Time Machine on a PC formatted external drive

Hi.
My girlfriend plugged in an external drive with some data (Photos, mp3, docs etc...) from a Windows OS PC to a new iMac.
Time machine asked her to use it for backup. She answered yes thinking old data would never be cleaned. At the end of Time Machine first backup, old data were missed.
Do you think Time machine formatted the whole HD or simply now it is not able to see old data?
Plus now, when she plugs in the external HD back to a PC, the pc doesn't see the HD.
Fortunately everything on this HD were back up somewhere else but since apparently Time Machine didn't warn her that it would have formatted the HD this was not a good think.
Thanx for your answers.

Hi and welcome to Discussions,
since Time Machine cannot use a PC-formatted harddisk, it has completly erased everything that was on that harddisk by reformating it using the MacOS Extended(Journaled) file system.
Which also is the reason why Windows cannot see the HD.
But I concur with you that a proper warning from Time Machine would be good.
Regards
Stefan

Similar Messages

  • Best way to transfer time machine back up files between external drives

    I have to move my time machine backup files from one external drive to another.  I was planning to simply move it through finder, but it has been "preparing files" for 2 days straight.  The number of items sowing in the status bar with the status of "preparing to copy XYZ items" has continued to stadily grow.  Is there a better route or should I let it run till it is complete? 

    Welcome to Apple Support Communities
    That's exactly the way to transfer Time Machine backups to an external drive, so let the Finder do its job. See > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5096
    Note that the destination's external drive must be formatted in "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)"

  • How do I tell Time Machine to add a new external drive to be backed up?

    How do I tell Time Machine to add a new external drive to be backed up?  I have an external drive with data I need to add to my overall back up with what's on my mac.  I have a separate drive already active as the Time Machine backup disk.  I can see how to EXCLUDE disks, but how do I ADD that new external drive to regular backups?
    I have 10.8.5 system on my Mac laptop.

    Remove the drive from the list of items set to be excluded. It needs to be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for this to be possible.
    (110504)

  • Can I use Time Machine to archive like an external drive?

    I've backed up my computer to Time Machine and everything from my computer is there, but I have a new project which needs me to archive 21 pieces of artowrk that have multiple photo images for aech, and they are large size originals. Can I upload these files to a folder in Time Machine or directly on my external drive, so I don't have to have all of these files taking up space on my main computer?

    You can, but it is not recommended.
    Apparently you cannot partition an existing Time Capsule volume if that is what you are using.
    Excerpt from ASC contributor Pondini's Time Machine FAQ:
    3. Can I use my TM disk for other stuff?
    Yes.  Time Machine will not delete anything you put there.
    But it's much, much better to partition an external drive into 2 (or more) parts, also called volumes.  Assign one to Time Machine, for its exclusive use for backups;  use the other partition(s) however you want. 
    (Unfortunately, though, you can't partition a Time Capsule's internal disk.  See #Q3 in Using Time Machine with a Time Capsule for some alternatives)

  • I am trying to move previous Time Machine back ups off an external drive to my new Time Capsule. How do I do that?

    I have my previous time machine back ups on an external drive and I want to move those to my new 2tb Time Capsule. How can I make this happen?

    You probably cannot do it..
    The backup is very different from a local drive to a network drive.
    Look through the Pondini KB.
    http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
    You can move the backup from a local to another local disk or network to another network.. but there are issues even doing that.
    IMHO.. don't... just start a new backup and keep what you already have saved up.. if you don't need it in 6months time.. or a year.. then you can wipe it.

  • Can i resume a Time Machine backup of an attached external drive (no system, just data) on a different laptop?

    I am trying to find out if I can use a Time Machine (specifically on a 2013 Time Capsule) backup of an external drive (only data, no system) attached to a laptop, and then connect that same external drive to another laptop and resume the backup? Or is the Time Machine backup of an attached external drive a laptop "dependant" backup?
    Additional info: The laptops in question are 15" MacBook Pro and a 17" MacBook Pro from 2011 running OSX 10.9 (Mavericks)

    You are welcome.
    I don't think there is a need to start a new discussion unless you want to.
    You should have more than one backup of each computer. Hard drives do fail. Time Machine can alternate drives or have a Time Machine and a clone.
    The concern arises because i was told that when a wireless Time Machine backup is interrupted the sparsebundle gets sort of "locked" or "damaged", and although the backups can be accessed, no further Time Machine backup is possible. One must that a brand new backup.
    Apple support article. Don't let the title bother you. Look at Additional Information, which explains what happens when a backup gets interrupted. I also am including a link for troubleshooting. C3 explains what you can try if the backup is interrupted.
    Time Machine First Backup Interrupted
    Time Machine Troubleshooting

  • HT201250 Time Machine cannot find my external back-up drive when I click on the "select disk" button.  No drive is found. I have run a Time Machine back-up to this external drive in the past.  I'm on the latest version of Snow Leopard.  Thank you!

