What If I Have No Backup Device

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I am a brand new Mac user. I have 2 ipads and didnt need a computer but wanted one and I am sure happy with my macbook pro received just this week. I have no backup device yet and am so technically challenged, I would rather just skip the process of trying to figure out how to connect something to this mac and get it to work. I did good to get the mac working and a printer connected.

So what are the consequences of not having a backup? I had a Toshiba laptop for the last five years and it died causing me to want to replace with the MBP. It had no backup and I feel i have lost nothing. All of the pictures I want are shared with my 2 ipads so would have that backup there. I am retired so do no “work" on this MBP.

But what am I missing here? i.e. if my MBP crashes early on, would I need a backup to get the actual system restored? As you can see, I dont have a clue about the way all the internal stuff works. I know connecting and configuring devices such as an external hard drive is second nature/easy to you guys but is very stressful for me to think about.
 
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I would suggest setting up a time with the Genius Bar for some one on one. Or even a local computer tech store or searching Apple's Seminars for classes in your area. Especially since it is hard to tell if you are wanting to back up the iPads (to the iCloud) or the MBP (via Time Machine to USB HDD). Either is easy and the steps are laid out as easy as they can be.
 
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Thank you for responding. I live in a very rural area very far from any apple assistance. I understand how to keep my ipad backed up in cloud so the backup question was related to my MBP.
 
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for Time Machine, it is easy. Get a USB Hard Drive that is at least 2x the size of the internal drive (just a rule of thumb, but no matter what, it should be larger than the internal drive). Plug it into the machine and run the Time Machine utility. you will be walked through the setup. It takes less than 2 minutes to set up and start the first backup.
 
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As far as being in a rural area, unless the trip to the Apple Store would mean an overnight stay, I still suggest making an appointment - the piece of mind knowing everything is set up correctly would be worth it.
 
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Thank you and that does clarify setup for me. I have another question - since I only have 2 usb ports on the MBP. I have my printer connected to one port and my logictech wireless mouse connected to the other. Once I would get the external hard drive setup and time machine, dont i have to leave it connected all the time for automatic or is that just overnight for backup or do I request backup manually? And if I have to leave the ext HD connected all the time, can I take the usb that printer is connected to out w/o having to go thru printer setup when I plug it back to usb port? Sorry if these seem stupid, I always overthink.

Or could I ethernet connect the ext hd?
 
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You could get a Time Capsule and back up wirelessly without the need of any port.
 
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CLIP... I have my printer connected to one port and my logictech wireless mouse connected to the other. ...CLIP
If the mouse is wireless, what is plugged into the USB port? The USB drive should be plugged in all the time so TM can do it's thing. Does your MBP have a firewire port? If so, you could get a Firewire capable external hard drive.
 
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The thing said wireless mouse when I bougt it and it has a little bitty usb thingy that plugs into the usb port, no calle wire between the 2 of them.

Fireware port device and time capsule scare me. I think I can manage the usb type connection if I can get it straight about the 2 things I already have connected. I could just have the mouse plugged in only when I was using the mbp so is it ok to unplug the backup device that long? Or could I unplug my printer long enough to plug my mouse in ther when I needed to use it. I know I have the trackpad but like the mouse better.

And I still have that question as to why I need a backup device when I dont care if I lose data i have input.
 
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Please read the first post in this thread http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/switcher-hangout/245794-official-backup-faq-start-backing-up-now.html.
A few minutes a day utilizing Time Machine (backup software pre-installed on your MBP) and an external hard drive can save you tons of time in the future. Whether it's restoring lost data when replacing a crashed hard drive, or going back to a prior version of a document or photo that you just made changes to and don't like the changes you made, or a quick and easy set up on a new Mac in the future, it's one of those things that you don't realize you need it until the day you need it.

Time Machine is so easy to use and you can use it with any external drive you choose. What other ports are on your MBP? Since both USB ports are being used (you can't set your printer up wirelessly??), you can always get an external drive that works with one of your other ports -Firewire, Thunderbolt, etc.
 
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If you don't care what you lose, you don't need a backup. If/when the hard drive crashes and you lose everything, you'll have to get the HD replaced, reinstall OSX and whatever software you had on it and be on your way. You'll lose pictures, documents, music, mail, passwords, printer drivers, contacts, etc. Basically anything you add to the machine that isn't in the bare bones OSX install. If that's ok with you, then you don't need a backup at all.
 
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Well, as a result of some of the comments on this thread - i have setup my HP printer wirelessly (and that wasnt easy) and have learned how to better use the trackpad. This has freed up my two usb ports.

I do see the need for a backup even if I could stand to lose my data. If for no other reason than to use my mac “in the correct way".

So I will do some more research on Time Capsules. If I could figure it out and get it right, it seems that it could work with my westell router to offer me better faster wifi connections.

I thought tho if you used a Time Capsule, you connected it to, router? or MBP? Via ethernet cable?
 
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You don't NEED to get Time Capsule, it would just make things simpler. But it's already a simple matter to back up your hard drive. A portable or external hard drive would be much cheaper and you wouldn't even necessarily need to keep it plugged in all the time. If you do leave it plugged in it will back up any changes every hour, but if you don't need every single little change backed up, you could just plug it in once a day or once a week and back things up that way. Or just leave the drive plugged in and eject it whenever you need the extra port.

