Friday the 13th = National Verify Your Backups Day

[Xairbusdriver]

National Verify Your Backups Day, at least according to Adam Engst.

Note: The key word there is VERIFY"!

Surely, by now, we all are making backups! I don't think Apple could make it much easier or automatic. And anyone who has been around TS more than a week, knows what "CCC" and "SuperDuper" are for!

But making those backups is only the first step. If you don't know that they will work, you've just been wasting cpu cycles. "Trust but VERIFY!"

Although you cannot boot from a Time Machine backup, you can restore several files from different time periods to VERIFY that they are usable. Just click the "Keep Both" option to avoid over-writing the latest version with an older one.

Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper let you VERIFY their backup by simply booting from their disk. Generally, you open System Prefs, select the "Startup Disk" tab/icon (You may be asked to enter your Admin/computer password at this point) and select the drive with the backup you want to use. Now click the "Restart..." button. This Restart can take a bit longer depending on the type of external drive, but once you see the Desktop (and sign-in, assuming you are protecting your Mac from nosy visitors), you can be assured that the backup is VERIFIED! Congratulations!

[jchuzi]

Another way to boot from a clone is to restart and press (and hold) Option as soon as you hear the chime. Release the key when you see a choice of startup disks, select the clone, and press Return. An advantage of this method is that you can start up from your internal drive by merely restarting. Otherwise, you'll have to go back to System Preferences > Startup Disk and select the internal. If you don't, the clone becomes the default startup disk. This is not a big deal, but it's worth mentioning.

[Xairbusdriver]

Thanks, Jon!

[jchuzi]

Here's another tip:

When you boot from the clone, you may not be sure that it is actually the clone. I always change the desktop picture (System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver) before cloning, then switch it back after the clone is completed. If I see the changed desktop when booted from the clone, I know that it is the clone.

[Xairbusdriver]

In the past, I rotated the screen 180 degrees before doing the re-boot. But that option has been removed by Apple in newer Operating Systems.

[jchuzi]

That's great! Of course, you'll have to stand on your head to read it...

[Xairbusdriver]

you'll have to stand on your head to read it...

No, don't be silly! The re-boot will not require that 'stance'. That's the proof that you've re-booted from the clone.

[jchuzi]

But it will look normal in Australia...