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one2dive_1999
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Q: can i boot an old time machine backup from an external thunderbolt hard drive

i have a time machine backup saved on an external thunderbolt drive.  i have some video project files i need to use from the older system, but i need to restore the entire system, not just restore a file.  Is it possible to boot from the external drive directly, basically bypassing the internal drive for a bit, and then when i'm thru with the older system, turn it off and return to the internal drive.

MacBook Pro (13-inch Late 2011)

Posted on Nov 25, 2013 7:47 AM

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one2dive_1999

Q: can i boot an old time machine backup from an external thunderbolt hard drive

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  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Nov 25, 2013 7:53 AM in response to one2dive_1999
    Level 7 (32,357 points)
    iPad
    Nov 25, 2013 7:53 AM in response to one2dive_1999

    Time Machine is not bootable in and of itself. You would need to use recovery and see if you can access your TM volume from there using the restore function - as long as your machine is capable of booting from that older system (in other words: Macs cannot boot from a system older than what they came with).

     

    http://pondini.org/TM/Home.html

  • by one2dive_1999,

    one2dive_1999 one2dive_1999 Nov 25, 2013 9:00 AM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 25, 2013 9:00 AM in response to babowa

    its the same machine.  i'm creating aa backup of my current internal drive.  But if i restore my old system from the externsl, does it run on the external drive, or does restore copy it to the internsl, and then i have to restore the new backup later?

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Nov 25, 2013 9:59 AM in response to one2dive_1999
    Level 7 (32,357 points)
    iPad
    Nov 25, 2013 9:59 AM in response to one2dive_1999

    If you restore it to your internal, it will copy it to the internal and it will run from the internal.

     

    (I'm not 100% sure as I've never done it, but I do not believe it would wipe out your TM backup).

  • by one2dive_1999,

    one2dive_1999 one2dive_1999 Nov 25, 2013 11:15 AM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 25, 2013 11:15 AM in response to babowa

    i'm trying to avoid restoring to the internal, which is why i wanted to run it from the external thunderbolt drive.

  • by babowa,Helpful

    babowa babowa Nov 25, 2013 11:49 AM in response to one2dive_1999
    Level 7 (32,357 points)
    iPad
    Nov 25, 2013 11:49 AM in response to one2dive_1999

    Unless you install or have a bootable version of your system on an external drive, then no, you can't boot from the external. As I said, you cannot boot with Time Machine. So, it sounds as though you'd need another external, get a bootable clone of your system on it, and then boot from it.

  • by one2dive_1999,

    one2dive_1999 one2dive_1999 Nov 25, 2013 1:11 PM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 25, 2013 1:11 PM in response to babowa

    ok...how do i do that?  I have several external drives. 

     

    Here's the scenario I'm facing, which might help.  I have a documentary film i need to recover.  However, my file management was a mess when I produced it, with some of the files on the desktop, some on externals, etc etc. I've tried simply pulling the files event and program files from the backup, but that's not working since many of the files are on the "old desktop".

     

    So what I want to do is go back in time and use the old desktop long enough to consolidate all of the necessary media files in one file, make a high quality original of the film, and then copy the event and program files to an external drive that i can update to the regular system... But i'm guessing that's not possible from an external drive using time machine. 

     

    Sorry, still a noob at a lot of things.

     

    Right now, i have a TM backup of the internal harddrive (created this morning) on a new drive.  I have the old TM backup (from may 2012) on another external drive.  Am I gonna be forced to restore the May 2012 backup on the internal...then do what I need to do... and then go back and restore the TM backup from today?

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Nov 25, 2013 6:52 PM in response to one2dive_1999
    Level 7 (32,357 points)
    iPad
    Nov 25, 2013 6:52 PM in response to one2dive_1999

    I can help with creating a clone, etc, but - unfortunatelay - I cannot help with anyting Time Machine related as I don't use it.

     

    Why don't you read through the Time Machine info I linked to earlier - it is very thorough. You should be able to access your TM files without having to boot from another drive. In the meantime, I'm going to put out an SOS for some senior helpers who might want to tackle this.

  • by etresoft,Helpful

    etresoft etresoft Nov 25, 2013 7:51 PM in response to one2dive_1999
    Level 7 (29,380 points)
    Nov 25, 2013 7:51 PM in response to one2dive_1999

    one2dive_1999 wrote:

     

    Right now, i have a TM backup of the internal harddrive (created this morning) on a new drive.  I have the old TM backup (from may 2012) on another external drive.  Am I gonna be forced to restore the May 2012 backup on the internal...then do what I need to do... and then go back and restore the TM backup from today?

    Yes. Unfortunately, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Clones are great for zero downtime and booting from the clone when the internal fails. They are not so good for having just that perfect version you need from May, 2012. Time Machine can do that, but not quickly. You will have to restore it all.

  • by one2dive_1999,

    one2dive_1999 one2dive_1999 Nov 25, 2013 8:04 PM in response to etresoft
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 25, 2013 8:04 PM in response to etresoft

    unfortunately, there's not much I can do.  SInce I upgraded my mac from lion to MT. Lion, there's a driver issue, and the old full version doesn't recognize thing.  The Apple tech said it's trying to recognize both lion and Mt. Lion, so anything i might need will hafta be done through migration assistant. Sooo, guess i'll be having to go about it that way.

     

    Thanks for the help!!!

  • by Frank Caggiano,

    Frank Caggiano Frank Caggiano Nov 25, 2013 8:09 PM in response to one2dive_1999
    Level 7 (25,796 points)
    Nov 25, 2013 8:09 PM in response to one2dive_1999
    I have the old TM backup (from may 2012) on another external drive.  Am I gonna be forced to restore the May 2012 backup on the internal...then do what I need to do... and then go back and restore the TM backup from today?

     

    If you have another external drive that boots and is running the same OS version as the old TM backup you could restore to it and then boot and run off of it, leaving your internal drive alone.

     

    But as has been noted you will have to restore the entire drive if just pulling off individual files is not sufficient.