Home Forums Mac Software Mac Applications SuperDuper Question

When I say "broke", I meant that the backup/clone would not be able to boot up one's Mac. As I stated, Bombich software did release a fix, but then things were fixed overall in V10.15.6 of Catalina, and thus SuperDuper! (and Cartbon Copy Cloner) functioned like before V10.15.5 was released.

I very rarely boot into my clones...just assume that they work as usual, so maybe/I guess (?) I missed it.

You might want to test that every "so often". I do myself, and when I move to a new mac OS via a clean installation, I boot each machine from their respective just completed SD backup. Did you not see/install the update Bombich did shortly after OS 10.15.5 was released? I cannot "see it" from here:

https://bombich.com/download

but I do distinctly remember such a release.

It looks like there is a later one:

https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/7032/carbon-copy-cloner

PS: OK, I found the versions and dates for CCC after the release of OS 10.15.5: V5.1.18 on May 29th, and V5.1.19 on June 17th.

And here is the "announcement" of the issue with V10.15.5 from Bombich:

https://bombich.com/blog/2020/05/27...ts-bootable-backups-weve-got-you-covered

I test every newly created CCC task for "bootability" immediately after creation, but after that I ride the initial success. (Also, I run QuickBoot, which gives me quick ongoing assurance that things at least look as expected.)

At least in my instance, OS X's wealth of glitches early on fostered a feeling of insecurity which resulted in my checking things multiple times, maintaining an arsenal of troubleshooting tools, running DiskWarrior every month, etc, but over the years, OS X/macOS has become so stable (Many thanks to beta testers like joemike!) - so much so that I and others have lamented having forgotten our basic troubleshooting procedures - that I no longer find insecurity to be a necessary component of my computing experience and, although with MUCH difficulty, I've been weaning myself from procedures that have morphed from wisdom to neurosis.

And my experience has been that the same can be said about many of the apps I run.

Thanks for that final link. It sets me straight.
I remember seeing that, but it didn't affect me, because I wasn't on its turf. (What possessed you to revert your OS?)

(For someone who runs SuperDuper! you're awfully well versed in CCC's ins and outs.)

The reason I went back to OS 10.15.4 was that I wanted a workable backup/clone. For whatever reason, Dave decided not to update SuperDuper! when OS 10.15.5 arrived (and caused booting issues). Maybe he was in more "direct" contact with Apple, and they might have told him the issue would be fixed in V10.15.6. Just my guess.

And thank you for the compliment about the ins and outs of CCC. Given that both SD and CCC are similar, and CCC is an excellent program (as is SD), I do like to keep up with what Bombich software is doing. However, I do not watch it that closely.

But unless you had for some reason created a NEW task, all your (existing) backups were bootable.

You've said that you do clean installs for upGRADES, which require that new tasks be created, but for upDates?

When OS 10.15.5 was released, I made two SuperDuper! backups to two separate external devices for both of my Macs. Thus, my prior (last one) ones, made with OS 10.15.4, were gone, and thus I had no way to boot either machine from those respective, new backups. Not knowing when the issue would be fixed, I played it "safe" and 1) did a clean, fresh installation of OS 10.15.4, and 2) migrated/copied files, folders, settings, etc. from those backups. I then re-did SuperDuper! backups, and I could then boot either machine from them. When OS 10.15.6 arrived, I did the same thing, ie, restarted each Mac from their respective OS 10.15.4 SuperDuper! backup, did a fresh, clean installation of OS 10.15.6 on each internal SSD, then migrated/copied needed files, folders, etc. from the most recent OS 10.15.4 SD backups.

Terminology can be a little confusion. When using the term upgrade, for the mac OS, I mean a clean, fresh installation. On some occasions, for "in between" releases of the mac OS (like for example, when OS 10.15.4 was released after OS 10.15.3 had been previously released), I will just do an update "in place", ie, just download the applicable Combo Updater and apply it.

My SD backups are not automated, and thus I don't have any tasks associated with SD (nor anything else). I run the SD backups "manually", ie, after using Onyx and Tech Tool Pro, I launch SD and perform the backups. Yes, it's old school, but I prefer it that way.

One other remark: when I perform those (weekly) tasks with Onyx, Tech Tool Pro, and SD, I am actually cleaning our townhome at the "same" time. It works out well, at least for me.

I'm confused when you say…
When in this thread you said…
What am I missing?

Oops! My mistake. Not sure what I was thinking at that time, but just to repeat, my SD backups are not automated.

Sorry 'bout that!

Got it! So you DID create new SD! tasks after you updated.

As always, I perpetuated my existing 10.15.4 tasks and, so, didn't get bitten by the bug.

Clarification: When we use the term "upGRADE" we're referring to installing a new version of the OS, as in going from Catalina to Big Sur. An upDate refers to the installation a new "dot" release, as in going from 10.15.5 to 10.15.6.

Up until the release of OS 10.15.5, it had never been the case where there was an issue booting either of my Macs from their respective SD backups. Given that I make 2 of them for each machine to two separate external SSDs, I should have done only one OS 10.15.5 backup for each machine to one of the SSDs (both SSDs are partitioned). Then I would have had an OS 10.15.4, working backup/clone, and the return to OS 10.15.4 would have been easier. Oh well, live and learn, as the old saying goes!

And yes, my use of the "upGRADE" (not sure why you need to shout? I am not 10 miles away!) pertains to doing an actual clean, fresh installation. An update refers to an "in OS" update, ie, a ".dot" release.