I treasure this community, and strive to not post regarding a topic I can learn about from FAQs and the like, but this remains vexing. Admire and am well-acquainted with Pondini.org and others, but believe confusion arises over ambiguity in the simplest of terms –– in my case, under just precisely which circumstances is "a different computer" actually, truly, "a different computer". I am gaining the impression that sometimes TM can believe "a different computer" is in play, when actually TM is communicating with the very same computer it always has––top to bottom (e.g. same MLB, internal HDD, and all components save a carefully-replaced top case). I am coming to the conclusion that the inheritance warning language of "different computer" and "can no longer be used by the original computer" are driven by that most-typical scenario wherein an existing (i.e. "original") internal HDD gets moved into a different chassis (i.e. "new" MLB with its own UUID).
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My particulars ––
I recently required service on my long-time MacBook [call this "Computer A"].
I moved my internal HDD, temporarily, to a loaner MacBook [call this "Computer B"], with my long-time external HDD, wherein my long-time TM backups of Computer A reside, connected.
As a routine precaution, I went to Time Machine, and selected Back Up Now.
This brought up the much-discussed warning, [paraphrased] Would you like this computer to inherit the backup history from “Computer A” on the “long-time external HDD” backup disk? and prompting with these options:
As I certainly did not wish backups disabled upon moving back to Computer A, I selected Don't Back Up Now, and made no backups while on Computer B.
Now, I did notice, as Time Machine was awaiting my reply, the TM icon was spinning [counterclockwise], and stopped spinning when I selected Don't Back Up Now.
When service on Computer A was completed [new top case], I moved back into it my same internal HDD, and connected my long-time external HDD, wherein my long-time TM backups of Computer A reside.
Wishing to now resume my long-established backup procedure, I went to Time Machine, and selected Back Up Now.
This brought up the much-discussed warning, [paraphrased] Would you like this computer to inherit the backup history from “Computer A” on the “long-time external HDD” backup disk? and prompting with these options:
This is confusing. I have restored all storage hardware to the "original computer." During the interim, I completed no backups on any other computer. But Time Machine seems to suggest that it is not aware that nothing has changed.
Now, here's the rub, methinks:
When I had storage hardware configured on Computer B, and selected Back Up Now, and then, promptly, Don't Back Up Now, (while the TM icon was spinning [counterclockwise]), Time Machine, in that interval, had already determined, and made note of, and created a record of, having been moved to a "new computer" [by virtue of connection to a new MLB, with new UUID or other identifier].
Thence, when I restored storage to Computer A, and initiated backup, Time Machine reckoned that Computer A was now a "new computer" (comparing it to Computer B).
I'm gaining the impression that I should now select Inherit Backup History, and all will be well, with backups working as they always have, in the place they always have been, with options for restoration, etc. as they always have been. I just want to insure that this action does not somehow create the situation wherein I find my previously existing backups "can no longer be used by" Computer A.
I do not wish to unnecessarily create a new, redundant, full backup of my long-time internal HDD.
If necessary, I can post further specifics regarding my existing external HDD backups, which total 465.61 GB, in this location:
/Volumes/G-DRIVE, Time Machine Partition/Backups.backupdb
Advice, please?
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FWIW, a curious detail, of unknown relevance ––
On 2-27-17, I see uuid is unchanged, and matches System Report I had saved on 5-28-14.
Strangely, my intervening 4-5-15 System Log, following a bizarre crash, includes this line:
Apr 5 18:41:00 localhost fseventsd[17]: log dir: /.fseventsd getting new uuid:
<< End of new post. >>
–– Systematic System Statement ––
MacBook (13-inch Late 2007), Mac OS X (10.7.5), Memory 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
= = = = =
My particulars ––
I recently required service on my long-time MacBook [call this "Computer A"].
I moved my internal HDD, temporarily, to a loaner MacBook [call this "Computer B"], with my long-time external HDD, wherein my long-time TM backups of Computer A reside, connected.
As a routine precaution, I went to Time Machine, and selected Back Up Now.
This brought up the much-discussed warning, [paraphrased] Would you like this computer to inherit the backup history from “Computer A” on the “long-time external HDD” backup disk? and prompting with these options:
As I certainly did not wish backups disabled upon moving back to Computer A, I selected Don't Back Up Now, and made no backups while on Computer B.
Now, I did notice, as Time Machine was awaiting my reply, the TM icon was spinning [counterclockwise], and stopped spinning when I selected Don't Back Up Now.
When service on Computer A was completed [new top case], I moved back into it my same internal HDD, and connected my long-time external HDD, wherein my long-time TM backups of Computer A reside.
Wishing to now resume my long-established backup procedure, I went to Time Machine, and selected Back Up Now.
This brought up the much-discussed warning, [paraphrased] Would you like this computer to inherit the backup history from “Computer A” on the “long-time external HDD” backup disk? and prompting with these options:
This is confusing. I have restored all storage hardware to the "original computer." During the interim, I completed no backups on any other computer. But Time Machine seems to suggest that it is not aware that nothing has changed.
Now, here's the rub, methinks:
When I had storage hardware configured on Computer B, and selected Back Up Now, and then, promptly, Don't Back Up Now, (while the TM icon was spinning [counterclockwise]), Time Machine, in that interval, had already determined, and made note of, and created a record of, having been moved to a "new computer" [by virtue of connection to a new MLB, with new UUID or other identifier].
Thence, when I restored storage to Computer A, and initiated backup, Time Machine reckoned that Computer A was now a "new computer" (comparing it to Computer B).
I'm gaining the impression that I should now select Inherit Backup History, and all will be well, with backups working as they always have, in the place they always have been, with options for restoration, etc. as they always have been. I just want to insure that this action does not somehow create the situation wherein I find my previously existing backups "can no longer be used by" Computer A.
I do not wish to unnecessarily create a new, redundant, full backup of my long-time internal HDD.
If necessary, I can post further specifics regarding my existing external HDD backups, which total 465.61 GB, in this location:
/Volumes/G-DRIVE, Time Machine Partition/Backups.backupdb
Advice, please?
= = = = =
FWIW, a curious detail, of unknown relevance ––
On 2-27-17, I see uuid is unchanged, and matches System Report I had saved on 5-28-14.
Strangely, my intervening 4-5-15 System Log, following a bizarre crash, includes this line:
Apr 5 18:41:00 localhost fseventsd[17]: log dir: /.fseventsd getting new uuid:
<< End of new post. >>
–– Systematic System Statement ––
MacBook (13-inch Late 2007), Mac OS X (10.7.5), Memory 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM