[X4U] back-up software

[Jan Melichar]

On 19 Dec 2005, at 10:47, Randy B.Singer wrote:

> alexandre said:
>
>> i am looking for software to back up my hard-drive. any suggestions?
>> intego personal back looks good. how about shareware/freeware?
>
>
> I have a list of about 30 backup programs for OS X.  Let me know if  
> you
> want it.
>
> Everyone has their favorite.  Your choice depends on what sort of  
> backup
> you are looking to do, what sort of media you will be backing up  
> to, how
> much you want to spend, how much handholding you need, etc.


I wonder what back up strategies people have. I don't mean data but  
system and applications. I ask partly because I don't know how it is  
that the system accumulates problems.

Finally after many years, earlier this year, I made  bootable copy of  
the system, applications and home folder  (all of which live on a  
drive exclusive to them)  on a separate drive which seemed the  
sensible thing to do. When the Mac ground to a halt and refused all  
attempts at resuscitation the other day I could of course get on with  
work while starting from the cloned system but it also showed up a  
flaw in my backup plans. Since the time I cloned the system all kinds  
of bits and pieces and applications have been added to the 'active'  
system and its seemed that it would probably be quicker to archive  
and reinstall and reset serial numbers and so on rather that clone  
the clone so to speak and reinstall all those 'bits and pieces'.

Being able to get on with work when the active system gives up the  
ghost it invaluable but being able to clone the clone would be even  
better. So here is the question how do errors accumulate. I could, to  
avoid the process above,  simply update the clone (the one I have I  
made at the time of installing a fresh system) but might I not be  
introducing errors this way?  Anyone any thoughts on this?

Jan