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-   -   Can you please review my backup plans? (https://www.shirt-pocket.com/forums/showthread.php?t=670)

jettrue 09-12-2005 10:39 AM

Can you please review my backup plans?
 
Thanks! I just want to make sure I'm doing this correctly. I'm already re-partitioning my drive after putting data on it because I didn't make a seperate partition for my clone. Now copying data OFF the external drive so I can re-format it. LOL

OK, here's my setup:

Mac mini with internal 80GB super drive, running OS X 10.4.2
External LaCie Firewire drive, 160GB (funny, I thought this was a lot of storage until I've read some user's posts here, GOOD LORD, I wouldn't know what to do with 500+GB of space)

OK, so my plan is: ~80GB partition for backup, named "Macintosh HD" (same as my internal drive)

~16GB partition for my safety clone, named "Clone"

Balance for my extra data.

I think I've got how it works figured out. I will create a backup-all files, then I will create a safety clone that I will boot to and run off of. I'm trying to wrap my mind around that, because it seems counter-intuitive, like it would slow down my system or something, since now it has to work between the system and an external drive?

Then, if something goes wrong with my safety clone, I can switch back to the original by holding option when restarting and choosing the original. I will keep a folder on my data drive with all installers of applications I've added, so it is easy to reinstall. After a while of working on the safetly clone, and things are still hunky dory (haven't used that phrase in a while) I will restart to the original, and use the smart update for safety clone.

OK, I feel better and more confident now that I've typed it all out. Does the above make (relative) sense?

Thanks!!
________
herbalaire

dnanian 09-12-2005 10:46 AM

That mostly makes sense, jettrue. The only thing you don't have to do is the Option-boot: just choose the original startup disk using System Preferences' Startup Disk preference pane.

Also, when you restart to the original when things are hunky-dory, you need to install/update before you update the Safety Clone: otherwise, the Safety Clone will be updated with the original system (which is fine if you want to roll it back, but in this case you indicated all was well).

Finally, you probably don't need to name your backup "Macintosh HD" until you try to boot from it. I'm slightly concerned that, when you boot from the Safety Clone, the internal drive might show up after the external and the Safety Clone will point to the wrong volume. So, name it "Backup" for now, but rename if you want to test it (then, name it back to "Backup" when you're done testing).

jettrue 09-12-2005 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dnanian
That mostly makes sense, jettrue. The only thing you don't have to do is the Option-boot: just choose the original startup disk using System Preferences' Startup Disk preference pane.

Thanks for the fast reply Dave, and for the clarification of the above.

Quote:

Also, when you restart to the original when things are hunky-dory, you need to install/update before you update the Safety Clone: otherwise, the Safety Clone will be updated with the original system (which is fine if you want to roll it back, but in this case you indicated all was well).
I guess what I was actually asking to do is what is stated in the user's guide section as "unless you're certain you know what you're doing". I'm thinking it would be easier to update the original periodically as things are hunky-dory in the clone in case of a future error... less to re-install.

Quote:

Finally, you probably don't need to name your backup "Macintosh HD" until you try to boot from it. I'm slightly concerned that, when you boot from the Safety Clone, the internal drive might show up after the external and the Safety Clone will point to the wrong volume. So, name it "Backup" for now, but rename if you want to test it (then, name it back to "Backup" when you're done testing).
I guess I was a little confused by this. From reading the forums, I've seen lots of suggestions to "name it the same as your original". Should it actually be the clone that is named the same as the original?

Thanks again!
________
silver surfer reviews

dnanian 09-12-2005 11:25 AM

Going backwards...

No, the Safety Clone shouldn't be named the same as the original. I'm just trying to think about what might happen if the system resolves the "Macintosh HD" on the FireWire drive, rather than the one that's internal.

If you want to try "cloning back", see the instructions elsewhere on the forums. Be very careful. Please.


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