Using Time Machine with Online Service like Mozy or Carbonite

Can anyone advise me on whether or not I can use Time Machine with a Online Service provider like Carbonite or Mozy. I'm looking for best practices assuming it works at all.
Thanks
MikeK

No, Time Machine because of the way it's written will only work wirelessly with the Time Capsule device. Althought it's not supported i've seen instances where you can use a third party router with an external HD to back up, but most of the time you won't actually be able to do a restore of the OS/individual files. Online storage is to say basically; completely out. Hope this answers your question

Similar Messages

Using Time MACHINE with a USB drive connected to an Airport Extreme

Disclaimer: Apple does not necessarily endorse any suggestions, solutions, or third-party software products that may be mentioned in the topic below. Apple encourages you to first seek a solution at Apple Support. The following links are provided as is, with no guarantee of the effectiveness or reliability of the information. Apple does not guarantee that these links will be maintained or functional at any given time. Use the information below at your own discretion.
Please click here:
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Using Time Machine with an Airport Extreme AirDisk
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Note: If you got here by clicking a link that looks like this:
_. . . discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2299608#Q1_
Note the number at the end, after the +*pound sign,+* (#) and click the corresponding item below:
Please pardon the inconvenience.
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QUESTIONS
*Q1. Can I use the USB drive(s) for Time Machine backups AND other data?*
*Q2. How do I set up Time Machine to back up to a USB drive connected to my Airport Extreme?*
*Q3. How do I delete backups?*
*Q4. How do I back-up my backups?*
If you don't see your question here, try Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.
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PROBLEMS
*P1. The Backup disk image could not be created.*
*P2. Time Machine could not complete the backup . . sparsebundle could not be accessed. (Error 109).*
If you don't see your problem here, try Time Machine - Troubleshooting
This is the 3rd version of this tip. It was submitted on May 16, 2010 by Pondini.
Do you want to provide feedback on this User Contributed Tip or contribute your own? If you have achieved Level 2 status, visit the User Tips Library Contributions forum for more information.

Hi, Nubz!
Yes, I just saw that, and am still chuckling.
Maybe that will mollify the Jive gods?
Thanks again,
Jim

How to use Time Machine with an external drive?

Hi…I’m new to this, I hope someone can help me=)
I’m trying to back up my Macbook Pro 10.6.8 using Time Machine with an external drive Seagate Backplus Slim. I’ve tried several solutions that I’ve found through different forums but still wouldn’t work.
Every time I opened Time Machine, it has this appearance:
Then when I click “Select backup Disk”, it goes on like this:
And after I click “Set Up Time Capsule”, it has this:
It keeps saying that it couldn’t find AirPort wireless, even though I have good WIFI connection.
Anyone know what I should do? Please help….Thanks everyone

Ayuphie ~ In your Time Machine Preferences panel, slide the OFF-ON switch to the ON position:

I use Time Machine with an external hard disc which has worked perfectly for some years. Recently Time Machine has aborted backups if the screen saver starts when back-up is in progress. I use a Maxtor OneTouch4 back-up system. Any ideas?

I use Time Machine with an external hard disc which has worked perfectly for some years. Recently Time Machine has aborted backups if the screen saver starts when back-up is in progress. I use a Maxtor OneTouch4 back-up system. Any ideas?
Has Apple recently up-dated my OS (Lion) such that every time the screen saver starts it disables Time Machine. I have to switch-off the computer and re-start in order to undertake a back-up. I have now switched of all screen savers.

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
The purpose of this exercise is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
Be sure your Mac is shut down.
Press the power button.
Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold the Shift key. The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone, but not before the tone.
Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple icon and the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem(s)?
After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)

When using time machine with external hardrive to backup, some music items from iTunes and some photos from iPhoto do not transfer to backup hardrive. What am I ding wrong? Using latest version of mountain lion.

When I use time machine with my external harddrive to back up computer, some music from iTunes library, and some photos from iPhoto library are missing when I check backup disk. I am using latest version of mountain lion. Am I doing something wrong?

First, Time Machine doesn't completely back up the iPhoto library while iPhoto is running. Make sure you quit iPhoto after making any changes to allow a backup to take place.
This simple procedure will clear your Time Machine settings, including both overt and hidden exclusions. 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.
Triple-click the line below to select it:
/Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist
Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select
Services ▹ Reveal
from the contextual menu. A Finder window should open with a file selected. Copy it to the Desktop. Then move it (the original, not the copy) to the Trash. You'll be prompted for your administrator password. Reboot, recreate your settings in the Time Machine preference pane, and run a backup to test. If TM now performs as expected, delete the file you copied to the Desktop.

