Installing a SuperDuper! Backup From a Different Machine

[honestone]

My question could actually be asked in any of 4 topics (Mac OS X, Mac Applications, Mac Desktops, or Mac Notebooks), but I believe this one, Mac Notebooks, is the most pertinent. Let me explain what I am inquiring about.

I use the latest version of Yosemite, OS 10.10.3. As most folks know, I follow a rather rigid program of keeping both of my machines (Late 2012 Mac Mini, and Mid 2013 13" Macbook Air) lean and clean, along with performing disk maintenance/repairs/backups for both of those machines once a week. The software I use for those purposes are Onyx, TechTool Pro, and SuperDuper!. All of that works fine, and on 3 occasions, I successfully did a restore from the SuperDuper! backups (twice on my Mac Mini, and once on the Mac Book Air).

About two weeks ago, after doing my weekly tasks, I got "hit" with a Bit Coin-related virus on my Mac Book Air. I have never used any kind of Bit Coin services, but for some reason, my machine got infected. Prior to the virus, the machine was definitely "snappy", and Google Chrome was almost as fast as on my Mac Mini. I used the freeware anti-virus program from Sophos to remove the virus, but the machine still no longer felt snappy. After doing about two days of more detective work, I could not find any issues, so I decided to boot from the latest SuperDuper! backup for the Air. After booting to that backup, I used Disk Utility to 1) erase the internal Samsung SSD on the machine (used the middle of the Erase "bar"), 2) format, and 3) partition (1 partition only) the drive. I then did the restore, and re-booted the machine from the internal SSD. The machine booted fine. I then needed to update 3 programs (Google Chrome was one of them), along with using TechTool Pro to re-create the eDrive partition, and an excellent freeware program, Recovery Partition Creator, to re-create the Recovery Partition. That all went well, but still, the machine was just not that snappy.

What is also pertinent to this is that I do not have any of these issues on my Mac Mini. I run the same software on both of my machines, and as mentioned above, use the same tools for my disk maintenance/repair/backup processing. I of course realize that the processor speed on the Mac Mini is about 50% more than the Air, but the Air has the "turbo Boost" feature. And, all that "same" software runs fine on both Macs. It's just that on the Air, they are no longer that snappy, especially for both Safari and Google Chrome (Firefox is slow anyway, so that is not a good comparison).

Additionally, the software on my Mac Mini definitely runs faster than on the Air. The difference was not that great before the virus hit, but it is certainly more evident since then. And, the Samsung SSD in my Mac Mini is faster than the Samsung SSD inside the Air (expensive to replace that SSD, as it is a "special" card-type SSD). But, both TechTool Pro and Disk Warrior have yet to detect any hardware-related issues with either SSD. (For both SSDs, I am using close to 50% of each one's capacity (256 gig for the Mini, and 250 gig for the Air), so there is at least 120 gig of free space available).

When I did my maintenance yesterday, for the Air, TechTool Pro, via its File Structures feature, did detect issues with some files (it had done this previously, although the number of files was less, and I did not think much of it). So, I removed those files, re-ran the File Structures routine, and it came up clean. But, still the Air is not that snappy. Also, since I have SSDs only File Optimization is applicable, and as I always do, I did run that (it is the last feature of TechTool Pro I use before booting from the "cleaner" SSD and then doing the SuperDuper! backups to two separate external drives).

I see 3 possible ways to proceed:

1. Sell the Air (after cleaning it up), and buy a newer model (has a faster processor, and the SSD is faster). If I could get between $950 and $1,000 for it, a new one costs $1,100 (on sale), so that is a possible option. The one problem would be how "clean" the SuperDuper! backup is from the Air for me to do a restore to the new machine.

2. Wipe the SSD completely clean, and do an installation of Yosemite (complete, including the updates), and all my software. That is rather labor intensive, possibly leading to errors (I might forget something, and especially in regards to re-setting up my Email and internet settings (I use Comcast as my ISP))..

