First time user - basic question
 

I just purchased version 2.5. Here is what I would like to do:

** Using an external Lacie firewire drive, I would like to create a 100% BOOTABLE image of my macbook pro. This would include the op-sys (10.5.1), all apps and data files. A complete mirror of my system as it stands today so that, in the event of a hard drive failure I can boot from this external drive.
The COPY drive is Macintosh HD. The TO drive is LACIE. I assume the USING is BACKUP ALL FILES? I assume this is correct, and not one of the sandbox options. What about options? and where do you tell it to make the copy BOOTABLE?

thanks!

Leon Perakis

El Greco (err, Leon)

You have just written what could be a description of what SuperDuper does.

1) Yes, do NOT use one of the sandbox options. Just "copy all files" and for your first time, I would use "erase, then copy." After that first copy is created, then change your options to "smart backup all files" on subsequent runs.

2) Full copies/clones are automatically bootable in SuperDuper always. You need do nothing extra. (CAVEAT: the drive you are backing up to must be one which is capable of booting your particular Mac, and appropriately formatted/partitioned before use. These are not S/D issues, but general Mac ones.) SOME LaCie externals have problems booting. I would simply do as we have discussed here, then try it for bootability.

Thank you!
 

Much appreciated.

And here is how support responded for other newbies
 

Make sure your external drive is properly partitioned:

* Start Disk Utility
* Select the external drive hardware in the sidebar
* Click the Partition tab
* Click Options
* Choose the proper partition scheme (GUID for Intel macs, Apple Partition Map for Power PC) and accept the page
* Use the UI to divide the drive as needed, even as a single large partition. Use "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" as the format type and name appropriately
* Click Partition.

Once that's done, you'll just use "Backup - all files" from the source to the destination, with "Smart Update". The User's Guide (Help > User's Guide) goes into more detail.

Note that if you want to store alongside time machine, you need only select that volume as the destination drive. As long as you're using Smart Update, we take care of the rest of the details. Note, though: if the drive is not properly partitioned (see above) it won't be bootable.

Hope that helps!
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