SuperDuper! Question(s)

[HarpuaFSB]

Hey everyone, sorry to barge in here like this, I browsed a few threads and didn't see this asked yet so here I go...

Anyway, I'm evaluating some backup program options for a new LaCie 160GB external drive I just bought so I could back up my HD. Basically, there's a hardware issue with my Powerbook that Apple needs to fix. For them to fix it, I have to send the Powerbook into them and they cannot guarantee that my data will be there when I get it back.

All I want to do is clone my HD to the external drive and make that drive bootable so that if Apple does mess with my hard drive, I can boot from the firewire drive, run Disk Utility and restore the firewire disk to the Powerbook hard drive. The reasons that I want to do this are the usual suspects, don't feel like recreating and reinstalling everything, etc., etc.

Will SuperDuper! accomplish this? I downloaded it and am trying it right now...what I did was erase the firewire drive and enabled it as a Mac OS X (journaled) drive. What ever that means.

I started SuperDuper! and selected to copy the "Macintosh HD" to the "Clone" partition on the firewire drive and selected the script "Backup - all files".

Will this accomplish what I am looking to do?

Thanks in advance,
Tom

[dnanian]

You're not barging in, Tom -- this is exactly what the forums are for.

Indeed, SuperDuper! will do this, no problem, and you're doing it exactly right. After your "Backup - all files" is done, try booting from it just to make sure it's working OK. Note that we've seen quite a few examples of the Porsche Design version of the LaCie drive with some seriously weird firewire/hard drive problems, that generate I/O errors with SuperDuper! and other programs that intensively use the drive. Be aware!

[HarpuaFSB]

Originally Posted by dnanian

You're not barging in, Tom -- this is exactly what the forums are for.

Indeed, SuperDuper! will do this, no problem, and you're doing it exactly right. After your "Backup - all files" is done, try booting from it just to make sure it's working OK. Note that we've seen quite a few examples of the Porsche Design version of the LaCie drive with some seriously weird firewire/hard drive problems, that generate I/O errors with SuperDuper! and other programs that intensively use the drive. Be aware!

Dave, thanks for the response. Unfortunately that's the exact variant of the LaCie drive I got, the Porsche variant...no errors yet at 24 minutes so I'll hold out hope that it will go smoothly.

I was just checking out some of the other features SD has such as a "Smart Update" and if this works, I'll definitely throw down the $19.95 for it. And I swear I'm not just pouring candy in your ears because you're helping me...



I'll let you know how it goes...

Thanks again,
Tom

[dnanian]

mmm... Candy!

Here's hoping it goes well. SuperDuper! -- unlike some other programs, including LaCie's own SilverKeeper -- will flag the I/O errors and not let you think that your backup went smoothly when it didn't. When I saw that happen, I was seriously shocked...

The d2 variant, also a LaCie, is actually not much more expensive ($30, I believe), and we haven't seen this kind of problem in the field with it. Just be aware, and careful.

[HarpuaFSB]

Originally Posted by dnanian

The d2 variant, also a LaCie, is actually not much more expensive ($30, I believe), and we haven't seen this kind of problem in the field with it. Just be aware, and careful.

Well, a lot of good that information does for me seeing that I've already bought the Porsche variant, unpacked and have been using it!

Couldn't you retroactively let me know this as of two days ago?

[dnanian]

Well, if it proves to be one of the bad ones, you'll know soon enough -- at that point, it's defective and should be able to be returned.

I'll send this information to your two-day-ago self so you'll know it then...