Larry Cloetta
Veteran
Am only posting this here on the off chance someone might have a good solution to a recent Appleissue. Appleissue is a neologism.
I am running a last generation Mac mini (not the new M1) with an outboard Thunderbay 4 bay external Thunderbolt 3 drive, running on Softraid XT software, for all my photo files.
I waited until recently to update to Bug Sur, er Big Sur, because of problems reported early on with LR, PS, and Capture One. Updated to Big Sur about a week ago, and have found out that I cannot access my LR catalog to work on or add Photos, because the Software XT RAID program is incompatible with Big Sur, and the developer is working on it but not sure when it will work again, if ever. So, meantime, I cannot readily access any of my photos.
Additionally, I use Super Duper as a general computer backup program, in preference to Apple Time Machine, because it is not possible to make a bootable backup with Time Machine, which I have found to be essential. Today, when trying to perform a backup, I found that impossible as well, because Big Sur has broken that. Those developers are also working on it, but unsure they will ever be able to possible to make a bootable backup again.
Discwarrior, which is more effective than Apple’s disk utility now does not work either, but they do say they think they can fix it eventually.
If anyone knows of a backup software that makes bootable backups of Apple computers that now works on Big Sur, I would like to hear about it, as current inability to do that makes me nervous.
Other reason I am posting this is that while researching why all these essential programs are not working for me, it seems that they will be even more broken, and probably for longer or forever, on M1 chip machines, for insoluble reasons having to so with the new architecture , so if anyone is using any similar programs now, and considering the purchase of an M1 Mini or Macbook, which are otherwise tempting, you might want to be sure you can still work as you want.
I am running a last generation Mac mini (not the new M1) with an outboard Thunderbay 4 bay external Thunderbolt 3 drive, running on Softraid XT software, for all my photo files.
I waited until recently to update to Bug Sur, er Big Sur, because of problems reported early on with LR, PS, and Capture One. Updated to Big Sur about a week ago, and have found out that I cannot access my LR catalog to work on or add Photos, because the Software XT RAID program is incompatible with Big Sur, and the developer is working on it but not sure when it will work again, if ever. So, meantime, I cannot readily access any of my photos.
Additionally, I use Super Duper as a general computer backup program, in preference to Apple Time Machine, because it is not possible to make a bootable backup with Time Machine, which I have found to be essential. Today, when trying to perform a backup, I found that impossible as well, because Big Sur has broken that. Those developers are also working on it, but unsure they will ever be able to possible to make a bootable backup again.
Discwarrior, which is more effective than Apple’s disk utility now does not work either, but they do say they think they can fix it eventually.
If anyone knows of a backup software that makes bootable backups of Apple computers that now works on Big Sur, I would like to hear about it, as current inability to do that makes me nervous.
Other reason I am posting this is that while researching why all these essential programs are not working for me, it seems that they will be even more broken, and probably for longer or forever, on M1 chip machines, for insoluble reasons having to so with the new architecture , so if anyone is using any similar programs now, and considering the purchase of an M1 Mini or Macbook, which are otherwise tempting, you might want to be sure you can still work as you want.
Bill Clark
Veteran
Hi Larry,
I was thinking, if and when I upgrade hardware, Photoshop Elements looks interesting.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1597461-REG/adobe_65312875_photoshop_elements_2021.html/specs
Truth be known, I still use CS-4 on my iMac and it still works just fine for me. I’ve not used the process stage of digital photography to save mistakes made during the making of photographs stage.
But I use my stuff for a long time. My Canon 20D I bought new in 2004 still works just fine.
I was thinking, if and when I upgrade hardware, Photoshop Elements looks interesting.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1597461-REG/adobe_65312875_photoshop_elements_2021.html/specs
Truth be known, I still use CS-4 on my iMac and it still works just fine for me. I’ve not used the process stage of digital photography to save mistakes made during the making of photographs stage.
But I use my stuff for a long time. My Canon 20D I bought new in 2004 still works just fine.
DougK
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Larry, you may want to take a look at https://bombich.com/blog/2020/11/03/yes-you-can-have-bootable-backups-on-macos-big-sur. I know nothing about this company or software other than what I read on that page, so use at your own risk.
Bootable backups are not as big of a deal on modern Macs because if all else fails, you can do a minimal boot, reinstall the OS over the internet, and then restore your data, but it does seem to be possible with some effort. Also check out https://9to5mac.com/2020/09/03/how-to-create-bootable-macos-11-big-sur-usb-install-drive-video/.
