -- if there isn't enough space, it will just fail without actually changing anything.
Before doing this, back-up the data you want to keep, just in case.
Here's how to partition without erasing:
A. When Disk Utility starts, select the drive in the sidebar (the line with the size and make/ID).
B. Click the Partition tab. DU will show a chart of the current partition(s), with the amount used in each shaded in blue.
C. Click the partition you want to split. DU will outline it in blue.
D. Click the plus sign at the bottom. DU will split the partition into two parts, and name the new one the same as the old, but with "_2" appended.
E. Click the new partition, so DU will outline it in blue.
F. Give it a name (this is the name that will appear on your desktop/Finder sidebar).
G. Adjust it's size, either by dragging the divider between the new and old partitions, or typing the desired size into the box.
H. Make sure the Format is +Mac OS Extended (journaled)+ unless you're sure you need something else.
I. When you have it the way you want it, click Apply.
J. The drive will be re-partitioned, unless DU can't get enough contiguous space, then it will send you an error message.
_*7. How can I tell what Time Machine is doing during a backup?*_
If you press the TM icon in the menubar, or select TM's preferences, you may see "Preparing" or a progress message ("xxx MB/GB of yyy MB/GB), plus a progress bar (Preferences pane only, sometimes there's also a separate window).
For more detail, download the +Time Machine Buddy+ widget. It shows the messages from your logs for one TM backup run at a time, in a small window.
Here's what some common messages mean:
+Event store UUIDs don't match+ naming your internal HD (or any other drive being backed-up). TM can't be sure the OSX internal log of file changes that it normally uses is correct. This is usually caused by an improper shutdown, a full restore, or many days without a successful backup. It may cause a lengthy backup, so if you see it frequently, you need to figure out why.
+Event store UUIDs don't match+ naming your TM drive/partition. TM isn't sure that everything on it is what TM expects. This may be because the drive was disconnected improperly, or it doesn't appear to be the drive TM expects. Again, if you see this frequently, investigate.
+. . . node requires deep traversal.+ Instead of the log of file changes TM normally uses, it must examine every file and folder on the named drive/partition to be sure what needs to be backed-up. Obviously, this is a lengthy procedure. You may not see any more messages for quite a while.
+Backup content size: xxx MB/GB excluded items size: yyy MB/GB for volume zzz+ These sizes are rough estimates (and sometimes quite high).
+ . . . xxx MB/GB requested (including padding), yyy MB/GB available.+ The amount requested is more, usually about 20% more, than the total of the Backup content sizes listed. TM needs extra free workspace.
+No pre-backup thinning needed.+ TM has room for the new backup.
+Starting pre-backup thinning,+ usually followed by:
+No expired backups exist - deleting oldest backups to make room,+ and a list of deleted backups. These are weekly backups that TM must delete to make room for the new backup.
+No post-backup thinning needed.+ There are no expired backups.
+Starting post-backup thinning,+ followed by a list of deleted backups. These backups are either hourly backups over 24 hours old, or daily backups over a month old.
_*8. How can I tell what Time Machine is backing-up?*_
Download the TimeTracker app, from www.charlessoft.com.
It shows most of the files saved by TM for each backup (excluding some hidden/system files, etc.).
_*9. Why are my backups so large?*_
There are some OSX features and 3rd-party applications that cause large Time Machine backups. Common ones are FileVault, vmWare Fusion, Parallels Desktop, and Entourage. Any application that uses a large database may do this.
FileVault (System Preferences > Security) converts your entire Home Folder into a single, encrypted disk image. So any change to anything in your Home Folder is treated as a change to the encrypted image, and the whole thing is backed-up. TM minimizes the impact, though, by only backing it up when you log out, but it's still going to eat up a lot of space on your TM disk.
Some apps, such as Entourage, sometimes use a single file, often a database, to store their data. With Entourage, for example, every time you send or receive a single message, the whole database is changed, and will be backed-up the next time. Apple mail, of course, stores messages individually to prevent this.
One solution is to simply exclude the item from TM so it isn't backed-up regularly, then when you do want it backed-up, just copy it somewhere that's not excluded. See question #10 for instructions.
_*10. Can I tell Time Machine not to back up certain things?*_
Sure. Go to TM's Preferences and click Options.
In the next panel, click the plus sign at the bottom.
In the sidebar of the next panel, select your computer, drive, or folder, then navigate to the file/folder you want to exclude.
