How To Backup Data Using Time Machine
Technology is not perfect. Nobody wants to lose information that is important to them. Unforeseen events happen, and it is better to be safe then sorry.
There are many options for backing up your data. Apple provides free software called Time Machine that allows you to create a backup quickly and with minimal effort.
Requirements for Time Machine: • Must have Mac OS X 10.5 or later • Must have an external backup hard drive • Recommend having at least double the capacity of the drive you are trying to backup
To use Time Machine:
1. Open up “System Preferences” and select “Time Machine”
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2. Click on “Select Backup Disk…”
3. A new window will pop up. When the hard drive is plugged in you will see the name of the hard drive in black bold font
4. Select the hard drive and click “Use for Backup.” Time Machine should automatically switch itself on.
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That’s it! Time Machine will take a few hours the first time to run through so feel free to walk away or continue using the machine. After the initial backup Time Machine will create incremental backups to reduce time it takes to backup the machine. Make sure to plug in your backup hard drive regularly to keep your backups up to date. If you leave the drive connected, the machine will backup any changes made every hour after the initial backup
How To Restore Data From A Time Machine Backup
Now that Time Machine has been setup to backup your computer, it is important to know how to restore information incase you delete something you later need, your computer crashes or you are moving data from one machine to another.
Restore a specific files or folders:
1. Connect your backup hard drive to the machine and launch “Time Machine” from the “Applications” folder. Your backups should appear as Finder windows in chronological order. You can navigate
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through them with the arrows or with the timeline on the right side of the screen.
Tip: Dates in pink indicate older backups that are stored on your backup hard drive. Dates in white indicate the most updated data that resides on your computer.
2. Locate the file that you would like to restore. If you are unsure of its location you can use spotlight to search by keyword. The windows in Time Machine function the same way as a regular Finder window and can be navigated in the same way.
3. Verify that the backup is the correct one by using “Quick Look” to preview the item. To do this you can double click the item or highlight the item and click the spacebar.
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4. When you’ve decided on the item you want to restore, select the item and click the “Restore” button. This process can take a while depending on the size of the item you are recovering.
Restore an entire system to same computer:
1. Connect your backup drive
2. Boot your machine from the installation disc or on Lion from the “Recovery Partition.” To boot from recovery partition hold down Command-R when powering on the machine until the apple appears
3. The “Mac OS X Utilities” window will appear
4. Select “Restore From Time Machine Backup”
5. Choose the external drive that the backup is stored on
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6. Select the backup you would like to restore from
7. Choose the destination hard drive
8. Click “Continue.” This process can take a while depending on the size of the backup you are recovering.
Restore an entire system to different computer:
1. Connect your hard drive
2. Open “Finder”
3. Select the “Applications” folder
4. Choose “Utilities”
5. Select “Migration Assistant”
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6. Follow the prompts. All of the applications, files, settings, etc., from the backup will be transferred. This process can take a while depending on the size of the backup you are recovering.
Tip: If you are starting up your machine for the first time, the computer will launch Migration Assistant during the setup process
ITS/Academic Computing Created: May 2012