SOLVED Backup your working bootable SSD/HDD

[macBart]

I'd like to share a simple way to backup your currently working installation (while using it!).
Thus without booting from a rescue disk/usb!
Handy for experimenting without completely re-installing everything.
It took only 6 minutes to copy 50GB from (live)SSD to SSD!

1 You got a new empty drive connected and partitioned with disk utility the usual way,
or terminal (ex.:"diskutil partitiondisk disk1 1 gpt jhfs+ hsierra 100%").
Especially with new SSD use terminal see: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...-disk-utility-at-install-proces.235939/page-2

2 You got CarbonCopyCloner installed (its free to use for personal use, google it)

3 In CCC Select source disk (the one you are using right now and want to backup),
select the target and hit CLONE. No need to copy the recoverypartition, you can but don't need it.
(of course it is best not to do to much, like copying or deleting files, while CCC is busy)

4 Mount your current EFI partition and copy everything in it to desktop/temp and unmount!

5 Mount EFI partition of new drive and copy everything from desktop/temp to this empty EFI partition and unmount.

6 Power down

7 Disconnect "old" drive and connect new drive to that cable (of course you could alter UEFI boot option)

8 Power up, enjoy!

Afterwards I see the beautiful guide here: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...store-feature-to-backup-your-customac.214466/
But if I read correctly there you have to use a bootable/rescue disk.

 

[bushmaster80]

Nice one.

This is very timely as I've just been wondering how I'd make a proper bootable backup of my new Clover/Sierra setup.

Would there be any extra steps if I wanted to use a partition on an external HDD (that has 3 other partitions, with data, already on it) rather than a SDD? Making it the primary partition, that sort of thing

 

[vulgo]

Would there be any extra steps if I wanted to use a partition on an external HDD (that has 3 other partitions, with data, already on it) rather than a SDD? Making it the primary partition, that sort of thing

If the external HDD is GPT you can backup to an HFS+ partition and it will be 'bootable' (by Clover). If you then install Clover to the external drive, you will be able to boot the Clover on that disk and then load macOS from the backup partition. Otherwise you could boot Clover some other way and then load macOS from the backup partition.

 

[macBart]

Nice one.

This is very timely as I've just been wondering how I'd make a proper bootable backup of my new Clover/Sierra setup.

Would there be any extra steps if I wanted to use a partition on an external HDD (that has 3 other partitions, with data, already on it) rather than a SDD? Making it the primary partition, that sort of thing

I guess it would be safer to use an empty external drive to try, not sure if it would boot then.
Maybe like vulgo said, after copying with CCC, you could need to reinstall clover with the external drive as target.
And if you're comfortable with using and it works, try with the external that includes data.
Would not like to be responsible for anybody's data loss.

 

[bushmaster80]

Thanks both.

It didn't work. At least not as simply as I'd hoped. The HDD backup would get right to the end of the loading bar (with the apple logo) then reset.

Will have to investigate further but I've got some other bits to iron out first.