Filed under: Features, Bluetooth, Ask TUAW, iPhone, Snow Leopard
Ask TUAW: Backing up photos, remove Boot Camp partitions, Snow Leopard and Windows 7 and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about backing up photos, removing a Boot Camp partition, Snow Leopard and Windows 7, Bluetooth menus, iPhone search results and more.As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.
Han asks:
What is the best way to archive photos without using iPhoto? I have about 100 GB of original photos and I have been saving them on my NetGear ReadyNAS Duo. Sometimes I leave the photos in the folder and just copy it to the NAS or sometimes zip them before I put it in the NAS. What I am worried about is if I zip the folder and somehow the zip file itself gets corrupted, is it harder to recover them? Is it better to just not zip and leave it as a folder then copy it to the NAS?
Because photos are pretty important and almost impossible to recreate I take my photo workflow and backup seriously. First, I never import photos directly into iPhoto and instead, using a card reader, copy the files to a folder I have labeled specifically for these photos which resides in my main "Photography" folder.
Then, if I want to put those photos in iPhoto, I import them from the new folder and that way the original files are preserved even if something happens to my iPhoto library. Also, I back up those originals in addition to the backup of my "Users" folder which contains my iPhoto library. This may seem like overkill, but with the price of storage media dropping all the time, several backup drives are not unusual anymore.
At the moment I have three backup drives. Two that rotate at home and one that I use monthly and then take to another location besides my home. That way if something happens to my house and my backups are destroyed as well, I still have my other "off-site" backup that's at most a month old. My backup software of choice at the moment is still SuperDuper! which I have set up to alternate a full clone of my iMac's hard drive to each of my two external Firewire 800 backup drives.
Then, when its time to clone to the drive I take away, I do that manually once a month. Or sooner if I think of it. Because I'm using "Smart Update" it only takes a few minutes to clone whatever files have changed. I don't use Time Machine and I don't use any compression.
Stephen asks:
I want to upgrade my MBP to Snow Leopard. I also want to get rid of my Windows partition (which I have only booted from once). What is the best way to do this?
Well, there are a few ways out there that will allow you to erase a partition on a drive and reclaim that space "on the fly" but since you asked for the "best way" I'll tell you what that is. The best way is to completely backup your Mac OS X partition to an external hard drive via a utility like SuperDuper! and then erase and reformat your Mac's drive to get rid of your Windows Bootcamp partition. Then, using SuperDuper!, restore your drive from the clone you made and go about your business.
Claire asks:
I bought a 24" Intel iMac (2.93 GHz, OS 10.5.8). I used Migration Assistant to bring files and programs over from my old 17" PowerPC iMac (running OS 10.3). I think I've managed to delete all the programs and preference files that won't run on the Intel system, but I'd like to start with a clean slate when I install Snow Leopard to be sure.
What's the best way to transfer back the files & folders I want to keep? If I backup to an external hard drive using Time Machine before upgrading, will I be able to transfer selected files/folders from there after the upgrade? Or would it be better to save files & folders directly to an external drive & then transfer them back? Or...? I'm concerned about missing stray preference files and the like.
As with Stephen above, the best way at this point for you is to backup the Preference files, Applications and user data you want to keep directly and then do a fresh install of Snow Leopard. Don't upgrade. Then, restore the files, preferences, etc. that you need via direct copy back from your external hard drive.
It takes longer, but in the long run it will serve you better to only restore specifically what you need and not bring along any legacy files and potential problems from older systems.
Ned asks:
Before I make the leap and update to Snow Leopard, I just wanted to be certain that it won't affect my Boot Camp partition!? I'm running the Windows 7 RC. Also, does anybody know of any issues with the Boot Camp 3.0 drivers and the Windows 7 RC?
So far, and this is only after minimal testing on a few of Macs, everything seems to be working just fine with the combination of Windows 7 and Boot Camp in Snow Leopard. In fact, some users are reporting better results with Snow Leopard because it includes a newer version of Boot Camp. Version 3.0, to be precise.
That said, before you upgrade to Snow Leopard, make sure you are running the most recent version of Windows with all updates and then make a full backup of your data. That way, if something does go wrong, you can restore, troubleshoot and try again.
