Author: Pier Francesco Piccolomini

Time Machine is an awesome tool for backing up Mac. Even so, here are 3 other options to have in mind, depending on your needs.

Periodically backing up your hard drive is something everyone should do. These days, there are so many tools that make the job easy, you’ve really got no excuse.

By default, OS X offers Time Machine, which creates incremental backups on a periodic basis, and if you ever need to use it (HD failure, kernel panic), it lets you to back up your Mac.

But Time Machine, by its nature, has very few personalization options. Often times, that’s not a problem, but there are times when you’re going to want more control.

Bearing that in mind, here are 3 great alternatives to Time Machine that will let you clone and restore your Mac’s HD: SuperDuper!, Carbon Copy Cloner and Paragon Drive Copy.

SuperDuper!: make your life easier

I remember using SuperDuper! for the first time about 7 or 8 years ago. At the time, Time Machine wasn’t around, and I was looking for a good backup program. I read about SuperDuper. It was billed as “idiot-proof”, in the sense that anyone could use it, and it was easy to see what you were doing before you started, thus avoiding potential disasters.

After I tried the demo, I immediately whipped out my credit card and bought the full version. I also sent an enthusiastic email to the developer, complementing him on a great program. And I still use Super Duper! today.

SuperDuper!’s beauty lies in its transparency. Everything is based on three simple drop-down menus. In the first one, you pick which disc you want to copy; in the second, you choose where you want to copy to; in the last, you choose what parts to copy (or restore).

Depending on what you’ve picked, you’ll see a simple explanation of your particular combination in the middle of the interface.

From Preferences, you can refine the operation by enabling some important options. The most interesting is probably Smart Update. If you’ve already done a full copy of a disc on another disc, this tool allows you to integrate it– basically, it’ll copy the files that weren’t there in previous backups, and will replace the ones that have changed without touching the ones that have stayed the same.

This means that you’ll always have a backup, and save a lot of time, because after the first backup, subsequent ones are much faster. The system, known as incremental backup, is similar to that used by Time Machine. You can also schedule automatic backups periodically.

In Settings, you can choose what your Mac should do once the backup has been made. Among your options, you can reboot using the newly made backup as a bootable disc, turn the computer off, or put the computer to sleep and eject the disk where you made the backup.

As if all this wasn’t enough, SuperDuper! offers a full trial version with no time limits. Even better, it has very few restrictions compared to the full version. Incremental backup, unfortunately, is among these limitations: you’ll only get it with the full version. Fortunately, the full version is priced very reasonably. It’s a great backup program, and has years of conscientious development behind it.

The latest version is compatible with OS X 10.6, but you’ll find versions for operating systems as old as Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar on the developer’s website.

CarbonCopyCloner: the all-powerful

Also known as CCC, this is the old-school backup program for Mac. CCC has always staked everything on the strength of its bootable backup. The scenario that was (and still is) painted by developers is this: you’re working on an important project, you’re about ready to finish, and suddenly, your Mac stops working. The HD pings worryingly, and everything disappears.

With a classic backup, you’ll spend an entire day buying and installing a new disk, reinstalling the OS and programs, and finally, restoring the data. With CCC though, just boot the Mac from the backup and you’re immediately operational. When you want, you can restore the backup to your new hard drive and magically, everything will be as it was before the disaster. This apocalyptic picture is no longer as effective as it once was, because bootable backups are no longer the exclusive domain of CarbonCopyCloner, but the program still does a great job.

Compared to SuperDuper! and Paragon Drive Copy (which we’ll talk about later), it’s slightly more complicated to use. On the other hand, you’ve got almost total control over customization, including what to include in the backup, what to exclude, and how to process the data.

Some of CCC’s many settings

An experienced user with non-standard requirements will probably need to make several tweaks to the process, but that doesn’t mean that it’s insufficient for the average user. By choosing the source drive and the destination– and leaving the parameters to their default values– you’ll get a complete and bootable backup of your Mac’s HD.

