Hard-drive has been erased.

If your hard drive has been erased how do you get it back to how it was before assuming you had your files backed up.

Do you need to use the discs that came with the mac to re-install the OS? How is this done? Do you hold the 'c' key on start up and boot from the DVD?

Once the OS is down, I assume you just drag and drop the files from your external hard drive?

How did your hard drive get erased?

If it's just files, then yes you can just drag them to wherever you want them to be.

How did you backup your data?

It hasn't actually happened to me but I'd just like to expand my knowledge. I'm backed up with time capsule.

Depends where your Time Capsule has backed up to. An external HDD and you will be sweet. On an internal, the internal fails or is wiped, fare thee well!

NOTE: Thread moved to appropriate forum. Not just anything goes in Anything Goes

Why use Time Capsule? If your going to backup your drive to wipe it or replace it use something like Carbon Copy Cloner. It gets everything and works quite well.