How do I set up "Time Machine"

I am on http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427, but the information given on how to set up "Time Machine" doesn't match with the prompts my Mac mini is giving me.
The support site says I will be asked,
But I don't get this ^ prompt. The prompt I get says "Choose a backup disc." And when I click on "CHOOSE BACKUP DISC" (my only choice) it brings down another drop down menu and my only two choices (prompts) are "set up time capsule" and "cancel." When I click "set up time capsule" my computer searches for an "air port utility" It then tells me I don't have one and then I am stumped. I don't want to install "Time Machine" with an "air port utility." (I don't even know what an air port utility is.) I want to use an external hard drive I bought so that I'd have more space as my backup disc.
Any suggestions on how I can install Time Machine? My Mac Mini is 2 and a half years old, but I just recently started to use it as my "default" computer.

Okay. I was able to change it to my external hard drive. Now, do I need to keep that drive connected all the time or will it update if I eject it and then (days later) reconnect it? And it said that it might take a long time to back it up. Will I get some kind of notification when it's done? (Sorry. I am technoloically inept. I know.)

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How do I set up Time Machine to work with an Iomega network hard drive?

I have just bought a new iMac having switched from Windows, and am very much a beginner when it comes to all things Apple. Previously I had used my NAS hard drive with my old windows pc. i successfully used it to transfer a lot of data from the old pc to the iMac but can't seem to get it recognised when I try to configure time machine. I have downloaded the latest version of Iomega Home storage manager which appears in the application folder in the dock, but when I click on The HSM icon it just disappears and nothing happens. I can access the drive through the Bonjour service and can see its contents in Finder. I have looked through the forums here but much of the info assumes a level of knowledge that i don't have. Is there an 'idiot's guide' anywhere to enable me to set up time machine to use the network hard drive?

You would probably benefit from a couple of things, first going through these 2 links
Time Machine FAQs & Time Machine Troubleshooting.
If you still have questions there is a TM forum, because TM is part of OS X you will find the forum in the Snow Leopard forum. Click Apple Support Communities and in the search field type Snow Leopard. Once you are in the correct forum you can narrow your search by clicking Refine this list.
Roger

How do I set up Time Machine to backup to an external hard drive on my wireless router?

I have just set up an external hard drive to my wireless router and am now wanting to set up Time Machine to back up to the hard drive. I can see the hard drive in Finder and can even send files to it manually. I just don't see in setting up Time Machine any option to backup to that hard drive. Is it even possible?

Well, I figured out a way around it that works for me but may not be suitable for everyone. Instead of connecting the external hard drive to the router I tried connecting it directly to my computer. I then right-clicked the hard drive's folder on my desktop, clicked "Get Info" and checked the box that says "Shared Folder". I then went to the bottom of that window and under "Sharing & Permissions" and next to "Everyone" checked that they could all "Read and Write".
The hard drive is now shared over my network, so when I got on one of my other Mac's that I was wanting to set up Time Machine with, the Time Machine Application had no problem finding the hard drive and backing up to it.
I have all computer's setup for file sharing too, so that may need to be checked as well.
This was a simple enough fix but the reason I said that it may not be suitable for everyone is that the other computer's backing up to this hard drive via Time Machine is now reliant on my computer being turned on. I'm okay with that though.

Hi! how can I set the time machine/capsule back-up intervals? Heron 2

HI! EVERYBODY,
HOW CAN I SYNC 2 TIME CAPSULES INSTALLED IN TWO DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, MAIN HOME AND SUMMER HOME?
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.
MERCi
HERON2

To use different backup intervals use TimeMachineEditor 2.5.3. I do not think syncing two Time Capsule to one another is feasible or possible. For all things Time Machine visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ

HT3275 I have attached an external hard drive via usb to back up my OSX Snow Leopard. When I open Time Machine and click set up time machine, I then click Select Disk but there is nothing to select. No information is in the box. I do have Airport Extreme

Not sure how this all works but my problem is this: I have attached an external hard drive to my mac snow leopard 10.6 and am trying to back up my computer through Time Machine. When asked to select the drive as part of the set up, there is nothing to select. The box is empty. How do I set up Time Machine for back ups with an external drive? I am running Airport Extreme WI-FI (VERY confusing as I did not know the difference between Extreme and Capsule). Now to add another component...how does Icloud figure into all of this if I want to back up my computer systems, documents, etc? Is this a simplier way as long as I download Lion? Help!!!

Hello,
Problem is likely the Format of the External drive, for TM it needs to be Mac OSX extended Journaled & GUID Partition scheme for Intel based Macs...
How to format your disks...
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/partitioning_tiger.html
(To Install OSX on an IntelMac the Drive it needs the GUID Partitioning scheme mentioned at the bottom.)
Thanks to Pondini, Formatting, Partitioning, Verifying, and Repairing Disks...
http://Pondini.org/OSX/DU.html
There are other free options for backing up if interested!

