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Level 1

9 points

Restoring backup files from Time Machine without system preference/Library files

Hi all. I recently ran into some trouble with my MBP and had the Apple store do a erase/install for me. At the time when I got my laptop back, I was told it would be best if I transferred my files including applications the drag and drop way to avoid restoring library/system files that could've been the cause of the problem in the first place. I'm currently still at the setup assistant stage and I'm really unsure of what to do to be honest because I'm under the impression that my application settings would pretty much be gone if I did the drag and drop method.

I read that setup assistant transfers only files that you want but I also read something from user Pondini that the Library files are automatically restored even if I unchecked everything. Which is problematic since that's what I want to avoid in the first place. If possible can anyone recommend a better option for my dilemma? I've read in one of the forum boards that dragging and dropping files can also cause some problems with how applications will work and I really don't want to have to deal with that after the trouble I'm going through with this. Is there a way to just restore Applications and the user folder (desktop, documents, downloads, etc) without including the library system files and folders through setup assistant?

Or do I really have to deal with dragging and dropping files instead? Would you recommend doing the stars wars method of Time Machine and picking only the files I want? Would that be most advisable?

Also, it would be really helpful if anyone can explain to me what the "other files and folders" mean exactly. Thanks very much!

MacBook Pro (17-inch Mid 2009), Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on May 2, 2014 11:00 AM

Best reply

dianeoforegon

Level 5

7,287 points

Posted on May 2, 2014 1:59 PM

You can do a full restore then if you have issues, create a new User in System Preferences and move your personal files via Shared folder to the new User. The new User will have a clean User's Library. This won't help if your issue was in base level files.

What settings are concerning you?

What issues were you having that required the "Erase & Install"?

Some applications don't do well with drag and drop. Adobe and Microsoft both do best when you run the installers. There are many files scattered in various folders that are needed for these applications to run.

I would advise you to do a clone in addition to Time Machine backups. It's easier to recover and/or bring back specific files from a clone than Time Machine. IMHO

Both of these applications can be used to create a clone.

SuperDuper! http://www.shirt-pocket.com/

CCC http://www.bombich.com/download.html

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28 replies

andyBall_uk

Level 7

20,516 points

May 3, 2014 8:19 AM in response to dondonburi

>>As in it being an issue of third-party software apps.

>>>...software issues where the computer is unable to read certain codes etc

The latter sounds as if someone thinks the OS is corrupted, as does the action of erasing & installing.

If someone thought it was due to 3rd party software, surely they'd suggest removing it ?.

andyBall_uk

Level 7

20,516 points

May 3, 2014 8:22 AM in response to dondonburi

>> I think the whole purpose of the erase/install was to root out or at least eliminate the possible system files

That's a perfectly valid step, usually after eliminating 3rd party kexts & (if possible), logging a panic while no external hardware is connected.

dondonburi Author

Level 1

9 points

May 3, 2014 8:33 AM in response to andyBall_uk

I had some people on the community suggest I removed all redundant stuff. Like the blackberry software (which I'd simply dragged into the bin 2 years ago, I didn't think it would've been an issue considering I've read it is oh-kay to do so) which I ended up searching and deleting the remainder files through spotlight. After that I didn't have a kernel panic until 36 hours later but that second panic was caused by something totally different. I don't really know what I can do about the WD drive since at the moment it's not really logging a problem. Which was why I thought having over 30-50 tabs per window (I had 4 Firefox windows at the time) could've caused it because that was the only consistent thing that I was doing those two times.

andyBall_uk

Level 7

20,516 points

May 3, 2014 10:07 AM in response to dondonburi

Intermittent problems can be a pain to track down; your other thread showed panics without the blackberry kext being loaded, and without the wdc one.

Unless the drive is encrypted, you may not actually need the WD software to use the drive. If you do, check for updates at http://support.wd.com/product/download.asp?level1=1&lang=en

since there appears to be a version 1.0.14, where yours is 1.0.5. It has the same name & a newer version # anyway, but of course, may be for a different model.

