How Do I Clone my Dual-Boot Start-Up Drive?

[Rich M]

I run a Mid-2010 Mac Pro which I primarily use for editing HD video. I use Final Cut Pro X 10.14.1 for the video work, running under OS Mojave 10.14.6. That's as far as I can go on this older Mac Pro.

I have my machine set up with a dual-boot capability so I can also boot into OS Sierra 10.12.6 if I need to. I have some old client files that were edited years ago using Final Cut Pro 7. I occasionally am asked to resurrect an old video project for a client, and that's why I need the ability to occasionally boot up into Sierra and FCP 7. The current boot-up drive is a 480 GB SSD.

I want to clone this drive as a backup, but because it is essentially two drives in one, I'm not sure how to do it. The attached images show how it appears in Disc Utility.

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[ferrarr]

I believe you would want to set up separate clone tasks. One for each OS. Maybe even set up the clone procedure while booted from each OS.

Do you know which app you are going to use for cloning?

 

[Rich M]

I would still want both Maverick and Sierra on a single, dual-boot drive, as I have now. Would separate cloning tasks do this?

I'm not sure what app I would use for this. I'm open to suggestions.

 

[ferrarr]

I would clone each OS separately, while booted from each OS.

So the backup drive you should partition it with 2 partitions. When doing the partitioning, make sure the partition scheme is GUID, and the file format is MacOS Extended Journaled.

You can use either Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper!, to accomplish this. They both offer free trial full feature versions. After the trial period, you can still use them for free, with limited functionality. Also, since you are using older OS versions, you may need to look for an older version of the apps, but they both have older versions available on their respective websites.

Install either app in whichever OS, then start the clone process. Once completed, or as time permits, switch to the other OS and repeat the procedure. You may want to install both apps, one on each OS, so you can compare their features.

 

[Rich M]

Thanks, Bob. This makes sense and I will give it a try. I'm ordering a new SSD for this now.