Backup before moving
I’ll be moving to another country soon and that means Switchblog will not be updated for quite some time (actually, it hasn’t been updated because of my schedule).
The biggest challenge I have is backing up all files from a MacBook Pro (from work) to a LaCie Drive for the Mac mini (at home).
Space was a problem so I had to choose what to backup. Here’s what I did.
1. Applications - I used AppDelete to drag my favorite applications to the trash. Once in the trash, I just had to copy the app and its associated files to a backup folder. It’s tedious but I got to really think about what apps I really need. (These would later be dragged manually to the Applications and Application Support folders).
2. Data - For Mail, I just had to use Backup 3. I created Plans for Mail, iWeb, and Personal Data & Settings. I wanted to do this separately so I’ll know the contents of each Plan. Personal Data & Settings was also backed up to iDisk just in case. Backup 3 should be able to restore this with just a few clicks.
3. Others - I dragged my Documents, Music, Pictures, and Sites folders to the external drive. Other files that were found elsewhere were also dragged into the Documents folder in the external drive for later classification. Drag-and-drop restore for these later.
Backing up my files is not perfect. I just chose this process because I already know where to find most of my important stuff.
Once I settle in and after I’ve restored everything, I’m thinking of using some online solutions to eliminate some apps I regularly use. Gmail could take care email, documents, and schedules for example. We’ll see what happens.
Wish me luck!
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