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Restoring an Apple MacBook Pro with Time Machine: Computers for Teachers

If your Apple MacBook Pro fails you may wish to recover files created or modified prior to your last backup by accessing the Time Machine software installed

on your laptop. This document will outline how to:

Set up Time Machine on an Apple MacBook Pro

Change your Time Machine backup disk

Find a file on your Time Machine backup disk

Restore a file using Time Machine

Restore Time Machine backups on a new MacBook Pro

Setting up Time Machine on an Apple MacBook Pro

Setting up Time Machine on your Computers for Teachers Apple MacBook Pro is a 3 part process. Each part outlines a set of instructions. To ensure that

Time Machine is correctly set up on your laptop, it is important to follow and complete the instructions in all three parts.

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Part 1: Select a storage location

1. Log onto your Apple MacBook Pro.

2. Insert the external storage device. This is the device

on which you wish to store Time Machine backups

i.e. a USB memory stick or external hard drive.

3. Click the Finder icon located in your menu bar.

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4. Select Applications from the left hand side of the

window that appears

5. Open the Time Machine application

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The Time Machine setup window will appear.

6. Click Select Disk.

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A window will open displaying the available storage

locations for Time Machine backups.

Time Machine’s default location (your internal hard

drive) will be displayed as Backup. All available external

storage devices will be listed by name underneath the

default setting (i.e. in this image, the external storage

device is listed as NO NAME).

7. Select the required external storage device.

8. Click Use Backup Disk.

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A message will appear asking if you are sure you want

to erase the content on the external storage device

selected for Time Machine backups.

This will occur even if your device does not contain data.

9. Select Erase to continue.

The main Time Machine window will redisplay.

The ON/OFF button will be switched ON indicating the

storage location of your backups has been verified.

Do not close any windows and continue to Step Two.

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Part 2: Select applications to exclude from backup

1. Click Options.

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The Exclude these items from backups window will

appear.

2. Click the + button.

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The menu list window will appear.

3. Select Macintosh HD from the drop down Menu,

then

4. Select Applications, and

5. Click Exclude.

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You will be redirected to the Exclude these items from

backups window.

6. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for Library and System

folders only.

Once you have selected your System folder a message

window will appear.

7. Select Exclude All System Files.

You will be directed back to the Exclude these items

from backups window.

The applications you have selected to exclude from

Time Machine backups will be listed in the open window.

8. Click Done.

Do not close any windows and continue to Part Three.

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Part Three: Select document folders to exclude from backups

1. Click Options.

The Exclude these items from backups window will

open.

2. Click the + button.

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The menu list window will appear

3. Select Macintosh HD, Users then

4. Select Users folder

5. Select your user name.

6. Highlight the folder in the list you wish to exclude

from Time Machine backups.

7. Click Exclude.

Repeat this process to highlight and exclude each folder

you do not want to be backed up until you have

customised your Users folder to your own preferences

and requirements.

8. Click Done.

The first backup of your files will begin.

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Changing your Time Machine backup disk

If you misplace or reach the memory capacity on the external storage device containing your Time Machine backups, it may be necessary for you to change

your storage location or backup disk (e.g. USB memory stick).

You can change the storage location for your Time Machine backups using Time Machine’s System Preferences.

1. Click the Apple icon.

2. Select System Preferences.

From the System Preferences menu

3. Select Time Machine.

The Time Machine window will open.

4. Click Select Disk.

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5. Select a device for Time Machine backups list and

6. Click Use Backup Disk.

7. Close Time Machine window.

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Finding a file on your Time Machine backup disk

Locating a file and/or folder for restoration on your Apple MacBook Pro is easy.

Simply log onto your Apple MacBook Pro, insert your Time Machine backup device, and open Time Machine using the icon located in your menu bar.

Once Time Machine opens, you can look for files using one of these techniques:

Timeline

The Timeline shows the time each backup on

your backup disk was performed.

To locate a file or folder, scroll over the timeline

located on the right side of your laptop screen.

This technique is effective if you know what day

you created, deleted or modified the document

or folder you need

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Backward and forward arrows

The backward and forward arrows allow Time

Machine to automatically travel through time to

show you when the document or folder you need

was last changed.

To locate this file or folder, click the back arrow

located in the bottom right of the screen.

This option is useful if you don’t know the date

you created, deleted or modified the file or folder

you need.

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Spotlight search

A Spotlight search allows you to enter a word or

phrase into its search field to locate files and/or

folders backed up with the same or similar title.

To locate a file and/or folder, type a word or

phrase into the Spotlight search field and press

the back arrow.

This option is useful if you are unsure of the

name of the file or folder you need, or the date it

was created, deleted or modified.

To preview a file and/or folder before restoring,

highlight the appropriate file and press the space

bar on your keyboard.

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Restoring a file using Time Machine

When you have located the file and/or folder you wish to restore, simply click the restore button located at the bottom right of your screen.

Time Machine will automatically copy the selected file or folder to the location the where the original folder was created.

If a file already exists in the location you are copying the restored file to, Time Machine will prompt you to choose between two options:

1. to select one of the files to keep, or

2. to keep both files.

Restoring a Time Machine backups on a new MacBook Pro

If you are re-issued with a new Apple MacBook Pro, you can transfer your Time Machine backups from your old to your new laptop.

When you first log onto your new MacBook Pro, you will be asked if you would like to transfer files from another laptop.

Simply insert the external device where your Time Machine backups are stored and follow the prompts.