Copy backup of the Bootcamp partition to another drive or storage device.
Copy backup of the Bootcamp partition to another drive or storage device.
You're dealing with a tricky setup—regular Mac and Bootcamp partitions, no FileVault, and passwords you don’t want to share. The best approach is likely using built-in tools. Try restoring the macOS disk via Disk Utility in recovery mode; that’s already started. For the Bootcamp side, copying files through the terminal with rsync or similar commands might work better than relying on the utility alone. Just make sure you have the right permissions and back up everything carefully.
You're asking about rsync's purpose. Are you aiming to copy specific files or folders, similar to Backblaze? Or do you need a bootable disk image, like what SuperDuper provides? Do you already have a destination in mind, such as a USB drive, NAS, or another location?
I prefer creating a visual snapshot of the drive so it can be fully restored if needed, especially since it would be returning to the same machine. The Mac in question is being sent to Apple, and they are comfortable wiping drives when necessary. Rsync and command-line copying served as a workaround because I couldn't access the operating system directly. As this isn’t my own machine and such situations aren’t common in my workplace, I didn’t want to risk persuading my employer to purchase software just for this purpose. I mainly service Macs but am familiar with Windows too. Over the past eight months, I’ve only personally worked on two machines during bootcamp. Now I have passwords, and it seems most of the Windows content is games, so I’m not overly concerned except about backing up user folders. The main concern is likely recovering Steam downloads, which should be fairly recoverable. The end user handed over an external drive for this, though we also use a NAS at my job for similar tasks. I remain open to suggestions but appreciate avoiding command-line work that could disrupt the drive.
Consider using the USB hard drive as a "File History" drive. It functions similarly to Time Machine and doesn’t generate bootable images, but emphasizes file storage. Alternatively, you could use Clonezilla (https://clonezilla.org). While not as powerful as Time Machine, it’s free and open source, making licensing concerns minimal. I suggest the USB drive with File History for better performance.