[rescue] Mac Backups

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

Big Endian wrote:
 
> >OK, so if I have a Mac with irriplaceble drivers and/or applications
> >on it, how should I back things up?  Just archive the application
> >folder and system folder?
> 
> Yes.  Its so easy its almost counterintuitive.  Put a second hdd on 
> there, drag and drop, you're done.

NO!!!!!! This will screw things up like you never would believe. The 
preferences for each installed package are installed in a directory
(folder) called preferences under the system directory. Ok, got it so far?

Good, now each preferences file points to files in your installed program's
directory, for example:   ":my hard disk:microsoft word:some file",
got that?  Well, wrong. 

The directory is referfed to by a sequential number starting at one, as
they are created. So if "microsoft word" was the 27th directory you
created, the file would be pointed to by: ":my hard disk:27:some file".

If you drag and drop, the directory numbers start over again.
  
Get a real backup program such as retrospect and use it.

If youjust want to make a copy of the files, but don't care to have it
run properly, download a program called SUNTar. It creates tar archives
in MacBinary form so you can restore the data forks if you just want
documents, etc, or the whole file if you want to use it on a MAC again.

Geoff.
-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson
Bloomberg L.P., BFM (Israel) 2 hours ahead of London, 7 hours ahead of New York.
Tel:  972-(0)3-754-1158 Fax 972-(0)3-754-1236 Email: gmendelson at bloomberg.com