Downloading files from Mac backup to PC

Cazbangbang wrote:

Hi legends,

my MacBook cracked it the other day, and while I wait to win the lotto, I do have a backup made to an external HD. Is there a way to upload that to my hubbys desktop PC?

That depends on how the backup was made.

If you used TimeMachine on the Mac, then no, you cannot access that backup on a PC, at least not easily.

https://www.howtogeek.com/212505/how-to-restore-files-from-a-time-machine-backup-on-windows/

If it was made in some other way, and the files are directly accessible and the drive is in a format the PC can understand, then yes, you should be able to transfer those files onto the PC.

The first step is to connect the drive to the PC and see if it shows up. This should not mess anything up, and will at least tell you if the PC can read and understand the contents of the drive.

If you connect it to another Mac, you can browse the Time Machine backup.

1. Connect the external drive to the Mac
2. Open the drive in Finder, and look for the backups.backupdb folder and double click it to open it.
3. Look for the name of your computer and double click it to open the folder.
4. Navigate to where your files were stored.
5. Copy the file you want out to the desktop or another folder on the Mac you are on now.
6. When done copying you may need to give yourself permission to access the files, by right clicking on them, selecting "Get Info" and changing the permissions for them at the bottom of the Get Info window.

Do not alter anything on the backup drive.

On a PC, you will need to follow the steps in the link provided above.

Have no idea what a Rotanium is, but if its running Windows its a PC and the steps in the link should work, though as mentioned it won't be easy.

The steps I outlined in my previous replay only apply if accessing the backup from a Mac. They will not directly work on a PC since Time Machine backups cannot be directly read on a PC.