How create a duplicate of the startup disk?

C

crydiger

Registered
Hi everyone,

just copying the folders "System", "Users", "Library" and "Documents" from the current startup disk to another disk doesn't make that disk a second startup disk, right? Anyway, that disk isn't shown in the System Preferences as a valid system disk.

How can I frequently make a valid copy of all System files and all connected preferences/configurations to create an actual copy of my current startup disk to serve as an emergency disk right away?

P.S. Had a total crash of my system disk three weeks ago, and reconstructing that disk from Retropect (snapshot) backups automatically didn't get the new disk working as a system disk. Most of my personal configurations got lost forever. Took me one complete week to do it manually.

THANKS A LOT! (from Bavaria, Germany) :confused:
 
If you have a Firewire drive that is large enough for the total contents of your hard drive, you can boot from the 10.3 or later installation disk and use Disk Utility to clone your existing drive... and to restore a previously cloned drive.

The feature was added to Disk Utility shortly after the author of Carbon Copy Cloner started working for Apple.
 
THANKS A LOT! Already cloned my system disk to a big FireWire drive, launched from there, and it worked flawlessly. Just SnapzPro (Ambrosia) required to be registered again. Guess that registration issues won't be a major problem.
 
THANKS! Didn't know that feature yet. Do you think that creating a disk image this way would be a better choice than using Carbon Copy Cloner?
 
It would be if you wanted to back up multiple startup drives onto one very large Firewire drive... otherwise, CCC is fine.

The main advantage of 10.3's Disk Utility is the ability to use it while booted from the 10.3 installation CD.

It is just good to know that there are a number of options for this type of thing.
 
I wish Apple would do a _real_ Backup utility and deliver it with the system software. Not just a .Mac thingie, you know. The utility, in my opinion, would have to offer more options:

- Create an ASR (software restore) image on any media (multiple DVD-Rs, for example!, but FW-drive, too...)
- Clone drive
- Incremental backup (choose sources) to various media

And then they could use iCal to remind you of doing backups. But, of course, automatic backups should be an option, too...

It's not that there aren't enough solutions, but I'd rather have a good clean Apple solution for this. Since: While we don't have a virus/spyware/worms problem, we _do_ need backups. Many things can happen besides computer malware (as the recent problems of users with the 10.3.9 update have shown) - and to have complete backups is a must, I believe. Apple should urge users to create them.
 
You're right about the need for a genuine Apple backup solution with advanced features. I've been waiting for it since I purchased my first Mac in 1984 here in Bavaria, Germany. Purchased Dantz Retrospect about ten years ago, performing synchronized backups of all internal disks every evening. BUT, when I tried to perform a complete system disk rebuild from that backup after a recent crash, that action didn't result in a bootable disk. Was quite a surprise of the mean kind ...
 
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