3. Wipe the SSD completely clean, and do a SuperDuper! restore from the latest Mac Mini SuperDuper! backup. About the only thing I would need to get "in sync", from a software perspective, is the "Main Identity" database file used with Outlook. That is the only application that has some different "pieces" (EMails) between the two machines. That replacement would be easy to do.

On the surface, my first choice would be #1, but I don't know how long it would take me to sell it. My next choice would be #3, as things run snappy on the Mac Mini, and it was not infected by any viruses. But, I am unsure how viable an option that is. I remember reading some "vague" references in the past that OS installations on Macs can "vary" somewhat regarding some files, settings, etc.

So, I am wondering if someone could advise me about that third option. I guess I could try it, but if it does not work, do that entire process again, but restore from the latest SuperDuper! Air backup. But, it would be good to know up front what I might encounter, or (being optimistic!) it would work like a charm!

 

[Cory Cooper]

Here is my $.02

1. Sell it only if you want a newer MBA. Usually you can only get about half of the original retail for a used Mac. If you mostly do email and Internet, then you probably wouldn't notice a huge difference in speed with a newer model.

2. If you were to do a complete erase & install of Yosemite, the you could use the SuperDuper! backup with Migration Assistant to do a migration of your data and applications only, leaving the freshly installed OS intact.

3. I wouldn't advise restoring a SuperDuper! backup from another Mac, as there could be (not always) small variations in the OS install for particular machines. You could do as above in #2 - erase & install and them migrate your data & apps from the Mac mini SuperDuper! backup.

You could also do an erase & install, create a user on the MBA called Test and run it for a few hours to see if it is back to its snappy self. If so, you could then do a migration of your other user, data, and apps from a SD! backup. Maybe there is something in the backup that is eventually causing the slowness?

If you leave Sophos installed, it can also slow down the machine if you leave it at its default settings. It enables on-access scanning, Internet scanning, etc. as defaults, which scan everything you do. You can disable these "live" scanning features and only scan when you launch the app and scan manually.

Be careful when deleting files that TechTool Pro finds during its File Structures test. Not all that it finds are actually problems. What kinds of files did it report as having issues?

C

 

[honestone]

Thanks, Cory, for your insight and suggestions. Here are a few of my thoughts:

1. For #2, as long as I correctly set up my internet "pieces" in the OS, will the migration of Office 2011, which would include my primary EMail program Outlook, and browsers (Google Chrome and Firefox) "pick" up whatever files/settings are required for my ISP (Comcast)? If that was the case, then I could use your "modified" suggestion about using Migration Assistant to get my data, and apps from the MacMini SuperDuper! backup.

2. Regarding Sophos, I did use the freeware program "AppCleaner" to remove it, but when I do an Easy Find search of "Sophos" on the SSD, there are 25 files that contain Sophos as part of the name. I just went ahead and removed 24 of them. I'll see what happens.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Comcast should be using DHCP, with which OS X should automatically setup the network settings correctly. When the erase & install is completed, it should work as you go through the setup process and choose Ethernet or W-Fi.

The migration would bring all the apps and your data, but not transfer the OS files.

I believe Sophos should have an uninstaller in Macintosh HD > Library > Sophos folder.

C

 

[honestone]

Thanks again, Cory. Getting rid of all those "extraneous" Sophos files did not help improve on the "snappiness" of the machine.

When I have time, I'll try following your advice about 1) completely erasing, formatting, and partitioning the SSD, 2) install a fresh, updated version of Yosemite (OS 10.10.3), and 3) using Migration Assistant to obtain all my apps and data from the MacMini SuperDuper! backup. Will be interesting to see how that pans out.

Thanks again!

 

[Cory Cooper]

No problem...let me know how it goes.

Before you do the migration, create a Test user during setup, then run all software updates. Use the MBA for a little while in the Test user and see if it is back to normal. You can later do the migration, login to your account, and delete the Test user.

C

 

[honestone]

Thanks, Cory.

Yesterday, I used Disk Warrior to analyze my Air's SSD, and still no issues were found. I even had it 1) repair permissions, 2) check files, folders, etc., and 3) rebuild the directory. But, still no improvement.

