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Backing up your Mac: Time Machine vs. SuperDuper vs. Carbon Copy Cloner

Thursday, March 4, 2010 · 4:20 pm · 48 Comments

Mac Support Central is a user-to-user group mostly about Mac computers, but about related software and hardware such as iPhone, iPod and iPad.

“Many people in our group believe that the very best way to make a backup is to clone your hard drive on an external hard drive,” Michel Munger writes for Mac Support Central. “The replica of your disk allows you to restore it quickly after a crash, or to use it as a replacement startup drive if you need to get working quickly despite a crash.”

“Once you have an external drive set up and plugged in, either in a USB or FireWire port, you have many interesting options,” Munger writes. “When you get your external disk, you may want to split it up in two volumes. One for cloning, and one for Time Machine backups.”

Full article, in which Munger covers cloning with Carbon Copy Cloner, cloning with SuperDuper, and Time Machine backups, here.

MacDailyNews Note: Remember that the very best protection is to have that cloned hard drive located off-site, away from your computer, in case of fire, flood, etc. Better safe than sorry.

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Comment Feed

48 Comments

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HMCIV

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 5:23 pm · Reply

Until Google/Apple lets me make cloud time machine backups remote storage is going to be a problem.
Davecc

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 5:25 pm · Reply

SuperDuper does it for me. Fantastic software, great support.
Yep

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 5:36 pm · Reply

Got two externals. One constantly back up for quick access just incase I accidentally erase stuff and one stays in a fireproof box that comes out once every two weeks. Time machine is efficient enough for me.
HolyMackerel

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 5:37 pm · Reply

Or backup just your crucial documents offsite for free with OfficeHaven.
Dinjin201

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 5:45 pm · Reply

If you’re super paranoid, get iosafe’s indestructible hard drive – they put it in 2000°C flames, ran over it with a steam roller, dropped it from a 10 story building, shot it a few times, submerged it in water right after the fire (to show it was waterproof after warping)

then, they plugged it back in and finder opened the pictures they moved onto the drive before the demo. If you’re paranoid, this ones for you
Macintosh

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 5:59 pm · Reply

Besides my Time Capsule using Time Machine, once in a while I take the important folders on my Desktop and drag them onto a DVD, hit burn. Write the date on it, put it somewhere.

Not too hard really… But then again, I work with relatively small files.
Famous Grouse

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 6:06 pm · Reply

Where’s Chronosync? I rely on that to sync my work files and Library:Mail between my iMac and MacBook. Have always been happy with it and it seems to have a lot of functionality for selecting what does and doesn’t get backed up.

For example, I wish there was a way to stop Time Machine from making a complete copy of a Parallels virtual drive when one little file changes and really there’s nothing important on it.
sparkplug

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 6:08 pm · Reply

Another reason to have an off-site or secure, non-obvious location for a backup drive in your home or place of business is in case of theft.

If someone breaks in and steals your computer, there’s a good chance that they will also take all the nearby computer peripherals (printer, external drives, scanners, etc.). You can have the most indestructible hard drive in the world, but if someone steals it, it’s gone along with your backup data and files.
DD from Belgium

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 6:21 pm · Reply

Time Machine saved my ass earlier today: during the upgrade from Aperture 2 to 3, I ‘managed’ to delete a series (some 40K photos) of master images on an external disk (not mine: my better half is the photographer here, I’m just the ‘tech department’).
And before I would have to admit to her that I just lost the originals of her first couple of years of work (which would most likely result in me sleeping outdoors for the rest of the year), I checked TM – and yes, there they were, all safe and sound…
So whatever you say, TM saved my sorry ass, for me TM rules!
elgarak

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 6:40 pm · Reply

Time Machine (for me on a Time Capsule, accessible over the web when I’m not home with my MobileMe account) for everyday backups of the work files.

Carbon Copy Cloner for (semi-)regular clones of my HD for quick recovery after a HD failure (been there) — mostly done after major updates. I prefer CCC over Super Duper since it’s free for all features, including incremental backups. It has banner ads on the status window, though. But at least it’s on theme, with HD accessories and such
TowerTone

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 6:45 pm · Reply

My 1 TB external Firewire drive is partitioned 60/40 with the larger one being for Time Machine, the smaller for SuperDuper.

I have another 1 TB partitioned 50/50 that I use for my boot disc and the other half for movie storage (the movies are not backed up).

The iMac’s 250 GB internal is left with OS and apps only in case of emergency.
ChrissyOne

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 6:45 pm · Reply

CCC is still my favorite Mac utility ever.
Big Als MBP

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 6:45 pm · Reply

Got all my data/music/movies/TVseries backed up on Data DVDs and stored in the safe deposit box at the bank along with all the kugerrands and maple leafs.
VinceH

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 7:03 pm · Reply

In the absence of incremental backups you’re putting yourself at risk if you *only* use CCC or SD, because if a file gets corrupted on your hard drive these backup utilities will obediently copy the corrupt file on top of the OK one.

TM is you friend. I’ve had an experience similar to DDs from Belgium: I was working along and launched Toast, used it to program a CD and quit Toast. Within a few minutes things started to go downhill, ending in a situation where I could not read any file.

I noted the time that I launched toast, ran Disk Utility which fixed a bunch of errors, and then restored the entire system from TM starting ten minute before that time. I found my machine in the exact same state as it had been before Toast was launched.
It's About Time

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 7:06 pm · Reply

Double partition – Time Machine and SuperDuper clone. Work very well together. And yes, rotate a drive off-site every week or two.
hardmanb

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 7:20 pm · Reply

After reading this, I will make my much-postponed shareware contribution to CCC. They’ve saved my data (and sanity) several times.
Hm...

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 7:27 pm · Reply

I’m one of those who learned long ago about files disappearing. I once lost a month’s worth of work when a 3.5″ single sided floppy went bad on my first Mac. For the book I published last summer, I had: Time Machine onsite, copy on my office machine with its own Time Machine copy, and a copy on a NAS in the office. And once a week burned everything to 2 CDs, one for my office, one for home.

Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they’re *not* out to get you!
Wingsy (who's ona road and forgot his pw)

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 7:28 pm · Reply

I keep my Mac Pro chained to a pole, so it’s not going to be stolen. I use Time Machine and a separate internal drive for backup, plus Chronosync to my Mac Book for my business files. Only thing I’m vulnerable to is fire, but I’d go back in for my laptop and maybe a kid or two.
Lfthnd

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 8:06 pm · Reply

I use Time machine for local backup and BackBlaze for offsite. BackBlaze is only about $50@year for unlimited backups.
Sir Gill Bates

Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 8:44 pm · Reply

I couldn’t live without SuperDuper.

Or Dos Equis.