Bootable backup disk instead of restore files?

[fahdoul]

Is there anyway to do incremental backups, that will result in a bootable disk, rather than a bunch of coded files that can be used to (hopefully) "restore" a disk into a replica of the original disk?

I know I can make a bootable copy using CCC or SuperDuper, but that requires copying the whole disk over each time, a tedious project. Also I find that the cloning often takes several attempts to make a bootable copy.

On the other hand, the the sort of compressed backup files most backup programs make have always scared me because they need to be expanded before they can be used, which not only requires another HD (I like to alway keep an crashed HD intact, since on several occasions I have managed to recover vital info after the backup turned out to be no good) but means you have no way to verify the content and have to take it on faith it will work.

What I'd like is something that would make a usable as is, bootable, clone of my drive, then do incremental backups on it to keep it up to date.

Is this possible?

[Silencio]

SuperDuper! doesn't require copying over the entire disk each time. Use the Smart Backup functionality to update a previous clone job.

[MGS_forgot_password]

RAID 1
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106594

[modelamac]

I use either Disk Utility's Restore function or CCC for periodic full backups, and SilverKeeper for more frequent Home folder backups. Both efforts result in bootable drives.

BTW, neither CCC nor SuperDuper require full backups. CCC allows you to remove items before cloning, and Super Duper (paid version) is much more versatile than that.

Something is wrong if you need several attempts to get a bootable backup. The first backup should be bootable, every time, and should remain so after each incremental backup. If this is not the result you are getting, you probably are backing up a flawed system. Fix it first, then backup.

[mattkime]

RAID 1 only prevents drive failure, not drive corruption