Creating backup for MacBook Pro

[Onemorequestion]

Hey all!

I have a faulty MacBook Pro from 2011 that was from a line of MacBooks that had issues with the graphics card.
The graphics card didn't fail on me until feb 2017, and Apple's warranty was up on Dec 31, 2016.
(I swear they make their products to last only until the next version comes out.)

Long story short, I'm trying to create a backup on another MacBook then transfer it to an external hard drive so I can have my MacBook wiped, plug the external hard drive in, and restore my MacBook to its former glory.

I'm using a thunderbolt cable to do the transfer. I got as far as creating a duplicate of my computer on a friend's MacBook but from there I don't know how to create a backup on my external hard drive.

I tried to drag and drop the icons from my friend's MBP representing my MBP onto the external Harddrive but that just made shortcuts, and I don't know that I could transfer that onto my MBP once the system is reset.

Sorry if this is hard to understand. It's kind of a convoluted process. (Although..perhaps it doesn't need to be?)

If you have done this before or can offer a solution I'd appreciate it!

Thanks!

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Use carbon copy cloner the trial is free.

 

[maflynn]

Yep another vote for Carbon Copy Cloner.

 

[Fishrrman]

And again, another vote for CarbonCopyCloner.

If direct connection between the two laptops keeps giving you problems, you could always try this:
1. Open up the MacBook Pro, take the internal drive out.
2. Use a USB3/SATA dock, or USB3 enclosure, or USB3/SATA "adapter dongle" to connect the "bare drive" to the MacBook.

You'll need a Phillips #00 driver and a TORX T-6 driver (from a hardware store, Home Depot, Lowe's, or online).
Go to ifixit.com to see what's involved.
It's a simple procedure, a 10-minute job.

 

[Onemorequestion]

Awesome. Thanks for the suggestion, everyone!

I'll look into Carbon Copy Cloner.

 

[Sanpete]

I swear they make their products to last only until the next version comes out.

Ha, the next version after yours came out in 2012.