I try to keep my mid-2009 Macbook Pro (5,3) pretty clean but over the last year I have definitely felt things slowing down a bit. I'm anxious to do a fresh install but I want to make sure I have a backup of everything at least, but an easy restore procedure would be best. I have files that aren't in the standard home folder locations, so I want to make sure I get everything.
What are your best practices for backing up before a fresh install?
Best Answer
(Option #1)
(Option #2)
Do the same thing as Option #1, except that instead of making a clone (and booting from it), perform a full Time Machine backup to that new external drive.
Once you have the backup continue with step number 6 up there. Remember that Migration Assistant will have to be told to “migrate from a Time Machine backup” instead of “just another volume”.
Which one is better? There’s no better or worse, but a few things must be observed:
So there you have the two main methods.
An ideally backup plan (without going paranoid), will consists of a weekly (or daily) clone/snapshot to a bootable drive that you can store a few feet away from your computer every now and then and an “all the time” Time Machine drive sitting there, keeping your computer’s changes up to date in a short interval. This covers the two main problems:
Good Luck! :)