Bootable Backup Assistant
IMPORTANT: With each new major version of the OS, Apple makes it more and more difficult to create a bootable backup. Given that the only way to make a bootable backup on recent versions of the OS is to use Apple’s own proprietary tool, it’s pretty clear that they will eventually remove that capability entirely. For that reason we no longer recommend the use of bootable backups when running on macOS 11 (Big Sur) and later. Instead, we recommend the use of Data Volume backups as the preferred method for maintaining a full system backup.
A bootable system backup is an exact replica of your working system. If something were to happen with your primary system drive, you could boot from your backup system and be up and running quickly. The bootable backup assistant will create a synchronizer task that will create a bootable backup of your system volume. The destination must be a volume on another drive connected locally, typically an external hard drive.
CREATE A NEW SYNCHRONIZER TASK
From the ChronoSync Organizer window, choose ‘Use a setup assistant.’ This takes you to all of the assistants ChronoSync has to offer. For this guide, choose ‘Bootable Backup.’
A summary panel will appear to explain the Bootable Backup assistant. Click on ‘Get Started’ to set up the assistant.
ADMIN PRIVILEGES
Before you make a bootable backup, you must have admin privileges. Click on ‘Request Admin Privileges’ and enter in your credentials.
SELECT A SOURCE VOLUME
Choose the volume that you’d like to make the bootable backup of from the list presented to you. Normally this is your current boot volume but if you have multiple boot volumes attached, they can be chosen as well. Click on ‘Next Step.’
SELECT A DESTINATION VOLUME
Choose the volume that you’d like to have the bootable backup reside. Click on ‘Next Step.’
PREPARE THE DESTINATION VOLUME
Choose how you would like the destination volume formatted. Click on ‘Next Step.’
MAINTAIN AN ARCHIVE
ChronoSync maintains an archive so that you have access to older files or files that you have deleted, just in case. The archive is a safety net against accidental deletions or changes to files. Determine whether you wish to have an archive and then click on ‘Next Step.’
NAME THE TASK
The final step to the Bootable Backup assistant is to give it a unique, meaningful name so that you can easily access the task in the future. After naming the task, click on ‘Create Task’ to complete the assistant setup.
TASK CREATED
ChronoSync has created a new task with the settings specified during the assistant setup. The task is presented to you. From here, you can choose to go through all of the panels of the task document and fine tune options or, to keep things simple, run the task as-is.
CONCLUSION
That’s it! You now have a bootable backup task defined. If you need to access this task document in the future, it can be found in the ChronoSync Organizer.
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG
Using the bootable backup assistant is pretty straightforward so the above steps should work flawlessly and without incident. If you encounter any problems following this tutorial or you have any questions concerning any of the settings, please contact our technical support team and just ask! We don’t mind — we’re here to help!