Setting it up is easy. Just open Time Machine, select the drive when it asks you to, click "On" and let it do its thing. That's it.
 
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Aww Oneironaut, you do make it sound so tempting for me as a non-confident newbie, to just get a cheaper hardrive, connect to the MBP and follow the screen prompts for setup. I have been so impressed as to how my MBP has “helped" me get everything going so far. But i had my printer going thru usb and yesterday felt sooo much satisfaction getting that printer setup wirelessly. I ran into several frustrating requests during this setup that I had to figure out and when at last it was successful, oh soooo satisfying.

So there is the challenge aspect of using a time capsule plus I have hopes that it will improve my wifi experience in addition to the backup benefit. But maaan, those tc setup instructions are kind of overwhelming to me. I need to see if there is a “Time Capsule Setup For Senior Dummies" book!
 

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Aww Oneironaut, you do make it sound so tempting for me as a non-confident newbie, to just get a cheaper hardrive, connect to the MBP and follow the screen prompts for setup. I have been so impressed as to how my MBP has “helped" me get everything going so far. But i had my printer going thru usb and yesterday felt sooo much satisfaction getting that printer setup wirelessly. I ran into several frustrating requests during this setup that I had to figure out and when at last it was successful, oh soooo satisfying.

So there is the challenge aspect of using a time capsule plus I have hopes that it will improve my wifi experience in addition to the backup benefit. But maaan, those tc setup instructions are kind of overwhelming to me. I need to see if there is a “Time Capsule Setup For Senior Dummies" book!

I'm pretty sure there are guides that you can watch on how to setup on Youtube. It's pretty easy actually. Power everything up. Launch Airport Utility on your MBP and wait for it to detect the Time capsule and follow the prompts to get it connected to your Wireless network.
 
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I'm pretty sure there are guides that you can watch on how to setup on Youtube. It's pretty easy actually. Power everything up. Launch Airport Utility on your MBP and wait for it to detect the Time capsule and follow the prompts to get it connected to your Wireless network.

That does sound easy. If I go thru setup like that via Airport Utility, what will I have. i.e. will i have an improved wireless experince for my devices? Right now my router has b,g signal mode only and I understand the TC has n, that' why I ask.

Also I watched some youtube videos as suggested (setup still confusing to me) and dont know whether I would chose to create a new network or use existing. Dont understand the benefits of either.

Also I saw in my research on the internet that my current westell 7500, which I think is a modem/router could not be used with the TC and so TC would have to be setup under time machine and a backup only. Said I would have to have just modem only to connect TC to. Is his true or outdated info?
 

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Aww Oneironaut, you do make it sound so tempting for me as a non-confident newbie, to just get a cheaper hardrive, connect to the MBP and follow the screen prompts for setup. I have been so impressed as to how my MBP has “helped" me get everything going so far. But i had my printer going thru usb and yesterday felt sooo much satisfaction getting that printer setup wirelessly. I ran into several frustrating requests during this setup that I had to figure out and when at last it was successful, oh soooo satisfying.

So there is the challenge aspect of using a time capsule plus I have hopes that it will improve my wifi experience in addition to the backup benefit. But maaan, those tc setup instructions are kind of overwhelming to me. I need to see if there is a “Time Capsule Setup For Senior Dummies" book!

That does sound easy. If I go thru setup like that via Airport Utility, what will I have. i.e. will i have an improved wireless experince for my devices? Right now my router has b,g signal mode only and I understand the TC has n, that' why I ask.

Also I watched some youtube videos as suggested (setup still confusing to me) and dont know whether I would chose to create a new network or use existing. Dont understand the benefits of either.

Also I saw in my research on the internet that my current westell 7500, which I think is a modem/router could not be used with the TC and so TC would have to be setup under time machine and a backup only. Said I would have to have just modem only to connect TC to. Is his true or outdated info?

If you want to use TC as the router you would need to hook it up to your modem. Disable the Wifi signal on your current modem. Then you would launch Airport Utility and follow the prompt.

This is my current setup. My modem also has the older wifi signal that isn't as fast as the "N" version. Therefore I had to disable the wifi signal on the modem.

Screen-Shot-2013-01-30-at-93703-AM_zps89794e4c.png


The modem is connected to the Airport Extreme. I also have an airport express that I'm using to extend my wifi signal out to my garage. The TC is in my studio. The modem and Airport Extreme is in the living room down stairs.

The Airport Extreme takes care of all the wireless stuff now.
 
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TC would also give you 3 more gigabit ports and the luxury of being able to leave the house without ejecting anything or turning anything off and back-ups would resume as soon as you are in range.
 
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Well, I bought an ebook last nigyt and read the whole thing. Title - Take Control of your Irport Network, latest edition. Very good book but I can see that if I had any trouble setting up the TC to use with my router and ran into difficulty, I would need to factory reset and start again. OK, but as an older generation newbie that did not grow up with computers, I can just see also that somewhere during the process I might lose the original router configuration and therefore all network connectivity to be able to come on this forum and ask for help.

Regretfully, I think the best thing for me to do is stick with the setup Ive got now. I have no problems with my wifi and one day it will dawn on me that something I have on the MBP is worth not loosing and so get a cheap external hard drive. I “think" I can figure out setup and use of that by connecting to it and turning Time Machine to on and following prompts.
 

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