TM

After having all the problems I had with my network settings, I decided to go ahead and reinstall my iMac.

I now need to set up TM again but canto get it use the current TM drive i have for this purpose. It wants to format the drive and start again.

Is this the right way of doing this? Do I need to recover what I want then start TM as a brand new set up?

Use Migration Assistant to transfer your existing files from your TM backup. That will also restore the TM settings and will allow you to continue using the existing backup destination.

I guess it's probably a matter of machine identification; I'm not sure how OS X stores this, but it's a huge, unique number on Windows.

Do I need to recover what I want then start TM as a brand new set up?

Whether or not it's the best way, that's the way I've done it. Switch off the TM function, recover stuff like emails, music, photos, downloads, app and downloads etc. Some older apps won't recover from TM and need a full re-install. As the main hard drive is also backed up twice with Superduper, I then switched on TM and let it do its thing. If you don't have an additional clone of your hard drive, you may want to sit down for an hour making sure abosultely everything that should be restored, has been.

The only time I've done a 'text book' TM restore is when I put in a new system hard drive.

Edited by deleted (Tue 10-Apr-12 13:28:47)

When I've done this in the past I've booted from an install DVD or USB stick and simply restored from TM. Once the system has restored you can carry on using TM from backups. I also use SuperDuper on another external USB drive as a belt & braces approach.

I've used that approach too, but I thought it was only possible to install using TM in this way on Lion. Perhaps not. It certainly makes a reinstall very easy. (I hasten to add it was because I was playing with using RAiD, not an OS failure, that lead to a couple of reinstalls.)

I do like the combination of Internet and TM to reinstall Lion (even if it is a little slow).

Sorry, should have been more explicit... running too many Mac OS X's and systems at the moment.

When my SL system fails (for whatever reason) I boot from my SL install DVD and then select the option to recover from a TM backup. Likewise with Lion but that can be done via USB stick.

It makes recovery very easy as I have six Macs (various flavours) and numerous backup HDDs, both TM and SuperDuper and also like to play. I have two units set aside for that.

Nothing wrong with playing, though perhaps not with RAID on a home(?) setup. I used to look after a server farm (Windows... 'nuff said).

BTW... Windows NT was my favourite BG OS. Extremely stable and none of that awful GUI stuff. Went rapidly downhill after Win2K.

As always, practice safe HEX and have plenty of backups.

Yes, I understood what you meant but didn't realize that the same process could be done pre-Lion. Along with the Internet, it's particularly easy to recover a new Apple running Lion. No installation media required, just an Internet connection and your TM backups.

nice post man, i love it...........