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Make hard drive w/Time Machine backup bootable
#9393 04/10/10 06:18 PM
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Originally Posted By: Virtual1
...If you have an ext HD you are using for time machine, not having it bootable is just plain silly...


Virtual1, your post raises several points, but I'd like to better understand how you make an ext HD bootable if you are using it for a Time Machine backup. I back up to a 1TB external drive (connected via FW800). As I understand it, the Time Machine backup is a disk image that is not bootable without restoring it somewhere. I keep a current standby, bootable internal drive on my Mac Pro by booting from the Apple 10.6 install disk and and restoring the most current Time Machine backup to the standby disk so that there will be a bootable copy of the current system available in case of main hard drive failure. As you're well-aware, I've had two internal HD failures during the past couple of months, so I'm very diligent to keep a current, bootable copy handy in case of need. If I'm accomplishing this the "hard way," I'd like to know a better way. Please explain. Thanks.

Last edited by dianne; 04/11/10 11:06 PM. Reason: created a separate topic and revised subject lines.

Mac Pro dual Quad-Core Intel Xeons Early 2008; 16GB RAM; MacOS X 10.11.6, iOS 9.3.5
Re: Make hard drive w/Time Machine backup bootable
JoBoy #9398 04/11/10 01:39 AM
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the backup isn't what's bootable. time machine just makes a (hidden?) folder on the hard drive and stores stuff there. there's absolutely nothing stopping you from installing OS X on a time machine backup drive.


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Re: Make hard drive w/Time Machine backup bootable
Virtual1 #9406 04/11/10 02:22 AM
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Originally Posted By: Virtual1
the backup isn't what's bootable. time machine just makes a (hidden?) folder on the hard drive and stores stuff there. there's absolutely nothing stopping you from installing OS X on a time machine backup drive.


I understand storing a bootable system complete with apps and documents on a hard drive volume and also backing up a Time Machine image to the same volume, but how do you keep the bootable system current if it's not the regular boot system?

I've always thought that Time Machine backs up to its disk image and cannot be used to update a spare bootable system. I used to use Super Duper to perform a scheduled update to a spare bootable system, but I've stopped doing that lately and rely exclusively on Time Machine for backups and Time Machine Restore to update the spare bootable system by replacing the spare bootable system with a more current one. Is there something I'm missing here? I'd love to be able to update a spare bootable system with Time Machine without using the Snow Leopard Install DVD.


Mac Pro dual Quad-Core Intel Xeons Early 2008; 16GB RAM; MacOS X 10.11.6, iOS 9.3.5
Re: Make hard drive w/Time Machine backup bootable
JoBoy #9407 04/11/10 02:36 AM
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Originally Posted By: joboy
how do you keep the bootable system current if it's not the regular boot system?
When there is an OS update, I install it on the regular boot drive then when I am satisfied that all is well, I boot from the backup drive and run Software Update.
Originally Posted By: joboy
I've always thought that Time Machine backs up to its disk image and cannot be used to update a spare bootable system
You are 100% correct in your thinking, but it can be used to restore a system that has been trashed. It can be painfully slow but it does work.
Originally Posted By: joboy
I'd love to be able to update a spare bootable system with Time Machine without using the Snow Leopard Install DVD.
I may be the one who is missing something here but why do you need Time Machine or an install DVD to update a bootable system? Just boot from it and run the updates.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

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Re: Make hard drive w/Time Machine backup bootable
joemikeb #9409 04/11/10 03:12 AM
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I'm talking about updating everything. Not just the system. Non- Apple Apps and all Documents don't get updated with System Update, but you can restore everything to a volume by using the TIme Machine Restore feature on the the Utilities part of the Install DVD. You can specify the date of the backup you want to restore and then use it to replace the whole system, including all apps, documents and settings, on any volume. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to restore a volume that is comprised of about 270GB of system, all apps, documents, and settings after it has been restored to the volume. The first thing the Restore feature does is erase whatever is on the selected volume. Then it installs the version of the Time Machine backup that you selected.

You can restore components (individual files and folders or groups of them) using TM without the install DVD, but I haven't figured out how to do the whole thing without using the install DVD. That's what I was asking about. It would be great to be able to restore a whole standby volume in the background while continuing to use the main boot system for productive work instead of having to wait for install DVD to finish its work. So far, I haven't figured that one out.

Last edited by JoBoy; 04/11/10 11:23 PM.

Mac Pro dual Quad-Core Intel Xeons Early 2008; 16GB RAM; MacOS X 10.11.6, iOS 9.3.5
Re: Make hard drive w/Time Machine backup bootable
JoBoy #9428 04/11/10 11:09 PM
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Hi, JoBoy

I have detached your posts and the replies by others from Disk Warrior 4.2 Question and made them a separate topic. I will move this thread to Mac OS X 10.6.x in a day or two.

Last edited by dianne; 04/13/10 09:29 PM. Reason: moved from Mac OS X Applications to the Mac OS X 10.6.x forum.

Back up everything you can't afford to lose: documents, mail, movies, music, photos, and other data and settings.
Re: Make hard drive w/Time Machine backup bootable
dianne #9430 04/11/10 11:32 PM
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Thanks, Dianne. I would have started a new thread, but I wasn't sure Virtual1 would see it and I was hoping he would answer the questions because of his previous comment.


Mac Pro dual Quad-Core Intel Xeons Early 2008; 16GB RAM; MacOS X 10.11.6, iOS 9.3.5
Re: Make hard drive w/Time Machine backup bootable
JoBoy #9435 04/12/10 12:09 AM
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JoBoy,

Not to worry, okay? It is important that Virtual1 saw your reply. I hope my moderator actions will ensure that everyone who is following this topic can find it easily.

Thanks for posting the questions.


Back up everything you can't afford to lose: documents, mail, movies, music, photos, and other data and settings.

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