Backing up MacBook

Been using a WD external hardrive to back up my MacBook via time machine, my wife now has a MacBook, can I back up both to the one external hardrive and how is this done ?

Yes you can. You just use the same instructions and set it up the same way. It will automatically keep the two separate. Instructions for setting up Time Machine: Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac

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To who already they sent back the macbook?

To who already they sent back the macbook?

To who already they sent back the macbook?
I got a repair order and it is going back to have a
latch repaired and the screen wine. They say 5 days
tops to fix. ****, I waited this long whats 5 days to
have a FAST QUIET MBP.
William
I'm confused. You already sent yours in and now you're waiting..and it has been 5 days?
I mailed mine in on Friday to get the screen whine repaired on March 3, they received it on March 4. On Monday March 6 they updated the repair status to read "waiting for part." It's now Thursday the 9th and I'm still "waiting for part." This is really really frustrating. I have no idea when I'm going to get my MBP back again.
-Jacob

Copy mass Pages document back to MacBook Air

Is there a quick way to copy 30 Pages documents back to MacBook Air?

http://support.apple.com/kb/PH1414
Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) mercredi 7 septembre 2011 15:29:46
iMac 21”5, i7, 2.8 GHz, 4 Gbytes, 1 Tbytes, mac OS X 10.6.8 and 10.7.0
My iDisk is : <http://public.me.com/koenigyvan>
Please : Search for questions similar to your own before submitting them to the community

Backing up macbook with time machine for first time

I tried backing up my macbook for the first time, using time machine, to a new portable external hard drive formatted for p.c. The screen said do you want to erase the disc and i did. It said nothing about formatting for mac, but began to appear to be backing up my computer, and was running for 3-4 hours doing that. I walked away from the computer and came back an hour or two later, and there was a message on the screen saying error, could not create directory. I don't know if this was related to the initial backup, or if an hour later it tried updating the backup and it referred to that. How do I know if my computer is backed up properly. What do I do about the message about the directory. If I don't need this program to update the backup every hour, how do I change that. Also, I have a 1 terrabyte external hard drive on which I store all my raw photography files, can I plug that in and plug in another new external hard drive and back up the external hard drive to the other external hard drive using time machine as well? thanks for any suggestions, this is a little confusing the first time, Virginia

The backup frequency can be changed using e.g. TimeMachineScheduler and I think you can set Time Machine to backup external drives. (System Preferences --> Time Machine --> Options)

How do I transfer pictures back to Macbook?

I just had my MacBook returned after a faulty harddrive and all documents were saved in 1 file-Pictures, Videos, Music etc.However, my iLife was not installed anymore and I had to reinstall. When it was done it said it couldn't be opened as it was an old version and asked me to install updates which I did. Now I can't import the photos that were saved before my hard drive was repaired as it says they're not compatible.
I seem to have them all on my iPad under 'events' but when I plug my iPad in I can't find this option to transfer them back into the library. Is there anyway I can do it?
I haven't updated to the new iOS 7 yet as I need to actually remove all the photos to create more space!

Best if you try and explain what you are trying to acheive.
Iphoto is a different paradigm than you're used to. I don't understand why you are trying to transfer your edited photos back to an external disk.
There are tutorials here
http://www.apple.com/findouthow/photos/
Regards
TD

Time Machine no longer backing up Macbook Pro

Since upgrading to OSX 10.6.4 my time machine back-up will not back-up my Macbook Pro. It will back-up my wife's Macbook 4.1. with OSX 10.5.8. It starts the process, then freezes my machine at about 322MB. I have reformatted the drive, but still no luck. Help???

