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Overview of Mac OS X Backup Programs



There are several backup programs available for Mac OS X. Some of them are freeware, but the more full-featured programs are shareware or commercial packages. Here is a partial list of some of the options available to users.

  • Time Machine is a backup program built into Mac OS 10.5. For instructions on how to use it check out the Apple website.
  • SilverKeeper, by La Cie, is a freeware backup program that allows users to create an exact copy of a file, folder, or disk. If used to backup to the same disk more than once, it will do a comparison of the old and new data and warn the user of any differences. It cannot be set to backup information automatically on a regular basis and it does not compress the data.
  • Deja Vu, by Propaganda Productions, is a shareware program that allows the scheduled backup of an unlimited number of folders to local data storage devices or remote devises using WebDAV, AFP, NFS and SMB. It will also allow for the synchronization of folder contents and it will accurately clone the OS X system disk, thereby producing a bootable copy.
  • Retrospect, by Dantz, is a full-featured, schedulable commercial backup program that allows users to backup to a wide range of media, either locally or remotely. It will also work in a mixed PC and Macintosh environment.
  • Backup, by Apple, is a program provided to .Mac users. It is a simple-to-use backup program that allows users to backup to their .Mac account, a second hard drive, or their Apple-supplied CD or DVD reader. Users can select files or folders to be backed and schedule regular backup times and dates. However, users need a valid .Mac account before they are able to use the application.
  • Carbon Copy Cloner is a shareware program that will make an exact copy of a disk or selected files and folders on the disk. It's easy to use as well as useful for people who want to make exact copies or backups of their hard drive because it is the only backup program that copies ALL the files on a disk--including the invisible ones.

    • Note: The current version of Carbon Copy Cloner, which is 2.3, does not work under normal circumstances in Mac OS 10.4.X (Tiger). It will hang when trying to authenticate prior to the cloning operation. Use another backup program, such as Silverlining, instead.

  • SuperDuper! is a shareware program which will make an exact copy of a disk or selected files. It's easy to use and is compatable with Mac OS 10.4 as well as earlier versions of Mac OS X.
  • iBackup is a freeware program which will do on-the-fly or scheduled backups of files users wish to save. It will write the backup files to any mounted HD, including the drive which contains the original files. It will not write to CDs or DVDs.

If users have a CD or DVD burner, they can do a crude backup by inserting a blank CD or DVD into their burner, waiting for the system to mount the disk for burning, and dragging the files and folders onto the blank CD icon on the desktop. A variation of this technique would be to use Toast. Tell Toast to create a Data CD, drag the files and folders to be backed up into the toast window and drop them in the designated area. It is then a simple matter to burn the CD or DVD with the data on it. If desired, the backup list can then be saved for future backups.



Current Record: 1247

Create Date: 05-05-2003
Last Reviewed: 02-22-2008
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