How can I restore my data from iCal? I didn't make any backup, but I use time machine with an external HD. I deleted iCal when I deleted my gmail account. I have tried to restore, but I can only restore the iCal software and not the data.

How can I restore my data from iCal? I didn't make any backup, but I use time machine with an external HD. I deleted iCal when I deleted my gmail account. I have tried to restore, but I can only restore the iCal software and not the data.

So what is your question?
If you forgot your encryption password:
Warning: Make sure it's a password you will remember or write it down for safekeeping. If you encrypt an iPhone backup in iTunes and forget your password, you can't restore from backup and your data will be unrecoverable.
If you can't remember the password and want to start again, you must perform a full software restore and chooseset up as a new device when iTunes prompts you to select the backup from which to restore.
The above comes from here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946

I am trying to get an answer to whether or not I can successfully use Time Machine with an external HDD connected to an airport extreme? Some forums say yes, some say no.

I am trying to get an answer to whether or not I can successfuly use Time Machine with an external HDD connected to an airport extreme. Some forums say yes, some say no. I'm also curious about formatting the hard drive to work both on my wife's MacBook Pro and my PC. Any help would definitely be appreciated.

You may be going on a recollection, that I share, that at one time Apple stated this would be possible:
In fact, Apple’s Time Machine Web page touted this very capability as recently as last Tuesday, as you can see from Google’s October 16 cache of the page
Effortless meets wireless. With a hard disk connected to your AirPort Extreme Base Station, all the Macs in your house can use Time Machine to back up wirelessly. Simply select your AirPort Disk as the backup disk for each computer and the whole family can enjoy the benefits of Time Machine.
But if you look at the current Time Machine page on Apple’s Web site, that text is nowhere to be found.
That was a long time ago, it has never been officially implemented, and at present they specifically say it cannot be done.
In summary, it may work, but probably won't, and even if it does it may not be reliable.
Reference:
Disks that can be used with Time Machine
Time Machine can’t back up to an external disk connected to an AirPort Extreme, or...
and
Mac OS X v10.5: Time Machine doesn't back up to AirPort Extreme AirPort Disks

Problem using Time Machine with Seagate BackUp Plus Pls HELP!!

I have a late 2006 iMac (running OS 10.5.8) & am trying to back up using Time Machine with a new Seagate BackUp Plus drive. When I select the Seagate drive in Time Machine it tells me I msut first erase the (Seagate) disk. When I hit ERASE, I get a Time Machine error : COULD NOT UNMOUNT DISK. I see from various posts that 10,5 & 10,6 have issues with some external drives so want to upgrade to Mavericks (to get around this incompatibility issue): HOwever apparently my iMac is too old (by 1 year) to allow this. Can anyone give me any advice on how to get my iMac content backed up via Time Machine using the Seagate BackUP PLus drive I bought (becasue it is supposedly "compatible with PCs & Macs".
Thank you!!
Wendy

Your Seagate drive should work just fine. If it doesn't have any important data on it, try re-formatting it with Disk Utility to blank it out. Or run the Disk verify/repair and see if you can get it to fix any problems.
I have a Drobo FS too. You probably need a firmware update, they issued one a while back to fix problems with Time Machine. Use the Dashboard or download it from their support site, http://www.drobo.com/support/updates.php
Just curious how long you let it run after it "stalled". If it is a big file it could just be taking a while to copy over, do you see activity lights on the USB drive? The first time you use time machine let it run overnight, it's going to take a while, after that it will update quickly.
While you're at it, you might want to verify your start-up disk too with Disk Utility.

Do i need to set up the time capsule airport before i start backing up using time machine with my time capsule?

Do i need to set up the time capsule airport before i start backing up using time machine with my time capsule?

Some setup is generally required.. because the TC is a network device.. not a plug in via usb.. therefore it has to exist somewhere in your network.

HT204057 is there a way to use time machine with a backup drive connected to my AirPort?

is there a way to use time machine with a backup drive connected to my AirPort Extreme?

