# Restoring MacOS from backup. OR making Microsoft Desktop Connect work. Need answer fast!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 29, 2021, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701 "2021-08-29T00:04:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/1 "2021-08-29T00:04:10Z")
I got tired of Apple nagging me to upgrade to Big Sur. Sure, I’ll lose a couple of games but I can download more. Everything seemed to work OK. I lost Hoyle Casino, Freecell, and Sudoku Companion. That’s fine. But then I tried to log into work. VPN connected. When I opened Microsoft Desktop Connect, it didn’t work.
When I tried to download the Beta version of MDC, my computer told me I didn’t have the authority. So I tried to restore from backup. First I tried Migration Assistant, which I hadn’t used before. I googled it, and the page I looked at said that’s what to use. After about half an hour the transfer was complete. The computer restarted, and Big Sur was still there.
So I googled again and tried restarting with Command-R. This looked like it was working, but when I selected my external drive it showed me a list for Mac HD with dates from 2019.
How do I restore Mojave using the backup I made this morning on the external drive?
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/2 "2021-08-29T00:21:14Z")
Before trying to restore, I would try the MDC beta again.
Next time, Right-click on it, and choose “open.” That should let you put your password in to authorize an un-signed app.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/3 "2021-08-29T01:03:34Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> First I tried Migration Assistant, which I hadn’t used before. I googled it, and the page I looked at said that’s what to use
Avoid using MA at all cost. Yeah, they tell you that’s what to use, but don’t believe them.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/4 "2021-08-29T01:16:49Z")
> [@beowulff](#):
>
> Next time, Right-click on it, and choose “open.” That should let you put your password in to authorize an un-signed app.
Same result. How can I not be authorised to add programs to my own computer? I tried opening it in a folder. That seemed to work, only I need to be able to use my old MDC to get the information I need to add a PC.
> [@panache45](#):
>
> Avoid using MA at all cost.
Too late. Do you think MA is why I was unable to install from my backup disc?
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/5 "2021-08-29T01:59:44Z")
This is extremely untrue.
I’ve used MA for decades, on dozens (or more) computers, with nary a problem.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/6 "2021-08-29T02:00:21Z")
I’d have to see the error message.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/7 "2021-08-29T02:04:08Z")
Not getting it now. I need to ‘add a PC’, but I need MDC to know what I need to input to add the PC.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/8 "2021-08-29T02:24:55Z")
Can you tell MDC to open your old prefs, or copy the old prefs to wherever the current ones are stored?
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/9 "2021-08-29T02:41:48Z")
When I click General, it crashes.
I think I need to find out how to get back to Mojave.
I may have to go to CityMac.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/10 "2021-08-29T02:46:28Z")
OK, if you want to restore, are you sure you have a current Time Machine backup?
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### Author:  [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/11 "2021-08-29T03:03:00Z")
I don’t understand people who rely on Time Machine. You can’t boot from a Time Machine backup. It has its uses but it is not a restore-your-entire-environment tool. Carbon Copy Cloner is. SuperDuper is. The commercial product Retrospect still is, although I abandoned it a few cycles ago for being inferior to the shareware products. If you ever want to be able to revert back to what you had, and not just fetch your old files, you should be running a backup routine with one of those.
Anyway, I have MS Desktop Connect running just fine on my virtual 10.14 box, aka Mojave. I have received no prompts to upgrade to some version that requires Big Sur.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/12 "2021-08-29T03:04:12Z")
I backed up this morning. But when I choose to restore from the remote disc, it brings up Mac HD from 2016-2019.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/13 "2021-08-29T03:05:01Z")
> [@AHunter3](#):
>
> Anyway, I have MS Desktop Connect running just fine on my virtual 10.14 box, aka Mojave. I have received no prompts to upgrade to some version that requires Big Sur.
MDC ran fine on Mojave. Apple kept nagging me to upgrade, so I did.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/14 "2021-08-29T03:05:50Z")
Sure it is.
You can completely restore a wiped hard drive from a TM backup.
As for the OP’s issue - I dunno. Can you post a screen shot?
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/15 "2021-08-29T03:07:29Z")
> [@beowulff](#):
>
> Can you post a screen shot?
Of the attempted restoration? I don’t think that’s available when restoring.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/16 "2021-08-29T03:18:01Z")
Of the choices you are getting.
Just use a camera…
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### Author:  [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/17 "2021-08-29T17:56:58Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> MDC ran fine on Mojave. Apple kept nagging me to upgrade, so I did.
And you can’t boot from your backup and erase your internal HD and clone your backup to it because you were using Time Machine instead of Carbon Copy Cloner or equivalent, and can’t figure out how to go backwards from Big Sur, right?
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/18 "2021-08-29T17:59:27Z")
You can erase your main partition from the recovery partition.
> **[Erase and reinstall macOS](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/erase-and-reinstall-macos-mh27903/mac)**
>
> Erase your Mac, then use macOS Recovery to reinstall macOS.
You can restore from a Time Machine backup from the recovery partition.
> **[How to reinstall macOS](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904)**
>
> Use macOS Recovery to reinstall the Mac operating system.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/19 "2021-08-29T20:45:15Z")
> [@beowulff](#):
>
> As for the OP’s issue - I dunno. Can you post a screen shot?
Here’s what happens when I try to reboot with Command+R. I select the external drive where I keep my backups.
[ ](https://i.imgur.com/YRgwDWB.jpg)
As you can see, I choose the external drive. But when I Continue, I get this:
[ ](https://i.imgur.com/rdWW3N5.jpg)
It goes to HD, and the lastest backup is November 2019. I backed up onto the external drive yesterday about 11:00.
Then after discovering Remote Desktop no longer worked I used Migration Assistant, which did not restore my computer from the backup. Then I tried Command+R with the pictured results.
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### Author:  [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2021, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restoring-macos-from-backup-or-making-microsoft-desktop-connect-work-need-answer-fast/949701/20 "2021-08-29T21:05:08Z")
> [@beowulff](#):
>
> You can completely restore a wiped hard drive from a TM backup.
Just coming in to second this. For no particular reason the logic board blew on my computer a few months ago (thanks, Apple!). I just handed the Time Machine over to the nice clerk at our local Mac store and a few hours later I was magically back in action.
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