If you want to venture into custom and advanced parameters, you’ll find a mine of options that give you total control over every operation.

Many of CCC’s parameters are customizable

CarbonCopyCloner also offers incremental backups, plus the ability to save the backup to a disk image. You’ll be notified by email whenever a new backup copy is made, which you can save to another Mac on the same local network, or a remote network using an internet connection.

Another very useful function: you can keep your Mac awake and set CCC to perform a backup at a specific time (say, at night), and then put the computer to sleep.

CarbonCopyCloner is an excellent alternative to Time Machine, especially for those who are more familiar with the technology and have specific needs, but also for those who want one of the most comprehensive tool in the product category.

The latest release (3.5.4 at the time of writing) is compatible with OS X from 10.6 to 10.9, but on the author’s website, you ‘ll also find the 3.4.7 version, compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5.

Paragon Drive Copy: the future belongs to the young

This product is new and, at the time of writing, is in open beta, meaning anyone can test it for free. The interface of Paragon Drive Copy for Mac OS X Beta, at least in this beta, is pure OS X style, simple and familiar to any Mac user, and using the app will come easily to pretty much anyone.

This tool differs from competitors because, in addition to the traditional method of copying a disc to another HD, it allows you to clone the hard disc of your Mac into virtual containers, more specifically, in the pVHD format: VMDK, VHD and VDI.

What are these containers? Basically, they are files that contain the virtual hard drive (disc image), used by programs like VMware or VirtualBox. In practice, Paragon Drive Copy is able to copy your hard disc in formats that can be read from virtual machines.

You can use these containers as simple backup and restore them to a HD, or you can start them as virtual machines and use them as if they were physical computers.

Another feature of Paragon Drive Copy that we like: use simple drag and drop to establish the size of the disc you’re copying to a hard drive another location. This lets you create a backup of the exact dimensions of the copied disc, without wasting extra space on the destination disc.

Paragon Drive Copy supports OS X 10.7 Lion, Mountain Lion and 10.9 10.8 Mavericks.

No more excuses

Summing up, you have lots of good options for backing up your Mac. The three lsited above are all of great quality and reliable.

Want clarity and transparency? There’s SuperDuper! Would you like completeness and speed? Then choose CarbonCopyCloner. Would you like simplicity and innovation? Paragon Drive Copy is the one for you.

The main point is, make regular backups of your HD. Even if you decide to stick with Time Machine, make sure to set it properly the first time, and you’ll be able to sleep soundly.

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You don’t need to have an iOS device to sync with Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks. It may be hard to believe, but Android and Apple can work together. Let’s see how to make them communicate.

Ok, it’s true – it’s simple to sync an iOS device to your Mac. We’re thinking of iCloud (which, remember, is also available for PC).

But I want to talk about Android. This doesn’t mean I don’t love Apple! Synchronizing OS X Mavericks and Android is a piece of cake. All it takes is a couple of tools and a few minutes to prepare everything.

Synchronize photos, videos and music

doubleTwist (for Mac & Android) is the most efficient tool for syncing music, photos, and videos between Apple computers and Android devices.

There are two options: sync via AirSync (the computer and the phone must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network, and the Android device must install AirSync ) or via USB cable.

For syncing through USB to work, you need to enable USB mass storage MSC mode on your phone. This means that (at least at the time of writing) phones that only support USB MTP mode can only sync wirelessly.

Phones that support USB MSC mode are the Samsung Galaxy S2 (excluding the Sprint version), Google Nexus S, HTC One X with Android 4.0 (except for the Sprint version), and the Motorola Razr and Razr MAXX .

Recent devices (like Samsung Galaxy S4 and Nexus 5) only support MTP mode, as well as tablets with Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) and devices without an SD card that run on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).

doubleTwist is very similar to iTunes. Connect your phone and select it in the left column under Devices. In the three available tabs (Music, Videos, and Photos) choose the type of synchronization you want to perform, and then press the Sync button.