Set up time machine for macbook pro on WD passport

how do I set up time machine for macbook pro on WD passport? I keep getting a message that the Passport needs to be erased but when I try to ease it it tells me it can't be .

Drive Partition and Format
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities 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. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Apply button and wait until the process has completed.

How do I transfer from time machine lightroom programme to my girlfriends computer (backed up on time machine) with out setting up my full desktop - i need it until i can afford a new computer to restore my old set up completely.

How do I transfer from time machine adobe lightroom programme to my girlfriends computer (backed up on my hard drive via time machine) with out setting up my full desktop - i need it until i can afford a new computer to restore my old set up completely.
Any ideas, I can access files - i.e. jpegs of old work, but can't edit new photos...
P

If you have a license for Lightroom, you should be able to reinstall it from an installer disc or re-download it from Adobe after explaining the situation and clarifying the license issues. Either will be simpler than trying to extract and install it from a TM backup of a different Mac, I think. If it's anything like other Adobe products, it has bits and pieces all over the place that you'll have to find and put in their right places on your girlfirend's Mac.

When I try to set up Time Machine, there are no back up disks displayed. Therefore, I cannot turn on Time Machine. How can I fix this?

When I try to set up Time Machine, there are no back up disks displayed. Therefore, I cannot turn on Time Machine. How can I fix this?

Thanks - let it finish, but zero out data is unnecessary. That option is intended to thoroughly erase previously recorded data so that it cannot be recovered without sophisticated data recovery techniques.
Case sensitive is OK but I suggest you simply select Mac OS X Extended since "case sensitive" may complicate things for you in the future, should it be necessary to restore files to a case-ignorant volume.
Once it finishes, make sure it appears as a selectable option in Time Machine. If it does your problems are solved, but consider using Disk Utility and reformatting it. This time don't worry about zeroing unused space, and select Mac OS X Extended (Journaled). It will only take a few seconds this time.
For a more thorough description read Apple Support Communites contributor Pondini's FAQ: http://pondini.org/TM/5.html Read the pink box regarding the subject of case sensitivity.
Also: Mac Basics: Time Machine

Help with setting up time machine ?? Dont know how too.

Hi guys,
My laptop is going away to get fixed tomorrow and i cant seem to back my laptop up onto a dvdr so i was just looking at all my stuff when i saw the time machine application, so i tried to set it up but there doesn't seem to be any options to start the set up, i wondered if anyone could help me,
Cheers.

Here's a tutorial on [How to set up Time Machine|http://www.ehow.com/how2141709time-machine-mac-osx-leopard.html]
Hope this helps -GDF

How do I restore smtp mail setting from time machine?

Earlier today I was fooling around with my smtp mail settings and managed to mess them up.
How do I restore smtp mail setting from time machine?
I'm using Lion 10.7.4
Messages and incoming mail works fine. It's just the smtp mail setting that's the problem.
Any help greatly appreciated.

The mail rules are stored in your ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~mail/Data.MailData folder, in a plist called SyncedRules.plist.
If you're signed into iCloud D&D, that's where you'll find it.
If you're *not* signed into iCloud, then you probably have a folder called something like ~/Library/Mobile Documents.####### where the # signs are actual numbers. Digging into that folder, you'll fild the SyncedRules.plist file.
Thing is, I don't know how Mail uses rules without iCloud; if there's a "local" rules location. There probably is, but someone else who's not using iCloud may have to help you there...

How do I change the name I have called my MacBook Air so I can add 11" and 13" into the title of whose computer this is for more clarity when I set up Time Machine and save to it with both computers? Both are named with "my name and MacBook Air"

I'm still learning the whole Mac thing but these are great machines! I purchased a MacBook Air 13" and then thought I should also get a MacBook Air 11" for travel. When I set it up at the Apple store I told the assistant the exact same name for each machine, i.e., "my name and MacBook Air." What I want to do is go back in and rename both of them adding the 11" and 13" designation to the name so that when I set up Time Machine or whatever else I know exactly which machine is what. I'm sure it is very simple but I cannot seem to figure it out. Help please. Thanks.

Go to System Preferences - Sharing and change the computer name there. You can also, optionally, change the name of your hard drive to further clarify the origin of your backups. Click once on the "Macintosh HD" on your desktop, then click its name to allow you to edit it.
Matt

How can I set my time capsule to back-up only once a day?

How can I set my time capsule to only back-up once a day. It appears to be backing up several times a day. Not sure there is a set schedule for the back-ups and they take a great deal of time; over an hour each.

tdenny2 wrote:
Not sure there is a set schedule for the back-ups and they take a great deal of time; over an hour each.
Then something is wrong. Changing the schedule will only deal with the symptom (and give up one of the better features of Time Machine's usually quick and unobtrusive hourly backups).
See if the size of the backups makes sense, considering what you've changed since the previous one. If it seems much too large, that may be the problem. See #D4 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting for some common culprits and ways to see just what's going on.
If the sizes seem reasonable, see #D2 in the same link for things that can cause extra-slow backups.

