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Restoring data from your backup |
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Because CCC backups are non-proprietary copies of your original volume, you can navigate the contents of your CCC backup volume in the Finder and find your files exactly where you would find them on the original source volume. If you need to restore a single file, you can copy it directly from your backup volume in the Finder. CCC is not required to gain access to your data. If you have a larger restore need, though, CCC is ready to help make the restore process as easy as it was to back up in the first place.
Restoring non-system files
The restore process is virtually identical to the backup process. The notable differences are that you will probably be restoring a smaller subset of files than what you backed up, and that you may want to indicate that files newer on the original volume shouldn't be overwritten by potentially older versions on your backup. CCC offers a preset to make restoring files safe and easy.
- Launch CCC
- Select your backup volume from the source menu
- Select your original source volume from the destination menu
- Deselect any items from the list of items to be copied that you do not want to be restored
- Choose "Restore items from a backup" from the preconfigured settings popup menu
- Click the Clone button
With the "Restore items from a backup" preset, CCC will not overwrite a file that is newer on the original volume than the one that exists on the backup volume. Any items that are replaced will be archived as a safety precaution. Additionally, CCC will only restore the items that are missing from the original volume.
Note: If you choose your startup disk as the destination volume, CCC will impose a protective filter on system files and folders. It wouldn't be a good idea to overwrite or delete system files on the OS that you're booted from, so this isn't something that CCC will allow. If you need to restore system items or items in the Applications folder, refer to the following restore solution.
Restoring an entire volume (including system files)
To restore an entire volume that includes an installation of Mac OS X, for example your boot volume after a disk failure, you will need to boot from an external Firewire or USB hard drive. Ideally, you will simply boot from the hard drive that you backed up to using CCC:
- Attach your CCC backup disk to your Mac
- Open the Startup Disk preference pane in the System Preferences application
- Choose your backup volume as the startup disk, then click on the Restart button
- If you are unable to boot from your original hard drive, hold down the Option key as you start up your Mac. Your backup disk should appear as a startup disk option in the startup disk selector screen.
- If you are replacing your original startup disk with a new hard drive, be sure to initialize that hard drive so it's ready to host an installation of Mac OS X: Formatting and partitioning a hard drive
- Launch CCC
- Select your backup volume from the source menu
- Select your original source volume from the destination menu
- Choose "Restore items from a backup" from the preconfigured settings popup menu.
- Click the Clone button
When the restore process has completed, reset your startup disk in the System Preferences application and restart your Mac.
Restoring from a folder
If you chose a folder as your destination when you originally backed up your data, CCC can restore that data to the original location using the following steps:
- Select "Choose a folder..." from CCC's Source menu and locate the folder that you had previously specified as your backup destination
- Select your original source volume from the destination menu. If you had specified a folder in the source menu when you originally backed up your data, select "Choose a folder..." from CCC's Destination menu and locate that same folder.
- Choose "Restore items from a backup" from the preconfigured settings popup menu.
- Click the Clone button