Backing up an external drive

I have an external LaCie disk that I use for storing my iPhoto Libraries (I take a lot
of pictures). I was using Backup, and when I had problems with restoring when
a previous disk died (hardware failure), the apple rep suggested I used time machine.
I am currently using time machine (removed the volume name from the do not
backup list on time machine preferences). However, every time I remove the disk
and connect it again, it insists on doing a complete backup of the external drive.
I looked in the backups directory and it seems what is causing it is that when time
machine does a backup with no external drive, it does not carry forward the folder
for the external drive. So it doesn't realize that it has an exact copy of the drive
in a previous folder. Would creating an alias in the backup folder to the previous
instance of the external drive fix the problem?

hmm, I see the same behavior when i test this. i could have sworn TM was smarter than that and didn't do this. Maybe some recent update broke it? and No, an alias will not help with this. in fact, nothing will help. You might want to try a different backup tool for the external drive. if you had problems with Backup try CCCloner or Superduper. both are great backup programs.

Similar Messages

  • Can time machine be used to back up one external drive to another external drive?

    I use the photography program Lightroom to organize and develop digital photos.  All my photos are stored on my iMac internal drive.  The internal drive is almost full so I want to move my photos to a new external drive.  At present, I have an external drive devoted to backing up my iMac using time machine.  I have no need to change this arrangement.  I would like to use a new external drive to serve as the primary location for my pictures, which I will move from the internal drive.  Then I would like to backup that drive to a third external back up drive.  Can time machine be used to automatically back up the second drive to the third drive as well as for continuing to provide ongoing backups to my internal drive as it is currently doing?
    Thank you in advance for your assistance.

    Jeffery t wrote:
    Thanks for the links, but I don't see in the pondini links, the scenario I am asking about.
    Time Machine can easily back up multiple internal and/or directly-connected external drives and partitions simultaneously (but Time Machine cannotback up data that's on a network).
    From the first link.
    Jeffery t wrote:
    ... Please note that my iMac internal drive is backing up to external drive number 1 using time machine.  I want my pictures on external drive two and those backed up to external drive three.  So are you saying that if I have 500 GB of pictures on drive number 2, I will need a third drive that is at least 1 TB?
    the confusion starts in your above statement...
    There should be Only One Time Machine Drive.

  • Can I back up an external drive and an airbook with a third drive

    I would like to back up an external drive and an airbook with a third drive.  This was the setup I used with my Imac.  The third drive was linked to the external drive which was linked to the imac.  I used time machine.  Both the third drive and the external drive were visible on the desktop of the imac.  Now I want to use this system to back up the airbook and the external drive, but the third drive doesn't appear on the airbook's desk top, in fact it is invisible and doesn't seem to be recognized in finder or anywhere else from the airbook.  Is there some distinction that prevents the airbook from allowing this back up configuration, but that allowed the imac to work in this configuration.
    Thanks,
    Daviiiiiiid

    Of course, always that the external drive is formatted in “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)”. Apart from that, you shouldn't have any issue,
    Then, open System Preferences > Time Machine > Options, and remove the external drive from excluded items. The next backup will include your external drive.
    Note that you may not be able to back up the external drive if it's connected to your Time Capsule. If it doesn't work, connect the external drive to your computer

  • I have lost my Safari app and all the bookmarks that go with it. I have tried to download my back-up on external drive but cannot access it. Tried a start with C key held down but still no access to the back-up app.

    I have lost my Safari app and all the bookmarks that go with it. I have tried to download my back-up on external drive but cannot access it. Tried a start with C key held down but still no access to the back up app.
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    I had previously started machine using original CD #1 to try and replace Eudora which was acting up. Did not knowingly touch Safari.
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    Ivan

    Further info.
    I checked the content of my other back-up and found the bookmark Bookmarks.plist in the library under Safari
    Dumped the existing copy in the computer and drag-dropped the back up. All bookmarks restored.
    Solved the Stickies problem by using Spotlight  to find file "stickiesdatabase" and did a drag- drop to replace file. All data restored.
    Re Ical data loss. Used Spotlight to find iCal document in  Library - Preferences where I found com.apple.iCal.plist in folder.
    Got ready to make change but did not immediately remove file. When I returned to Preferences folder to grab above document,
    the readable descriptors had been changed to code consisting of some upper case letters and/or single symbols!
    So now I cannot tell which is the symbol  iCal.plist
    Thanks for leading me so far, but how do I find that plist for my calendar?

  • How do I configure my timecapsule to back up an external drive connected to macbook?

