Mac Computers Hidden Backup Treasury

We like Mac computers. They are more and more compatible with Windows. Load up a copy of Parallels Desktop, and you are running two platforms on a single piece of hardware. 

One hidden treasure on the Mac operating system is its nifty backup program, Time Machine. Anyone who has used traditional backup software has probably been baffled when faced with knowing the difference between terms like “incremental” and “full” backups. Then there’s finding and putting back or restoring an uncorrupted version of that one file you’ve accidentally deleted or ruined.

Mac’s Time Machine solves all that for the average user. The program is included in the MacOS operating system. It appears as a small round clock icon on the Mac upper menu. The first time you use Time Machine it backs up your entire system–program, application, and data files. So, it’s best to block out some unproductive time for a process that could take a few hours. You’ll need a high capacity (1 GB or more) external hard drive as your backup destination. 

However, you can activate the Time Machine full backup and still use your Mac.  When the full backup is complete, click on the Time Machine icon…Enter Time Machine…and prepare to be impressed. What pops up is an absolutely breathtaking graphical user interface that show the current state of your Mac’s hard drive with applications, file folders, and latest version of each file. 

If you have set the Time Machine to automatically back up each hour, you can, for example, select a Time Machine display screen for, say 24 hours earlier to restore a file. You also have the option to keep both the old version and a newer one if available.

The foregoing has covered only the basics of the Time Machine data backup application. You can also use the program to restore the entire system to recover from a malware attack, for example. 

Need help in restoring files from a dead hard drive?  Contact us at PC Geeks today!