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Q: How best to backup MacBook Air?

I am having problems with Mail and also screen going off to the right. Maybe indicates vulnerability. I forgot how to back up.WIth older Mac I had extra hard drive.

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on May 20, 2016 4:51 PM

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Q: How best to backup MacBook Air?

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  • by kaz-k,

    kaz-k kaz-k May 20, 2016 5:17 PM in response to redffox
    Level 5 (5,640 points)
    Desktops
    May 20, 2016 5:17 PM in response to redffox

    I'm back up my MacBook Air as bootable clone with SuperDuper!, though TimeMachine is better backup way, I guess.

  • by dwb,Apple recommended

    dwb dwb May 23, 2016 12:43 PM in response to redffox
    Level 7 (24,073 points)
    Notebooks
    May 23, 2016 12:43 PM in response to redffox

    Get an external USB hard drive. TimeMachine is Apple’s backup software and it works by backing up any files that have changed every hour (assuming the drive is connected continuously while you are using the computer). You can also manually trigger a backup whenever you want. Due to the way it works it is best to look at how much your drive is being used now, guesstimating how much more you’ll be using about a year from now, adding the two together and then doubling it. That number is the smallest drive you should get.

     

    In other words, I’m using 270GB right now and in the coming year I’ll add a few more movies and CDs to my collection, not to mention photos and papers. So I figure I’ll probably add another 30GB. That gives me 300GB so I’d want at least a 600GB drive. Might as well get a 1TB drive. This should let me make TimeMachine backups for well over a year before it begins deleting old files.

     

    Once you get the drive you’ll probably need to format it. Here’s instructions: Format external drives to Mac OS Extended before using with Aperture - Apple Support (Ignore the part about Aperture) You can find external drives just about anywhere but I prefer OWC drives because the enclosures are high quality and they use top notch drives.

  • by macjack,Apple recommended

    macjack macjack May 22, 2016 1:36 PM in response to redffox
    Level 9 (55,682 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 22, 2016 1:36 PM in response to redffox

    Always keep your Mac backed up on an external disk with either Time Machine and/or a cloning utility like SuperDuper or CarbonCopy Cloner.

    One Time Machine and one up-to-date clone is a good combination.

     

    Then you can use TimeMachine to backup or restore your Mac. And use your clone as a platform you can boot from and continue to work normally if anything happens to your system or internal drive.

  • by redffox,

    redffox redffox May 23, 2016 12:45 PM in response to dwb
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 23, 2016 12:45 PM in response to dwb

    Thank you for your reply. I am embarassed to say I have a Time Machine for backup. Becaues it is hidden from view I forgot completely about it.

    Now I should try to learn if it is working correctly.