    How do I configure my timecapsule to back up an external drive connected to macbook?

    First, insure that the external drive has been formatted in Mac OS Extended Journaled
    If it's not, and you already have data on the drive, you will need to move that data to another temporary storage location....as the format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) will erase everything on the drive. Once the drive has been formatted, move the data from the temporary storage location back to the external drive
    Click the Time Machine clock icon at the top of the screen
    Click Time Machine Preferences
    Click Options
    Click the name of the external drive to highlight it, and then click the - (minus) button at the bottom of the list to remove the drive from the list of "excluded" items for backup
    The drive will now be backed up by Time Machine on the next and all subsequent backups

  • Cannot reinstate catalog after returning PC (Windows 7) to factory settings (because of worm infection). Catalog was backed up on external drive but not using PSE backup facility. Cannot find and *.tly file. Is this hopeless?

    Cannot reinstate catalog after returning PC (Windows 7) to factory settings (because of worm infection). Catalog was backed up on external drive but not using PSE backup facility. Cannot find and *.tly file. Is this hopeless?

    If you made backups of all of your photos and your catalog file using some third-party method (i.e. not using the PSE catalog backup command), then you should be able to restore everything.
    Step 1. Put the photos in the EXACT SAME LOCATION as before. For example, if they were in subfolders of C:\Users\<username>\Documents, then they must go into the exact same subfolders of C:\Users\<username>\Documents.
    Step 2. Move the catalog file to wherever you want it to be, and then double-click on it.

  • I have the 5.5 Lightroom software on my I-Mac with OS-X, 10.9.3. It seems I have lost 850 pictures I was developing. It all started when was adding a folder. A new screen came up with no photos.  I went back to my external drive, trying to open the folder

    I have the 5.5 Lightroom software on my I-Mac with OS-X, 10.9.3. It seems I have lost 850 pictures I was developing. It all started when was adding a folder. A new screen came up with no photos.  I went back to my external drive, trying to open the folder (containing the pictures I was working on), an icon "Thumbs" came up. When I click on it, a message "can't find the application" came up, there is no picture to be found. Please help.  Frustrated-George

    Have you tried resetting the SMC ?     >  Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

  • Time Machine won't back up OWC external drive

    Mac Mini running 10.8.5.  Time Machine will not back up brand new OWC MiniStack external HD. I've trashed TM prefs, reformatted the TM drive, verified that there are no exclusions, but it won't back up the external HD which contains only data files -- no system, no applications.  TM does back up the internal HD.

    PROBLEM SOLVED.
    Recap: Time Machine would not back up an external data drive despite being correctly formatted and settings correctly applied.
    Problem was either:  a) the Mac, b) the external data drive, c) the Time Machine drive, or d) the data.
    I replaced both the external data drive (cloned) and the Time Machine drive, but Time Machine would back up that external drive either.
    Finally, instead of CLONING (SuperDuper) the external data drive, I COPIED the data to a new HD -- root folder-by-folder. Now Time Machine again backs up my external hard drive.
    SOLUTION:  Problem was not hard drives or Mac, but within the data itself.  Cloning the data simply passed on the problem to the new hard drive.  For this problem, the solution was copying the data rather than cloning.
    Thanks all.

  • Backing up 1 external drive on to 2

    Hi -- I have a 400 gb external hard drive that stores my Itunes library, with about 260 gb of music on it. I want to back it up on to a 250 gb drive and an 80 gb drive. Can anyone recommend software that handles this requirement well? (e.g., like pausing when the target disk is full) Do the Mac backup utilities do it?
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    You can't back up an external drive that is connected to a TC to the TC itself using Time Machine.

  • TM won't back up other external drive

    I have a LaCie external drive which contains all my photos and music. I have TM backing up to Time Capsule--it works fine with my iMac, but if I add the LaCie it starts backing up but never finishes. I have watched the progress bar get as far as maybe 70 out of 150 GB and then start over from 0. It will cycle like this indefinitely--I've let it run for as much as a couple of days and it never gets anywhere, no evidence of even a partial backup of the LaCie. TM basically will work only when the LaCie is excluded (I've switched back and forth a few times to prove this). Very grateful for any ideas!

    PROBLEM SOLVED.
    Recap: Time Machine would not back up an external data drive despite being correctly formatted and settings correctly applied.
    Problem was either:  a) the Mac, b) the external data drive, c) the Time Machine drive, or d) the data.
    I replaced both the external data drive (cloned) and the Time Machine drive, but Time Machine would back up that external drive either.
    Finally, instead of CLONING (SuperDuper) the external data drive, I COPIED the data to a new HD -- root folder-by-folder. Now Time Machine again backs up my external hard drive.
    SOLUTION:  Problem was not hard drives or Mac, but within the data itself.  Cloning the data simply passed on the problem to the new hard drive.  For this problem, the solution was copying the data rather than cloning.
    Thanks all.

