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?’s about cloning hard disk
I want to clone my hard drive onto a firewire drive.
-Will the clone be as many gigs as the source disk or is it compressed?
-Also, I basically just want to clone my Applications folder so i don’t have to re-install any software if I have to restore. Is it possible to just clone that folder alone, or does the clone only work on the whole drive?
-When it clones, does it create one file or a disk image? My target disk for the clone can be used to store other data on it as well, right?
-I downloaded Carbon Copy Cloner for this task but if there is a better cloning software for my purposes please let me know.thanks
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2 Replies
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– CCC is free and is the only one I know of.
– Clones should be the same size as the original using CCC.
– You can clone just the applications folder, but many settings, including serial numbers are often stored elsewhere so a full clone of the drive is usually better.
– A clone only takes up space on the backup drive, you can save whatever else you want on it. -
Carbon Copy Cloner is fantastic but not compatible with Tiger 10.4+ I can’t remember if you need to use a second Mac to clone or not. I think you do with CCC and disk utility under Tiger. I have been able to clone applications once but I don’t usually have to do that. I prefer reinstallation and own full legal copies of my important software. The previous response is correct in saying that you will need to back up more than just your application’s folder in order to make the apps run. The applications store settings, including your registration numbers, in the “Library” folders. There is more than one place and more than one library. Adobe software seems to change where they store files between software packages and maybe even releases. Some settings are stored in the user’s library and other settings are stored in the global library. If you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s best to back up everything. I do know a thing or two and I still back up everything on the HD when I’m working on someone else’s stuff. I’ve messed up and missed important things in previous clone attempts. Tiger has a powerful cloning capability built into the disk utility under the “Restore” tab. (Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility>Restore) After you find this feature you can either create a blank disk image to clone to or chose to create a copied image from your hard drive. (File>New>Blank Disk Image or Disk Image from your hd) Good luck with your backup. Feel free to contact me for more free advice at: littlegraphix@yahoo.com just remember, sometimes you get what you pay for. 😉
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