[parlor]

Hi, sorry if this is really obvious stuff, and I'm sure it's been covered before, I tried searching but couldn't find the information I've been looking for - probably due to my lay persons terminology...

My Macbook developed the circle with a line start up screen. Booted in safe mode. It then hung on my desktop image but nothing else (menu bar etc). Cleared the PRAM and tried to boot again in safe mode, but it won't let me in: enter password, asks for log-in again, re-cycle!

For annoying reasons my start up discs (which are for 10.4) are in the UK, I now live in Canada. I had a HD died last summer and the nice person at the Mac store "gave" me 10.5. I have an appointment later tonight to see a "Genius" as I am at my limit with the techno stuff going on. My apple care died in November but I thought I would see what they are saying.

I have 10.6 disks for my iMac, are they any use?

Anyway, I want to back up all the information on to my iMac before I see the Genius later. What libraries / files etc do I need? I understand my documents etc but more for iMovie, iPhoto & iTunes? Can I just copy them on to my iMac and then copy them back on to the Macbook when I get it sorted?

I have the Macbook mounted on my iMac via Firewire and plenty of free space.

Thanks in advance!

[Big Mac]

I assume you don't have a backup. . . Your most important user data is stored in your user's Home folder, including the iTunes and iPhoto libraries, unless you manually moved them elsewhere. Boot from another drive and copy over your user's home folder. Most everything else outside of that will be your installed applications, their preferences and the OS software, all of which can be reinstalled.

[parlor]

I bought a USB Lacie hard drive last year and Time Machine wouldn't back up to it for some reason. I've been too busy to sort it out. I have my own personal back up of certain things - really important documents, photos etc.

What I really want to be able to do is pull stuff off the Macbook and just copy it straight back to the book when it's fixed, or a new one if that's the case

So USERS > *name* > Library > itunes / imovie / iphoto etc is where all the files are kept?

[Doc HM]

Originally Posted by parlor 

I bought a USB Lacie hard drive last year and Time Machine wouldn't back up to it for some reason. I've been too busy to sort it out. I have my own personal back up of certain things - really important documents, photos etc.

What I really want to be able to do is pull stuff off the Macbook and just copy it straight back to the book when it's fixed, or a new one if that's the case

So USERS > *name* > Library > itunes / imovie / iphoto etc is where all the files are kept?

Not really. All your actual user data is kept in your home folder in the various folders, Documents, Music, Pictures etc. The library file contains your apple mail data plus various files that detail how yur mac is set up and support for applications that you run.

Some people elect to keep data outside their user folder. If so you will have to track it down. If your drive is failing, get the data in the user folders other than the library first as this will be your really valuable stuff. The library contains many thousand files, most of which you can do without unless your mail data is critical.

[parlor]

Thanks, Doc HM.

I have some notes on my Stickies that I would like to grab, is that possible?

[Doc HM]

Originally Posted by parlor 

Thanks, Doc HM.

I have some notes on my Stickies that I would like to grab, is that possible?

Stickies info should be in home/library

the stickies database (.stickiesdatabase) is a hidden file so you will have to turn on show invisible files.

To show these files fire up terminal and type (pressing return after each line:
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
killall Finder

to hide them again retype changing TRUE to FALSE

[reader50]

Once you have the critical data salvaged manually, you can use Time Machine on the iMac to back up the entire MacBook drive. Go into the TM preferences pane, click the [Options...] button. Highlight the MacBook's drive, and click the [-] minus button to remove it from the exclude list. TM should start the backup.

[Jasoco]

Backup the entire Home directory (To be safe, do the entire Users directory) at the least. And if you installed anything that placed files in the main Library you could back that up too to be safe. I keep an exact clone of my entire HD connected to a networked Mac mini that backs up via Carbon Copy Cloner twice daily. It does an "update clone" where it copies files that changed and deletes files from the target that are missing, i.e. makes the clone exactly the same as my HD in my laptop. It's literally irreplaceable. I have had many HD's die in my laptop that didn't phase me for a second because I still had my trusty clone to boot from while I waited for a replacement HD. While booted onto the clone, I can change whatever I want because when the new HD comes, I just clone back from the clone. They're always in sync.

Believe me. If you have a laptop, it's a great idea to also keep an always on older Mac (Doesn't matter what kind as long as it has USB. Preferably 2.x. And if you've bought Macs before, you probably have one lying around. Or just piggy back off your childs iMac or the Mac in the den.) somewhere on the network with an attached HD for backing up. Then use either Time Machine's network backup or Carbon Copy Cloner's network backup (Or both!) to wirelessly backup every day. You will never again be in a panicked state because you'll always know your data is safely stored elsewhere.

You can never have too many backups. I actually had both my internal HD die AND my Time Machine HD die the same day in the same 10 minutes but was glad to still have my CCC clone or else I'd have lost everything.