Rightbrainer wrote:
Hi, I tried all of that...thanks, but no cigar :((. Still won't work. Did the verify of internal HD and followed all other instructions. Any other ideas? Could it be the formatting of the HDD?
Doubtful, since it backs up the other Mac. But it won't hurt to check it; it should have either the GUID or APM *Partition Map Scheme* and any flavor of +Mac OS Extended+ Format.
A clue might be lurking in your logs. See #A1 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum), for a handy widget that will display the backup messages from your logs. Copy and post the ones for one of these "hung" backups here.
It's a long shot, but something may have gone wrong with the 10.6.4 update. You might try downloading and installing the 10.6.4 "combo" update. Info and download available at: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1048 Be sure to do a +Repair Permissions+ via Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder) afterwards.

Copying saved iphoto library from external hard drive back to Macbook Pro

Please help, I have accidentally managed to permanently delete my iphoto library and by this I mean that I somehow dragged my library into trash and then emptied it. I don't know how this happend but I quite quickly found out I had done it and shut my computer down. I have since done a recovery with disk drill and have hopefully recovered most of my photos though I havent had time to look through all the 1000's of photos yet. I do have a copied version of my library on an external hard drive that I did in 2012 and I have tried to copy this library back to my pictures folder so i at least have my photos up to 2012 back but it is not working. I have read through some of the threads on here regarding iphoto library back ups and I think the issue might be that the external hard drive is formatted Fat32 and not os extended.
I am hoping someone can help me get this working. Here are the facts.
1. I am running iphoto 11, version 9.2.3 on a macbook pro running os x 10.6.8
2. The copied iphoto library is on an external hard drive that is fat32 formatted. I can open the package contents and see the originals folder with all the yearly folders inside and all the numbered folders inside that with the pictures in them, so I know the pictures are there.
3. If I try to copy the library folder over to the pictures folder on the macbook i just get a pop up window saying 'preparing to copy iphoto library' and the scrolling bar but the copy doesn't actually start.
4. If I try to open the library through iphoto by holidng down the option key, iphoto tells me that the library has to be upgraded but i am reluctant to upgrade the original copy of the library. I would prefer to copy it first in case anything goes wrong but then i have the problem above that the copy doesn't work
Thank you in advance for any help.

The copied iphoto library is on an external hard drive that is fat32 formatted.
Therein lies the problem. iPhoto libraries need to be stored, placed on a disk formatted OS X Extended (journaled). The FAT format doesn't support the complexity of an iPhoto library and can, and more often than not, corrupt a library.
Try the following:
Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
1 - download the free version of iPhoto Library Manager and launch.>Click on the Add Library button,
2 - select the library you want to add from those in the selection window.
3 - make sure that in the rebuild window the checkbox "Scavange orphaned photos" is checked.
4 - now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the Library ➙ Rebuild Library menu option
5 - in the next window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed, i.e. in the Pictures folder of your MBP. Click on the Create button.
Note 1: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments. However, books, calendars, cards and slideshows will be lost.
Note 2: Your current library will be left untouched for further attempts at a fix if so desired.
OT

How to sync iCal to iPhone and iPad and back to MacBook pro.

I understand how to sync my MacBooks calendar to both my iPhone and iPad, but I want new entries from either device to transfer back into my computer, then get copied to the other device when I hook it up. Is there any way to do this without MobileMe?

Go to your calendar on icloud.com from your computer, then add a test event on both your iPhone calendar and your iPad calendar. Do they both appear on icloud.com? If not, which one doesn't appear?

How do you copy time machine photos from a G Drive back onto Macbook?

I have a white Macbook that was loaded with over a thousand photos. I bought a G Drive external harddrive and used time machine to backup the files. However, now that the photos are off of the copy, and on the harddrive, when i plug in the harddrive, i can no longer find the photos.
Suggestions?

If you have a Time Machine compatible version of iPhoto, you should be able to just select the Time Machine icon while iPhoto is open to look back in its history. If you don't have a Time machine compatible version of iPhoto, you'll need to search for the photos you are looking for by file name while viewing your Time Machine backup. If they don't appear, make sure the hard drive is indexed first by Spotlight by making sure it is not in the Privacy section of Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Spotlight.

