Which Mac backup software 2015?

[MrGongGong]

Is SD a cloned and bootable backup ?

[Lordgeous]

Is SD a cloned and bootable backup ?

Yes! All info here:

http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html

I cant remember any other restrictions with the free version but I've had it so long I can't remember!

[Dave2002]

Having now backed up my MBP to a 250Gbyte external drive, what do I do now? Test to see if it will boot, maybe?

Will it boot up on any Mac OS machine of recent vintage, or does it have to have the same OS version? Perhaps if the OS is on the drive it should boot from any recent Mac or iMac etc., but you can never tell .....

[Anastasius]

No it doesn't need to have the same OS. Hit C just after restart. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201255 then select your backup drive.

[Dave2002]

No it doesn't need to have the same OS. Hit C just after restart. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201255 then select your backup drive.

Took a while to figure out how to get another machine to boot up from the backup drive. Treating the drive as a backup - and using the regular boot is OK, but doing a boot from the drive took a long while, and the resulting system was very slow. Having never done this before, I really didn't know what to expect, and I did wonder if I'd end up trashing either the drive, or else either the source or destination computer. Makes one realise how much we hope and expect things to work, and at times considerable trust and confidence that things are going to work out are needed.

I used a Toshiba USB 3 drive, and I think the iMac used does have a USB 3 interface - though if it doesn't that could explain why it was so slow. Otherwise I can't explain why things went so slowly.

I don't think I was able to get the drive to "fire up" by pressing any keys during the startup process. I tried the "C" key, but that didn't appear to work, though it may just be that I didn't expect it to take "forever" to get underway. Then I tried the Option/Cmd key just after the startup chime sounded, as mentioned on another website. What did it in the end was selecting the Startup Disk in System Preferences to set to the backup drive, and hopefully I've now managed to reset it on the machine I used for the test.

Nevertheless, it has already been some use, as I have now felt confident enough to remove some large files, which are backed up, but also can now be considered to be redundant on the MBP.

The backup process from the MBP using Carbon Copy started off fairly slowly and I thought it was going to take around 4 hours, but it seemed to speed up towards the end, and I think it took about 90 minutes in total - maybe less - for around 220 Gbytes.

I might just try repeating the process with Super Duper - for comparison.

[MrGongGong]

I have found starting from a cloned copy via USB is slow
BUT the main thing is that it works enough to enable you to keep working.

I've always tested it by simply changing the startup disk in the preferences

[french frank]

Presumably the paid for version of SD does have incremental backup?

Yes, it does. The copying process ends with 'Make [HD] fully bootable' and that worked from my tiny WD hard drive when I was given instructions by a past member how to do it. I do have the paid for version from ShirtPocket. I think it cost £12?

At least, it has Smart Updates - not incremental in that it keeps each version (as Norton Ghost did, if I remember)

[Dave2002]

I have found starting from a cloned copy via USB is slow
BUT the main thing is that it works enough to enable you to keep working.

I've always tested it by simply changing the startup disk in the preferences

It's vaguely comforting to have some idea of how slow things might be. Seemed to take ages. Partly that's because the startup from the MBP with the SSD is usually very fast - probably under 30 seconds, but even so the iMac doesn't normally take more than a couple of minutes. The startup from the USB may well have taken 4-5 minutes, though part of my perception may have been coloured by the abortive attempts to get it to start. Changing the startup disk seems to me more reliable. If I do the reboot again I shall time it next time. As you say though, it should enable one to stay in business, which in extremis is very valuable.

[Anastasius]

I have found starting from a cloned copy via USB is slow
BUT the main thing is that it works enough to enable you to keep working.

I've always tested it by simply changing the startup disk in the preferences

I use Firewire for my external drive. Just as fast as the internal drive TBH (or close enough that if I do a check reboot I often forget I'm running on it!)

[Anastasius]

Yes, it does. The copying process ends with 'Make [HD] fully bootable' and that worked from my tiny WD hard drive when I was given instructions by a past member how to do it. I do have the paid for version from ShirtPocket. I think it cost £12?

At least, it has Smart Updates - not incremental in that it keeps each version (as Norton Ghost did, if I remember)

I think you'll find that Smart Update and Incremental are synonymous in backup terms although happy to be proved wrong.

[MrGongGong]

I use Firewire for my external drive. Just as fast as the internal drive TBH (or close enough that if I do a check reboot I often forget I'm running on it!)

I've always been a bit suspicious of external Firewire drives (BUT not soundcards where the opposite seems to be true) after having a disastrous time with a Lacie one that always seemed to be a bit too delicate in its ability to stay connected even though it was (and still is) very fast.

[Anastasius]

I've always been a bit suspicious of external Firewire drives (BUT not soundcards where the opposite seems to be true) after having a disastrous time with a Lacie one that always seemed to be a bit too delicate in its ability to stay connected even though it was (and still is) very fast.

LOL..I think that Mac products are out to get you! Mavericks. Mail. Now LaCie. LaCie is what I have been using (and continue to use) without any problems. In fact I don't have any issues with my Mac set-up apart from Safari occasionally forgetting I asked it to remember my login details for a website.

[MrGongGong]

LOL..I think that Mac products are out to get you! Mavericks. Mail. Now LaCie. LaCie is what I have been using (and continue to use) without any problems. In fact I don't have any issues with my Mac set-up apart from Safari occasionally forgetting I asked it to remember my login details for a website.

The Lacie was many years ago (on a Sony PC) but many others had similar problems when trying to use them in large audio setups.
Firewire "should" be fast enough to record directly to BUT not if you value your blood pressure.
Of course the cheapness and speed of SSD these days makes it more or less redundant for those things.

Mac hardware is brilliant
The software is pants IMV

[Lordgeous]

I wouldn't ever buy a LaCie product again - too many problems with them in the past, and apalling (and expensive) customer service. Apologies to them if things have improved in recent years.

I too have always used external firewire drives for SuperDuper backups - and i always keep at least two copies. Excellent programme SD! Firewire drives getting harder to source but I've picked up plenty, at good prices, on ebay.

[Dave2002]

Mac hardware is brilliant
The software is pants IMV

I think some PC hardware has improved over recent years, though to get anything comparable to Mac stuff does cost almost as much.

Re the software - when did you last try to use or maintain any Windows based system? Try it sometime, and then go and bash your head against the wall for a few days and then write an essay about which was the worse experience.

Probably someone will post to tell me it's all OK these days and I'm wrong, but for personal use I have found Windows PCs to be the ultimate pain. The situation is slightly different for large organisations as decent ones can afford to emply computer specialists who can make the wretched things work. In fact the situation for large organisations is bonkers, as they often try to economise on hardware, and employ people who only know how to use PCs and Windows, so they are often hopeless when it comes to using and maintaining Macs. Some organisations also emply very expensive consultants who charge a fortune to hook people back into Windows stuff, and then walk away. Keeps the senior management happy!

I think small organisations might find Macs better though, as for them the situation is closer to the home user experience, and Macs have a (probably) well deserved reputation for graphics and that kind of thing. The days when one could talk to system managers who could install and run a Unix or Linux based server have long gone, I fear, and purchasing in many places is often done on factors which have little to do with the quality of the hardware or software. As for reading core dumps ... that was oh so 1960s-1970s.... !!!