This may also be one-way (phone to Mac or Mac to phone). This is pretty handy, as it’s unlikely that you’ll want to upload the entire photo library on your computer to your cell phone. It’s more likely that you’ll want to free up Android storage by offloading some photos and videos.

The Mac doubleTwist library requires iTunes and iPhoto to be in sync, so unfortunately you can’t add custom folders.

Synchronize your contacts

This is done using your Google account.

Open the Phone app, choose the Contacts tab, tap the three dots in the lower right corner to access the options and select Accounts.

Check ​​Auto-sync app data. By now, the details of the accounts listed will be synced online.

To set up your Mac. Open the address book, go to Preferences > Accounts and click on the “+” button at the bottom left.

Select Google, click Continue, and fill in your name, email, and password.

In the next step select Contacts and then click on Done.

When you’re connected to the internet your contacts on Mac and Android will automatically sync.

Synchronize your calendar

For this task, you also use your Google Account.

Open the Google Calendar app on your Android (or download it on your device if it’s not available by default, for example if it’s an HTC phone).

In the menu with the three dots select Settings, and then tap Add Account, choose Google > Existing, and follow the steps.

And now to your Mac. To synchronize your iCal calendars with your Google calendars follow the same steps to sync your contacts: Open iCal, go to Preferences > Accounts, click on the “+” button, choose Google, enter your login details, and select Calendars.

In the drop-down menu in the Account Information tab you can set the refresh intervals for calendars.

Now your Mac and Android calendars will always be perfectly synchronized.

Synchronize other files

There are various options to keep your documents up to date on Mac and Android. The easiest and most effective way is to use a service like Dropbox.

Download the app for Mac and Android, and create an account or, if you already have one, sign in with your credentials.

All of your Dropbox folders and documents will be accessible. To add new files to Android, just go to the folder where you want to upload, then click on the menu with three dots, and tap Upload here.

Dropbox is available through the Menu bar on OS X, and manage it exactly as if it were a normal folder.

All the files that you upload to your device will synchronize when added to Dropbox, and will always be available on other devices.

Synchronize bookmarks

Having all your browser bookmarks is essential for those (isn’t that all of us?!) who use the internet on a daily basis.

An easy solution is to use the Chrome browser, which is available for Mac and Android.

Log in to both with your Google account. To do this on Android you have to tap the Sign In button.

Enter Settings, then Accounts, choose Google, and then verify that Chrome is selected.

On the Mac, access Sign in to Chrome.

Enter your Google account information and, if you like, check the Choose what to sync box. If you do this, on the next screen you can decide what to sync by checking the relevant boxes.

Easy, huh?

As you can see, synchronizing your digital life doesn’t mean you need to be 100% Apple. If you love your Mac, but also love Android, then you’ve got all the necessary tools to get them to communicate.

This tutorial has been designed specifically for those using a Mac running OS X 10.9 Mavericks.

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After 12 years of honorable service, Windows XP is retired. This means that many users will have to choose another operating system. Maybe it’s the perfect time to get a Mac. I’ll explain why.

It’s a reality: on April 8, 2014, Windows XP closed its doors. At the moment official Microsoft support ended, the historic operating system was already installed on 17% of PCs in the world – in Asia peaking at 25%. A very respectable percentage, I’m sure you’ll agree.

And so, for its millions of users this brings a dilemma: what to do?

Those who decide to migrate to Microsoft’s latest OS (Windows 7 or Windows 8) will have PCmover Express at their disposal. But is this really the best option?

Maybe not. Perhaps this is actually the perfect time to get a Mac. Here’s why.

Friendly interface

The desktops of Macs and PCs have always been slightly different.

Windows 8 changed things completely and introduced the Modern UI interface, a concept borrowed from Windows Phone, but not one that all Windows users have enjoyed (at least until now).

The Modern Windows Desktop 8.1 is very different from the classic Windows

The upgrade hasn’t exactly been immediate because the design of the new user interface is very different from the legacy Windows UI. The result: doing what you’ve always done has become rather complicated. In other words, the learning curve is high and not particularly intuitive.

