USB backup does not show up in 'Startup Disk'
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From: dorayme on 6 Jul 2010 03:27 On my Snow-Latest Macbook I made a backup via SuperDuper. The backup is an external, very familiarly standard formatted, and connected by USB. Shows up fine in the file directory (eg. in Column view). It can be mounted and ejected. But I thought I might test it for startup performance and brought up the Startup Disk from Sys Prefs to choose it and to restart. There are other ways I can go, but it puzzled me that it was not there: there was the internal HD and 'Network Startup'. I think some machines cannot start from USB but thought the Macbook (bought at the very end of last year new from Apple) could? (I have not tried yet to use it to restore anything, I need to trust it first.) -- dorayme
From: nospam on 6 Jul 2010 03:31 In article <dorayme-EB9146.17271406072010(a)news.albasani.net>, dorayme <dorayme(a)optusnet.com.au> wrote: > But I thought I might test it for startup performance and brought > up the Startup Disk from Sys Prefs to choose it and to restart. > There are other ways I can go, but it puzzled me that it was not > there: there was the internal HD and 'Network Startup'. try holding down the option key at boot and see if it shows up. > I think some machines cannot start from USB but thought the > Macbook (bought at the very end of last year new from Apple) > could? all intel macs can boot from usb.
From: dorayme on 6 Jul 2010 04:11 In article <060720100031236844%nospam(a)nospam.invalid>, nospam <nospam(a)nospam.invalid> wrote: > In article <dorayme-EB9146.17271406072010(a)news.albasani.net>, dorayme > <dorayme(a)optusnet.com.au> wrote: > > > But I thought I might test it for startup performance and brought > > up the Startup Disk from Sys Prefs to choose it and to restart. > > There are other ways I can go, but it puzzled me that it was not > > there: there was the internal HD and 'Network Startup'. > > try holding down the option key at boot and see if it shows up. > Yes, this works fine, the USB drive even shows up in Sys Prefs when the machine starts *from the USB* drive. Wonder why the thing did not show up when started from the regular internal drive (even after a complete restart from internal to internal with USB connected and powered on still)? Anyway, thanks, I was confident this would work and it did and the USB, btw, while slower, was not as slow as I expected it to be when running the OS. So all is good. SuperDuper reigns supreme. > > I think some machines cannot start from USB but thought the > > Macbook (bought at the very end of last year new from Apple) > > could? > > all intel macs can boot from usb. Yes, right, thanks. -- dorayme
From: David Empson on 6 Jul 2010 06:28 dorayme <dorayme(a)optusnet.com.au> wrote: > In article <060720100031236844%nospam(a)nospam.invalid>, > nospam <nospam(a)nospam.invalid> wrote: > > > In article <dorayme-EB9146.17271406072010(a)news.albasani.net>, dorayme > > <dorayme(a)optusnet.com.au> wrote: > > > > > But I thought I might test it for startup performance and brought > > > up the Startup Disk from Sys Prefs to choose it and to restart. > > > There are other ways I can go, but it puzzled me that it was not > > > there: there was the internal HD and 'Network Startup'. > > > > try holding down the option key at boot and see if it shows up. > > > > Yes, this works fine, the USB drive even shows up in Sys Prefs > when the machine starts *from the USB* drive. Wonder why the > thing did not show up when started from the regular internal > drive (even after a complete restart from internal to internal > with USB connected and powered on still)? > > Anyway, thanks, I was confident this would work and it did and > the USB, btw, while slower, was not as slow as I expected it to > be when running the OS. So all is good. SuperDuper reigns supreme. The problem is likely to be the partition map scheme used on the drive. The computer may be able to boot from that partition map scheme, but System Preferences may not let you select it as the configured startup disk if it is not the expected scheme. For an Intel Mac, the partition map scheme should be "GUID Partition Table". (Intel Macs to date can also boot from Apple Partition Map, but there are some limitations such as not being able to install firmware updates, and the Mac OS X installer won't let you install it on a drive with this scheme using an Intel Mac. At some point, future models are likely to drop support for booting from Apple Partition Map.) For a PowerPC Mac, the partition map scheme must be "Apple Partition Map". (Last generation PowerMac G5s can also boot from GUID Partition Table, but this is not documented or officially supported by Apple.) The third possible partition map scheme is "Master Boot Record", which is the one normally used on Windows. PowerPC Macs can't boot from that, and Intel Macs might not be able to either. You can check which partition map scheme is used on your drive by running Disk Utility (in /Applications/Utilities, or under the Utilities menu while booted from the Mac OS X Install DVD), and clicking on the icon for the drive in the left column (the one up against the left margin, which represents the entire drive). The information area at the bottom of the window shows "Partition Map Scheme". Changing the scheme requires wiping the drive, and is done via the Partition tab. You have to select the desired number of partitions (NOT "Current"), may want to tweak the sizes and names, then click the Options button, pick the desired partition map scheme, click OK, then click the Apply button to proceed. (You can't change the partition map scheme on your startup drive - boot from something else.) Again, note that changing the partition map scheme will wipe everything on the drive (all partitions, if you have several), so make sure you have backups (on a different hard drive!) if there is anything you want to keep. If you have multiple hard drives, also be very careful that you have picked the correct drive to repartition. -- David Empson dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz
From: dorayme on 6 Jul 2010 19:10
In article <1jl89rm.1fo7qqz1icvuu6N%dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz>, dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) wrote: .... > > > In article <dorayme-EB9146.17271406072010(a)news.albasani.net>, dorayme > > > <dorayme(a)optusnet.com.au> wrote: > > > > > Wonder why the > > thing did not show up when started from the regular internal > > drive (even after a complete restart from internal to internal > > with USB connected and powered on still)? > > > The computer may be able to boot from that partition map scheme, but > System Preferences may not let you select it as the configured startup > disk if it is not the expected scheme. > > For an Intel Mac, the partition map scheme should be "GUID Partition > Table". (Intel Macs to date can also boot from Apple Partition Map, but > there are some limitations such as not being able to install firmware > updates, and the Mac OS X installer won't let you install it on a drive > with this scheme using an Intel Mac. At some point, future models are > likely to drop support for booting from Apple Partition Map.) Ah, *thanks*, yes, that is likely it! I was not watching that when I bought the thing (from a general computer store, it was 'Master Boot Record' btw) and partitioned it at the time. I repartitioned it just now and made sure to set the map right. I am backing up the Macbook internal to one of the partitions right now so you will only hear from me if it fails to show up as a possible start up in Disk Utility. It is nice when there is a reason for something! Does this mean there is or there is not a god? <g> -- dorayme |