Restore from time machine after reformat hdd

[derrickgoh]

Encountered some problem with my mac which disk permission repair & PRAM & SMC reset didnt help. Last resort am going to use erase & reinstall as per
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14243

Only thing is, my last time machine back up was done when my hdd had 2 partitions - 1 for mac & 1 for boot camp. As i seldom game i intend to remove my boot camp partition assuming the reinstall is successful.

My question is, when i import my latest time machine back up to my newly reformatted hdd, will there be any screw up? I pressume the newly formatted hdd will only be mac partition WITHOUT my former boot camp partition?

 

[IronMac]

Ohhh s#$t!!!

Ok, it would surprise me if you do NOT have some permissions issues at the very least.

At the very least, you were smart enough to have a TM backup.

 

[derrickgoh]

Ohhh s#$t!!!

Ok, it would surprise me if you do NOT have some permissions issues at the very least.

At the very least, you were smart enough to have a TM backup.

So after erase & reinstall the hdd will still be mac & bootcamp partitions or only mac? Also how do permissions get screwed up? Reinstall will solve it?

 

[IronMac]

So after erase & reinstall the hdd will still be mac & bootcamp partitions or only mac? Also how do permissions get screwed up? Reinstall will solve it?

I think it will only be Mac but don't quote me on this. In my experience, permissions always get messed up somehow and I don't know why.

 

[szeli]

should be only mac. cos I believe time machine is a file based backup not an image based one.

 

[derrickgoh]

Thanks all. Anyway the erase & reinstall option didn't help. Mac still froze. In fact it froze during the reinstall process when the Mac rebooted. LOL!

 

[szeli]

have u checked yr hdd n it's s.m.a.r.t attributes? it could also be some other hardware issue.

 

[IronMac]

Thanks all. Anyway the erase & reinstall option didn't help. Mac still froze. In fact it froze during the reinstall process when the Mac rebooted. LOL!

I think it's time to face the music and acknowledge that the problems here are hardware based. No amount of fiddling around with your backup and reinstalling is going to help.

 

[derrickgoh]

I think it's time to face the music and acknowledge that the problems here are hardware based. No amount of fiddling around with your backup and reinstalling is going to help.

Came to that realisation last night already. LOL!

Just can't decide on the next step. Either I trade in this faulty iMac (max I get back is $200) and buy a new iMac. Or I get a Mac Mini and link it up to the faulty iMac. The display still works so I figure I could still use the faulty iMac as a monitor.

The second option would be cheaper of course except that when the faulty iMac finally conks for good & I can't even use it as a monitor, then its worth literally nothing. If I did a trade in right now, at least its worth a little. iStudio quoted me $100 to $200.

Hmm, what would you do in my shoes?

 

[IronMac]

I would get a new iMac. Why?

A. The current mini is very long in the tooth. You buy it now and Apple will probably release a new one within weeks and you will be kicking yourself over and over again.
B. The current iMac is much more recent and much more powerful. You will love it.
C. You hook that old iMac of yours to a mini and you're probably going to need a new monitor soon anyways.

Best option, trade it in and get a new iMac.

 

[szeli]

if u want macmini, wait for e haswell one. should drop anytime soon.

 

[derrickgoh]

I would get a new iMac. Why?

A. The current mini is very long in the tooth. You buy it now and Apple will probably release a new one within weeks and you will be kicking yourself over and over again.
B. The current iMac is much more recent and much more powerful. You will love it.
C. You hook that old iMac of yours to a mini and you're probably going to need a new monitor soon anyways.

Best option, trade it in and get a new iMac.

Good points. Thanks. If I was not in a rush to get a com I'd probably wait for the new Mac Mini. But I AM in a rush. So all things considered, yeah probably better to get iMac.

Another reason why I was considering Mac Mini is the size and weight. Should I ever have to bring it for repairs, no problem. 27" iMac is not light. And its big and fragile too. Will need to spend $ on cab fare if it conks.

 

[IronMac]

Good points. Thanks. If I was not in a rush to get a com I'd probably wait for the new Mac Mini. But I AM in a rush. So all things considered, yeah probably better to get iMac.

Another reason why I was considering Mac Mini is the size and weight. Should I ever have to bring it for repairs, no problem. 27" iMac is not light. And its big and fragile too. Will need to spend $ on cab fare if it conks.

Yeah, I am going to replace my mid-2010 MBP sometime late this year. I'll probably go with a new rMBP but the mini is very tempting if a new one should ever show up. The iMac is another good choice but I hear ya on the sheer size of that screen. It's a real PITA if you ever have to bring it in for servicing. My wife already complains enough about me keeping product boxes!

She says to get the Mac Pro but for what I do it's absolute overkill.

 

[derrickgoh]

Yeah, I am going to replace my mid-2010 MBP sometime late this year. I'll probably go with a new rMBP but the mini is very tempting if a new one should ever show up. The iMac is another good choice but I hear ya on the sheer size of that screen. It's a real PITA if you ever have to bring it in for servicing. My wife already complains enough about me keeping product boxes!

She says to get the Mac Pro but for what I do it's absolute overkill.

I don't need mobile computing so for me to get a MBP or MBA, its senseless since you pay more for a less powerful machine.

Well the good news is the new 27" iMac is "only" 9.54 kg compared to the 2009 model which was 13.8 kg. I would keep the box 'cos it provides some protection.

 

[derrickgoh]

Pardon me for being a noob but if there is something wrong with my disk permissions and I backed up to Time Machine, will getting a new iMac and restoring from Time Machine mean I will get back the disk permission errors?

Because I am having what many here feel is hardware problems with my iMac. Before I tried erase & reinstall I did one final Time Machine back up so technically when I get a new iMac I can restore from there.

But I'm just wondering supposed there are any problems with the disk permissions, will that get restored too? I presume if there is any software issues like virus or corrupted data, that would get restored if the Time Machine copy was a "bad" copy, but what about disk permissions?

 

[IronMac]

Ok, to be honest, I don't know enough about permissions problems to tell you what will happen. All I know is that I'd be prepared for them to pop up. So long as you have your data and can reload on your programs and apps you should be fine.

Alternatively, ask at the store where you are planning on buying the iMac if they will assist you in bringing over your data. (I know that Challenger is not very helpful with this as I have already asked them.)

 

[szeli]

Pardon me for being a noob but if there is something wrong with my disk permissions and I backed up to Time Machine, will getting a new iMac and restoring from Time Machine mean I will get back the disk permission errors?

Because I am having what many here feel is hardware problems with my iMac. Before I tried erase & reinstall I did one final Time Machine back up so technically when I get a new iMac I can restore from there.

But I'm just wondering supposed there are any problems with the disk permissions, will that get restored too? I presume if there is any software issues like virus or corrupted data, that would get restored if the Time Machine copy was a "bad" copy, but what about disk permissions?

yr backup could have bad disk permissions but disk utility can fix that.

 

[derrickgoh]

Thanks. Will I guess as long as its a minor issue which disk utility can repair then no worries.