What is the best way to back up macbook air to qnap

I've had the macbook air since January and this is the 4th or 5th time I've had to start the Timemachine backups from scratch. This time it's not working at all
Every time we have to restart the qnap for any reason the time machine fails. It tells me the back up cannot be verified and wants to start a new back-up. This means I can't go back before a point in time. This time is even worse because it spends a couple of minutes trying to connect to the qnap, then ignores it and tries to create the backup on my mac (1.5 million days and counting)
I don't want to buy a time capsule when we have sufficient kit. I don't want to get into all the geek stuff - I want something that works without me having to spend the night googling obscure answers. In short, I want self evident solutions like you get with the iphone. Clearly the qnap and time machine are not reliably compatible.
My question is - what toolset can I use with my macbook to automate backups, with minimum intervention, to a qnap or other non-Apple device?
Thanks in advance

Use Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper.
Despite what the QNAP says, Apple doesn't support backing up to anything over a network except a Time Capsule or an external directly connected to another Mac.

After using an external HD for time machine back up, MacBook Pro unable to restart

I just bought a new MacBook Pro, before starting to transfer anything from my old MacBook Pro, I did a Time Machine backup on the new external HD (did not use the original ext. HD that I usually used to do my back ups). The back up was successful, I ejected the ext. HD, my old Mac went to sleep and I was not able to wake it up. I restarted it but each time I get a message in several languages that I must turn off and restart again. Done it but doesn't work. I tried to restart it by plugging the ext. HD but didn't work either. Tried to restart it by pressing on "shift", did see the bar trying to restore, but eventually the bar disappears and the grey spin starts then freeze, then computer goes into coma. What to do?

Richard Anderson1 wrote:
I am a little confused. I have an internal drive that I want to back-up to an external drive. BUT also, more importantly actually, I have an external that has total different contents than the internal and I also want to back that up. Will time machine do that?
Yes, as long as the drive is formatted properly.
In other words I want to back internal to "drive B"and I want to back up "drive A" (that has totally different contents than internal) to B drive as well. Can that be done in time machine?
While drive "A" is connected and mounted, go to +System Preferences > Time Machine > Options.+ If it's listed in the exclusion list in black, just select it, click the minus sign, then Done. It will be backed-up on the next backup, along with your internal HD.
But if it's listed in gray, you can't remove it. That means it's not formatted properly. You'll have to copy the data elsewhere temporarily, reformat, then copy it back. See #1 in [Formatting, Partitioning, Verifying, and Repairing Disks|http://web.me.com/pondini/AppleTips/DU.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of the +Using Snow Leopard+ forum).

Time Machine to back up MacBook AND External Drive?

I have a MacBook and a 1TB G Drive which holds all of my photographs and iTunes library (none of which is on my MacBook, since I ran out of space long ago), and where I have backed up my Documents folder by simply copying and pasting.
I bought another 1TB G Drive to use as a back up, but I have no idea what I'm doing. The first time I backed anything up I just copied and pasted again, from both the first drive and my MacBook, which is ridiculous and took hours and is pathetic.
I want to set up Time Machine so all of my applications and settings are backed up, in addition to my files which are in two separate places right now. I'm not sure how to set up the second drive to take care of both.
After looking at the FAQs at the top of this forum, I'm afraid that any partitions I set up may re-format the drives and thus wipe out everything I have. Any advice on how to set this up without losing my data would be appreciated. Thank you!

