I have tried two attempts at restoring my Mac from 2 different TM backups with negative results. Now I am considering a fresh in stall of the operating system. I know this will delete all information on my hardrive. Checking to see if it is possible to add my files, folders and apps that are backed up on the TM to the new install!
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how to restore file, folders, apps after reinstall os mac
- Thread starter theslaz
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Figured it out. Got impatient and just reinstalled the operating system, expecting full well that I would have to use Migration assistant to transfer my old files, folders and apps over. However, when my system booted up; everything was there as I had left. I didn't have to do anything. Why, I don't know and I don't care. Its working and I didn't lose anything!
Unless you erase the drive first, the installer will in fact leave existing user data (and other non OEM stuff) in place. It really is an OS replacement in this case, not a clean install.
Clean install (or fresh install) implies to most folks: drive erased, and then OS installed. No legacy user data, accounts, applications or anything on the drive.
Clean install (or fresh install) implies to most folks: drive erased, and then OS installed. No legacy user data, accounts, applications or anything on the drive.
Thanks for your reply. Now I know! It sure made it much easier this way though.
I actually have Carbon Copy Cloner. In the process right now of the cloning the system. Slow process though!
Once you get your drive cloned initially, regular updates to the clone should be fairly quick though, right? I went with ShirtPocket Software's SuperDuper, and it has that "Update" feature which only copies new or changed files & settings to the clone. Works pretty quick, it's nice. CCC must have that option but I've never used that application.
I believe CCC has that option also. I also have been using TM to back up my files on a daily basis. I believe TM halso has that option.
I can also confirm that Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) does incremental copy updates after the first full clone.
CCC will clone the Recovery partition, SuperDuper! does not.
CCC will clone the Recovery partition, SuperDuper! does not.
CoastalOR, I have a question. Is there something critical I would not be able to do without the recovery partition included in my bootable clone? As far as I can tell only the "Restore from Time Machine Backup" option would be unavailable for me. I don't use Time Machine and have no plans to. I have another backup routine I use on my own. Thanks
To clarify what I was looking at, it was the Recovery menu from the Apple Support document HT201314. If I WAS using Time Machine I'm sure I could restore files from that after booting from the clone and recovering from a problem that way. Just wasn't sure if I was overlooking something else about that Restore Partition that I would need.
The Recovery partition is not required for Time Machine.
It is a small, bootable, stripped down OS, with a few important tools that allows one to run some disk diagnostics and to restore the OS. Can you live without it? Sure. You can do exactly the same booting to the internet version of the same...assuming you are on a network (wired or wireless) with internet access.
I set CCC to clone my system over the evening hours. Woke up to a crash report from CCC indicating that it could not complete the process because there were too many open files! Their solution is to reboot the system and start from scratch. Couldn't the program suggest I do that before I started the clone?
That's strange. I run CCC daily with lots of apps (so many files open) and have never had that problem. What apps/files did you have open?
Not much. Google Chrome is about all. However; methinks it's complaining about all the background services that where running.
Basically just standard. I'm retired. Don't do much on my computer except use Chrome to read my dozen or so internet sites.
ginhb asks:
"Is there something critical I would not be able to do without the recovery partition included in my bootable clone?"
YES.
One example is to disable System Integrity Protection (SIP) if by chance you need to.
I believe you must "boot to the recovery partition" to do that.
If you have CCC, there's no reason not to let it clone the recovery partition, too.
The process goes quickly, and I believe CCC will even CREATE a brand-new recovery partition on a backup drive that doesn't have one yet.
In "the early days of the recovery partition", I didn't create or maintain one, because anything that could be done from a recovery partition could ALSO be done by booting from the cloned backup (main volume).
But... as I mentioned above... there are now some tasks that REQUIRE booting from the recovery partition -- and that's why you need to clone it over, too.
You also wrote:
"I set CCC to clone my system over the evening hours. Woke up to a crash report from CCC indicating that it could not complete the process because there were too many open files!"
I don't recall ever having that happen.
But.. probably a good idea to just quit all open apps, or do a "fresh reboot", and THEN run CCC to clone the entire volume.
"Is there something critical I would not be able to do without the recovery partition included in my bootable clone?"
YES.
One example is to disable System Integrity Protection (SIP) if by chance you need to.
I believe you must "boot to the recovery partition" to do that.
If you have CCC, there's no reason not to let it clone the recovery partition, too.
The process goes quickly, and I believe CCC will even CREATE a brand-new recovery partition on a backup drive that doesn't have one yet.
In "the early days of the recovery partition", I didn't create or maintain one, because anything that could be done from a recovery partition could ALSO be done by booting from the cloned backup (main volume).
But... as I mentioned above... there are now some tasks that REQUIRE booting from the recovery partition -- and that's why you need to clone it over, too.
You also wrote:
"I set CCC to clone my system over the evening hours. Woke up to a crash report from CCC indicating that it could not complete the process because there were too many open files!"
I don't recall ever having that happen.
But.. probably a good idea to just quit all open apps, or do a "fresh reboot", and THEN run CCC to clone the entire volume.
hobo wrote:
"This can be accomplished from Internet Recovery too."
OK, didn't know that.
I've still come about 180 degrees (from how I used to be), and would want the recovery partition on the backup, anyway.
One possible reason:
User needs to erase internal drive and restore from CCC backup.
Since Disk Utility won't "create" a recovery partition itself, the user can RE-clone the recovery partition (from the cloned backup) back to the internal drive.
(A system re-install from internet recovery can do this, but maybe the user wants to "do it a different way")
I guess there may be other ways to do it.
But Mike Bombich's CCC makes it downright easy!
I'm not sure how APFS changes things.
Don't use APFS myself.
"This can be accomplished from Internet Recovery too."
OK, didn't know that.
I've still come about 180 degrees (from how I used to be), and would want the recovery partition on the backup, anyway.
One possible reason:
User needs to erase internal drive and restore from CCC backup.
Since Disk Utility won't "create" a recovery partition itself, the user can RE-clone the recovery partition (from the cloned backup) back to the internal drive.
(A system re-install from internet recovery can do this, but maybe the user wants to "do it a different way")
I guess there may be other ways to do it.
But Mike Bombich's CCC makes it downright easy!
I'm not sure how APFS changes things.
Don't use APFS myself.
Local Recovery is handy, and faster for troubleshooting. No question about it.
Just pointing out that Internet Recovery has full functionality....so not having a recovery partition is not a deal breaker, unless someone needs recovery features without reliable internet.
And yes, CCC or any other cloning B/U tool gives even options.
It is a bit ironic that great tools like CCC can backup and restore the Recovery partition; If one has multiple, bootable clones and backups, those are the folks who least need Recovery. And folks with no bootable external or backups need Recovery the most!