Bootable backups are not as big of a deal on modern Macs because if all else fails, you can do a minimal boot, reinstall the OS over the internet, and then restore your data, but it does seem to be possible with some effort. Also check out https://9to5mac.com/2020/09/03/how-to-create-bootable-macos-11-big-sur-usb-install-drive-video/.
Larry Cloetta
Veteran
Thanks, Doug. I had looked at Carbon Copy Cloner when I ended up going with Super Duper in the past. Maybe time to look at it again. I had done that earlier in the evening, but was wondering if anyone had any experience with it. Looks like an option, however.
I have restored dead computers with bootable backups, and “the other way”, the way you are stuck with when you don’t have an exact clone of your hard drive, which you can instantly boot up from. The bootable backup is significantly easier if you are not a computer geek, which I am not. It think it was basically start up your external HD, and two button pushes, and you were made whole again, as if nothing had ever happened. Fairly quick as well.
I am sure Apple has their reasons for denying this capability to Time Machine, I have just never seen it explained.
Also, because Disk Warrior has for years been able to repair damaged disks that Apple Disk Utility can’t (my experience anyway), I need a bootable backup of the entire system from which to analyze and repair the internal HD, because that’s how DiskWarrior works. And it works. Without a bootable backup, that capability is lost to me as well (even if DiskWarrior had not been rendered unusable by Big Sur as well. They’re working on it.)
Anyway, thanks, will take a look at CCC, while I am waiting for the RAID software to, I hope, be fixed so I can safely deal with my photo files.
But, you are likely correct that I will just have to eventually find entirely new ways of doing those things that were easy to do last month.
Armoured
Well-known
I've used both Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper. CCC is far, far better, and in my experience, better maintained/updated. I recall that the issue I had with SuperDuper was that backups from a disk with sector errors would simply stop and throw up an error, meaning that recovering a drive with issues was impractical. CCC with the same drive would backup the entire drive and warn which files had issues.
Similarly a big advantage if backing up folders to a network drive - handles network issues/slowness far more efficiently. Graceful at creating/mounting/using disk images of most types. Although really designed for complete disk backups, because of this, it actually handles backup/syncs of arbitrary folder/file sets extremely well (bit clunky interface as a file sync/copy utility but does it well - I'll use it instead of finder for large data migrations etc).
Mind though I haven't used SuperDuper now for four or five years, but I'd say CCC is the gold standard.
I have also preferred to have bootable backups - but although I've not moved to BigSur yet, CCC's solution seems reasonable (i.e. install macos to the backup disk created by CCC). I'd have no serious concerns though about eg. having a separate bootable 'naked' or vanilla installation even on a thumb drive, and using that to boot/restore from the backup drive to the main. (Or indeed a time machine source drive)
Overall over the years creating even thumb drives that can be used to restore/fix boot drives has become a lost easier, and TimeMachine/other available utilities more reliable - although dang but they have become harder to 'grok' for non IT people.
Sorry to hear of your MacOS incompatibilities, Larry, very awkward. I have been stuck on Mojave due to the loss of 32-bit addressing in Catalina. I had the OS make me a list of my installed apps that work only on 32-bit and I've been going through it and checking for updates. As you've noted, some developers are lagging behind on doing updates. I want to avoid losing accustomed functionality.
As an example, I like shareware Tex-Edit as a text processor for its ability to do font formatting, include graphics, and for its helpful text tools I use often. But the developer has told me he will not be doing a 64-bit version of it, so I'll have to find a suitable alternative.
As to CCC, I do like Carbon Copy Cloner and use it regularly in the bootable clone method. But of course not with Big Sur, so no experience to share. Bombich updates it fairly often.
As an example, I like shareware Tex-Edit as a text processor for its ability to do font formatting, include graphics, and for its helpful text tools I use often. But the developer has told me he will not be doing a 64-bit version of it, so I'll have to find a suitable alternative.