Brian asks:
I'm running Snow Leopard on a mid-2007 13-inch white Macbook. While I was running Leopard, I could choose to send files through Bluetooth by opening a contextual menu from Finder and choosing what device to send the file to. However, this ability disappeared when I upgraded to SL, and I could find nowhere in the Bluetooth preference pane to restore it. While I can get around this by opening Bluetooth File Exchange (in Utilities), and sending files through that application, I would much rather restore the slick contextual menu option I had before, if possible.
According to an Apple support rep I spoke with, this feature is not part of Snow Leopard. Unfortunately, he could not tell me why this had been removed but he suspected it may return in a future Bluetooth update. Until then, you seem to be out of luck.
Even though it seems there's an answer (at least according to Apple) I also included this question just in case one of our TUAW readers knows of a way to restore it in Snow Leopard. We have some of the smartest readers of any site so if there is a way, I'm sure they will let us know in the comments.
Seb asks:
Like in Spotlight, can I change the order of search results when I search for something using my iPhone?
Sure. Just go to Settings> General > Home and at the bottom you will see "Search Results." Once there, simply drag them in the order you want them to display when you do a search.
At the moment I have three backup drives. Two that rotate at home and one that I use monthly and then take to another location besides my home. That way if something happens to my house and my backups are destroyed as well, I still have my other "off-site" backup that's at most a month old. My backup software of choice at the moment is still SuperDuper! which I have set up to alternate a full clone of my iMac's hard drive to each of my two external Firewire 800 backup drives.
Then, when its time to clone to the drive I take away, I do that manually once a month. Or sooner if I think of it. Because I'm using "Smart Update" it only takes a few minutes to clone whatever files have changed. I don't use Time Machine and I don't use any compression.
Stephen asks:
I want to upgrade my MBP to Snow Leopard. I also want to get rid of my Windows partition (which I have only booted from once). What is the best way to do this?
Well, there are a few ways out there that will allow you to erase a partition on a drive and reclaim that space "on the fly" but since you asked for the "best way" I'll tell you what that is. The best way is to completely backup your Mac OS X partition to an external hard drive via a utility like SuperDuper! and then erase and reformat your Mac's drive to get rid of your Windows Bootcamp partition. Then, using SuperDuper!, restore your drive from the clone you made and go about your business.
Claire asks:
I bought a 24" Intel iMac (2.93 GHz, OS 10.5.8). I used Migration Assistant to bring files and programs over from my old 17" PowerPC iMac (running OS 10.3). I think I've managed to delete all the programs and preference files that won't run on the Intel system, but I'd like to start with a clean slate when I install Snow Leopard to be sure.
What's the best way to transfer back the files & folders I want to keep? If I backup to an external hard drive using Time Machine before upgrading, will I be able to transfer selected files/folders from there after the upgrade? Or would it be better to save files & folders directly to an external drive & then transfer them back? Or...? I'm concerned about missing stray preference files and the like.
As with Stephen above, the best way at this point for you is to backup the Preference files, Applications and user data you want to keep directly and then do a fresh install of Snow Leopard. Don't upgrade. Then, restore the files, preferences, etc. that you need via direct copy back from your external hard drive.
It takes longer, but in the long run it will serve you better to only restore specifically what you need and not bring along any legacy files and potential problems from older systems.
Ned asks:
Before I make the leap and update to Snow Leopard, I just wanted to be certain that it won't affect my Boot Camp partition!? I'm running the Windows 7 RC. Also, does anybody know of any issues with the Boot Camp 3.0 drivers and the Windows 7 RC?
So far, and this is only after minimal testing on a few of Macs, everything seems to be working just fine with the combination of Windows 7 and Boot Camp in Snow Leopard. In fact, some users are reporting better results with Snow Leopard because it includes a newer version of Boot Camp. Version 3.0, to be precise.
That said, before you upgrade to Snow Leopard, make sure you are running the most recent version of Windows with all updates and then make a full backup of your data. That way, if something does go wrong, you can restore, troubleshoot and try again.
Brian asks:
I'm running Snow Leopard on a mid-2007 13-inch white Macbook. While I was running Leopard, I could choose to send files through Bluetooth by opening a contextual menu from Finder and choosing what device to send the file to. However, this ability disappeared when I upgraded to SL, and I could find nowhere in the Bluetooth preference pane to restore it. While I can get around this by opening Bluetooth File Exchange (in Utilities), and sending files through that application, I would much rather restore the slick contextual menu option I had before, if possible.