Unfortunately, this is not officially supported by Apple......if you still have the 4th Gen AirPort Extreme that you list in your equipment profile.
However, the new "tower" shaped version of the AirPort Extreme does now officially support Time Machine backups to a drive at the USB port of the device.

Time Machine and an offsite-online service like Mozy

Hi - is anyone using Mozy with Time Machine? I just setup Mozy and as a regular backup system it worked rather well. I would love to have Time Machine use that storage but I can't seem to have Mozy come up as a drive option. Thanks.
Steve

The TM feature supports many directly attached devices such as internal and external FW, USB, eSATA HDs. It does not support the likes of Mozy at this time.
From what I know about Mozy it's similar to TM but lacks the integration that TM has with Leopard and Apps such as Mail, iPhoto and Address Book and more to come from Apple and 3rd party Apps.
Send your request to Apple Feedback as that's the proper place to have Apple see what customers are wanting for future enhancements to TM.

Can i use time machine with a airport extreme and a external hard drive

I have connected a hard drive to my airport extreme.
Now i would like to use time machine to back up my computers, and would like to do this on the hard drive which is connected to my airport extreme.
Next step is that i would like to be able to approach my external hard drive via the internet.
Is this possible or not?

Both are possible. However, Apple does NOT support Time Machine backups to AirPort Disks attached to the 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn). Doing so will potentially lead to data corruption and is highly not recommended. Please check out this excellent Pondini article for more details. This article also provides the Apple Support references that states Apple's position. Bottom line? If your backups are critical to you, then you may want to rethink your backup solution.
As far as accessing the AirPort Disk from the Internet, the following is the basic steps to do so:
Start the AirPort Utility > Select the AEBSn, and then, note the IP address shown.
Select Manual Setup.
Verify that Connection Sharing = Share a public IP address is selected on the Internet > Internet Connection tab.
Select Disks, and then, select File Sharing.
Verify that both the "Enable file sharing" and "Share disks over WAN" options are enabled.
Verify that Secure Shared Disks = With a disk password. (Recommended)
Verify that AirPort Disks Guest Access = Not allowed. (Recommended)
Select Advanced, and then, select the Port Mapping tab.
Click the plus sign to add a new port mapping.
For Service, select the "Personal File Sharing" option. (Note: This option would only allow Mac clients to access the AirPort Disks. If you want both Macs and PCs to connect, you would need to leave this field at its default value and enter the appropriate SMB ports to the mix of ports to be opened.)
In the Public UDP Port(s) and Public TCP Port(s) boxes, type in a 4-digit port number (e.g., 8888) that you choose. In the Private IP Address box, type the internal IP address of your AEBSn that you wrote down in step 1. In the Private UDP Port(s) and Private TCP Port(s) boxes, type 548. Click Continue.
In the Description box, type a descriptive name like "AirPort Disk File Sharing," and then, click Done.
Click on Update.
To connect to the shared AirPort Disk from a remote location using a Mac:
From the Finder > Go > Connect to Server.
Enter the Pubic (WAN-side) IP address of the AEBSn, followed by a colon and the Public port number that you choose in step 11 of the previous procedure. For example: afp://www.mydyndnsdomain.com:8888 or afp://123.456.789.123:8888
Click Connect.
You should be prompted for your user name and password. The user name can be anything you like; the password should be the Disk password for the AEBSn that you created in step 6 previously.
Click Connect.