As to CCC, I do like Carbon Copy Cloner and use it regularly in the bootable clone method. But of course not with Big Sur, so no experience to share. Bombich updates it fairly often.
olakiril
Well-known
Wouldn't it be possible to use timemachine for backups (with the new filesystem is superfast!) and then if you want to boot from one of the backup images to restore it to an external drive?
here is a random article that I found
https://www.lifewire.com/back-up-startup-disk-utility-2260102
here is a random article that I found
https://www.lifewire.com/back-up-startup-disk-utility-2260102
LDHaber
Newbie
Hi Larry,
Sorry for your troubles. I would agree with the others that CCC is the way to go for a bootable backup. I am running Big Sur, by the way and I have switched all my devices to the new M1 silicon chips: both a Mac mini and a MacBook Pro. I am not having any issues with Adobe Creative Suite, specifically Indesign and Photoshop.
best,
Larry
Sorry for your troubles. I would agree with the others that CCC is the way to go for a bootable backup. I am running Big Sur, by the way and I have switched all my devices to the new M1 silicon chips: both a Mac mini and a MacBook Pro. I am not having any issues with Adobe Creative Suite, specifically Indesign and Photoshop.
best,
Larry
pesphoto
Veteran
IM avoiding updating to Big Sur at work because it doesn't support firewire and guess how our phase one cameras connect to our macs?
Larry Cloetta
Veteran
“ although dang but they have become harder to 'grok' for non IT people”
Thanks for this. That’s it in a nutshell for me when comparing just repopulating a new internal HD with the perfect clone found on my backup with doing part of the task from a thumb drive and then figuring out how to do the rest of it and wondering if you have really got everything. I’ve looked at what seem to be all the steps involved in making the thumb drive then using it, and I’m sure it’s easy if that’s what you do for a living or hobby. Yes, I am definitely not an IT person, so there are things I don’t instantly ‘grok’. (Haven’t seen anyone use that reference in a while
) I was happier with the whole “It Just Works”/zero feature bloat Apple ethos, but that died with him. Years ago, not being an IT guy, when choosing between CCC and Super Duper, I just flipped a coin and went with Super Duper. I have had no problems until now, and it has bailed my out once in the past when drives failed completely, and several times when there were big problems short of total failure. But, I will take a look at CCC today, and probably go that way for now as not having the last couple of days work backed up makes me nervous.
Thanks, everyone, for the CCC recommendation, from those who use it. That helps.
Larry Cloetta
Veteran
Thanks for the link; will take a more detailed look at that later as it is not exactly something I have considered before, and it might be applicable as I try and find a workable,and as simple as possible, way forward. Apple basically lost me at APFS, and I’ve been off my game ever since.
Many thanks to everyone who has responded, sincerely appreciated. Just need to get my head around a new way of working, perhaps.
Horatio
Masked photographer
Thanks for the heads up on the latest bugware. I won't be "upgrading" any time soon. Nothing like progress to ruin something perfectly functional.
I hope you can get things sorted out to your satisfaction.
I hope you can get things sorted out to your satisfaction.
Following this thread, before I do an update. Being in the Mac industry and a developer for decades, I was always an early adopter, but that's changed...I'm still on Catalina. Have had a license to SuperDuper for nearly 15 years...
Armoured
Well-known
-For moving from one computer to another, Migration Assistant is now very solid and works well from either TimeMachine or any complete disk copy (like from CCC). I basically no longer check once/after migration complete since it is quite solid. (I'll tend to 'freeze' the old version and keep that drive as is or lock it as a disk image just in case something didn't get brought over).
-The thumb drive shouldn't really be necessary most of the time - the restore functionality built into the system can let you get in fairly easily to do restore/disk utility stuff. Making an external boot disk now pretty much puts you in the "IT geek" crowd.
Sorry, don't know anything about your other issues.
Armoured
Well-known
I've found this painful and so far only one plain MacBook Air (browsing machine) has moved to Catalina. Mainly because of Aperture, which I'm allllllllmost migrated out of.
A few minor tips:
-Photos - the built-in one - can open Aperture libraries without any trouble. Note: it creates a new Photos library, and seems to copy everything including masters - it leaves the Aperture library alone but renames it by appending 'migrated' or something like that. (This makes me much more comfortable that I can get to something if I need to in an old Aperture library, even if I have my originals elsewhere).
-TexEdit: I used that for years and it's a loss. BBEdit in free version is basically TexEdit - or at least from same developer and pretty similar. (I don't use it very much anymore)
Aperture will still work on Catalina and Big Sur after applying the Retroactive patch.
DougK
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It's never fun to go through architectural changes, that's for sure. I got bitten when Apple dropped FireWire support, but otherwise haven't had many issues, either from PowerPC to Intel or Intel to M1. Hopefully all of you can find solutions that work!
Ronald M
Veteran
You just kept me from a disaster. I was thinking of an M1.