Finder from OS X has a function that’s similar to Windows Explorer, and the whole organization of the user interface is based on similar philosophies, so it’s easy to feel at home.

Finder window in OS X

So what now? Well, it could be the perfect time to switch to a Mac. OS X (rather paradoxically) offers a more familiar environment to those coming from XP (or even Vista and 7) with respect to what’s in Windows 8.

Familiarizing yourself with the differences requires a few minutes: once your aquainted and know the main features it’ll be easy, and you won’t feel homesick for either XP nor Windows.

And if you think that you’ll miss the Start button if you switch to Mac be happy with the face that the Start button doesn’t exist in Windows 8!

A removal of software, however, is inevitable

From the point of view of the programs, even upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 8 is a radical change. In the new OS you won’t find many of the programs that you used on a daily basis.

There is Internet Explorer 10, but the Modern version doesn’t offer the same user experience that you were used to before. When it comes to the rest, you won’t find Paint, Messenger, Windows Movie Maker, Minefield, Outlook, Solitaire, or Pinball. On OS X you’ll have gained Mail, the Calendar app, and Messaging.

Given the magnitude of the change, therefore, a Mac might be a palatable option. In this article you’ll find, for any Windows application that you used, the corresponding one for Mac, while in this article we show you how to do everything on a Mac that you did on Windows. And in less than thirty minutes you’ll be a fully fledged member of the Apple society!

Making you feel at home

Many of the important applications that you had on XP are also on Mac, such as Microsoft Office, Firefox, and Chrome. This does not mean that they’re missing from Windows 8: it’s just that now, the operating systems from Apple and Microsoft share a large number of programs for everyday use.

Chrome for Mac

But there is another aspect of the software issue to consider: when it comes to Modern versions for Windows 8, programs for OS X are very similar to those you used with Windows XP, even almost identical, with respect to those specifically for Win 8 .

Skype, VLC, and Chrome, for example, offer versions for the Modern UI, but they usually have fewer features than versions for legacy OS (VLC is a prime example), and, most importantly, the user experience is completely different.

In these cases, therefore, a move to OS X provides more familiarity than to Windows 8.

Microsoft is focusing more on the new interface, so that, until the last update of Windows 8.1, the PCs booted exclusively into the Modern UI, and didn’t allow you to boot into the traditional desktop.

Some changes, but they’re for the better

Of course Mavericks is not XP, and there are differences. But it’s very likely that these will be well-received! For example, you will finally be free from the shackles of antivirus, its updates, incompatibility, and delays.

Not that a Mac is inherently immune to attacks. But it certainly has very strong shoulders. Unix, the system on which both OS X and Linux are based, includes more than 40 years of development, with all that follows from decades of evolution in terms of strength, stability, and security.

And that’s not all. OS X is an operating system developed around specific hardware, and for that reason it’s a perfect fit. Windows, however, must be able to run on multiple (often very different) machines, and therefore can’t rely on the same degree of integration between hardware and software. Stability is frequently the first thing to suffer here.

Another difference that you will notice immediately in the switch from PC to Mac is the simplification of processes. An example is the installation of programs, which in most cases, in OS X, is done with a simple drag and drop into the Applications folder .

Even when it comes to backing up, Macs offer a pleasant surprise: Time Machine. This is a tool that automatically performs periodic backups of your entire machine. This means that you never have to worry about losing anything, because everything will be safely stored on a disc – all done by the operating system, with no effort on your part.

And if you need to look for something on your Mac, that’s easy thanks to Spotlight. OS X’s internal search engine is accurate, powerful, and easy to use, and shows you previews of documents simply by passing the mouse over the name.

Spotlight, the internal search engine of OS X, is a powerful tool

And if you’re looking for a program? With Launchpad it’s a matter of a single click, or, if you have a trackpad, a simple gesture. This is definitely a feature we’ve become attached to!