Using TIME MACHINE with a TIME CAPSULE

There's often a bit of confusion about this terminology: +*Time Machine+* vs. +*Time Capsule:+*
_*Time Machine*_ is Apple software that performs backups, to an external HD, a Time Capsule, etc.; and also allows you to browse and restore from them. It comes with Leopard and Snow Leopard, but cannot run on any previous versions of OSX.
A _*Time Capsule*_ is a piece of Apple hardware that combines a wireless router and hard drive, that can be used for Time Machine backups and/or other data.
Most Time Machine questions & problems are not unique to Time Capsules. For those, or if you don't find what you need here, try one of these:
Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions
Time Machine - Troubleshooting
They can also be found in the *User Contributed Tips* section of both +Time Machine+ forums:
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard > Time Machine
Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard > Time Machine
Contents
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QUESTIONS
*Q1. How do I set up Time Machine to back up to my Time Capsule?*
*Q2. How do I set up Time Machine to back up to a USB drive connected to my Time Capsule?*
*Q3. Can I use my Time Capsule for Time Machine backups AND other data?*
*Q4. My Time Capsule is too small to back-up my Mac(s). Now what?*
*Q5. Should I delete backups? If so, how?*
*Q6. How do I back-up my Time Capsule and/or USB drive(s) connected to it?*
If you don't see your question here, try the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum.
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PROBLEMS
*P1. The Backup disk image could not be created.*
*P2. Time Machine could not complete the backup . . sparsebundle could not be accessed. (Error 109).*
If you don't see your problem here, try the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum.
QUESTIONS
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_*Q1. How do I set up Time Machine to back up to my Time Capsule?*_
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First, set up your Time Capsule via +Airport Utility.+ Keep the name you assign to it, your Computer, and your network short (under 25 characters), and avoid embedded spaces, special characters, and punctuation (see item #P1 below for details). Make sure your Mac can connect via an Ethernet cable, if at all possible, as well as wirelessly.
The setup and first backup (of your entire system) will be much faster if you connect via Ethernet.
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a. If the +Time Machine+ icon isn't already in your Dock, drag it there from your Applications folder. See below for more about it's use.
b. Right-click it and select +Open Time Machine Preferences,+ click the +Show Time Machine status in the menu bar+ box (see below), then click +Select Disk+ (on Leopard, this button will be either +Choose Backup Disk+ or +Change Disk).+
c. A list of possible destinations will appear. It should include your Time Capsule (with the name you gave it via Airport Utility), and may show other internal or external drives as well. Select your Time Capsule and click the +Use for Backup+ button.
d. A prompt for your name and password will appear. In some cases there won't be a Name field, but if there is, enter your short user name. Also enter the password you set up for the Time Capsule via Airport Utility, then click the Connect button.
e. A 120-second countdown to the start of your first backup will appear in the +Next Backup+ area of the TM Preference panel.
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Note that this first backup will copy the entire contents of your system, except for a few things that are skipped automatically, such as system work files, most caches, your logs, trash, etc., and anything else you may have excluded (see #10 and #11 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum). So it will be rather lengthy, depending on how much data is on your system, whether you're connected via Ethernet or WIFI, and if WIFI, how good the signal is.
You can continue to use your Mac while TM is backing-up, and you can even cancel a backup if necessary, but to make this first full backup as fast as possible, try not to overload your Mac or cancel the backup.
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_*The Time Machine Icons in your Menubar and/or Dock*_
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In the steps above, you dragged the TM Application's icon into your Dock, and clicked the +Show Time Machine status in the menu bar+ box.
For detailed info about them, see question #24 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum.
+Go to Top+
_*Q2. How do I set up Time Machine to back up to a USB drive connected to my Time Capsule?*_
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Mostly the way you set it up to use the Time Capsule's internal HD.
But first, attach the drive directly to your Mac, and erase and format it per the instructions in #5 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum. Note, however, that it doesn't matter whether you use the +Mac OS Extended (Journaled)+ or +Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, journaled)+ Format, since Time Machine will put your backups in a sparse bundle that's case-sensitive. You cannot change that.
Unlike the Time Capsule's disk, you can partition the USB drive. That's highly recommended if you're going to be putting other data there, so the backups don't completely fill the disk (but be aware that Time Machine cannot back that "other" data up. See question #Q6 below).
If you're backing-up multiple Macs to the same drive, you can make one partition for each, but it's not as helpful on a network drive, because each Mac's backups will be in a separate sparse bundle. So you can let them share the disk or a partition.
Also note that if you've been doing backups to an external disk connected directly to your Mac, you cannot continue the same set of backups when you connect it to your Time Capsule. They are stored differently, and Time Machine will put them in a sparse bundle, alongside but *completely separate from* the backups made locally, and the first backup will be a full backup of your entire system.