Do you suppose Apple wants you to use cloud for back up so they disable all else?
I do not play the upgrade game with work computers. I set it up and disconnect from net. Never have issues. Buy something else for web and mail etc.
Do you suppose Apple wants you to use cloud for back up so they disable all else?
I do not play the upgrade game with work computers. I set it up and disconnect from net. Never have issues. Buy something else for web and mail etc.
willie_901
Veteran
If you are referring to Firewire support, ending Firewire support is a pathetic strategy to force people to use cloud-based backups. Firewire is no longer supported because very few new devices benefit from obsolete Firewire transfer speeds.
- Firewire is slow. Firewire 400 and 800 max out at 400 and Mbps respectively. USB 2.0 is rated at 480 Mbps. Older USB 3.0 devices are about 10 X faster - 5 Gbps. USB 3.1 (Gen 1) also supports 5 Gbps. USB 3.1 Gen 2 performs similarly to first generation Thunderbolt devices. [1]
- Apple is not the only company that offers cloud backup services. They would not capture 100% of the cloud backup market.
- The proprietary aspect of Apple's cloud infrastructure is sharing data among Apple devices. Secondary is automatic iOS device backup. OS X does not have native tools for automatic cloud backups. I suspect it could be possible for M1 Macs to use automated iCloud backup. I'm not sure how practical cloud backup is for 1-2 TB of M1 OS X storage.
- You can't boot from the Cloud.
1. The highest performance for USB 3.x and C is only possible using SuperSpeed USB cables that match the storage devices performance. Older USB cables cables degrade performance.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
... And from any bootable macOS system drive. You don't need to make a copy of your drive, just connect up your old machine with your accounts and apps, tell Migration Assistant what to move, and let it do its thing. The old machine is used read-only, so nothing on it is changed.
USB 2.0 is rated peak performance at 480 Mbps but, generally speaking, it's almost impossible to find a single device in the USB 2.0 world that gets to much over 250 Mbps. This is because of both USB architectural structure and its implementation methodology. USB 3.0 and 3.1 do a good bit better on providing nearer to spec performance. FireWire 400 and 800 would generally speaking would provide near 100% (98-99% easy) of the rated data transfer potential because of the internal architecture of the FireWire protocol, which has direct memory access with caching and buffering included.
While Apple has gone to all USB-C type connections and USB 3.1 + TB protocols, they have also been quite good at providing protocol converters that are pretty darn efficient for older USB interfaces as well as FireWire 800/400. So while it is a bit of a pain to have to buy a bunch of adapters, you can continue using your older devices without any problem. (Yes, that's what I'm doing at present; no problems at all.)
Basically, the fundamental problem is that the computer world is now awash in vast amounts more data being streamed and tossed back and forth between devices than USB 2 or 3, or FW 400/800, were designed to handle and be efficient at. So new protocols that are faster have come about, and new hardware connection that is faster and more reliable to suit that as well. The fact that in the practical world of our personal systems we don't really need all that speed, all the time, means that we can use the adaptation available and poke along at the slower speeds that our older devices are designed for while the systems can deal with new, far faster stuff when the time is right.
I moved to macOS Big Sur some time back now. The only issue I've had is that the dedicated software for my now discontinued and getting old (in computer system terms) Light L16 camera has pretty much stopped working as of the last updates to macOS Catalina, and for sure with Big Sur. Since my L16 is still a nice camera that I like to use occasionally, I've simply configured my older 2012 Mac mini with macOS Mojave and the Lumen software, and locked it there. As long as the camera continues to function, I can work with it.
Some of the things that have been lost (like bootable backups and clone disks)... well, nice that they are, I haven't actually had cause to use a bootable backup for a very very long time and had mostly forgotten that the facility was in SuperDuper and other tools. I don't know to how many people these are essential capabilities, but I suspect the percentages are pretty small. I've been doing the "reinitialize and install the OS as original, then install my data with Migration Assistant" for near a decade now, and have not found any problems with that as the strategy.
The folks at Shirt Pocket have articulated this strategy for use with SuperDuper as well, see their blog at http://www.shirt-pocket.com/blog.
Other tools... Well, I've had a long term policy of keeping macOS and app upgrades up to date and replacing software that no longer worked with newer software that does. I have had very few cases of obsoleted software that I could not do without and that had no replacement (Lumen is actually the single case where there is really no replacement, and I knew that was coming for a year and more before it broke so I planned for it).
Things only, always, move forwards in Time.
G