The folders that the Time Machine backup creates, consists of folders named with the dates that the backup is created. What are the differences between those folders? Are they the same plus the extra files that have been added? I mean, if i copy/paste (do it manually) the last folder of the backup, will i have all the latest files and folder structure... or does Time Machine when its restoring files use not only the latest, but other folders as well that contain files?
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how does timeMachine work?
- Thread starter zoran
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The answer to that is yes. Each date/timestamped folder effectively contains a complete copy of the entire system at that date and time (minus any exclusions, of course). You can use Finder to copy files and folders from the backup structure (but I wouldn't manually delete or move any files in there).
Say you have a file that has been on your boot drive ever since installation, and hasn't ever changed.
To Finder, apps, and most Terminal commands it will look like there's another copy of that file in every date/timestamped folder (snapshot)! It looks like the file is (wastefully) stored multiple times.
In reality, the file data is stored in the filesystem only once, and "hard links" to that file are placed in the snapshot directory of every backup that included that exact file. So disk space is needed just for one copy of that file (hard links take only a tiny amount of disk space). When backups are deleted one by one, the hard links are deleted, but the file data itself is not deleted until the very last hard link is deleted. This is a feature of the filesystem (HFS+). TM is able to do this trick with directories (folders), as well.
So, yes.
Hope that helps.
I managed to make a TMbackup of a drive that has gone bad. Its a secondary drive in my iMac.
How will i restore the files that were on that drive when i install a new drive in my iMac? Should i manually copy/paste the folders or the normal way TM restores? I ask because im gonna be installing a new drive... incase that means something.
How will i restore the files that were on that drive when i install a new drive in my iMac? Should i manually copy/paste the folders or the normal way TM restores? I ask because im gonna be installing a new drive... incase that means something.
Are u suggesting not to move/delete files within the structure? If so, why would i want to do that?
I was to do something with the files, i would only copy them from the backup to the new hdd, just to recreate the structure of the drive that went bad.
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You can either use the Time Machine interface to restore to the new drive, or you can use Finder to drag or copy/paste the folders to the new drive. I don't think it matters much.
Some readers might be tempted to delete backups or "tidy up" using Finder. I was warning people not to do that, because I don't know whether that might mess up something. (I actually think that deletions, at least, would OK but I haven't tested it or thought about it much.) The normal TM interface does allow you to delete an entire backup or all backups of a selected file, for those that wish to do so.
That is fine.
Q:
"how does timeMachine work?"
A:
Poorly.
If you want a backup that DOES work and works well, try either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.
Both are free to download and try for 30 days.
Both created BOOTABLE cloned backups of your internal drive that are "mountable right in the finder" if you need to retrieve a file or two.
I suggest you try one or both using a spare drive.
If you don't like the results, just erase the drive.
But I sense that once you try cloned backups and understand how they work, you're going to like them...
Note:
I'm not sure if CCC and SD are working properly for the m1 Macs or Big Sur yet...
"how does timeMachine work?"
A:
Poorly.
If you want a backup that DOES work and works well, try either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.
Both are free to download and try for 30 days.
Both created BOOTABLE cloned backups of your internal drive that are "mountable right in the finder" if you need to retrieve a file or two.
I suggest you try one or both using a spare drive.
If you don't like the results, just erase the drive.
But I sense that once you try cloned backups and understand how they work, you're going to like them...
Note:
I'm not sure if CCC and SD are working properly for the m1 Macs or Big Sur yet...
Time Machine creates a single copy of everything (your initial back-up) and then it makes copies of files that have changed (this practice is known as differential backup).
If you are browsing the contents of a Time Machine drive, you will likely see many folders organized by date and time. It might appear as though you have one complete set of files for every backup ever performed by Time Machine, but that's not actually the case. The files that haven't changed are usually present in those folders in the form of symbolic links (pointers, if you will, to the original copies of files), otherwise, changed files will be in that folder. The end result: if you need to pull a file out of a Time Machine drive (without using the Time Machine interface), just go to the folder with the latest backup, pull what you need and that particular date's/time's version of the files will be there.