Once the USB disk is set up the way you want it, use the setup procedure in question #Q1 above, but in step (c), select the USB drive/partition, not the Time Capsule's internal HD.
*RAID Sets connected to a Time Capsule:*
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Time Machine will back up to a +Hardware Mirrored RAID set,+ also called +RAID 1,+ (sold that way, with multiple drives in the same enclosure). However, if you partition the +Hardware Mirrored RAID set,+ once you start using it with TIme Machine, you cannot change the sizes later and continue to back up to the same set of backups.
While you can connect multiple USB drives to a Time Capsule via a USB hub (a powered one is best), Time Machine +*will not+* back up to a +software Mirrored RAID+ set (where you combine the drives into a single volume via Disk Utility).
+Go to Top+
_*Q3. Can I use my Time Capsule for Time Machine backups and other data?*_
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You can put other data on your Time Capsule's internal HD, but there are three major considerations:
Especially for things like photos and videos, access may be too slow for convenient viewing, and worse for editing. So test this a bit before you decide what to put there.
Time Machine cannot back-up that other data, so you'll need some other method. See question #Q6 below.
Time Machine will, by design, fill up all the space available to it, so there may be a conflict between the sparse bundle it puts your backups in, and the other data. There is a workaround, to "reserve" some space there, by creating a disk image of the desired size and storing your data there, but it's a bit cumbersome, and two Macs can't share it at the same time.
An alternative is to connect a USB drive to your Time Capsule. Then you can back up to the TC's disk and use the USB drive for other data, or vice-versa. But note that Time Machine cannot back-up the USB drive while it's connected to the TC (see question #Q6 below).
If you want to reserve space on the TC's internal disk, here's how:
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a. Start the +Disk Utility+ app (in your Applications/Utilities folder). Click the +New Image+ icon in the toolbar (or select +File > New > Blank Disk Image+ from the menubar). If the little arrow to the right of the "Save As" box points down, click it so it points up.
b. Give it a name in the "Save as" box. This name will appear on the TC's disk, with ".dmg" appended. (Similar to the way the sparse bundle containing your Time Machine backups appears, with ".sparsebundle" appended).
c. Click your TC in the sidebar. It may take a few moments for Disk Utility to recognize it, and show it in the center pane.
d. In that center pane, select the blue Share folder for your +Time Capsule+ (you may need to scroll down, or enlarge the window, to see it). Once selected, you'll see any existing disk images in the right pane.
e. Give the Image a name. This name will appear on your desktop and/or Finder sidebar when you mount the .dmg by double-clicking it, if you have the +External Disks+ box checked in +Finder > Preferences > General+ or +Finder > Preferences > Sidebar.+
f. Select the Size for the amount of space you want to reserve, either one of the pre-sets or Custom which allows any size. Avoid taking all the remaining space for the disk image, as Time Machine needs a bit of room to operate. Also note that if very little space is left, it will begin deleting old backups very soon, to make room for new ones.
g. Select the desired Format, probably the default of +Mac OS Extended (Journaled).+
h. If you want it encrypted, select the desired type.
i. Select single partition, either GUID or +Apple Partition Map.+
j. Select +Read/Write disk image+ for Image Format.
k. Click the Create button. The larger the image size, the longer this will take.
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When complete, the new disk image will be automatically mounted on your Mac's desktop, ready to receive the files you want to move into it. (When you first open a disk image, there may not be a sidebar and/or toolbar; if so, select +View > Show Toolbar+ from the Finder menubar.)
To access this disk image from another computer, you must first eject it from this one, since only one can mount it at a time. Otherwise, the other one will see a message that the disk image is "Temporarily unavailable."
Note that you may be able to change the size of the disk image later, via +Images > Resize+ from the Disk Utility menubar (while the disk image is not mounted or selected in Disk Utility's sidebar).
+Go to Top+
_*Q4. My Time Capsule is too small to back-up my Mac(s). Now what?*_
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You can attach a USB drive to your Time Capsule. Then you can back up to the USB drive instead of the Time Capsule's internal HD. If you have multiple Macs, you can back some up to the TC's internal drive, and others to the USB drive.
If you need even more space, you can connect multiple USB drives via a hub (a powered one is usually best), and back up different Macs to each. What you cannot do, however, is have one Mac's backups continue from the Time Capsule's internal HD to a USB drive connected to it, or have the backups for any one Mac "span" two drives.
The exception is, you can connect two (or more) drives that are in a +concatenated RAID+ set (sometimes called +RAID 0).+ In that configuration, all the drives in the set are treated as a single volume (see +Concatenated RAID+ in the Help for Disk Utility for details). This configuration may cause some other difficulties; once they're in a RAID set, you cannot connect any drive to your Mac separately -- it's all or none. And if one drive fails, you risk losing everything on all the drives in the set.
See question #Q2 above for setup instructions for backing-up to the USB drive.
+Go to Top+
_*Q5. Should I delete backups? If so, how?*_
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It depends on exactly what you want to do, and why.
Under normal circumstances, you shouldn't have to delete anything. TM automatically "thins" (deletes) backups every time it does a new backup, on the following schedule:
"Hourly" backups after 24 hours (except the first of the day, which is a "Daily" backup).
"Daily" backups after a month (except the first of each week, which is a "Weekly" backup.)
"Weekly" backups are kept until TM needs the space for new backups; then one or more of the oldest weeklies will be deleted.
However, TM will never delete the backup copy of anything that was on the disk being backed-up at the time of any remaining backup. So all that's actually deleted are copies of items whose originals were changed or deleted before the next remaining backup.
But if you do need to delete backups, here's how:
To delete individual backups, or all backups of selected item(s), see #12 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum.
To delete everything on the Time Capsule's internal HD, use +*Airport Utility.+* Select +*Base Station > Manual Set-Up+* from the Menubar, then Disks in the tool Bar, then Erase.
To delete everything on a connected USB drive/partition, you can delete via the Finder, but that may take a very long time. It may be faster to disconnect it from your Time Capsule, connect it directly to your Mac, and use Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder) to erase the disk/partition.
To delete all the backups for one Mac, without disturbing anything else on the Time Capsule's internal disk, open the TC via the Finder and delete the sparse bundle associated with that Mac.
To delete all the backups for one Mac, without disturbing anything else on a connected USB drive, either open the USB drive via the Finder and delete the sparse bundle associated with that Mac, or disconnect the drive from the TC, connect it directly to your Mac, and delete the sparse bundle from there.
+Go to Top+
_*Q6. How do I back-up my Time Capsule and/or attached USB drive(s)?*_
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That depends to some extent on what you want to back up, and where it is.
It's generally not a good idea to try to back-up your Time Machine backups. If there's a problem with them, it will be copied to (and perhaps magnified on) the copy.
A better solution is probably to use either Time Machine or a different application to make separate, independent backups of your Mac, to a different destination. A portable external hard drive is great for this; you can periodically connect it to your Mac, make a backup, then take it to a secure off-site location, so you're protected against fire, flood, theft, direct lightning strike on your power lines, etc. If you use Time Machine for this, you'll have to use the disk selection process each time you want to switch, via +Time Machine Preferences.+
Many folks use the CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper! apps to make "bootable clones" of their internal HD to an external HD. While these usually don't have "archived" copies of previous versions of things you've changed or deleted, you can boot and run your Mac from them if your internal HD fails. Your Mac may run a bit slower, but it will be usable. Both are easily found via Google.
Since Time Machine cannot back up your Time Capsule's internal hard drive, or a USB drive connected to it, if you have other data there, you'll need a different method to back up that other data.
In a pinch, you can disconnect a USB drive from your Time Capsule, attach it to your Mac, and copy or back it up that way.
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There is a procedure that will let you "archive" the TC's internal disk to a USB drive connected to it.
But it's not quick, since since the data must be read from the TC's internal disk to your Mac, then sent *back through the Time Capsule* to the connected USB drive. And it's "all or nothing" -- you can only use this procedure to copy the entire contents.
All users will be disconnected from both the internal HD and the connected USB disk (but the network will remain usable).
Attach a USB drive with at least as much free space as the total amount of data on the TC's internal HD (see #5 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum, for formatting instructions).
Turn Time Machine "Off" via +Time Machine Preferences.+ Stop all processes that may be accessing the Time Capsule's disk. If possible, connect your Mac to the Time Capsule with an Ethernet cable -- it will still be slow, but faster than WIFI.
Then follow this Apple procedure: Using AirPort Utility 5.3.1 or later to make a copy of the Time Capsule disk.
+Go to Top+
PROBLEMS
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_*P1. The Backup disk image could not be created.*_
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Oddly enough, Time Machine can be rather picky about the way certain things are named.
Check your +*Computer Name*+ at the top of the System Preferences > Sharing panel.
It must not be blank; it should not be more than 25 characters long; and you should avoid punctuation, spaces, and special characters.
After changing it, click the Edit button and make the corresponding change to the +*Local Hostname.+*
If that doesn't help, apply the same rules to the name of your Time Capsule and Network, via +Airport Utility.+
+Go to Top+
_*P2. Time Machine could not complete the backup .. sparsebundle could not be accessed. (Error 109).*_
|
The sparsebundle containing your backups is corrupted.
Try Repairing it, per #A5 in the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum.
If the sparsebundle is on your Time Capsule's internal HD, and Disk Utility can't fix it, your only option is to delete it (or erase the TC's disk), and let Time Machine start over. You may be able to prevent this from happening again by changing the names per problem #P1 above.
If the sparsebundle is on a USB drive connected to your Time Capsule, and Disk Utility can't fix it, it's possible a heavy-duty 3rd-party +Disk Repair+ application, such as +Disk Warrior+ can. (You'll have to connect the drive directly to your Mac.) These are not cheap, and there's no guarantee they can fix it. Be certain whatever you use is compatible with your OS. For Disk Warrior, you need at least version 4.1.1 for Leopard, 4.2 for Snow Leopard.
+Go to Top+