1980qt50 wrote:
I have a MacBook and a 1TB G Drive which holds all of my photographs and iTunes library (none of which is on my MacBook, since I ran out of space long ago), and where I have backed up my Documents folder by simply copying and pasting.
I bought another 1TB G Drive to use as a back up
That may not be large enough. It varies greatly depending on how you use your Mac, but Time Machine usually requires 2-3 times the space of the data it's backing-up. So add-up the space used on your MacBook's internal HD and the amount used on the other drive. If that's less than 500 GB, you'll probably be fine. If it's between 500 GB and about 750 GB, it might work, at least for a while.
I want to set up Time Machine so all of my applications and settings are backed up, in addition to my files which are in two separate places right now. I'm not sure how to set up the second drive to take care of both.
Most likely, piece of cake.
After looking at the FAQs at the top of this forum, I'm afraid that any partitions I set up may re-format the drives and thus wipe out everything I have.
No, Time Machine won't wipe out your data.
First check the Format of the media drive. You can do that via +Get Info+ in the Finder. In the General area of the Info panel it will show Format. If it's any variation of +Mac OS Extended,+ then Time Machine can back it up. If not, your best bet will be to switch drives -- format the new one for your Mac, copy the data to it, then erase and reformat the old one to be used for your backups. Post back for instructions if you need to do that.
You should erase and format the Time Machine drive with a single partition, per #5 in the FAQ.
When you're ready to start Time Machine, click the Options button in Time Machine > Preferences. See if the media drive is listed in the exclusions box; if it is, select it and click the minus sign. Then Time Machine will back it up.
You might want to review the Time Machine Tutorial

How To Back up Macbook Pro without External Hard Drive...

how do I back up my Macbook Pro mid 2012 model on 10.9.2 OSX, without an external hard drive ? Can I use Google Drive or Dropbox ?

Google Drive and Dropbox work for backing up certain files, but not your entire user directory/hard drive. There are online services that are designed for that specifically, Carbonite and CrashPlan are two that are popular.

How do I get my icon back on Macbook Pro

I was trying to move the FB icon to the main display by dragging and dropping it but it disappeared. Please show me how to get the icon back on my main screen please. I have a Macbook Pro.

What is the FB icon for?/ What does it do? and by on your "main display" do you mean you want it on your desktop?

Syncing from iphone back to macbook?

The hard drive 'died' on my Macbook just before the 3 years warranty was up so now have a new hard drive but lost all information and files (though tried with expert help - could not recover any). Now I would at least like to sync all the info/music/ical etc on my iphone back to my macbook but cannot see how - can anyone help?
thank you!

By design, the iphone will sync itunes content with one computer at a time. Any attempt to sync such content with a second computer will result in ALL itunes content being first erased from your phone & then replaced with the content from the second computer. This is a design feature and cannot be overridden. Because you replaced your hard drive, your phone, see your computer as a "new" computer. The itunes content sync is one way: computer to phone. If you have photos that were synced to your phone or music ripped on your own that were not backed up, you will first have to extract them from your phone using third party software, before you do anything else:
http://www.wideanglesoftware.com/touchcopy/index.php
Once you've done that, do the following in the order specified:
1. Disable auto sync when an ipod/iphone is connected under preferences in itunes.
2. Make sure you have one contact & one event in Address Book & ical. The entries can be fake, doesn't matter, the important point is that these programs not be empty.
3. Connect your phone, itunes running, do not sync at this point.
4. Store>Authorize this computer.
5. File>Transfer Purchases(To make sure all purchased content on your phone will be in your itunes library).
6. Right click(Control Click) in the device pane & select reset warnings.
7. Right click again and select backup.
8. Right click again & select restore from backup, select the backup you just made. When prompted to create another backup, decline.
9. This MUST be followed by a sync to restore your itunes content, which you select from the various tabs, You'll get a popup regarding your contacts & calendars asking to merge or replace, select merge.
That's as good as it gets without a backup of your itunes library and other important data..

MacBook- External- Back to MacBook

I had to wipe out my MacBook because of some issues with 10.4.10.
Wiped everything out fine. I backed up all my music the correct way onto an external hard-drive by following the directions here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301748/
Now, I'm trying to take all of the music from my external hard-drive and put the music, playlists, amount of times that I've played each song, album art, and put it back on my MacBook.
However, these (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301748/) directions don't make much sense in this given situation.
I think this problem is fairly common, please help!
Thank you!

On a Windows machine all you would have to do is transfer the entire iTunes folder to other drive. Have no idea how to do this on a Mac. Finder maybe? This is posted in iTunes for Windows forum so most here will not be able to help.

Backing up MacBook

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