Mac Time Machine

[ewenm]

mrmaggit said:

No, I've got Time Machine on the toolbar at the bottom of the screen. Circular clock-type thing with an anti-clockwise arrow on the face. When I click it, it goes to a screen with a switch "off" on the left, "on" on the right.

It then goes to choose back up disc, If I then clock on the icon, it goes to set up time capsule. I don't want a time capsule, I want to revert to an earlier setting, I think. But I can't find how to do it.

Sorry if I appear to be wasting your time, but I'm just going round in circles and I don't want to do anything to bugger the thing up, because I'm not at all "techie".

Those are the Time Machine Preferences. You need a Time Capsule or other drive space to store the backups in. If this hasn't been set up you won't have any backups to go back to. On my Mac it was NOT set up automatically. I had to choose where to store the backups and how often to backup to it.

Have you tried the Finder -> Applications -> Time Machine route? If it isn't set up it should tell you you need to configure it at that point.

[Blue Meanie]

The time machine icon you need should be on the finder toolbar



If you right click it, you can fiddle the options, such as what is backed up, etc. To 'enter' time machine, just get wherever you need to be in finder, and click the icon... However, if you haven't actually set it up, then it won;t have made any backups

Edited by Blue Meanie on Monday 27th September 18:11

[mrmaggit]

Ah! No, nothing set up. I'll have a look. Thanks for the tip.

No doubt I'll be back, or words to that extent.

[mrmaggit]

Looks like I'm stuffed, then. It comes up with "a newer version of Airport Utility is available"

What the F is that?

[Blue Meanie]

When you right click, you should get this screen. With it, you can decide where to back up to, and what backs up. As a tip, do your first back up hardwired, with the cat5 in the back... It takes forever otherwise.

[Blue Meanie]

mrmaggit said:

Looks like I'm stuffed, then. It comes up with "a newer version of Airport Utility is available"

What the F is that?

Airport utility is simply the software to control the Time Capsule.

[mrmaggit]

Blue Meanie said:

mrmaggit said:

Looks like I'm stuffed, then. It comes up with "a newer version of Airport Utility is available"

What the F is that?

Airport utility is simply the software to control the Time Capsule.

Ah, that should be safe then.

[ewenm]

My first step would be to make sure you've got all the latest software, so go to the Apple menu (top left) and choose Software Update.

[Leithen]

Do you have an external drive of any description?

Either USB/Firewire (Connected to your computer by cable) or Time Capsule (Wireless or Wired external Drive that doubles as a base station).

Without, Time Machine will not work. It needs to be on a separate drive because it's designed to not only recover lost files, but also save you in the event of a drive failure.

[anonymous-user]

Leithen said:

Do you have an external drive of any description?

Either USB/Firewire (Connected to your computer by cable) or Time Capsule (Wireless or Wired external Drive that doubles as a base station).

Without, Time Machine will not work. It needs to be on a separate drive because it's designed to not only recover lost files, but also save you in the event of a drive failure.

I was just about to ask this. I'm guessing not... therefore there is nothing to go back in time for

[mrmaggit]

No, no external device, so why can't I go back to an earlier setting?

It was easy with Windoze, but seems a pain in the rear on the Mac.
Otherwise I like the thing.

Oh, and the graphic on the top tool bar doesn't show.

[ewenm]

mrmaggit said:

No, no external device, so why can't I go back to an earlier setting?

It was easy with Windoze, but seems a pain in the rear on the Mac.
Otherwise I like the thing.

Oh, and the graphic on the top tool bar doesn't show.

Time Machine is designed to allow you to recover your computer if the hard drive dies. As such you need to store the backups on a different hard drive (on the same one isn't much help if it dies). Since you haven't got any external drive, you've not set up the Time Machine to backup your system, so there are no earlier backups for you to go back to.

The Windows version won't protect you from a hard drive failure, but as you've experienced can allow you to go back to an earlier setting without an external drive.

To go back to your original post, what difficulties are you experiencing with Facebook (that's where Farmville lives isn't it?) and have they resolved themselves? Have you done a software update to make sure you've got the latest version Safari?

[Blue Meanie]

mrmaggit said:

No, no external device, so why can't I go back to an earlier setting?

It was easy with Windoze, but seems a pain in the rear on the Mac.
Otherwise I like the thing.

Oh, and the graphic on the top tool bar doesn't show.

Time Machine is a back up utility. If you don't have a back up, then you have nothing to back up to. I suggest you get a back up drive, and start using it.

[mrmaggit]

Um.

Well, I've uploaded some updates from Apple that I hadn't, and that has resolved a few "issues", and a few things are working that weren't before, or were jamming the system that now aren't.

But it doesn't explain my first question/presumption that there would be a facility to default to an earlier setting, which I now know there isn't unless you do it yourself, which, had I known, I would have done from the outset.

I don't have a vast amount of "work" that is not stored elsewhere, so I don't need a secondary back-up, as that is the original source material, that I can always re-load.

I was initially impressed by the mac, I suppose I still am, but when the hackers get in, then I will view it as an overpriced windows alternative, with less numpty friendliness.

As I said, I'm no pooter expert, I don't do things if I think there's the slightest chance of them going wrong, because I don't know how to correct the mistake. The IT dept at work go mad at me from time to time but at least they know I don't create major problems, because I stop as soon as I think I've ball'sd up. Which is why I've asked you good fellows for advice; I don't know, if I did I wouldn't ask.

Thank you for your patience, I'll no doubt help you on something I do know about in the future.

maggit

[Blue Meanie]

Well, as you clearly have no idea what you are doing, you'll forgive me if your opinion of the apple doesn't count!

To recap..

• You need an external drive to back your stuff to
• Time machine can do that for you
• If you haven't used Time machine, you can't use it to restore to an earlier time
• Even if you don't think you need a back up, make one anyway...

[mrmaggit]

So how do I do it, given that the OS doesn't exactly scream "help this way" at me?

[Blue Meanie]

mrmaggit said:

So how do I do it, given that the OS doesn't exactly scream "help this way" at me?

Gimme a few mins, and I'll do some screen grabs...

[mrmaggit]

Blue Meanie said:

mrmaggit said:

So how do I do it, given that the OS doesn't exactly scream "help this way" at me?

Gimme a few mins, and I'll do some screen grabs...

Thanks, I really don't know how this pooter stuff work, I just type stuff in.

Internet beers on way.

[Blue Meanie]

OK...

• First, you have to get a disk you can back up to. A cheap external disk will be fine...
• When you have said disk, then go to the time machine icon in the top of the screen...

• Right click that icon, and go to 'Open Time Machine preferences'
• In there you will find this screen...

• Click on 'Select Dick'... You will see this screen.

• Simply select the disc that you want to back up to. Once done, click okey dokey, and you'll return to the main screen.
• On the main window, click 'Options'... In there, you can select the directories which you DO NOT want backing up. Everything else will be.

• There are other self explanatory options there too.

Once that is done, you have selected the back up location, and what is to be backed up. You can turn on Time Machine using the big sliding button, and it will back up. There may sometimes be a delay, so if you want it to back up now, then right click the time machine icon, and click 'back up now'...

Jobs a goodun!

[mrmaggit]

So, as I don't feel I need an external hard drive for storage, basically the Mac doesn't have "System Restore" (finally remembered what the utility was called) on it anywhere.