Backing Up Questions

[Robert4]

Hello,

Might anyone please outline for me the pros and cons for SuperDuper vs. CCC (Carbon Copy Cloner) ?
Simple to use and utilize is becoming near the top of my requirements these days.
I realize there is a cost for CCC, but that really isn't a factor for me in deciding.

And,

I purchased a WD 1 TB external HD (Passport model) for the backups.
It runs on USB. I would have it plugged into a powered USB dock-port.

Do these types of external HD's "typically" have the same life as a (more expensive)
external HD that has its own built in power supply ?

Thoughts ?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[maflynn]

Might anyone please outline for me the pros and cons for SuperDuper vs. CCC (Carbon Copy Cloner) ?

Personal choice both are excellent products. I use CCC and that's my preference. I like the interface and think it seems more polished but in the end its really just personal preference.

Do these types of external HD's "typically" have the same life as a (more expensive)
external HD that has its own built in power supply ?

Depends on the type of drive being used inside, though I have a passport drive and its been working fine for years. YMMV

 

[joema2]

...pros and cons for SuperDuper vs. CCC (Carbon Copy Cloner) ?...

I know lots of people like SuperDuper, but I've always used CCC and they have great support, and it's being actively developed and updated.

The easiest backup is just use Time Machine. Unlike CCC it is continuous backup so you can revert back to numerous save points. CCC is only a single snapshot image.

OTOH the TM backup is not bootable, whereas you can boot from the CCC backup. You can restore the entire TM backup but this requires you reformat your system drive, thus at the point you are 100% committed to the backup. There is unfortunately no method to validate a backup on either TM or CCC. You can't check for a bad block using Disk Utility First Aid since it does not do a surface scan.

With CCC that's less an issue since you can just boot from it and examine it. With TM it's possible to have a problem, try the full-volume restore, have the restore fail due to a back block on the disk, then you're faced with a reformatted system drive and only a compromised backup. This is rare but it can happen, thus the benefit of having two different types of backups.

TM is very handy for restoring individual files or folders. In that mode you can place those wherever you want or in the original location.

I use both TM and CCC, and keep my CCC backup drive disconnected and off line except when backing up.

 

[AZhappyjack]

Similarly to what @joema2 posted, I'm a CCC and TimeMachine backup guy. I actually have three WD EasyStore drives (one 4TB and two 2TB drives). I leave the 4TB drive attached to my iMac and use it for TimeMachine backups. I swap the two 2TB drives out (every other day) and keep one offsite... the CCC backup is done every night. Every morning, I disconnect it, take it with me to work and lock it in my desk... I bring the drive that is in my desk drawer home and connect it for the next day's backup. I've been doing that for over a year... it gives me the best of all worlds - an incremental/snapshot backup via TimeMachine that spans about 18 months... and redundant, full, daily bootable backups - one of which is offsite.

 

[Robert4]

Thanks,

The being able to boot from aspect
is certainly very desireable.

Bob
[doublepost=1517405954][/doublepost]Hi all,

Thanks for info.
Appreciate it.

Bob

 

[Fishrrman]

I'm a CCC fan these days, but have used SuperDuper in the past.

I think CCC has a slight advantage in that:
- it can easily clone the recovery partition as well as the main partition
- it has an "easy interface" for excluding certain files during backups
- if any bad files are encountered during a backup, CCC keeps the backup going, and gives you a log of the bad files (not sure if SD can do this)

There's nothing like having a bootable external drive you can reach for in that "moment of need". Time Machine doesn't even come close, and I've read far too many reports (right here on MacRumors) from folks who relied on TM, and then tried to actually access the TM backup... and... couldn't....