  • 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.

  • Backing up an external drive to Time Capsule

    I have an external 1 TB Toshiba drive filled with my iTunes library.  I'd like to have it back up to my Time Capsule like my previous, smaller external drive. Every time I go to Time Machine Preferences and remove it from the "Exclude these items from backups" list it seems like it will back up like I want it to. Then, when the backup gets going, I notice it isn't being included. When I go back to the "Exclude these items from backups" list again the external drive has reappeared like I never removed it. The drive didn't come formatted for Mac. Would that have something to do with it? It works fine with the iTunes library. Thank you.

    The drive didn't come formatted for Mac. Would that have something to do with it? It works fine with the iTunes library.
    That likely has everything to do with it. Time Machine insists on a drive that is formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Your Mac will work with other drive formats. Time Machine will not.
    Temporarily, connect the drive directly to the USB port on your Mac.
    Open Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility
    Click on the drive in the left panel to highlight it
    Look at the information in the bottom of the window to see the drive format
    What is it?

  • Backing up an external drive using Time Machine

    I am trying to back up an external hard drive with Time Machine, but in Options, the drive is greyed out and cannot be removed from exclusions.
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    If the drive is formatted FAT32 then there is no way around it. Time Machine will not be able to backup the drive. You would have to repartition and reformat the drive for OS X, but that will make it unusable on a PC. You should try using a third-party backup utility if you cannot reformat the drive:
    Backup Software Recommendations
    Carbon Copy Cloner
    Data Backup
    Deja Vu
    SuperDuper!
    Synk Pro
    Tri-Backup
    Others may be found at VersionTracker or MacUpdate.
    Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore.  Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.
    If you backup to the same drive used for your Time Machine backup, then you should create a separate partition on the drive for these backups.

  • Filevault and backing up to external drive

    I have a desktop which I use at my office which contains all of my personal and business data. I am trying to figure out how to secure the data on this computer. I do daily encrypted backups to an external drive using prosoft engineerings data backup 3.0 (which is a very good app) so I have a back up. I had tried filevault but got scared after reading about corrupted data and data loss. My question about filevault is: If I have filevault on and if I am logged in to my account and I back-up to an external drive am I backing up readable data or is it encrypted?

    But wouldn't monfriar have to enable FileVault to try? That's an easy way to lose your data.
    From what I've heard (I don't use FileVault), FileVault will not back up your home directory files while you are logged in. It will, however, backup your encrypted sparseimage if you are logged out. Unfortunately, I also this it will back up a brand new copy of that sparseimage file each time. You should run out of external drive space in about 3 days.
    In any event, if the file system on the sparseimage file is corrupted, that will get backed up as well. I don't see how using FileVault with Time Machine would be better than your current system.
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  • Using time machine to back up additional external drives

    My mac mini contains a 160 gb hard drive. Aiming to keep this free, I connected a 500 gb WD mac-specific hard drive. I also use this drive when attempting to access work files on my macbook pro. When using time machine, which backs up to a 1 TB WD hard drive (also attached to the mac mini), I cannot figure out how to use time machine to back up simultaneously the contents of the native (160 gb) drive in the mac mini and the contents of the portable external drive (500 gb). *Is there any way to set time machine to accomplish this?* Please help - I really need to continually back up the contents of the portable drive as well.

    carbon copy cloner will do this. you set up a scheduled job (can be daily, weekly, etc. & even every hour!) & is free to use (donations accepted).
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  • Back-up on external drive, in addition to the time machine external drive

    Quick question: I am using Time machine on an external drive next to my laptop. To protect against fire/theft, I want to do a monthly back up on an other external drive which would be kept at work. Does time machine allow 2 external back up drives and remember what needs to be updated on each, or do I need to use SuperDuper or similar to do my monthly back up?

    You can do what you want by going in to System Preferences > Time Machine > Change Disk whenever you rotate disks. Time Machine will keep track what modified files belong to its respective backups on the two disks. However, it's always a very good idea to diversify risk in your backups so using different software for your second set of backups would be something to seriously consider. SuperDuper is not yet Leopard compatible but Carbon Copy Cloner is. You can use the "Copy selected items" function in CCC to do incremental backups.

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