Restore a Backup


Retrospect's Restore feature can sometimes be confusing. But don't panic. When you need to recover backed-up files, follow the instructions here that most closely match your situation.

Whichever method you choose, remember that Retrospect treats Restore operations in a method very similar to Backup or Duplicate operationsyou choose the Source (the volume or backup set containing the files you want to restore), the Destination (where to put the restored files), and various Options. You also, in some cases, choose particular files within the Source that you want to recover. Then perform the actual restoration.

Restore a Duplicate

Before restoring a duplicate, consider whether that's really what you want to do. Remember that you can boot your computer from a duplicate (as long as it's stored on its own volume on a FireWire hard drive or, if you're using an Intel Mac, a USB drive). If your internal disk has problems, you may find that you can boot from the duplicate and then run a utility to repair your internal disk. That can save you some time and effort over restoring the duplicate.

Note

If you want to boot from a duplicate you created over a network, either physically connect the hard drive it's on (internally or via FireWire) to the client machine, or restore the duplicate onto the client's hard drive over the network. You can't boot from a duplicate over a network.


However, if disk repair doesn't work (or if, for any other reason, you want to restore a duplicate, in its entirety, to the original volume), do not use Retrospect's Restore command! The Restore feature is only for files stored in backup sets (that is, archives). Instead, click the Duplicate button on the Immediate pane. Follow the same procedure you used for creating your duplicate, only swap the Source and Destination drives. Retrospect will then copy your duplicate back onto its original volume.

Restore the Entire Contents of a Backup

If you've been archiving files to a backup set using a backup script and you want to replace the entire set of files on your original volume with the backed-up copies (whether the most recent snapshot or not), follow these steps:

1.

On the Immediate pane, click the Restore button. A dialog appears.

2.

Select the Restore an Entire Disk radio button (yes, even if you didn't back up your entire disk) and click OK. The Restore from Backup: Source dialog appears.

3.

Select the backup set containing the files you want to restore. If you've backed up to multiple backup sets on different drives, you'll generally want to select the backup set with the most recent date.

4.

When you select a backup set, the bottom portion of the window displays the most recent snapshot for each of the volumes (or subvolumes) in that set. If you want to restore files from the most recent snapshot, simply select the volume you want to restore in this list. However, if you want to restore the files as they appeared at an earlier time, click Add Snapshot. The Snapshot Retrieval window appears, listing snapshots for every backup session stored in this backup set. Select the one you want and click Retrieve. Then, select that snapshot in the Restore from Backup: Source dialog and click OK.

5.

In the Destination Selection dialog that appears, select the original volume or subvolume corresponding to the snapshot you selected in Step 4. Make sure the pop-up menu at the top of the window says Replace Entire Disk (the default setting), and click OK. When the confirmation alert appears, click Replace.

Warning! Although it should be obvious by now, you are about to overwrite the files on your hard disk with the ones from your backup. If you are not completely certain this is what you want to do, select a different destination in Step 5 and then manually move the files to their original locations.

6.

After a few minutes of file scanning, Retrospect displays the Restore from Backup summary window. This is your last chance to make changes to your source, destination, or options before restoring your files. When you're ready to go for it, click Restore.

Retrospect restores all the files from your selected snapshot to their original locations.

Restore Individual Files or Folders from a Backup

Most of the time when I dip into an archive, it's to find an older version of a particular file or folder I inadvertently modified or deleted. These situations fall into two categories. In the first case, I know (at least roughly) when the version of the file I'm looking for would have been backed upand thus, I know which backup set likely contains it. In the second case, the file could be in any of several backup sets, and I'm not certain when a good copy was last backed up. Each situation requires a slightly different procedure.

If you know which backup set contains the files you want and when they were backed up, follow these steps to restore your files:

1.

On the Immediate pane, click the Restore button. A dialog appears.

2.

Select the Restore Files from a Backup button and click OK. The Restore from Backup: Source dialog appears.

3.

Select the backup set containing the files you want to restore. If you've backed up to multiple backup sets on different drives, you'll generally want to select the backup set with the most recent date.

4.

When you select a backup set, the bottom portion of the window displays the most recent snapshot for each of the volumes (or sub-volumes) in that set. If you want to restore files from the most recent snapshot, simply select the volume you want to restore in this list. However, if you want to restore the files as they appeared at an earlier time, click Add Snapshot. The Snapshot Retrieval window appears, listing snapshots for every backup session stored in this backup set. Select the one you want and click Retrieve. Then, select that snapshot in the Restore from Backup: Source dialog and click OK.

Note

Right now, you're selecting only the snapshot containing the files or folders you want to restore. Later, in Step 7, you'll narrow that down to particular files or folders.

5.

In the Destination Selection dialog that appears, select the volume or subvolume where you want to put the restored files. Although you can choose the original location, a safer option is to leave the existing copies of the files and folders (if any) alone and restore the backups to another location. Make sure the pop-up menu at the top of the window says Retrieve Files & Folders (the default setting), and click OK.

6.

After a few minutes of file scanning, Retrospect displays the Restore from Backup summary window. To select the files and folders you want to restore, click the Files Chosen button. A window appears listing all the files in the snapshot you selected.

7.

In the snapshot list, navigate to the file(s) or folder(s) you want to restore. Double-click an item (or select it and click the Mark button at the top of the window) to indicate that you want to restore it. (A checkmark appears next to each file selected for restoration.) Repeat for as many items as you wish. When you finish selecting files, close the window.

8.

Back in the Restore from Backup summary window, click Restore.

Retrospect copies the items you marked to the specified destination. It maintains the original folder structure, so what you'll see if you look in the destination location is a folder with the same name as your backup set. Inside that folder will normally be another series of folders mirroring the original folder hierarchy, and if you navigate down through these folders, you'll find the files you just restored.

If you're unsure where the files you want are located or when they were backed up, follow these steps to restore your files:

1.

On the Immediate pane, click the Restore button. A dialog appears.

2.

Select the Search for Files and Folders button and click OK. The Restore from Backup: Source dialog appears.

3.

Select one or more backup setsif you have no idea where your files may be, select all the backup sets. Then click OK.

4.

In the Destination Selection dialog that appears, select the volume or subvolume where you want to put the restored files. Although you can choose the original location, a safer option is to leave the existing copies of the files and folders (if any) alone and restore the backups to another location. Make sure the pop-up menu at the top of the window says Retrieve Files & Folders (the default setting), and click OK.

5.

Retrospect displays the Searching & Retrieval dialog. Use the pop-up menus to specify search criteria (just as you would in a Finder search) and click OK. Retrospect searches through the selected backup set(s) and selects all matching files.

6.

The Searching & Retrieval summary window appears. In the Files Chosen section, the window lists the total number of matching files it found.

7.

If you want to narrow that list down further to just particular files, click the Files Chosen button. In the list that appears, double-click an item (or select it and click the Unmark button at the top of the window) to indicate that you want to exclude it from the restoration. (A checkmark appears next to each file selected for restoration.) Repeat for as many items as you wish. When you finish selecting or deselecting files, close the window.

8.

In the Searching & Retrieval summary window, click Retrieve.

Retrospect copies the items you marked to the specified destination. It maintains the original folder structure, so what you'll see if you look in the destination location is a folder with the same name as your backup set. Inside that folder will normally be another series of folders that mirror the original folder hierarchy, and if you navigate down through these folders, you'll find the files you just restored.



Real World Mac Maintenance and Backups. Industrial-Strength Techniques
Real World Mac Maintenance and Backups. Industrial-Strength Techniques
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2004
Pages: 144

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