Time machine backup using Laptop

I use a macbook and used time machine to make a backup. My question is since I do not keep the external drive plugged in that often, Will my macbook harddrive use up alot of space keeping the backup data from time machine when my external drive is not plugged in? I probably will only connect the external drive once a week. Thanks!

No, you'll just not have hourly/daily backups of stuff you change while disconnected. When you connect, it'll send files changed since you disconnected to the Time Machine partition. This is mentioned specifically in the web documentation, "it's great for notebook users".
Doug

Similar Messages

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    Hi ozRob,
    If you would like to copy an existing Time Machine backup from one drive to another, you may find the following article helpful:
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    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5096
    Regards,
    - Brenden

  • 6th Generation Airport Extreme Freezing During Time Machine Backups using LaCie 1TB Hard Drive

    I recently upgraded from a 4th generation Airport Extreme (short, dual band n) to a new 6th generation Airport Extreme (tall, dual-band ac) in the hopes of having quicker backups and better WiFi performance (I also just got a 13" retina MacBook Pro).
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    Workaround:
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    I hope this helps someone else who's as confused as I was. If anyone has had a similar experience, I would very much like to read about it. I will be reporting this problem to apple right after I post this topic. Please do the same if you experience this issue.

    As Bob says, backing-up that way isn't supported.
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    But do yourself a LARGE favor and take the prominent advice to keep secondary backups, and update them frequently. Sooner or later, you're probably going to need them.

  • I deleted my Time Machine backups using Finder, now the trash won't empty

    Hello
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    photogirl67 wrote:
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    Not a good idea, as you've learned the hard way. 
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  • HT201250 After restoring from a time machine backup using migration assistant I can't log in

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  • Time Machine Backup using Active Directory account

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    I have done as you suggested and clicked on the show original but I get this message " The volume cannot be found. Insert the disk or connect to the server volume and wait for it to appear on the desktop, then try again." I have the external disk already connected as that is what I am trying to recover the file from i.e. where I find the aliases. Any further suggestions. Thanks

  • Can I delete individual Time Machine backups using Finder

    I recent fount necessary to do a complete install and restore.  As I was having trouble with system performance, I chose to restore Applications from Time Machine and set the system parameters manually.  In the process, I wound up with some very large (50 Gbytes) on my Desktop.  I neglected to turn off time Machine backup while doing the restoration and wound up with several big(!) files in the back ups taken during the restoration.  There is nothing useful on the backups taken during the restoration and they have really filled  up my backup disk.  Looking at the structure of the backup disk, it seems you could just delete the backups after I started to restore things.  Are there other considerations?  Are there hidden tables laying around that might become unsynchronized?

    Hi Kappy,
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    "You can move, copy, or delete the Backups.backupdb folder on your Time Machine backup disk as you would other folders. You can also delete folders within the Backups.backupdb folder. You can’t delete individual items inside the dated folders."
         Seems like I can just delete, with the Finder, the backups taken after I started the restore.

  • Airport Extreme and Time Machine backups using a USB drive

    Hi there,
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    mattschenker wrote:
    Pondini,
    Actually, I wasn't thinking about theft. I was just thinking that for security in a possible data-loss "event," it was better to have the backup drive physically separated from the main computer. But maybe that's not necessary.
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    But wherever the external HD is, unless it's on a surge protector or U.P.S., it's still exposed.
    Other things causing data loss are even less likely to affect your Time Machine drive (especially if there's no other data on it).
    Yes, I could hook something up to my Mac Mini. Good point! And that would really keep it separated, since it would be in an entirely different floor. But then again, Time Machine backups done wirelessly would probably take forever.
    The first one, yes. But if you have a good WIFI connection, subsequent ones shouldn't take too long or be too obtrusive, except when you've updated a lot of data (like installing an OSX update).
    See #22 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum), for setup instructions.
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    Yes.
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    But it's always a good idea to keep secondary backups. See #27 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum), for some suggestions.

  • "Time Machine" Backup Using Western Digital 160 GB External Hard Drive

    I'm trying to use "Time Machine" to backup to a Western Digital Passport 160GB USB 2 external hard drive. The message that I continuously get after starting "Time Machine" is "Preparing...." and the backup process never begins. I've ejected the drive and plugged it back in. The drive is good, as I've been able to drag and drop files on the external drive icon, which is on my desktop. Has anyone else had a problem using a WD USB 2 external hard drive in conjunction with "Time Machine?" Thanks in advance for any insight into this problem!

    Suggest you post your question in the Leopard Time Machine forum @ http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1227
     Cheers, Tom

  • Time Machine backups using a non time capsule drive.

    Hello
    I have a western digital My Book Essentials 2Tbit external hard drive which is partitioned 1/2 formated for Mac 1/2 for PC. When the hard drive is directly connected to the Mac time machine and the backup work just fine. But once I connect the hard drive to my wireless hub (Netgear N600) Time Machine does not seem to want to use it for back ups.
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    I have done the hack of using terminal and typing
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    With this it seems ready to perform the back up but once it tries i receive 'disk image could not be created (error 45)'
    Does anyone know how to get this to work??
    thanks

    I used the same hack for a while but when the drive got full it deleted everything - so I went out and bought a NAS that supported Time Machine. There is another way to do it using a sparse bundle but I've not tried it myself, more about that here: http://pdaddy.wordpress.com/2009/04/04/my-take-on-the-unsupported-time-machine-h ack/
    or here: http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20071108020121567

  • Can I time machine backup using 2 separate Ext. HD?

    I have a MBP.
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    It is a link that explains 'how to'.
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  • Upgraded my 2010 macbook pro to mountain lion, unable to complete time machine backup using time capsule.  Getting error 112

    Upgraded macbook pro to mountain lion, get the following message
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    This simple procedure will clear your Time Machine settings, including your exclusion list. If you have a long exclusion list that can't be recreated easily, you may prefer a more complicated procedure that preserves the exclusion list. In that case, ask for instructions. Otherwise, do as follows.
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  • HT201250 Is there any way to do a search iCal events in Time Machine backups using keywords?

    Is there any way to actually look at what was in my iCal calendar, in calendar view, at the point in time of one of my previous backups?
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    The only way to do that would be to restore the whole Calendar database from a snapshot taken on that day.

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    I have a 3 year old macbok pro and I am finding that my battery is dying within 2-2:30 hrs. I am trying to figure what might be causing my battery to be draining. Please help and thanks in advance!

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