Looking for a program is a matter of a single click

Finally, mention should be made of the application stores. Both OS X and Windows 8 have one, but in terms of both quality and quantity, the Mac App Store is far superior to the Windows Store, not to mention better organized.

The Apple store has been around longer, and has very strict policies for the admission and exclusion of applications. This can sometimes drive developers a little crazy, but does ensure good standards of quality.

The Windows Store has suffered the consequences of a policy that has focused, especially in the beginning, on quantity over quality, and so has flooded the Windows Store with poor quality applications.

Are you ready to take the leap?

In short, if you’re thinking about a replacement for your Windows XP computer, the Mac might be your best choice, and one that could make the change of operating system less traumatic and more fulfilling.

If you’re also a member of the iPhone or iPad club, you can count on perfect and complete integration with iCloud to fully sync all your devices automatically, without installing anything.

This, of course, does not mean that Windows 8 is a bad operating system. Quite the reverse. But at the moment when a change of OS becomes almost unavoidable or (as in this case), make life easier and more pleasant, then it’s always a good option. And maybe, OS X is just the answer you’re looking for.

If you have any doubts about what the end of Windows XP support from Microsoft means for you, we’ve compiled the most frequently asked questions with all the answers in this article.

Although Kernel Panic doesn’t sound very reassuring if you know what it is and how to handle it, there’s a good chance your Mac will emerge unharmed.

Kernel Panic (KP) is the equivalent of the Windows Blue Screen of Death for Unix-based operating systems, such as OS X and Linux.

Technically, Kernel Panic is a kind of emergency procedure that the operating system enables when it comes across a system error from which it cannot safely recover. Specifically, the OS will shut down automatically, and to use the computer again you’ll have to restart it manually.

Kernel Panic is very rare, and isn’t necessarily a symptom of a major problem. It can also be caused, for example, by a malfunction of a defective data package.

So, our first tip: if you only get one KP and, after the reboot, it doesn’t happen again (or at least it doesn’t happen again for a long time) and everything seems to work normally, then you can relax and ignore what happened.

If the Kernel Panic starts to become more frequent (for example, a couple every month), you should identify the problem and fix it.

In this article, we’ll tackle the problem from a software point of view, but remember that sometimes the KP could have been caused by hardware.

What can cause Kernel Panic?

The most common cause is a hardware failure  – either the Mac itself, or an external device or application. Some of these problems are only temporary and will disappear after a reboot, as we have already mentioned. Others are more complicated, and will stop you using your computer.

Badly-written drivers or plugins could cause a KP or even the random presence of specific conditions. In these cases, the Mac should work properly again after the reboot.

There are other, more complex problems that need to be identified and fixed. Let’s start with the ones that are easier to spot.

How to recognize Kernel Panic

The easiest symptom to recognize is the classic screen with the start button image in the background, and the multilingual message that tells you: “You need to restart your computer.”

Sometimes, however, you don’t get this default message, and your Mac could spontaneously restart, turn off, or stop responding to commands, forcing you to shut down the computer forcibly.

In these cases, to be certain that it was a Kernel Panic, just go to /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports (in Mavericks). There, if the problem was really a KP, you’ll find a log with the details of the incident .

Sometimes, however, this file could be missing, even if it was a Kernel Panic. In this case (even though it’s hard to tell), the problem is probably in your Mac’s hardware, such as a faulty RAM or hard drive.

We’ll see later how to deal with the problem if that’s the case.

When applications fail

Sometimes a badly-written program could be behind a Kernel Panic.

OS X 10.8 onwards, after a reboot your Mac will automatically give you the choice to open the programs that you were using just before the KP.

The best thing to do is to say yes, clicking on Open. If one of the applications is the cause of the Kernel Panic, it will occur again. If the computer crashes again, now you know you shouldn’t open those applications in the second reboot.

Instead, reopen the applications one by one until you find the one that’s behind the KP. Uninstall it and the problem should be resolved.

