Originally Posted By: joemikeb
Time Machine backups ARE NOT BOOTABLE however you can boot from a Recovery drive and then restore from a Time Machine backup. (Emphasis added)

Perhaps it's no more than a nomenclature issue, but that and

Originally Posted By: Apple Support
You can use OS X Recovery to do the following:

Restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup.

sound like they contradict a more recent post in this thread, i.e.

Originally Posted By: honestone
A TM backup does not contain a backup of the OS. So, in a catastrophe (assuming the internal drive/SSD is still OK), the recovery process would be:

1. Some way, boot your machine "externally". If the Recovery HD partition is still OK, you can boot your problematic machine from it.

2. Erase, and Format your internal drive using Disk Utility (that feature is part of the Recovery HD partition. (Disk Utility will also tell you how "healthy" the internal drive/SD is (as will TechTool Pro)). I don't know about other methods (except by doing it from an SD clone).

3. Perform a fresh, "virgin" installation of the OS.

4. Re-boot your Mac, and then use Migration Assistant to migrate/copy stuff from the TM backup. (Emphasis added)

My understanding has always been that you can do a complete restore of OS X from Time Machine, but I think clarification and resolution of any doubt/confusion that this thread may be causing will be helpful.

Thanks.

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