According to an Apple support rep I spoke with, this feature is not part of Snow Leopard. Unfortunately, he could not tell me why this had been removed but he suspected it may return in a future Bluetooth update. Until then, you seem to be out of luck.
Even though it seems there's an answer (at least according to Apple) I also included this question just in case one of our TUAW readers knows of a way to restore it in Snow Leopard. We have some of the smartest readers of any site so if there is a way, I'm sure they will let us know in the comments.
Seb asks:
Like in Spotlight, can I change the order of search results when I search for something using my iPhone?
Sure. Just go to Settings> General > Home and at the bottom you will see "Search Results." Once there, simply drag them in the order you want them to display when you do a search.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
fredrik falkman said 8:42AM on 9-10-2009
Does it make any difference in 3D performance in Windows XP under Parallels 4 if I run on the discrete graphics card of a MBP 15,4" or the Integrated card of a MBP 13"? Today I'm using A MBP 15,4" pre Unibody to run Solidworks 2009 in Parallels, which works pretty well. I'm thinking of upgrading to a new MBP with the 24" Cinema Display, and I'm thinking that a SSD hard drive and more RAM might be more important than the discrete graphics when in Parallels. How does it work?
Thanks for a great blog!
Reply
Chuck said 8:50AM on 9-10-2009
Chris -
> I never import photos directly into iPhoto
Why not?
Thanks,
Chuck
Reply
Bingo said 10:53AM on 9-10-2009
I know, that caught my attention as well. If you're using an older version of iPhoto, then you can easily navigate through the iPhoto folder in your Pictures folder. If you use a newer version iPhoto, right-click the iPhoto icon in your pictures folder, and choose "Show Package Contents".
From there, backup the "Originals" folder, and if you like, "Modified" folder, getting all your pics.
Andreas said 8:55AM on 9-10-2009
Running Snow Leopard on mid-2007 Macbook. What are the best way to trim the iPhoto library? My library is 55 GB in size, half of that is videos captured with a old camera in MJPEG format, that wastes a lot of storage space, the other half is pictures, but a lot of those have been cropped, so that a lot of storage i wasted on keeping the original files that I don't need anymore. Are there programs, methods or scripts I can run to trim this library?
Thanks.
Reply
oZ said 9:12AM on 9-10-2009
Why do you recommend a $30 software package to do a full clone of your drive when Disk Utility does it very well, for free?
Furthermore, that answer was a cop out. Since this question is published, you'd think you'd have the responsibility to at least outline the options, like going into Boot Camp Assistant and telling it to remove the partition, or using Disk Utility to do the same thing.
OK, I'm done whining.
Reply
Scott Earle said 9:38AM on 9-10-2009
I'm with oZ on this one! The easiest way (and I have never had a problem with it) is to simply open Boot Camp Assistant and tell it to remove the Boot Camp partition that it put there in the first place. Takes seconds, and the job's done!
If they have been running Time Machine regularly, then there should be no issues in the extremely unlikely event of a glitch.
If you DID want a full clone of the HDD for any reason why not at least mention CCC (Carbon Copy Cloner)? It's donationware, so if you like it a lot you can donate something to the author. (I have no connection with Bombich Software, the authors of CCC.)
Dorv said 10:34AM on 9-10-2009
The guy _did_ ask what the "Best Way" was, and the OP answered with what he thought was the best way. There might be easier, and cheaper ways, but the OP is entitled to his opinion, right?
oZ said 10:47AM on 9-10-2009
The OP is certainly entitled to his opinion, but 'best' can be interpreted many ways. Best isn't always "buy a $100 external drive, buy a $30 software package, spend three hours doing a full clone, repartition, spend three hours doing a full restore". Having a backup is nice, but doing all that should be a last resort only if the boot camp assistant method fails. Furthermore, the partition editing aspect of Boot Camp is remarkably resilient, failing and not making changes if anything at all is awry.
pegasus said 11:02AM on 9-10-2009
Oz, how do you restore the partition from the Disk Utility image? Never thought of that angle before. Sometimes you don't see something when it is staring you in the face. :) THANKS!
oZ said 11:06AM on 9-10-2009
In the past, I've just booted from the installation DVD, and selected 'Disk Utility' from the Utilities menu. Select the partition you'd like to restore to, and on the right hand side, select the Restore tab. From Source, select the disk image you created. Drag your partition to 'Destination'. Hit 'Restore'. Best to 'erase destination'.
