how backup with os x 10.4.11

Question

Level 1

8 points

how backup with os x 10.4.11

Hi! I'm not sure if anyone has some suggestions for me - I'm trying to transfer files to an external hard drive from my old macbook (OS X 10.4.11) and I'm having trouble. I'd really like to back up the entire computer - I can't afford to add memory to it right now, and the battery is dead (which I don't have the money to replace) so I would like to be able to back everything up and open what I'd like on my other Mac, which is newer and not quite at risk for crashing on me.

I haven't used this computer for more than looking at old photos for years now, and am not as familiar with the operating system as it used to be. There's no nifty "time-machine" app that'll just do this for me, so I don't really know how to proceed.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! And please forgive me for my amateur Mac knowledge... as you can see, I've used them for years but have been fortunate in that I've never had to really dive into anything complicated, so don't really know what I'm doing.

Thank you again!!

And if there's information that I've left out that you need, please let me know!

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Feb 21, 2014 11:28 AM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,855 points

Feb 21, 2014 11:31 AM in response to Mtclark85

Basic Backup

For some people Time Machine will be more than adequate. Time Machine is part of OS X. There are two components:

1. A Time Machine preferences panel as part of System Preferences;

2. A Time Machine application located in the Applications folder. It is

used to manage backups and to restore backups. Time Machine

requires a backup drive that is at least twice the capacity of the

drive being backed up.

Alternatively, get an external drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):

1. Carbon Copy Cloner

2. Get Backup

3. Deja Vu

4. SuperDuper!

5. Synk Pro

6. Tri-Backup

Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files. For help with using Time Machine visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with all things Time Machine.

Although you can buy a complete external drive system, you can also put one together if you are so inclined. It's relatively easy and only requires a Phillips head screwdriver (typically.) You can purchase hard drives separately. This gives you an opportunity to shop for the best prices on a hard drive of your choice. Reliable brands include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Fujitsu. You can find reviews and benchmarks on many drives at Storage Review.

Enclosures for FireWire and USB are readily available. You can find only FireWire enclosures, only USB enclosures, and enclosures that feature multiple ports. I would stress getting enclosures that use the Oxford chipsets especially for Firewire drives (911, 921, 922, for example.) You can find enclosures at places such as;

1. Cool Drives

2. OWC

3. WiebeTech

4. Firewire Direct

5. California Drives

6. NewEgg

All you need do is remove a case cover, mount the hard drive in the enclosure and connect the cables, then re-attach the case cover. Usually the only tool required is a small or medium Phillips screwdriver.

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Answer 2

Mtclark85 Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 21, 2014 11:34 AM in response to Kappy

Thank you so much! I really appreciated it and will try this tonight!

Thank you!!!!

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Answer 3

rccharles

Level 6

12,969 points

Feb 23, 2014 12:13 PM in response to Mtclark85

Carbon Copy Cloner

Be sure to get the older version for 10.4. It was donation ware.

You can drag and drop. Just drag you startup drive to the external drive. It will not be bootable, but you can read the data.

Did you format the external drive? It's best. Drives are usually formatted for the PC.

This will destroy all data on the drive...

Format a disk

Macintosh-HD -> Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility

Start up disk utility.
On the left pane view, you will see a list of all your disks. Click on the disk.
Click on the partition tab.

You will now see how your disk is currently set up. Fill in the information as appropriate. You should pick Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

Click on Options...

Select Apple Partition Map to boot a PPC.

More details on formatting.
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/partitioning_tiger.html

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Answer 4

Mtclark85 Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 23, 2014 12:26 PM in response to rccharles

Thank you for the help! I had already reformatted it as I use it to backup my Macbook Air with Time Machine. I can't seem to find a Time Machine download for the OS X 10.4, though. Any thoughts on where else I should look? I went through a few of the suggested backup programs that the first reply suggested, but they all have to be paid for, which is absolutely fine if that's what I end up having to do. There isn't a lot on the computer that I'm looking to save - I just wanted to get ahold of some documents that I can't replicate and photos that I don't want to lose. If need be, I can manually save them onto the external hard drive when I have the time. Ultimately, I'd like to be able to reset it, buy a new battery, add some memory to it (and whatever else it needs to have done) and use it again. I have absolutely no idea where to start on that or what it'll cost (when the time comes, I'll just search the other discussions or post another thread), but I hate to "junk" it when there's nothing wrong with it - it's just not up to par to run with current programs, etc.

Thank you again!

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