Restore a backup from a WD MyBook to Macbook

Last month I did a backup of my daughter's Macbook to a WD MyBook external drive.

This week my daughter's Macbook developed some boot-up issues and a trip to the Mac Store has revealed that she has lost all her files (or they can't be recovered)

Last night I connected the MyBook to her Macbook hoping the restore would be easy - I was wrong.

Using DIsk Utility - Restore - I see the backup no problem - but when I select the Image box to select the source for the backup - I can't find the file that I need to select to initiate the restore.

I have tried using the WD Software that comes with the MyBook - but under Retrieve - this doesn't see the backup when I connect to my daughter's Macbook.

Can anyone help me retrieve her vital files please.

Thanks in advance.

How did you do the backup? What did you use? Typically, you need to use that same software to do the restore.

Oh, and what MB? What version OS X?

Thanks for the speedy reply.

I am away from where the external drive and macbook are right now - but I can hopefully supply the details you seek when I get home later.

Success

When I got home the other night - I decided to sit down and try and figure out how to solve this problem - I mean - I know the backup is on the external drive as I've seen it in Disk Utility.

Did a quick visit to the WD web site and found some references to inability to see data on this particular external drive when using OS Maverick.

Dug out my old Snow Leopard disc and cleaned whatever operating system the Mac Store had placed on my daughter's mac off and installed Snow Leopard.

When I connected the external drive - the data was visible - so I copied the relevant important folders onto the desktop for her. She has now accessed the data from within each folder and has all her much treasured photos back.

She is happy - therefore so am I. We will be buying a new Seagate 1T external drive to compliment our backup regime.

Thanks so much for this forum. I need never baulk at a Mac problem ever again

Did a quick visit to the WD web site and found some references to inability to see data on this particular external drive when using OS Maverick.

Click to expand...

Can you post a link to that? I ask because it's pure BS. I have three WD drives, two of which are 3TB and I've never had a problem with them. I don't use the WD software, so maybe that was the problem, but the drives themselves worked perfectly when formatted for OS X.

EDIT: I'm glad you got it sorted, but going that far back in operating systems now has your daughter's MBP in much more precarious territory because Apple isn't going to support that version and applications she may like may or may not be supported there either. If we can sort out the Mavericks problem, she'd be much better off moving up to a more current version of OS X.

Jake,

Just noticed it's an old link

Western Digital warns of OS X Mavericks data loss | bit-tech.net

I did indeed use the WD software that shipped with the MB Elite Drive ....I've had the drive about three years or so.

My daughter advises me that her Company are buying her a brand new MacBook Pro - so doubtless it will ship with the latest OSX version.

Frank

Yep, Frank, as I thought. The problem isn't with the drives, it's with the software WD bundled with it. I never use that stuff. Just format the drive for OS X and let it rip. Disk Utility will partition it and let you use it just fine. Time Machine will backup to it find. Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper! will use it just fine. So, when your daughter gets a new MBP, if she wants to use the WD drive with it, it will work, just get rid of the WD software. (After she's moved what she wants to the new MBP, of course.)

Jake,

Thanks so much for your help in solving this.

When my daughter gets her new Mac - I might well use her old one as a spare and I'll follow your advice as to how to format the drive etc.

Frank