Mac OS X: Time Machine

Book Intro

Time Machine is so simple, why would it need a book? Well, perhaps because Apple failed to document it in any useful way! Choosing a backup drive and preparing it correctly; minimizing the size of backup files when you have a smaller backup drive; the best way to recover different types of files and folders (a previous version of a document, something’s that been erased, an email, or an iPhoto album); how to handle an overflowing backup disk. This book documents these and other details of using Time Machine with your Mac.

Table of ContentsHome

How Time Machine Works

The Backup Schedule
The Backup Size
Backups vs. Backups (and Archives)

Getting a Backup Drive

Disk vs. Drive (and Volumes)
When is a Gigabyte Not a Gigabyte?
Byte-Sized Portions

Preparing Your Backup Disk

The Mapping Scheme and Volume Format
Intel or PowerPC?
Do You Need Partitions?
Simple Erasing
Altering the Volume Format
Changing the Mapping Scheme
Before You Redo the Formatting or Mapping…
Creating Partitions
Installing Slim System Software
Test It Before You Trust It!
Always Use the Eject Button
Minimize Volume Clutter

Setting Up Time Machine

Choose the Backup Disk
Put the Time Machine Menu in Your Menu bar
Decide on a Backup Strategy
A Computer by Any Other Name
The Exclusion List
Changing Options Mid-Stream
Space Hogs to Exclude
Manual-Backup Reminders
Checking Folder and File Sizes
Backing Up Everything
Backing Up Only Your Documents
Excluding Other Users
Excluding or Including Disks and Partitions
The Set-Up Checklist

Time Travel: A Tour of the Basics

Triggering Time Machine and Coming Back
Auto-Close the Applications Folder
Time Machine Controls
Windows in Time Machine
Retrieving Backed-Up Files
Add the Action Menu
Checking for the Right Version

Retrieving a Previous Version of a File

When You Can’t See the Selected File,
or the Window is Empty
Override the Jump-to-Changed-File Click

Recovering a Trashed Item

Working with Apple Mail

Where Deleted Messages Go
Messages vs. Mailboxes
Retrieving a Message
Getting Attachments Back
Recovering a Mailbox
Recovering Notes

Working with Address Book

Basic Recovery Procedure
Finding a Deleted Card
Recovering a Previous Version of a Card
Recovering a Deleted Group
Restoring the Entire Address Book

Rescuing iPhoto Items

Retrieving a Single Photo
Recovering an Event
Restoring an Album
Duplicate Photos in Album Recovery

Major Restorations

Restoring Your System
Restoring User Data During a System Reinstall or Setup
Restoring an Entire Disk

Triggering, Skipping, and Canceling  Backups

Triggering a Backup NOW
Skipping Backups
Canceling Backups

When Your Disk Runneth Over

The Maybe-Better-Late-Than-Never Warning
How Do You Know You Need More Space?
Your Backup Didn’t Add Anything to the Total Used Space?

Deleting File or Folder Backups

Deleting Backups by Date

Adding Another Drive

Moving to a Bigger Drive

Laptop Issues

Part-Time Partnership
No Automatic Backups on Battery Power
No Backups During Sleep
Closing the Lid on a Backup
Force a Backup Before Closing the Lid

Salmagundi

The First Backup Takes a Long Time
Wait for Spotlight Indexing Before the First Backup
Spotlight and the Time Machine Disk
You Can Use Time Machine When It’s Turned Off.
No Backups During Sleep
What Time Machine Thinks is a New File/Folder
Backups Across a Network
Multiple Macs, One Backup Disk
One Mac, Multiple Backup Disks
Direct-Access Time Machine Files
Backed Up Applications Might Launch
Time Machine and FileVault (Not!)
Time Machine and Aperture
Wireless Network Backups and Time Capsule

Back of the Book

Navigating this eBook
Opening PDFs in Preview
Viewing at Actual Size
More on Pathnames
About Printing

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