For most "system-related" functions (booting up, opening and closing folders, shutting down, etc.), the Air is definitely snappy. But, I seem to notice the lack of snappiness the most when I 1) launch Outlook to check my EMail, and 2) launch either Safari or Chrome. None of those programs start up as quickly as they do on the MacMini. Prior to the virus, they did (not quite the same speed, but real close). For Safari and Chrome, going to another web page sometimes is fast, but sometimes is somewhat slow (again compared to the behavior of these programs on the Mini).

The most "glaring" slowness for both browsers is starting each browser, and getting to the home page (MacHelp). It is almost instantaneous on the Mini, but definitely is slower on the Air. The other, real noticeable instance is when I go to the site www.weather.com, ie, the Weather Channel. I have it set to give me the weather for where I live. Real quick on the mini, but not on the Air.

I am going to test some other programs on the Air to see how fast they run. I do remember that Quicken 2007 is just about as fast as before the virus. But, I'll try some others.

All of that leads me to believe that it is something application-related, and not system related.

 

[honestone]

A "minor" update: I did launch a number of other applications on the Air (Klondike Forever (a solitaire game), Onyx, Magic Number Machine (a calculator), Quicken, SuperDuper!, TechTool Pro, Transmission, VLC, Disk Utility, iTunes, Word, and Excel), and all were snappy.

 

[Cory Cooper]

-Do you have the latest Flash installed?
-Have you reordered your Network services so that Ethernet is on top and Wi-Fi is second in the list?
-Is this after doing a clean install without a migration?

C

 

[honestone]

I have not done anything yet, in terms of "replacing" any software. I just wanted to test some more applications. But, 1) I do have Flash installed, and 2) for my MacBook Air, I am connecting to the internet through my home network, so why would I want to change the order from Wi-Fi first, Ethernet second, to Ethernet first, Wi-Fi second in the list? (For my Mac Mini, of course, being that it is a "wired" connection, Ethernet is first, and Wi-Fi is second).

I am entering this on my mini, but I just looked at the Network Preference "panel" on the Air, and as expected, Wi-Fi was at the top of the list. There was no mention of Ethernet on the list (the next entry was Bluetooth).

I wonder, though, if this interesting upcoming change to Yosemite could affect this:

http://www.macnn.com/articles/15/05...ues.induced.by.new.networking.routine.128767/

I had read about this "issue" before, but did not think much of it. Not sure, though, if it even applies, as again, I am not having issues with my MacMini.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Ooops...forgot you were using a MBA - Ethernet is not there, as it doesn't have that built-in. On desktop Macs that have Ethernet and Wi-Fi, it's always best to have Ethernet first, so that it has priority and if a cable is not plugged in, it will be skipped immediately.

That article may be part of the problem, but we won;t know until that update is released. Very interesting though...may solve a lot of networking issues that I run into on a daily basis. Thanks!

Keep testing and keep me in the loop.

C

 

[honestone]

OK, finally I can give an "almost done" update. I had actually been running my MacBook Air "as is", and things seemed to be fine. Even when I went through my disk maintenance/repair/backup processing last week, things were good. But, earlier today, after running all the tasks I do with Onyx (including cleaning out the kernel cache), when I attempted to re-boot the Air, it moved very, very slowly. After getting about 1/3 or so through the boot process, a round circle (looked almost like the one in "Ghostbusters") with a line through it appeared, and the machine stopped. I thought, oh oh! So, I rebooted from one of my Super Duper Backups, ran Disk Warrior to 1) rebuild the directory, 2) check and repair permissions, 3) check for any file issues, and 4) test the drive, and everything checked out fine!

I then rebooted from the Air's SSD, but the same thing happened. I then booted into the Recovery Partition, ran Disk Utility, and again things checked out fine. Tried to reboot again from the Air's SSD, but again no go. So, I rebooted from the last Air Backup, copied the Microsoft Outlook Identity file from the Air's SSD to another location, and then launched Disk Utility. Interestingly, when I selected Erase Disk (at the top, ie, volume level), I was not offered any Erase options! I guess that it is due to having an SSD.

