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Carbon Copy Cloner 6 & Monterey Bootable Backup
- Thread starter nasacpa
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I think some people have done it but you need to a fresh copy of both the system and data file if you want it to be bootable. There are threads on it.
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Carbon Copy Cloner 6 Problems
Have a 2015 MacBook Air using Monterey (latest update). Just got the trial of CCC6, have installed it, finally got my new T-7SSD to work, and not can't get past the "fish" on starting the program. I opened Security & Private to allow full access to it, relocked Security & Privacy, and moved...
forums.macrumors.com
Yes, I have done it successfully, with a OWC TB3 Envoy Express enclosure and a M2 NVME drive using the instructions in post #3 in this thread:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/monterey-carbon-copy-cloner-users-thread.2302964/post-30065034
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/monterey-carbon-copy-cloner-users-thread.2302964/post-30065034
Thanks. I got CCC 6 to go thru the process (brand new MB Air), so...I have a theoretical bootable drive. I'm paranoid enough to try making another bootable drive thru Monterey after discussing it with Apple Support
Yes you can. Apple Support are wrong. Detail here:
https://bombich.com/kb/ccc6/cloning-macos-system-volumes-apple-software-restore
Note that bootable clones are no longer the default method for CCC and are not recommended because of the limitations mentioned. You have to use the LBBA (Legacy Bootable Backup Assistant) in CCC to make a bootable clone.
Superduper! Has the same limitations and can also make a bootable clone. Details here:
https://www.shirt-pocket.com/blog/index.php/shadedgrey/C5/
As you can see the two companies are taking very different approaches to the same task with basically the same tools.
I have tested both this past week on M1 MBAs with Monterey.
The principle limitation is because a bootable clone obviously requires both the System and Data volume to be cloned. The only way of cloning the System volume is with the Apple ASR (Apple System Restore) process which is used by both. To use ASR you have to erase the whole destination first. The System volume cannot be updated, so when there is a macOS update you have to erase and start again. Between macOS updates both CCC and SD will update the Data volume normally.
The CCC recommended (hence default) way is to clone the Data volume only and either make it bootable when needed by installing a System volume onto it or using it to migrate from after an erase and install.
PS Booting from a clone can cause a lot of re-signing in to things and if you use BackBlaze it may "freeze your backup", and it stays frozen even after rebooting back to internal. Quite a pain to unfreeze. I think similar happens with CrashPlan.
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My System: 2017 iMac; OSX 10.12.1, 1tb intern ssd.
2 External Akitio Quad X 4 bay enclosures
Move both Cloned drives to every bay in the enclosure/
The iMac will boot from any bay in either enclosure using
each SSD.
Each SSD show up in system preferences as a drive to boot from.
Each Drive will boot when selected as the boot drive in System prefs.
Each drive shows as bootable and will boot when selected when holding down
the option key.
It works two different ways; I have and am using both:
1. Using CCC Legacy boot; It works for me.
2. I have test the following; it works for me.
A. Booted into recovery Mode
B. Used Disk utility to erase and format 2tb ssd.
C. Clean install of Monterey on the SSD.
D. Booted to the SSD; setup a test admin user.
E. Used CCC to copy my internal SSD to the External ssd.
F. Boots to this drive and woks just like.
I have been testing this setup for two weeks.
I run CCC on each drive once a day.
One more thing. I have two ssd's using the CCC legacy boot method
and I have two ssd's using the second method.
I am sure that I am missing something or that something is getting lost; but
so far everyone that have checked works great.
Example: I can boot into any one of the 4 drives and run Apple Music and Apple TV without any problems.
Both Apple Music and Apple TV file are store on 2 18tb external drives; one the master and one the CCC cloned
copy.
I have been using CCC for several years. For me it has been rock solid; I would and do recommend it to anyone that
asks.
Both CCC and Superduper can create bootable backup disks but to do that, both erase the target disk before copying. In System preferences under 12.1, I see both the CCC and SD external disks. Since I have had boot disk failures in the past, I am a bit paranoid and maintain 2 Time Machine disks and CCC and SD. A boot disk failure would be a PITA but not a catastrophe.
I'm an IT manager and have been using CCC almost since it came out. Paid for it then and paid for several upgrades along the way to v4. Ready to upgrade to v6 but using the demo version (fully functional for 30 days) I have now cloned Monterey to two drives - one APFS, one HFS+. As you know, neither will show as bootable.
Rather than poke around and read for another hour, can you tell me the steps to make a clone that's bootable? TIA.
I don't know where you got that idea. How's Apple support going to know whats possible with a third party utility. Anyway glad they pointed to the Monterey - Carbon Copy Cloner - Users Thread for the procedure.