I qualify as a new mac user because although I have had a succession of macs starting with a classic ll, I have never veered off the path of just using them for fear of stuffing something up or deleting something that was really important.

I have had a charmed life regarding macs (jinxes self!) with only one hard drive failure that was replaced at the clunking sound rather than when it had died.
As far as backup I have only backed up the work data and myob data to various media such as a big old optical drive or zip drives and that has worked a treat.

However reading tales of woe on Mactalk and now that my photos are going to all be digital and I need to back up video and music I have to get my act together and would welcome some help from the more learned.

I bought two 500gig icecube external hard drives with usb and firewire.

I have an 867 Ti powerbook with a 40gig hard drive and a 40gig 12" ibook and soon to set up mac mini.
I have an unregistered copy of super duper and have backed up both computers with one on one hard drive and one on the other.

What is the best way of utilising the two hardrives to have a backup of each computer on each hard drive so that I have two backups of each computer?
I assume I should register super duper (how do you pay for it in the U.S) first and will that allow me to copy each hard drive without erasing each time, but will both be able to be copied.

i appreciate any advice on what an more importantly how to do it.
Cheers
Footrot










These days

I was just reading Super Duper's Website, it said
I gather buying it adds extra features however its free to use. So its probably a lite version compared to a full version.

I dont quite get what you are saying? are you from the USA or you think you have to pay for it from the US?

*Shrugs*




Time Machine in Leopard will do that too

Not a super duper user so I'm guessing but if you are copying directly so that the systems are laid out the same then you must keep each one separate and name them differently .. if they are to exist on the same hard drive .. or the drive must be partitioned.
This is if you actually want to be able to boot off either system .. on the one drive.

I think that is the problem with the unregistered version.
I believe if you try to back up a second hard drive i assume it will erase what is already backed up.
I do not know anything about partitioning drives but again I assume that if you do, it is the same as having two separate drives in one and then i might be able to back up both computers on the one drive.

I am in oz but the fee is $U.S dollars so not having bought os, do you just pay with credit card and exchange rates etc are automatically calculated?

As i said at the beginning I just use computers because they work but I don't understand much about them.

Have you read super duper's instructions?

Yes their/your bank will calculate exchange rates and charge you accordingly.

Basic things first: I assume you are not using Leopard. Because you weren't all excited about the new system not working with version 2.1.4.

The registered version of SuperDuper gives you scheduled backups.

SuperDuper has a number of options, including a "Smart Update" of a hard drive, only copying across files that have changed. By default, it erases the drive and copies everything - something you have to change in the options for the backup.

Sorry I was not able to reply earlier.
Thank you, I will look more into their details on payment
Yes Ausmac you are correct I am still on 10.4.9.
I will leave leopard for a while until the dust settles.