    Time Machine cannot find my external back-up drive when I click on the "select disk" button.  No drive is listed. I have run a Time Machine back-up to this external drive in the past.    Any suggestions

    Does the disk appear in Disk Utility?

  • When using Time Machine to back up to external drive, does Time Machine back up content in your Trash folder?

    When using Time Machine to back up to external drive, does Time Machine back up content in your Trash folder?

    Go to System Preferences (under the Apple menu) > Time Machine and click the Options button. Click the "+" button in the lower left. In the resulting dialog, check the Show invisible items checkbox. Go to your home folder and look for Trash. Click the Exclude button in the lower right.

  • HT201250 Time machine does not recognize WD external drive

    Time machine and back-ups worked fine on my MacBookPro. It stopped working, no I believe it is still working but the MackBookPro does not recognize it and when clicking "Back up" I receive the message that the external drive is not available. Thanks to Bootcamp the computer also has a Windows side which I use mainly to run a soaring flight simulator called Condor. When I turn on the MacBookPro and click on "Choice" the window I receive shows the Mac and Windows operating systems, the Back-up and "My Passport." When I click on "My passport" it actually opens...When I turn the computer off and reboot it again there is no sign of "My Passport."
    Now, I have a second WD My Passport which I bought for the Windows side of the computer. When I attach it before turning on the computer, I shows up on Finder, however, when I click "Back up" here it seems like it is starting back-up but only for a few seconds and then I get the message that the drive is a Windows formatted drive and that a back-up cannot be completed.
    Why does the Windows formatted drive show up in Finder and also when I run the Windows side, however, the driver for the Mac does not show up on Finder?
    I now have only the Mac formatted external drive attached and I just received the following messages: Can't back up. Reformat the disk. Files can still be read but the drive can no longer be used for back-ups. Get a new external drive. Run back-ups as soon as possible.
    Can anyone help?
    Thank you.

    OK, so it sounds like you have a Mac formatted drive that you have used previously for Time Machine, and disconnected it for a few weeks, and you can now see files on it OK from your Mac. However, when the system tries to run a Time Machine backup, you get an error message "Can't backup. Reformat the disk. Files can still be read but the drive can no longer be used for back-ups. Get a new external drive. Run back-ups as soon as possible."
    I have not seen this problem before, and would recommend that you look through the Time Machine troubleshooting information at http://pondini.org/TM/Home.html
    For instance, http://pondini.org/TM/B1.html or http://pondini.org/TM/B6.html could help in your situation.  I'm assuming (but probably shouldn't) that you've verified that your hard drive doesn't need repair (another Disk Utility function) and that there is still a Time Machine backup on that drive - look for the directory Backups.backupdb.
    I hope that helps.  If not, perhaps someone with more Time Machine knowledge will pop along soon to help you further.

  • Time Machine isn't backing up external drive

    I've been using Time Machine successfully for some time now. Recently I decided to move my iTunes music to an external drive (my internal drive was nearly full.) So I moved 150+ GB of iTunes library to the external drive successfully, but Time Machine seems to completely ignore the external (FireWire) drive. It's formatted as Mac OS Extended (that's HFS+, right?) so I don't understand what the problem might be.
    Also, if I can get Time Machine to start backing up both drives correctly, should I erase the backup drive and start over? Otherwise, I assume that I'm going to be wasting a lot of (backup) drive space, since the 150GB iTunes library will be backed up from its original location on my internal drive, as well as from its new location on the external drive… what's the best way to deal with that?
    Thanks in advance for the help.

    Dave Troup wrote:
    If V.K.s suggestion doesn't work, try excluding the drive, quitting System Preferences, then removing the exclusion.
    Also, if I can get Time Machine to start backing up both drives correctly, should I erase the backup drive and start over? Otherwise, I assume that I'm going to be wasting a lot of (backup) drive space, since the 150GB iTunes library will be backed up from its original location on my internal drive, as well as from its new location on the external drive… what's the best way to deal with that?
    You may not need to. TM will, eventually, delete it's copies of anything not still on your internal HD. When is just a question of how soon the TM drive/partition gets near full, and TM must start deleting your oldest "weekly" backups. You are supposed to get a message about that, if you have the appropriate box checked in TM's Preferences, but several folks here report they never did, so assume nothing.
    Still, if you want, you can delete all the backups of a file or folder. Enter Time Machine, find and select the folder in question (presumably iTunes on your internal HD) in one of the "cascade" of Finder windows, then click the "gear" icon. That will give you an option to +Delete all backups of <folder>.+
    You'll then get a confirmation prompt (may take quite a while, considering the size), then the usual place to enter your Administrator's password. The actual deletion will probably take quite a while, also. There was a report the other day that the item was still visible for quite some time after TM seemed to have finished the deletion, but eventually it did disappear.
    Then make some change to the folder, or something within it, so TM will consider it changed and back-up the new (smaller) version.

