[rescue] Mac Backups

[Big Endian]

>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?

Thats odd, because I do it all the time.  I've even taken a backup of 
my powerbook 1400, and booted a powermac 8500 from it.  Its a mac, it 
"just works".

>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.

Umm... Most paths that I've seen in pref files are *RELATVE* to the 
root of the boot volume.

>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".

Ok.  I've been a mac coder for 5 years and I"ve *NEVER* seen someone 
do something this FUCKING IDIOTIC.

>If you drag and drop, the directory numbers start over again.

And if the program is coded by someone other than a fucking moron it 
shouldn't matter.

>Get a real backup program such as retrospect and use it.

Retrospect is great, but *WAY* over kill for what he needs to do.

>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.

There's also this great program called stuffit lite...

daniel
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