Problem
 

Dave, I have a similar problem as does Joemac. The HD in my iMac failed and is being replaced at the Apple store as of now. When it is returned to me, I plan to use my SuperDuper! backup as startup and copy to the new HD in the iMac. Will that be the best approach for getting back to there I was as opposed to using Migration Assistant?
It has become a daily habit of mine to read this forum. You do a great job of keeping us neophytes informed.
Thanks.

Either will work, assuming the Mac itself is compatible with the backup you did. Sometimes, people like to take the opportunity to "clean install", which is basically what the boot-and-migrate does.

hi dave

i've installed a new 250 gb hd (western digital scorpio sata 5400 rmp) in the mbpro...

the hardware install was really pretty easy and described many places on the web with pictures and video.

anyway, i'm reloading my s/d! clone right this minute

1. running leopard from the disc drive.
2. disc utilities to erase/format the new drive (mac osX extended, journaled)
3. disc utilities to select drive/restore button.
4. drag firewire s/d! clone to 'source window'
5. drag new w/d drive to the 'destination window'
6. clink restore...

OK so it starts estimating time, reading/copying files...

initially suggests 1:40 for about 60 gb of data from a firelite brand firewire drive.

as the restore progresses the 'time' bumps up to 3 then 4 hours, and back down to 2...

about 1:20 left now.

HERE are my questions/comments...

-disc utilities includes a 'restore' option in the IMAGES tab, BUT this takes us into a time machine restore process, but for s/d! we must use the directs above, right?...

-i've been using the s/d! clone now for 2 days and it works great. i'm anxious to see IF the restored version is intact and functions this well.

?-using a clean install approach (loading leopard, then using migration assistant) would be faster/slower/same speed?

?-using a clean install/migration would still create the new drive EXACTLY (minus gremlins) like my old one, - yes/no/maybe?

?-does restoring from the s/d! clone or creating an s/d! clone 'defragment' applications and files on either drive?

? assuming the restore works, i'm tempted to partition the drive and try restoring from the time machine back up too, just to check the process and results...is that a DUMB idea?

thanks in advance for your thoughts on this...

cheers
joemac

That's right, this process should work fine. Alternatively, of course, you could have simply used SuperDuper! to restore, right?

Clean install/migrate would be slower. And it would be less 'exact' than the restore you're doing.

Restoring with SD! is going to roughly defragment. Restoring the way you're doing it won't.

Don't re-restore with Time Machine. No need to take additional risks.

ok now i'm confused.

how am i doing it that is correct?

i though i was "using superduper! to restore?

____________________________

so the restore process goes on for about 90 minutes....

then it appears to stop/stick or become non responsive...

(fire wire light stops blinking, mouse and all screen command are dead, blue bar stops moving, and forced quitting doesn't work)

so after 2 hours i've turned OFF the laptop, disconnected the fire wire/sd! clone and rebooted from the leopard disc.

open disc utilities again and 'verify' the new hard drive...

-about 36 gb (of 50) on the drive and about 1 million files transferred (out of 1.4 million)

-verify runs and checks the journaled volume, extended overflow files, catalog files, mulitlinked files, catalog hierarchy and declares this stuff is ...

"volume ok" in green letters.

BUT the restore isn't complete and the laptop won't boot from the internal harddrive...

SO WHAT DID I DO WRONG?

(i'll erase, format and load a CLEAN FRESH copy of leopard while waiting 4 a reply)

looks like i'll try restore/migration with time machine now.

cheers
joemac

No, you were using Disk Utility to restore. If you want to restore with SuperDuper!, you start up from the backup drive and then "Backup - all files" with SD! from the backup drive back to the internal.

DUH!!!!

i am so friggin dense!

for some reason i've been FIXED on the notion that i had to run the leopard os/utility from another drive OTHER than the s/d! drive...

of course NOW you've cleared the cob webs...

-start from clone
-open s/d!
-click 'back up all drives with s/d!

ok, i'm on it!

but i did JUST finishing installing a clean fresh copy of leopard on the target drive.

can i just ignore it and do my s/d! duty?

and do you have any insight into WHY the process froze up using the disc utility?

thanks again
joemac

Yes, you can just ignore it, and I have no idea why the process froze.