Badda bing. :)
jonathan said 11:16AM on 9-10-2009
Well your wrong. The suggestion he made is the best option. I know because I just went through this last week. I wanted to reinstall my windows partition so I went thru boot camp assistant and removed the windows partition. However when I went to recreate it, it wouldn't, stating not enough disk space, even tho there was more 80GB available. Reason being, the space must be completely unfragmented free space, not just available space on the drive. The only way to solve this issue was to download the FREE utility, SuperDuper! (you only pay for the additional services, like scheduling or only copying new files). I created a clone, revolted for
superduper drive, then reformatted the macHD and copied it back over. No problems and boot camp worked. It took about 6 hrs total. But well worth it.
oZ said 11:13AM on 9-10-2009
"You're".
As I said, it's the best option for some, and not for others. Did attempting the easy way create new hardship for you, or make you lose data? No. Yet, for most people, it's a 20 minute time commitment at the worst, and far easier than going through the clone and restore process. Yes, it's the failsafe plan, but why waste the time when you don't have to?
jonathan said 11:22AM on 9-10-2009
I couldve used disk utility as well. But it wasn't as easy and straightforward. Super duper explains all it's options and what exactly it's doing. Also, if u don't have the space available on ur hardrive to create a full clone of it, then u MUST purchase an external.
Let's be wise here.
Plus we all know, u can just go to bestbuy, purchase the HD, use it, then Secure erase/reformat it and return it.
Superduper is free. HD free. Only cost is time.
oZ said 11:26AM on 9-10-2009
Okay, so let me get this straight. You buy the drive from Best Buy (30-45min), clone your drive (2-4 hours), boot off your installation DVD or restore disc and repartition (10 min), restore your drive (2-4 hours), reboot into your OS to verify, zero out your drive (3-5 hours), return the drive to Best Buy (30-45 min), and then you're one of the dicks that pull that crap at a retail store?
Yeah, I still like trying the easy route first.
Second of all, of COURSE you're making a clone onto an external drive! If you're going to format and restore, you're gonna lose that clone. I didn't think this whole 'getting another drive' thing was optional in the clone-restore plan.
KnightRyder said 12:10PM on 9-10-2009
Actually Jonathan, there is another way to fix that error that deals with fragmentation...although it is $30, but WAY faster and easier than the whole rebuild. It is called iDefrag, and I have used it successfully before when it wouldn't allow the partition to be created: http://www.coriolis-systems.com/iDefrag.php
I am in no way affiliated with the creators of this program, but it did work splendidly for me!
jonathan said 3:57PM on 9-10-2009
@KnightRider: i considered the iDefrag option but read a few negative reviews that turned me away.
@oZ i never said NOT to try boot camp assistant first. i did it. but it didnt work. disk utility was also an option (i used it to reduce the size of my current partition, then restore it back to the same size and see if that would work). i'm just saying it a while for me to figure out everything in diskutility, so i can imagine a novice user. and compared to using disk utility, the only time u really added was the drive to best buy, which you would still have to make if using disk utility....unless cloning through DU is a quicker process that i dont know about...
my process was this. boot camp assistant. didnt work. best buy (20mins tops) superduper to the backup (4 hrs), reboot from drive (2 mins), superduper back to macHD (2.5 hrs), reboot from macHD (2mins), repartition with BC (5mins), reinstall windoze (45-60 mins), zero out HD for the return (1.5hrs on a different mac, then reformated to winfat32 in 2mins). waited 3 days to return the drive. no questions asked, cash in hand.
oZ said 4:05PM on 9-10-2009
@jonathan: I was responding to the fact that you said "Well your wrong", which implied that any alternatives were incorrect.
Raymond said 5:53PM on 9-10-2009
Don't use SuperDuper or the Disk Utility in Leopard! just download CarbonCopyCloner and it will do all that you need (including bootable) for free.
Dean Apiagyei-Williams said 9:14AM on 9-10-2009
Regarding the Bluetooth problem, what I have always done is had the Bluetooth utility in the Dock, then dragged files on to it to send... See how that works...
Reply
Binja said 9:34AM on 9-10-2009
In System Preferences>Bluetooth check the box to Show Bluetooth Status in Menu Bar. Once the bluetooth symbol is in the menu bar click on it. A menu will drop down. One option on the menu is Send File to Device.
There you go.