In any event, the erase went quick, as did the partitioning (only 1 partition). I then launched the "Install OS X Yosemite" file from that backup, and installed it on the bare (and "fresh") SSD. I am now in the middle of migrating files/folders, etc. from a backup I did earlier today of my Mac Mini. When it's done, I will boot from the Air's SSD. Hopefully, that goes smoothly.

Once I get to that point, I will need to apply the OS 10.10.3 Combo and Supplemental updaters, copy the Main Identity files I saved earlier to the proper location (so that Outlook will be back in sync), and also obtain the latest version of Safari. All my third party software/files, etc. are of course up to date, given that I obtained them from today's Mac Mini backup.

I'll report back when everything is done. I suspect this issue has something to do with a "lingering" virus from a couple of weeks ago, which I thought I had got completely rid of. Just hope I have no "network" headaches!

 

[honestone]

OK, everything worked like a charm! I personally want to thank Cory for his excellent (and right on the money!) suggestion of erasing the drive, installing Yosemite, and then using Migration Assistant to retrieve all the files/folders, etc. I needed from my Mac Mini backup.

I have subsequently installed the OS 10.10.3 Combo and Supplemental updates, and upgraded to the latest version of Safari. About the only "glitch" is the recurring icon "issue" with my "New Internet" folder on my desktop. And, in fact, the icon for Outlook now looks "funky". Would really like to get to the bottom of that issue (the Firefox icon is the only one that looks normal).

In any event, this is definitely an excellent example of why backups are mandatory. Glad I have been doing that for quite some time!

 

[Cory Cooper]

Awesome news...I figured that would work if the issue was being caused by an OS or system file.

We can take the New Internet folder and icon issues if you would like.

-Maybe try creating a new folder and move the contents of the New Internet folder into it, then delete?
-How many icons aren't correct, and what do they look like? Are they all in the Applications folder?

C

 

[honestone]

Awesome news...I figured that would work if the issue was being caused by an OS or system file.

We can take the New Internet folder and icon issues if you would like.

-Maybe try creating a new folder and move the contents of the New Internet folder into it, then delete?
-How many icons aren't correct, and what do they look like? Are they all in the Applications folder?

C

Thanks, Cory.

Regarding the icon "issues", the applications I have in there (via Making An Alias) are all inside the Applications folder. They are:

Firefox
Google Chrome
Safari
Microsoft Outlook

I can certainly try your idea. I actually was thinking of just moving that folder to the trash, deleting it, make a new desktop folder called "Internet Apps", and try it again. I was also thinking of setting up another folder and doing the same thing for some other apps.

The icons for Chrome, Safari, and Outlook look like "generic" document icons. One would expect them to look exactly like their origin icons that are in the Applications folder. Only Firefox looks fine.

The other baffling thing is that I am not having this issue at all with my Mac Mini. And, to "muck the waters" some more, the Migration I did was for all the files/folders, etc. from the Mac Mini to the MacBook Air, together with a "virgin" installation of Yosemite (along with the Combo and Supplemental updates, and the update for Safari). Yet, the issue persists.

I'll report back what happens.

 

[Cory Cooper]

OK...so the New Internet folder holds the aliases of the different browsers and Outlook, correct?

It may just be a permissions thing. You could try the new folder and see if it happens. If it is the same, then you could try to create another user and see if it does the same thing.

If so, then we should repair disk permissions and reset ACLs for the user that is having the issue. I can give you the steps - it involves booting to the recovery partition and using Disk Utility (Repair Disk Permissions) and a Terminal command to access the Reset Password function (for ACLs).

C

 

[honestone]

Well, it's fixed. What I did was 1) make an alias for each of those, 2) dragged each alias directly to the desktop (each appeared fine, ie, like normal), 3) ran a couple of them (worked fine), 4) moved the original "New Internet" folder to the trash, 5) emptied the trash, 6) created a new folder entitled "Internet Apps" on the desktop, and then 7) deagged each alias (4 of them) to that new folder. They look fine.

Thanks for the assistance, Cory.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Excellent...glad that's fixed.

Enjoy,

C