Scheduled backup fails - destination disk mounts but dimmed in drop down menu

[leonmaurer]

After several weeks of successful scheduled backups to my firewire mounted Maxtor external drive -- when I upgraded to latest version of Super Duper, the next scheduled incremental backup failed -- since "the destination disk couldn't be located". When I tried to manually backup, the mounted destination disk did not show in the "copy to" space, and was dimmed out in the drop down menu. What's the problem, and how can I get backups started again?

[dnanian]

Are you perhaps running from the backup drive, Leon? (Check in the "About This Mac" panel.)

[leonmaurer]

Are you perhaps running from the backup drive, Leon? (Check in the "About This Mac" panel.)

Yes. Thanks. Problem was I had a rare OSX system crash and forgot that I had checked increment copy options to set backup as startup drive. Afterward, I didn't notice that the startup drive had changed.

Now I need to know how I can transfer all my new mail files and other records on the external drive, that accumulated over the past weeks, to my internal drive. Some of these files are buried in Library folders that would be a chore to locate.

Would it hurt anything if I did a one time reverse incremental backup of the external to the internal drive, restart on the internal, and then set the subsequent incremental backups to do nothing after copying?

[TMay]

Leon

The SuperDuper people generally don't refer to "incremental" backups, as it can be a little confusing. Yes, if the external disk which it turns out you have been running from for the past several weeks has been functioning properly, which I take it it has, just go ahead and clone it back to your internal.

I believe I would probably use "erase then copy" to clone the data back to the internal although, as you suggest, a "smart update" of the internal from the external would probably also do it.

Regarding updates after that, I would then revert to doing "smart updates" of your external from your internal. However, I would wait to do ANYTHING to the external until you are sure that your cloning back to the internal has been completely successful, the internal is booting normally, etc.

(I did not quite understand your final reference to setting subsequent backups "to do nothing"?? In any event, they should be set to do "smart updates" of the external, from the internal, once you are satisfied that all is well.)

[leonmaurer]

Leon

The SuperDuper people generally don't refer to "incremental" backups, as it can be a little confusing. Yes, if the external disk which it turns out you have been running from for the past several weeks has been functioning properly, which I take it it has, just go ahead and clone it back to your internal.

I believe I would probably use "erase then copy" to clone the data back to the internal although, as you suggest, a "smart update" of the internal from the external would probably also do it.

Regarding updates after that, I would then revert to doing "smart updates" of your external from your internal. However, I would wait to do ANYTHING to the external until you are sure that your cloning back to the internal has been completely successful, the internal is booting normally, etc.

(I did not quite understand your final reference to setting subsequent backups "to do nothing"?? In any event, they should be set to do "smart updates" of the external, from the internal, once you are satisfied that all is well.)
By "do nothing", I was referring to the last step of a smart backup where you are given the choice on successful completion to set backip as the start up disk, restart with backup disk, quit SuperDuper, shut down, sleep, etc.

[dnanian]

I'd do a smart update back to the internal Leon, yes.