Device Image Format

DropDMG
1

I want to create a SuperDuper! backup of my internal hard drive, then make a device image of that on an external hard drive. If I can make the device image in a read-write format, I can use SuperDuper! to perform smart updates to the device image when it is mounted. That would be superior to having to create a new device image every time I wanted to update.

However…

The manual states that device images should have “Optimized for restores” checked in the configurations panel. But, that option is disabled for most of the format choices. Can I ignore the “Optimized for restores” option, and just use “Scan Image for Restore” later on in Disk Utility? If yes, which read-write format is best for a device image? Is an up-dateable device image even possible?

2

Yes.

I’m not sure that a device image makes sense in this context because if you’re going to be updating it you’ll want to have some extra space available. I suggest creating a blank sparse bundle.

3

To create a bootable, up-dateable and secure backup, is this correct?

  • Create an encrypted sparse bundle that is larger in size than my SuperDuper! backup
  • Mount the sparse bundle volume
  • Drag my SuperDuper! volume into the sparse bundle volume

Then to update the backup:

  • Make sure the sparse bundle volume is mounted
  • Use SuperDuper! smart update

To restore the backup:

  • Boot from Snow Leopard install disk
  • Use disk utility to overwrite the current system volume with the backup volume
4

Rather than using drag and drop in the Finder, you should tell SuperDuper to copy either the original drive or the backup onto the sparse bundle volume.