Bootable SuperDuper Backup of One MacBook to Another?

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AES - 23 Feb 2008 21:39 GMT

I'm going to try creating a bootable backup of my primary MacBook to the
internal HD of a "standby MacBook" using SuperDuper and Target Disk
mode, so that this standby MacBook can provide an instantly bootable hot
backup for my primary MacBook; and I just want to ask one final time for
any advice, warnings, suggestions, or wise counsel on how to do this,
before I bite the bullet.

The primary (and slightly newer) MacBook has a 2.16 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
processor; is running OS 10.4.11; and has about 45 GB total on a 120 GB
internal HD (as shown by Get Info). It's basically a single-user
machine. I make regular bootable SuperDuper backups of it to an 80 GB
external pocket drive, and will continue to do so.

The standby MacBook has a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Due processor; currently
has OS 10.4.10 installed; and says it currently has 7 GB on an 80 GB HD.
There are no personal files of mine or anyone else on it (it's just come
back from a lengthy warranty repair).

The idea, as noted above, is that this standby MacBook will then provide
an instantly available, bootable, "hot backup" in case my primary
MacBook totally fails (like this standby one did when it was my primary
laptop many weeks ago). I've been told by various sources (including
SuperDuper) that this can be done, and should be no problem.

One specific question: Should I somehow wipe or erase the standby HD in
Target Disk mode before I do the backup, to get rid of all the system
stuff that's now on it? If so, should I do this using Disk Utility? Or
as an option in SuperDuper?

If I ever do have to boot the standby backup machine, I suspect I may
lose some prefs or have to re-enter some serial numbers, and I'm
prepared for that. What will happen with cookies and my iPod, GOK, but
those are replaceable.

Any other suggestions . . .?

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Mike Rosenberg - 23 Feb 2008 22:33 GMT

> I've been told by various sources (including
> SuperDuper) that this can be done, and should be no problem.

Yes, I even remember the discussion here.

> One specific question: Should I somehow wipe or erase the standby HD in
> Target Disk mode before I do the backup, to get rid of all the system
> stuff that's now on it? If so, should I do this using Disk Utility? Or
> as an option in SuperDuper?

You certainly want to erase a drive you're about to clone another drive
onto, but how you do it doesn't matter. It takes the least effort to
have SuperDuper! do it, though.

> If I ever do have to boot the standby backup machine, I suspect I may
> lose some prefs or have to re-enter some serial numbers, and I'm
> prepared for that.

No, a clone means just that. On completion, the target drive is
identical to the source. Remember, this is just like making any clone
backup, it just so happens that you're using a drive currently installed
in another computer. Programs like QuarkXpress and Adobe CS2/CS3 apps
need to be reactivated, though.

> What will happen with cookies and my iPod, GOK, but
> those are replaceable.

Again, they'll all be faithfully cloned.

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Lewis - 24 Feb 2008 15:49 GMT

> One specific question: Should I somehow wipe or erase the standby HD in
> Target Disk mode before I do the backup,

Yes.

>If so, should I do this using Disk Utility? Or as an option in

SuperDuper?

Doesn't matter.

> If I ever do have to boot the standby backup machine,

The very first thing I would do after backing up is boot that second Mac
and make sure everything works.

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Király - 24 Feb 2008 16:35 GMT

In comp.sys.mac.system Lewis <gkreme@gmail.com> wrote:

> >If so, should I do this using Disk Utility? Or as an option in
> SuperDuper?
>
> Doesn't matter.

I'd use SuperDuper. Disk Utility fails to copy some kinds of ACLs. If
you have a default installation DU should be okay, but if you have
created custom ACLs anywhere; I would use SD!.

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K.

Lang may your lum reek.

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Mike Rosenberg - 24 Feb 2008 17:10 GMT

> I'd use SuperDuper. Disk Utility fails to copy some kinds of ACLs.

He's definitely using SuperDuper! for the cloning. He just wanted to
know which app to use to erase the target disk.

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Lewis - 24 Feb 2008 17:58 GMT

> In comp.sys.mac.system Lewis <gkreme@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >If so, should I do this using Disk Utility? Or as an option in
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> I'd use SuperDuper. Disk Utility fails to copy some kinds of ACLs.

You're trimming removed the question, which was "how should I erase the
drive" ACLs do not enter into it.

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Bart: This is the worst day of my life.
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TaliesinSoft - 24 Feb 2008 18:11 GMT

If one is undertaking a "full" backup via SuperDuper! the drive is to all
intents "erased", and if one is undertaking a "smart" backup via SuperDuper!
the files on the drive are erased and augmented to bring the contents into
agreement with the drive being backed up.

As I see it there is no advantage or purpose in pre-erasing the drive prior
to a SuperDuper! backup unless one is, pardon me, "paranoid" in which case
they can undertake one of the Disk Utility "secure" erasings.

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James Leo Ryan ..... Austin, Texas ..... taliesinsoft@mac.com

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AES - 24 Feb 2008 23:41 GMT

> As I see it there is no advantage or purpose in pre-erasing the drive prior
> to a SuperDuper! backup unless one is, pardon me, "paranoid" in which case
> they can undertake one of the Disk Utility "secure" erasings.

I was not proposing to pre-erase the target drive out of any security
concerns. My proposal was to back up a complete and functioning 10.4.11
system containing all my computing needs and data to the target drive,
and make it bootable.

It therefore seemed like the cleanest choice (to a naive user like me,
anyway) to pre-erase the 10.4.10 system and anything else that was
already on the target drive, and avoid any potential conflicts from
having multiple systems on the target drive; and I was just asking if
there were any gotchas that I might not be aware of.

In the event, doing this seems to have worked just fine.

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AES - 24 Feb 2008 23:56 GMT

I recently posted the query:

> I'm going to try creating a bootable backup of my primary MacBook to the
> internal HD of a "standby MacBook" using SuperDuper and Target Disk
> mode, so that this standby MacBook can provide an instantly bootable hot
> backup for my primary MacBook; and I just want to ask one final time for
> any advice, warnings, suggestions, or wise counsel on how to do this,
> before I bite the bullet.

and I'm just reporting that, so far as I can tell thus far, doing this
seems to have worked just fine.

After connecting the standby MacBook to my primary MacBook in Target
Disk mode, I erased and renamed its internal disk using Disk Utility,
then did a full bootable backup to it using SuperDuper.

When I then I shut down down and restarted the standby MacBook, it
booted just fine (albeit very slowly on the initial boot), and it now
seems on limiting testing to function just like the primary MacBook.

Maybe this is all very obvious to experts with more knowledge than I
have, but in any case, unless problems show up in future testing, it
looks as if it meets my desire to have an immediate "hot backup" for my
primary Mac.

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Mac Forum / Applications / Mac Applications / February 2008

Bootable SuperDuper Backup of One MacBook to Another?