recovering Time Machine backup on linux

[TravelingMan]

I used to have a macbook, which I did a time machine back up onto an external HDD.

I sold the macbook, and only have an Ipad mini and an Iphone. neither any use in recovering the data on my backup.

I now use Linux, and following a post http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20080623213342356 that explains how to do this, I am getting stuck at one point.

The .HFS+ Private Directory Data contains the pictures etc that I want to get to. and the path to that is media/douglas/My Backup/.HFS+ Private Directory Data.

Furthermore the Dir No I want is dir_1727386. however whenever I try to change to that directory using the command

/media/douglas/My Backup $ cd '/.HFS+-Private-Directory-Data/dir_1727386'

the result is

bash: cd: /.HFS+-Private-Directory-Data/dir_1727386: No such file or directory

if I back up to the Private data directory I again get that it does not exist. Yet using the file manager I can see the directory. Even if I drag and drop the directory into the terminal and try to change into it, I get the same result.

Can anyone help please.

 

[chscag]

That article is out of date. (dated 2008) Macworld closed their forums and hints down long ago. Besides, that particular hint if you read the Macworld comment below says that it is untested. The only way you're going to recover your Time Machine data is with Time Machine.

 

[TravelingMan]

I know the article is old, and yes I know hints is no longer an active site, hence my registration and posting here. However those directories exist in my backup as they do in yours. Ios is built upon unix and the unix command set does work and so although the post is old, that has no relevance.

What would be more useful, especially from an administrator, might be some attempt to share your knowledge as to why the aforementioned terminal command is not workinig and returning an error of sorts.

having said that, how do I go about accessing someone elses Mac when if the time machine backup was to be restored it would attempt to write to the HD of the machine it was being run on, would it not?

Do you have any relevant advice please.

 

[harryb2448]

Hardly as this site closes tomorrow.

 

[chscag]

having said that, how do I go about accessing someone elses Mac when if the time machine backup was to be restored it would attempt to write to the HD of the machine it was being run on, would it not?

Do you have any relevant advice please.

Sorry about the not so pleasant reply, but what you need to know is that Time Machine backups are put together in such a way that it is not possible to open them up using terminal and extract data. It's been tried before by myself and others and it does not work. Because Linux is built on Unix as is macOS and even iOS, does not mean that what you're trying to do will work.

My best advice is to get hold of another Mac - perhaps from a friend - and use it to extract the Time Machine data you're looking for. You can try asking the same question over at this site:

www.macrumors.com They have a bunch of smart programmers and tinkerers over there that can perhaps help. Also, this site will no longer exist after December 31st as the owners are shutting it down.

Good luck.

 

[TravelingMan]

Sorry about the not so pleasant reply, but what you need to know is that Time Machine backups are put together in such a way that it is not possible to open them up using terminal and extract data. It's been tried before by myself and others and it does not work. Because Linux is built on Unix as is macOS and even iOS, does not mean that what you're trying to do will work.

My best advice is to get hold of another Mac - perhaps from a friend - and use it to extract the Time Machine data you're looking for. You can try asking the same question over at this site:

www.macrumors.com They have a bunch of smart programmers and tinkerers over there that can perhaps help. Also, this site will no longer exist after December 31st as the owners are shutting it down.

Good luck.

Thanks for that I will give them a try.