This tip is ready for consideration.
It is an update to the current Tip at: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2296894
Changes:
Q1: replaced info about the TM icons with a link to the TM FAQ tip.
Q2: added info about RAID sets attached to a TC
Q6: reworded a bit and replaced last paragraph with a link to the Apple article.

Intermittently using Time Machine with an External Hard Drive

Ok, Kappy answered some questions I had about how Time Machine works with an external hard drive.
After doing more reading about Time Machine, I found out that a person can, for example, leave the drive powered-off for a couple of weeks and only periodically or intermittently use Time Machine for back up. However, in the online article I read dated 2009, the author suggested that he didn't know how well Time Machine would work making up for the two weeks, or however long, no files had been backed up.
Specific questions: I have 10.6.3 SL (I have not yet been brave enough to download 10.6.4) and a 4 month old iMac. 1) Have any of you had experience with only periodically using Time Machine for back up and 2) with my current system would you think I might run into some trouble if I only intermittently backed-up using Time Machine?
Thanks for reading this and thanks if you feel my questions warrant answering.
Note: I do have another external hard drive where I occasionally manually back-up photos, gifs, music, etc.

JohnHusk wrote:
Ok, Kappy answered some questions I had about how Time Machine works with an external hard drive.
After doing more reading about Time Machine, I found out that a person can, for example, leave the drive powered-off for a couple of weeks and only periodically or intermittently use Time Machine for back up.
If you go several days between backups, Time Machine may have to do a "deep traversal," comparing every folder on your system to the backups, to determine what's changed and needs to be backed-up. This depends on the volume of changes, so can happen after an OSX update, but in other circumstances might be after several days. This isn't a big problem, but it does take longer, and the more data you have, the longer it takes.
Worse, after an extended period, Time Machine may do a new, full backup of your entire system, rapidly filling-up your TM drive.
If that's the way you want to back up, Time Machine is not the backup app for you. One of it's main features is the way it can do quick hourly backups of what's changed, so you have an excellent chance of recovering a previous version (or versions) when you change or delete something in error, or a file comes up corrupted, or your Mac fails.
Why don't you want to just leave the drive connected and Time Machine running, to protect you best, as it was designed to do?
For alternatives designed to do less frequent backups, see Kappy's post on Basic Backup.

Beginner's question: Using Time Machine with a WD External Drive

Hello folks,
Could someone help me with some basic questions?
I have a MacBook with Mac OSX 10.5.5. It has Time Machine but I've never used it before. I've just obtained a Western Digital External Hard Drive which is Mac compatible but, I'm told, may not be formatted for Mac.
1. If that's the case, how do I format it for Mac so that I can use it with my MacBook? Or can I just plug-and-play?
2. Once ready to use, I'd like to use the external drive for two purposes: (a) to create back-up images of my entire computer using Time Machine, and (b) as a second drive where I can just drag-and-drop selected files when needed (e.g. so that I can put photos in a photo folder on my external instead of on my MacBook hard drive). Will my MacBook let me do this, or will using Time Machine effectively reserve the entire external hard drive for Time Machine and not allow my to drag-and-drop files?
Thanks! And Happy New Year!

Question 1:
1. Launch Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utility folder.
2. Click the "erase" tab
3. Select your entire WD disk on the sidebar (the uppermost icon).
4. Format: "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)"
5. Name the Disk
6. Click on "erase"
Question 2:
What is the size of your drive? If it is large enough you can partition it but Time Machine backup will "grow". So if it's important to you to save all backups you'll want to give it the whole disk. If not, you can partition the disk at the same time you format it.
Follow the steps here. It will accomplish both Q1 & Q2.
-mj
Message was edited by: macjack

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