Setting up Time Machine - it won't recognise my external hard disk - help!

I'm trying to set up time machine to use as my back up system. I have an external drive plugged in by USB that the desktop and finder are picking up - but when I got to 'find disk' as I am setting up Time Machine - it doesn't show any disks to choose from.
Has anyone had this problem?
Thanks!

The disk is probably not formatted correctly for Time Machine. There's a free download on my website, 33thingsbooks.com, that describes in great detail how to format a TM disk; you might find that helpful.
sharon zardetto
author, Minifesto: Time Machine
PS: Although the download is absolutely free, there are other ebooks on the site that are for sale, so I must include this disclaimer: "“I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.”

Setting up Time Machine with Snow Leopard and MyBook World Edition II NAS

I have just successfully set up Time Machine on my MyBook World Edition II NAS. It's not so straightforward, and the information on the Western Digital support site is either unhelpful or flat-out wrong, so here's a post that will hopefully save people in a similar position a lot of time and frustration.
Here are the key facts:
1. The MyBook World Edition II NAS does support Time Machine -- if you upgrade to at least firmware Release 1.01.14 (9/29/09). See http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/updates/?family=mbworld. Amazingly, the Level I support people at Western Digital told me that Time Machine is not supported! I had to point him to this link.
2. MyBook World Edition II comes with a built-in user, WD_Backup, which appears to be the only user that can be used for the backup.
3. Follow the instructions here: http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/updates/docs/en/appletimemachine.pdf. BUT, what the instructions don't tell you is the password for that user, which Mac OS will ask you for during the Time Machine setup. On my device, it was "admin" but other posts say the password can be "backup" or "wd_backup."
4. Ignore some of the misleading statements in the Western Digital "knowledge base." For example, it says Time Machine is not supported. That used to be true but with the firmware update, is no longer true. Also, some instructions direct you to make a partition on your drive for Time Machine using Disk Utility. This is not possible, as far as I can tell, because the MyBook World Edition II shows up as a "share," not a "device" in the system, and therefore Disk Utility does not see it.
5. The reason I wanted to set up a partition, where I could limit the disk space, is that I read that Time Machine creates daily backups, with incremental versions of documents. Thus, the Time Machine backup will eventually fill up whatever space is given to it. Since I could not partition the MyBook World Edition II, what I did instead was to enable the "Quota" functionality and then put a disk quota on the WD_Backup user. I hope this will do the trick. (I have the further issue of having two Time Machine backups, one for me, one for my wife. How our Time Machines will battle it out for the disk space, I have no idea.)
I hope that the Western Digital people will create greater flexibility for Time Machine users in future firmware updates.
Anyway, hope this helped.

You do need to know that Apple may not support this: Here's the official word: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1733 (Leopard) or http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/15139.html (Snow Leopard).
You may be able to get it to work successfully, but there's no guarantee it will work well, or in the future.
From a post in another forum (found by V.K.):
The technical reason why Apple limits Time Machine to 10.5 AFP volumes appears to be to prevent disk image corruption. There were additional features added to AFP in 10.5 to support Time Machine. These presumably allow the disk image engine to force disk image journal data to write out all the way to the disk. Without such features, a network interruption can result in a corrupted filesystem on the disk image despite journaling. Remember, journaling relies on the journal being written all the way to disk before the changes take place. If you can't guarantee that (e.g., because of network/NAS buffering) then the journal is useless. Time Machine appears to rely heavily on disk journaling to deal with network drop-outs, interrupted backups, and the like. Take this away and your data is at risk.
If the NAS you are using supports these features it should report them to the OS and you should natively be able to choose that volume. If you have to trick the OS to use the volume it means the NAS does not support it.
To summarize: if you care about your backup data you should avoid using non-natively supported AFP servers.
That post obviously applies to Leopard; Snow Leopard appears to have added some requirements, that are also not supported by all NAS devices: some that were working with Leopard no longer work with Snow Leopard.
As long as you understand the risks, it's your call. But do yourself a favor and maintain some sort of secondary backup, such as a "clone" via CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper, or some other backup app. (Many of us do that with any backup app: no app is perfect, and all hardware fails, sooner or later.)

I want to set up Time Machine for my Macbook pro but I already have files on my seagate hard drive. Will i lose them if i set up time machine on it ?

So i have a 2 TB Seagate time machine. I had an older laptop that I had transfered things from onto that about 2 years ago. My current macbook has been acting up so i want to set up time machine. Will i lose everything on the hard drive if i try to set it up as time machine now?
I read about partioning it.. but Im still scared i will lose what is on it?
My macbook is about 2 years old running OS.X 10.9.1
Please advise.

Partitoning can be done on the fly.
However TimeMachine works best if it is Partition 1.
If you formate and repartition then yes you lose everything.
How about getting another drive.

How do I set up "Time Machine"

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