  • Time Machine won't back up external drive to Time Capsule

    I recently got a Time Capsule, and successfully set it up to back up my iMac's primary drive, but for some reason Time Machine won't back up my external drive to the Time Capsule.
    I removed the external drive from the exclusion list in System Preferences > Time Machine > Options, and from what I've read this should be sufficient to make Time Machine back up the drive.
    The external drive is connected to my iMac via Thunderbolt > Thunderbolt-to-Firewire adaptor > Firewire 800 input, and the Time Capsule is connected via Ethernet to my LAN.
    Since I'm using Ethernet, I've disabled Wi-Fi on the Time Capusule by going to AirPort Utility > My Time Capsule > Edit > Wireless > Network Mode > Off.
    The reason I believe the external drive is not being backed up is because when I click the Time Machine icon in the upper-right status bar and choose "Enter Time Machine", none of the folders on external drive show any older versions.
    Furthermore, when I click Finder > Time Machine Backups > Backups.backupdb, I can see only one sub-folder which has the name of my iMac's primary drive. I can't see any equivalent folder for my external drive.
    Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

    I don't see anything you have done wrong.. perhaps it does backup in a different way.
    Load the widget.. A1 here... http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
    That will allow you to track the log of TM to see what it is doing.
    I would also try rebooting the computer.. exclude the drive again.. reboot.. and remove the exclusion.
    You should be able to check the actual settings of TM in plist file.
    And you can do a full reset of TM as well.. See A4. Check what is in the file. Pondini lists the location for you.
    Nothing surprises me with Mountain Lion ...!!

  • Pondini, I beseech thee....Time Machine won't back up external drive partitions

    Pondini (or anyone else that would like to help),
    I am running Mac OS X 10.7.5. At my edit bay, we utilize a Facilis Terrablock 24D for storage, which connects to our system via fibre cables. Before upgrading to 10.7.5, Time Machine would back up all of our drive partitions on the Terrablock. Since the upgrade, Time Machine still recognizes the drives, we can add or subtract files from the drives, and it appears to make and save the changes, but when Time Machine backs up, it will only back up the local hard drive. No error messages come up. It just does its thing but only for the local HD. 
    All of the drive partitions are Mac OS Extended Journaled. All of the permissions seem to be in order.
    I have contacted Facilis and their technical support claims that they never tested their products with Time Machine (as they sell their own backup equipment) but in theory that it should work.
    I'm not sure what other information you might need but please let me know and I'll do my best. I was wondering if anyone else has come across an issue like this? Thank you for your time.

    LALB wrote:
    Upon including this partition and all of its contents, it disappears from the exclusion list as it should AND its size is reflected in the Estimated size of full backup. But this is the kicker! Upon clicking "Save" and starting Time Machine's backup, I receive the error "Time Machine could not complete the backup. There are no disks available to be backed up." Upon going back into TM Preferences > Options, I find that the external drive / partition has been put back on the Exclusion list. It's like it is automatically rejecting the partition after I have saved my exclusion list.
    That's quite strange. 
    TM does that if you try to back up a USB Thumb drive (I've filed a bug report), but this is the first I've heard of it under any other circumstances.  Then again, I don't recall a post by anyone trying to back up from a drive connected this way.
    If a drive isn't formatted for a Mac (ie, FAT32, ExFat, NTFS, etc), Time Machine cannot back it up, and will list it in gray on the exclusion list (same as the backup drive), and won't let you remove it from the list, so it's clear. 
    This sounds like a "cousin" of the way it treats a thumb drive, so sure seems like a bug.  TM will back up USB, FireWire, and Thunderbolt drives without a problem, if they're formatted right.
    If you have any Macs under 90 days old, or covered by AppleCare, a call to them is free, and the best way to get a quick answer (you may have to escalate to a "specialist" however, and it still may take a few days for something unusual).  Otherwise it's $50 U.S.
    An alternative is to file a Bug Report, per the green box in Reporting a Problem to Apple.   That most likely won't get a response for quite a while, though.
    Sorry, wish I had a fix!
    Let us know what, if anything, you find out.