May 3, 2014 10:30 AM in response to dondonburi

I guess I could ask Apple or Microsoft if they could provide me with a digital installation file instead for that. I would also actually just go straight and download Firefox and Chrome off the net and all but I mainly just want to make sure that I can access the old settings and the info I had saved on it.

Microsoft and Adobe don't just give out installers unless you have one of the newer subscriptions services.

If you have your CD Key, you might be able to find a demo download for Adobe and use your key to activate.

What version of Microsoft Office do you have? If it's Office 2011, you can download a digital copy here:

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/office-2011-digital-download

You will need your 25-character product key to complete the download

Chrome files like Firefox are in the Application Support folder

dondonburi Author

Level 1

9 points

May 4, 2014 8:27 AM in response to andyBall_uk

It really is a huge pain indeed. 😟 I didn't install any WD software this time around (to be honest I don't actually know how it got there in the first place...) And there doesn't seem to be any particular issue as of yet. So maybe I don't actually need it in the first place. I'm slowly setting my MBP back up to what it was - with a load of updated apps (I'm really surprised a lot of them didn't actually update on their own in spite of the auto-update unless I missed that much over the past two weeks I left this laptop out of commission). Only thing missing is Microsoft Office 2008 which I don't have the installation CD with me at the moment so I will have to hold on with that. Hopefully this holds up better now that all those unnecessary 'uninstalled' files are gone. Thanks for being so patient with me.

dondonburi Author

Level 1

9 points

May 4, 2014 8:33 AM in response to dianeoforegon

I have a downloadable installer for CS6 so I'm not too concerned about it (and I've already installed it back onto my computer along with its settings). As for Microsoft, I have Office 2008 which relies on CD installation so I guess it really is impossible then.

Like you suggested, I downloaded and reinstalled the apps that can be reinstalled easily. I had to drag and drop some apps even though I'd gotten them from the App store initially because they were no longer "updated" for 10.6.8 in the store but I guess that should be fine. I'm not running into any sort of trouble just yet.

I'm still a little shaky and wary with how my laptop will fare over the next few days (weeks?) so I hope you can still be patient with me should I report anymore issues back on here. Thank you so much for your help and reassurance!

andyBall_uk

Level 7

20,516 points

May 4, 2014 8:40 AM in response to dondonburi

If you do get panics again, you can try to test memory using the Apple Hardware Test on your original DVDs or Rember.

Neither are completely reliable if they say 'no problems'. But they might prove useful if left running overnight, or when you're not using the computer.

dondonburi Author

Level 1

9 points

May 4, 2014 8:52 AM in response to andyBall_uk

I will keep that in mind in future! Thank you!

When you say "left running overnight" do you mean that if I leave my MBP running overnight, the test should be able to at least indicate a possible cause of the panic?

andyBall_uk

Level 7

20,516 points

May 4, 2014 9:01 AM in response to dondonburi

I meant that you'd leave AHT or Rember running. The extended AHT takes a good while in any case, and Rember has an option for the number or loops, which if set to Maximum, will not be something you'd want to sit & watch. If you use Rember, restart just beforehand, so that it has as much free memory as possible to test.

If either one says there's a problem with memory, you can usually believe it. If the computer panics while running them, that's also a fair indication, but one that would need confirmation by testing with different modules.

dondonburi Author

Level 1

9 points

May 4, 2014 9:03 AM in response to andyBall_uk

Alright then! I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you!

May 4, 2014 3:51 PM in response to dondonburi

Do you have your Office 2008 CD Key? If not, you might be able restore the files that contain the info:

~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office 2008/ Microsoft Office 2008 Settings.plist

Applications/Microsoft Office 2008/Office OfficePID.plist

If you contact me offlist, I can get you a link to download an Office 2008 installer. Use my username @ gmail dot com.

dondonburi Author

Level 1

9 points

Aug 30, 2014 1:39 AM in response to dianeoforegon

Hi there! I'm sorry about going MIA after the last post. I managed to reinstall Office 2008 now that I got my installation disc back. And so far my MBP has been working great. The fan noises have even stopped. I think the reinstallation has helped it stretch out a few more years and there's been no kernel panics as of late so that's good.

Thank you so much for everyone's help! 🙂

Restoring backup files from Time Machine without system preference/Library files