Restore query

[willsm]

Hey there folks,

So I put the Yosemite beta on my MBA 13" and didn't like it.

Time to roll back...

So in the end, after much messing around I just formatted the disk and started from scratch, since I had time machine backups.

Now, I was running mavericks, which I'd downloaded from app store. The MBA shipped with Mountain Lion.

So when I come to do the internet restore (option key, cmd and r) on startup, it doesn't give me the option to restore the drive to mavericks. Can only do a re-image from mountain lion, then download mavericks from app store.....Annoying!!

So my question is to you folks - how do I change the recovery partition, so that if i want to do another rebuild, I can go straight to mavericks?

 

[Weaselboy]

... since I had time machine backups.

Here is the key right here. If you have a good TM backup from when you were on Mavericks, just plug that TM drive in and option key boot to it. You will get the recovery screen.

then start Disk Utility in the erase tab select the drive band name itself at the top of the left column above Macintosh HD. Then select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format and apply the change.

Now quit Disk Util and click restore and this will put everything back like it was including the Mavericks recovery partition.

 

[willsm]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply - the backups are done to the time machine through an airport extreme base station. I can't do a restore this way, since the mac won't see the drive over the network. I presume i could just unplug it from the back of the AEB and plug it in directly into the mac ?

 

[phrozend]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply - the backups are done to the time machine through an airport extreme base station. I can't do a restore this way, since the mac won't see the drive over the network. I presume i could just unplug it from the back of the AEB and plug it in directly into the mac ?

If you start up your mac in recovery mode, you should be able to connect to a network and recover the Time Machine-backup that way. EDIT: Hmm, strange if you can't just use Time Machine directly. I've only recovered once, but this was done directly trough the Time Machine UI without any problems - and my backup was located on a Time Capsule.

 

[willsm]

Yeah I can connect to the network when in recovery mode, but it doesn't see the AEB and the drive hanging off it that contains the backups. I wonder...The drive is actually in 2 partitions, one being used for backups of the mac and the other as a data store available to other computers on the LAN. I wonder if maybe that's the issue...Shoudnt be though..

 

[Weaselboy]

Yeah I can connect to the network when in recovery mode, but it doesn't see the AEB and the drive hanging off it that contains the backups. I wonder...The drive is actually in 2 partitions, one being used for backups of the mac and the other as a data store available to other computers on the LAN. I wonder if maybe that's the issue...Shoudnt be though..

What model Airport Extreme are you using? Is it the newer tower shaped model?

 

[willsm]

What model Airport Extreme are you using? Is it the newer tower shaped model?

I'm using a 4th Gen - the one before the tower shaped one.

 

[Weaselboy]

I'm using a 4th Gen - the one before the tower shaped one.

That is likely the issue. Those don't support Time Machine backup to external disks like you are doing. Some people get to working, but it does not work reliably.

You could try following this guide to move the networked TM backup to a local volume then you should be able to restore from that from recovery.

 

[willsm]

It's always backed up the mac fine without issue, however it takes ages to load up the backups when entering time machine. I think a direct USB backup is probably the way forward. Don't fancy forking out for a gen 5 just yet!

Thanks for everybody's input

 

[aDRock1154]

----------

Hey there folks,

So I put the Yosemite beta on my MBA 13" and didn't like it.

Time to roll back...

So in the end, after much messing around I just formatted the disk and started from scratch, since I had time machine backups.

Now, I was running mavericks, which I'd downloaded from app store. The MBA shipped with Mountain Lion.

So when I come to do the internet restore (option key, cmd and r) on startup, it doesn't give me the option to restore the drive to mavericks. Can only do a re-image from mountain lion, then download mavericks from app store.....Annoying!!

So my question is to you folks - how do I change the recovery partition, so that if i want to do another rebuild, I can go straight to mavericks?

This may sound like a silly question, but why wouldn't it work by unplugging from the AEBS and plugging into your Mac?

I've not yet (knock on wood) had to restore from a TM backup, but have the identical set up.

 

[Weaselboy]

That is likely the issue. Those don't support Time Machine backup to external disks like you are doing. Some people get to working, but it does not work reliably.

You could try following this guide to move the networked TM backup to a local volume then you should be able to restore from that from recovery.

This may sound like a silly question, but why wouldn't it work by unplugging from the AEBS and plugging into your Mac?

I've not yet (knock on wood) had to restore from a TM backup, but have the identical set up.

That won't work directly because the backup files on networked Time Machine backups are stored inside a sparse bundle image. If you look at the page I linked there is a way to open the sparse bundle file and move it out to another volume and get it to work.

Not a silly question at all. Logically one would think it would work like you said, but not so much.

 

[aDRock1154]

That won't work directly because the backup files on networked Time Machine backups are stored inside a sparse bundle image. If you look at the page I linked there is a way to open the sparse bundle file and move it out to another volume and get it to work.

Not a silly question at all. Logically one would think it would work like you said, but not so much.

Wow. Thanks for the info. Now I'm actually worried and might look to a different set up.

 

[Weaselboy]

Wow. Thanks for the info. Now I'm actually worried and might look to a different set up.

What kind of setup are you using now for Time Machine? I think OP's issue is because it is being used on unsupported hardware. But if you are doing a restore from Time Machine over the network on supported hardware like a Time Capsule or the new tower shaped Airport Extreme, it should work fine.

It will always be a slower restore than a directly attached USB3 disk, but it will work.

 

[aDRock1154]

What kind of setup are you using now for Time Machine? I think OP's issue is because it is being used on unsupported hardware. But if you are doing a restore from Time Machine over the network on supported hardware like a Time Capsule or the new tower shaped Airport Extreme, it should work fine.

It will always be a slower restore than a directly attached USB3 disk, but it will work.

Ha, the exact same model AirPort Extreme (4th gen, I think). I read it wasn't officially supported, but tried anyway and was happy when I got it backing up over the network.

I think I may just invest in a Time Capsule or a newer AirPort Extreme and duplicate what I'm doing now. I use BackBlaze currently, so I have an extra backup. Just trying to figure out how I should go about it..