How do I partition an external HD?

Ok, I know this is probably an easy question but I have never done it before and was hoping to get some guidance.
I currently have a PowerBook G4 with an 80 GB HD, 1 GB RAM, SuperDrive, etc. I am moving abroad and plan on selling my PowerBook but would like to buy a new one when I return and have it be pretty much the same that I have now.
My plan was to buy a external HD, partition it into two drives. On one drive create an exact copy of my current system (using SuperDuper or something similar) and then on the other partition move over all my files (mp3's, pictures, etc) manually (just to play it safe).
My question is if this sounds reasonable to everyone, how easy it will be to transfer over my files and settings once I buy a new PowerBook and any other advice.
I am new to Macs and doing everything I described above so all advice is welcome.
Thank You

It's a reasonable plan if it fits your particular needs. You can partition the drive using Disk Utility. The procdure that I recommend is as follows:
1. Open Disk Utility in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled, if supported.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled, if supported.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process will take 30 minutes to an hour or more depending upon the drive size.
Repeat Steps 4-6 for each partition you create.
You can clone your hard drive using the Restore option of Disk Utility as follows:
1. Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder unless it's already open.
2. Select the startup volume from the left side list.
3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
4. Drag the startup volume to the Source entry field.
5. Select the backup volume from the leftside list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
6. Check the box to Erase Destination. Skip this step if you've already formatted the drive or if you cannot format it.
7. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.

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    John C Lin wrote:
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    17" 1.9Ghz iMac G5 (iSight)
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    Message was edited by: jsd2

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  • Basic Question:  How to partition an external drive and then set up TM?

    Hi. I am going to be using an external hard drive (Western Digital - 640GB) on my MacBook for the first time and I think that I'd like to partition it so that part of it is for Time Machine and part of it can be used to just manually drag and drop my files (like any other USB external drive).
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    2. If I insert my drive (not yet partitioned) in my MacBook for the first time and the MacBook automatically asks me if I want to use it for Time Machine, I'm assuming that I need to say "no" so that I can first partition it, right? If yes, then after partitioning it how do I set up the one partition for Time Machine?
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    coffeecoffee wrote:
    Hi. I am going to be using an external hard drive (Western Digital - 640GB) on my MacBook for the first time and I think that I'd like to partition it so that part of it is for Time Machine and part of it can be used to just manually drag and drop my files (like any other USB external drive).
    1. How to I partition the external drive for Mac?
    select the whole drive (the model, not the name) in disk utility and click on the partition tab. set the number of partitions. set the partition scheme to GUID in options. set the format to mac os extended journaled. hit apply.
    2. If I insert my drive (not yet partitioned) in my MacBook for the first time and the MacBook automatically asks me if I want to use it for Time Machine, I'm assuming that I need to say "no" so that I can first partition it, right? If yes, then after partitioning it how do I set up the one partition for Time Machine?
    in system preferences->Time machine.
    also see TM 101 for basic usage instructions.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427
    3. If I have 640 GB external hard drive space and my MacBook has about 100GB of space, how much of the 640 should I allocate for Time Machine?
    it depends on your computing habits but it's generally recommended to have TM drive to be at least 2-3 times bigger than the total amount of data you are backing up.
    Thanks! Happy New Year!

  • How do i partition a hard drive

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    wmowbray:
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    Formatting, Partitioning Erasing an External HDD
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    Message was edited by: cornelius

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