SuperDuper or Time Machine for full restore?

[tsummerall]

Hi Dave:

I have a MacBookPro that's going back to Apple. I have the identical replacement machine here and I want to basically jump from the old machine to the new with all apps, accounts, etc. restored.

Apple says there's some option in Time Machine or the system install process that would do this for me, but because of the vague terminology they use I'm not sure what that would be.

If I boot the new machine in target disk mode and do a super duper erase then copy to it with 2.6.1 from my old machine will that be a good solution or could there be problems? (I am using Snow Leopard.)

Thanks!

[tjchambers]

I would do it the way you describe. I would not use Time Machine to recover a machine verbatim, as Time Machine does NOT backup the whole set of content (which I discovered unfortunately when I tried to restore after restoring a SuperDuper copy to a close point).

SuperDuper is the only thing I rely on.

[dnanian]

If it's an identical replacement Mac, I'd restore from your SuperDuper! backup.

[tsummerall]

My most recent backup is a week old and the (identical) new machine hasn't even gone through the setup process yet. Any reason not to do what I suggested above (use SD! to erase and copy to the new machine in target mode?)

To restore from backup I'll have to do a backup and then go through the install on the new machine, then install super duper then do a restore.

[dnanian]

No, you can just start up from the backup and copy back with SuperDuper!, actually, no?

[tsummerall]

I guess I don't understand. Why not do a full erase and backup directly to the new machine's drive mounted as a target disk on my old machine?

[dnanian]

You can, but that's more complicated since it involves two Macs and the drive. Seems like it'd be a lot easier (and less error prone) to just do it directly, no?

[tsummerall]

Just the two macs, actually. I used the new mac as the backup drive and did an erase and copy to it and it seems to be fine.