Keep your system updated

By keeping your OS, programs and firmware up-to-date , you’ll decrease the likelihood of conflict and therefore of a Kernel Panic.

• Open Software Updates in the Apple > Update menu and update all programs (operating system, firmware and software downloaded the Mac App Store).

• Check that the versions of the programs you downloaded from the store are the most recent. You can, for example, check the Mac section on Softonic, or use the built-in function in the applications, if they have one.

Sometimes it’s a startup issue

To check if startup items are responsible for the Kernel Panic, follow these steps:

• Disable all the login items (System Preferences> Users and Groups, then select your user, go to the Login Items tab, select all the items and click on the ‘minus’ sign)

• Restart your Mac in Safe Boot Mode (hold down the Shift key during startup).
• Now you need to disable all login items for all accounts and groups, using the same method described above.
• Some applications install items that start automatically with the operating system, before you even log in. You must also disable those. To do this, go to Library/StartupItems.

There you’ll find folders with the names of applications. Select them all and drag them into any other folder (you’ll need the administrator password). When the Kernel Panic problem is solved you can put them back into the same folder.

• Now you can restart your Mac. If there’s no Kernel Panic this time, then one of the login or startup items was responsible for it. Put the items back into the folder one by one, restarting the computer each time, until you find the cause.

Find the drivers that your Mac doesn’t like

If you recently installed drivers, for example for a new printer, and as soon as you tried to use it you got a Kernel Panic, it could be the printer’s fault: incorrect drivers can make your OS crash.

Check carefully that you have the latest drivers for that specific device (and not a similar model), and that they are compatible with your OS X version. If you don’t know what version you are using, go to the Apple menu in the upper left corner and click on About This Mac.

Kernel Panic can also be caused by the hardware itself, which for some reason your Mac doesn’t like. If you’re sure that the installed drivers are the right ones, and every time you turn on the device your system crashes, the only solution is to stop using it.

Get your hard disk in shape

The hard disk must have free space and be in good condition. To do this, get rid of things you don’t need or use. We all have files that are no longer useful or applications we never use. You can use OmniDiskSweeper, which creates an index of all the contents on your Mac and sorts them according to their size.

This will help you find files that are heavy but useless, and could free up space equal to about 5 times the amount of RAM installed, giving your computer a little room to breathe.

Something else you can do is a little hard disk maintenance. To do so, start the Mac from the OS installation disk (insert the DVD into the drive and restart your Mac while holding the C key) or the recovery partition for OS Lion (restart while holding down Command and R).

Now run Disk Utility Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility, select the HD in the left column and just click on Repair Disk.

Nothing works? Reinstall OS X

If you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work, try reinstalling the operating system. If you have OS X 10.9 Mavericks, this is the procedure according to Apple:

• Make sure your power adapter is plugged in
• Restart your Mac holding down the Command and R keys
• Choose a network from the Wi-Fi menu or connect an Ethernet cable
• Select Disk Utility, then click Continue
• Select your startup disk on the left, then click the Erase tab
• Choose Mac OS Extended the Format menu, enter a name, then click Erase
• After the disk is erased, choose Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility
• Select Reinstall OS X, click Continue, then follow the onscreen instructions

Relinquish control, and just bring it back to the store

Now that we have explored even the most unpleasant of the possible consequences of a Kernel Panic, the initial message is worth repeating: this is a very rare problem, and can be fixed in almost every case.

OS X is a Unix-based operating system, an OS backed by 45 years of development (the first release was in 1969!), that is why it has a very solid architecture and these problems are rare.

And if you’re a thorough Mac user, and use Time Machine as a backup, even in the worst case scenario you’ll be able to recover most of your digital data.

One last piece of advice: Kernel Panic can also be caused by internal hardware components (such as RAM or HD). If you believe that’s the case because, for example, the problem started after replacing the original hard drive or after adding memory to your computer, we recommend you take it to an Apple Store.

If you’re new to the Mac world, check out our Moving to Mac Guide.