  • Reset Time Machine Password to Backup Using External Drive

    I have been using Time Machine to backup my files regularly on an External drive. I usually backup my files (using Backup Now option) and then turn off Time Machine. I have been doing this successfully for a month on my new MacBookPro (late 2013 version, purchased 5 March 2014). I used this same procedure successfully since 2010 on a previous Macbook Pro I owned.
    I just tried to backup my files, all of a sudden Time Machine now asks me for a password which I don't remember setting. Time Machine Preferences looks like this.
    When I try to set Time Machine On I cannot do it (I used to be able to do it). When I click unlock and try to input my MacbookPro login username and password, but this login/password is not accepted.
    Frankly, I have no idea what happened. I must have pushed the wrong button at some point. I don't mind losing my old backus and resetting the password on Time Machine software, provided I can and backup my files right away.
    How can I reset the Time Machine password? Any help will be much appreciated.
    Francisco

    Dear Eric,
    I am using a Western Digital Ultra external drive that I myself formatted Journaled. It is not encrypted.
    I went to the keychain and I could not find the password for Time Machine. (Frankly, I am not sure where to look).
    I also ran Keychain first aid and no problem was found. I also ran Keychain first aid repair and everything seems fine.
    Tomorrow Monday I will call the repair shop, as I suspect they introduced a different password.
    Many thanks for now. I will keep you posted.
    Francisco

  • Time Machine won't backup my external drive

    I have my iTunes library stored on an external drive and I want Time Machine to back it up.
    I have a brand new TM drive. I've been using it without problems to backup my 250Gb iMac. As soon as I add the external drive to the TM backup, it fails. I have other data on this drive that I don't need backed up, so I've only included the sub directory iTunes (by excluding all the others).
    I followed a couple of similar threads, but the situations don't seem to apply. I did install Time Machine buddy so I could see the error messages.
    Starting standard backup
    Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb
    Node requires deep traversal:/Volumes/Music:DVDs reason:must scan subdirs|
    No pre-backup thinning needed: 151.31 GB requested (including padding), 1.56 TB available
    Error: (2) setxattr for key:com.apple.backupd.SnapshotVolumeUUID path:/Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb/Tori's iMac/2009-11-25-182722.inProgress/3B5DD274-5AB6-44D1-9F1B-561934FB44AD/Music/DV Ds size:37
    Stopping backup.
    Copied 0 files (0 bytes) from volume Music/DVDs.
    Copy stage failed with error:11
    Backup failed with error: 11
    Drives are all formatted OS Extended Journaled
    I've run Disk Util on all the drives - no errors.
    Any ideas or other things I should try?
    If I remove the external drive from the backup, it starts to work again.

    The mystery deepens . . .
    I tried to replicate the problem. Renamed an empty partition from Misc2 to Misc2/test and copied some docs into it and ran a backup.
    Sure enough, the message refers to it as Misc2:test and the deep traversal took almost a minute and a half (one folder, 3 sub-folders, total of about 30 items!), but it ran successfully.
    So renamed it again, to Music/DVDs exactly like yours. No deep traversal, and it does call it Music:DVDs in the messages, but it backed-up properly.
    Perhaps it was fixed in Snow Leopard? Or just another of TM's many little quirks? Perhaps the phase of the moon?
    Edit: Some of your posts say you're on 10.5.3, others 10.6.2. Which is correct?
    Message was edited by: Pondini

  • Can't set up Time Machine to backup to WD external drive

    Hi, I have a WD external drive that I want to use to back up my Mac book Pro 10.8 files.
    I connected the WD to the computer's USB and it appears in the "Devices" list in the Finder Window.
    I opened "System Preferences / Time Machine" switched it to "On", clicked the option "Other Time Capsule" and the "Set up..." button
    A new screen opened and I couldn't find the option to choose the WD drive as the Time Machine backup location.
    This screen only says:
    "no new Airport base stations discovered"
    "no remote Airport base stations discovered"
    "no configured Airport base stations have been found. AirPort utility will continue searching"
    Am I doing something wrong? Why can't I find the option to save the backup to the WD drive?
    Thanks

    Not only should it be OSX Extended (journaled), it should also
    be repartitioned to a GUID partition format.  Click Partition tab
    is Disk Utility (make sure you have the WD drive selected),
    reset to create one or however many partitions you want,
    click the Options button.  Select GUID partition map, then
    repartition.

Maybe you are looking for