Select it, click Exclude, then Done.
_*11. What should I exclude, and what should I not exclude?*_
First, TM automatically excludes some system caches, work files, trash, etc., so you don't need to worry about those.
You may want to exclude some special files/folders that cause extra-large backups (see question #9.)
Some exclude their Desktop and/or Downloads folders, as they use these for "working storage" and put the finished product in a permanent location that does get backed-up.
If you do a lot of step-by-step processing of large files, such as video processing, you might want to do it on a "scratch" disk, partition, or folder that you exclude from TM, so the intermediate steps won't all be backed-up. When done, be sure to put the finished product somewhere it will be backed-up. If you do this, of course, it means that you can't recover those intermediate steps. It's a trade-off between convenience vs. CPU time and disk space.
Some people exclude their /System and/or /Library and/or /Applications folders, to save space. Generally this is unwise, as it won't save very much disk space, but will make recovery from a disk failure *very, very* tedious and time-consuming. You'd have to first install the OS from your Leopard disc; migrate or restore your data; download and install the "combo" Software Update to bring your OS current; and reinstall any 3rd-party software (possibly having to re-enter license codes); then hope you didn't miss anything. Major hassle for minor space saving.
_*12. Should I delete old backups? If so, How?*_
Under normal circumstances, you shouldn't have to. TM automatically "thins" (deletes) backups on the following schedule:
"Hourly" backups after 24 hours (except the first of the day, which is a "Daily" backup).
"Daily" backups after a month (except the first of a week, which is a "Weekly" backup.)
"Weekly" backups are kept until TM needs the space for new backups; then one or more of the oldest weeklies will be deleted.
However, TM will never delete the backup copy of anything if the original is still on the disk being backed-up.
But if you want or need to, you can delete either all backups of a particular file or folder, or an entire backup (sort of). Do not attempt this via the Finder. Use the TM interface: +Enter TIme Machine,+ or +Browse Other Time Machine Disks.+
Locate the backup or item you want to delete via the "cascade" of Finder windows.
If you want to delete all backups of a particular item, select it in the window.
Then select the "gear" icon and either +Delete Backup+ (the entire backup) or +Delete all Backups of <item selected>."
You'll see a confirmation prompt, then one for your Administrator's password.
If you delete an entire backup, it will disappear from the timeline and the "cascade" of Finder windows, but it will not actually delete the backup of any item that's also present in any other backup. Thus you may not gain much space.
If you delete all backups of an item, TM will not back it up again unless/until it's changed.
_*13. How can I change TM's schedule of hourly backups?*_
You can use the free Time Machine Editor: http://timesoftware.free.fr/timemachineeditor/
_*14. How do I restore my entire system?*_
It's surprisingly easy. Boot from your Leopard Install disc (hold down the "C" key while starting up, with the Leopard disk inserted).
That takes a few minutes. Then select your language from the list shown.
On the next screen, select Utilities from the top menubar, then +Restore from Backups+, and follow the on-screen instructions.
You'll be prompted to select the disk where your TM backups are (or search for a Time Capsule), then which of the backups you want from a list showing date & time of each completed backup, and the version of OS on that backup. Note that the times on the list may not match your current time zone. In the U.S. at least, they're in Pacific Time.
You're also prompted to select a destination, then a confirmation, then the process starts.
If you want to monitor the installation, select Window, then +Show Log+ from the menubar
It is, of course, a lengthy process, but your Mac will be restored exactly as it was at the time of the backup you selected. Then you can just start up normally.
When you do, you may want to immediately turn Time Machine off, as it's next backup will be a full one -- everything it just restored will be backed-up again. You cannot prevent this, only delay it. It will of course take quite a while, and a lot of space on your TM disk, so you may wish to wait until you're sure your system is the way you want it, or even erase your TM disk with Disk Utility and let your backups start anew.
_*15. How do I restore a file/folder?*_
With a Finder window open, +Enter Time Machine.+ Locate the item you want to restore in the "cascade" of Finder windows, select it, click Restore in the lower right, and TM will put the selected version in the same place it was saved from.
That's it!
_*16. How can I restore a file/folder to an alternate location?*_
Locate the item as above, click the "gear" icon in the Finder window, then +Restore <item selected> to ...".+
Then you'll see a prompt where you can select a location, and TM will place it there.
iMac G5 1.8 GHz PowerPC 1.5gb RAM, Mac OS X (10.5.6)