Time Machine to retrieve serial number

Question

Level 1

8 points

Time Machine to retrieve serial number

I have (or had) a PowerBook that was stolen recently. I still have my external HDD. Two questions:

1. Is it possible to retrieve my former laptop's serial number from the backup?

2. When I replace the laptop, can I do a full system restore from Time Machine (including software)?

Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Oct 1, 2009 1:57 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Oct 14, 2009 8:05 AM in response to lalapompidom

lalapompidom wrote:
I have a related question: is it possible to use another mac to retrieve files from TM? Or would that wreak havoc with their backup?

My parents had a laptop stolen from them recently so i am checking my backup, just in case. Is it possible to attach my external HDD with TM to someone elses mac and copy files from the home folder?

Yes, but restore, don't copy. Since it's a different Mac, you'll need the Browse... option to see the backups (#E2 in the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip* at the top of this forum).

Reply

Answer 2

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

Oct 1, 2009 2:34 PM in response to twaddle

1. No, unless you happened to store it in a file somewhere.

2. This is only recommended if the replacement is not new. Otherwise it's a bad idea to try replacing the system on a new computer with one from an older model. However, it is possible to use Migration Assistant to restore your Home folder, third-party applications and support files, and preferences from the TM backup drive. Migration Assistant is located in the Utilities folder.

Reply

Answer 3

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Oct 1, 2009 2:41 PM in response to twaddle

You can also use +Setup Assistant+ when you first start up the replacement Mac. It will ask if you already have a Mac, and have the opportunity to transfer your configuration, users, apps, etc., either directly from it, or from it's backups.

Most of your software should come over without a problem, but some, especially if it came with an installer, may need to be reinstalled. The reason for that is, installers usually put other things on your Mac, often in a system folder, besides the app itself. You may also have to re-enter some purchased software codes.

Reply

Answer 4

Király

Level 6

10,025 points

Oct 1, 2009 3:51 PM in response to twaddle

Your Mac's serial number isn't stored in the Time Machine backups. But your Mac's MAC address (unique number that identifies your logic board) is. I don't know if that will be of use to you or not.

See this article about how to retrieve your MAC address from your Time Machine disk. The article might help you with your second question too.

Reply

Answer 5

twaddle Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 2, 2009 6:48 AM in response to twaddle

Thanks for the help, all. Apparently, I had somehow foreseen needing to know the S/N without having the computer itself on hand and had saved the S/N to a file in my backup, so it looks like all the necessary data will be retrieved. Thanks especially for the article link about retrieving the MAC address from TM backups, and about Setup Assistant. My former PB was my first Mac, so this is fairly new territory for me.

Reply

Answer 6

Oct 14, 2009 6:16 AM in response to Kappy

I have a related question: is it possible to use another mac to retrieve files from TM? Or would that wreak havoc with their backup?

My parents had a laptop stolen from them recently so i am checking my backup, just in case. Is it possible to attach my external HDD with TM to someone elses mac and copy files from the home folder?

Reply

Answer 7

Oct 16, 2009 4:18 PM in response to Pondini

Thank you!! This is good to know - i can now stop fiddling about with manual backups (renaming folders to _old, copying the newer, deleting the old...)
Thnx again 🙂

Reply