Backup drive light

I have never paid attention to the light on my external backup drive for Time Machine. However, I am suspecting phishing (for reasons discussed in another forum), and am now noticing that the light is flashing almost constantly. Is this normal?

The light flashing has nothing to do with Phishing nor does it have anything to do with OS X or your iMac. It could be the light or the drive itself is failing.

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Firewire issue--Backup drive not found w/Time Machine after imac sleeps

I've had a lot of problems with Time Machine on my G4 imac since starting to use it a month ago. I think I have isolated the problem:
Time Machine functions properly while the computer is in use, and it has no problem after a restart or shut down, but if the computer goes to sleep and then TM runs its hourly backup, I get an error that it cannot find the Backup Drive. Once this happens, TM will no longer work until I've deselected the drive in TM, unplugged it, plugged it in again, and reselected the drive as the backup Drive. Sometimes this requires a shut down or restart too.
Here's what I've tried:
1. connected the drive via USB--it operated without a problem
2. unplugged all devices from the computer, shut down, waited, 20 mins, restrted, plugged the external drive back in via Firewire--the problem persists as described above.
3. deleted the TimeMachine.plist file, restarted--problem persists.
I've read that the Firewire port can be reset with other procedures such as zapping the PRAM or updating the firmware. I've also read that new problems can arise after reseting the PRAM so I'm hesitant to do this. Can anyone shed some light on the PRAM option?
I cannot find where the firmware updates are located on the mac site. Could someone point me in the right direction? I've looked under downloads and after searching, came up with a long list, but nothing was labeled clearly. Each listing mentioned firmware in the header, but it seemed to always pertain to a certain issue (eg. superdrive, or installing appleworks). I could not tell what was the most recent firmware released for my machine, and I fear installing something retrograde that will create new problems.
If anyone has any thoughts on how to deal with the firewire problem, or if you think my issue with using a FW connected drive with Time Machine might be rooted with something else, please comment.
Thanks!
HM
Message was edited by: imaginary_forest

fzgy wrote:
"Mac OS X can't repair the disk. You can still open or copy files on the disk, but you can't save changes to files on the disk. Back up the disk and reformat it as soon as you can."
It's possible a heavy-duty 3rd-party disk repair app can fix it, but they're expensive (DiskWarrior is about $100), and there's no guarantee it can do it.
Am prompted to reformat but I don't have a good understanding of what this means and how to do it.
That will erase it. See Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #5.
It sounds very much like the disk is beginning to fail, although it's possible there's a bad port, cable, connection or power supply (if it has its own).
I'd suggest getting a new one, and using it for your Time Machine backups; once you have a good backup there, reformat the old one (and select Security Options to write zeros to the whole drive -- if that fails, you know the drive is toast). Use it for secondary backups, per FAQ #27. If it has failed, get a second new one for secondary backups.

Have a nx9600 and when it tries to reboot, the hard drive light comes on, the 2 lock lights flash

At boot, the hard drive light comes on, the 2 lock lights flash simultanously (A and 1 ) , 2 of the 3 fans come on, then it appears to turn off. It will sit in a loop through the reboot process until the power and the battery have been removed.
Have replaced the drive and the center fan. The replaced fan is new and an HP fan. When I have been able to get it to boot , loaded windows and linux on the new drive.
If it sits long enough and you pray it may reboot. Once I turned it upside down and it rebooted.
Have had the system up and running for hours with no problem, then have to reboot or a shutdown and won't reboot.
Suggestions ?

Install or Reinstall Mavericks or Mountain Lion from Scratch
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
OS X Mavericks- Erase and reinstall OS X
OS X Mountain Lion- Erase and reinstall OS X
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
because it is three times faster than wireless.

Toshiba backup drive not recognized when plugged into thunderbolt display.

My Toshiba backup drive does not mount to my MacBookPro when plugged into my Thunderbolt Display. It works beautifully when plugged directly into my MBP, and other USB devices work beautifully when plugged into the same USB ports on the Thunderbolt Display.
All my equipment is pretty new. The Toshiba is currenlty configured to be my Time Machine back up drive.
Laptop: 15" Macbook Pro, 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7, 16 GB 100 MHz DDR3, Mac OS 10.8.5
Backup Drive: Toshiba 500GB Canvio® Basics USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive
Apple Thunderbolt Display: 2560 x 1440, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024 MB graphics
When I plug the backup drive into the TB Display, usually nothing happens. The blue light on the drive doesn't come on, and it doesn't mount to the desktop. If I wiggle the USB back there, sometimes the blue light will come on, and sometimes it will mount for a minute then go away. This is true for all 3 USB ports. I have not had problems with any other USB devices, but the only other ones I've plugged into the Thunderbolt are my keyboard, bluetooth headset charger, and other items that probably use less power than the backup drive.

But the cable works when plugged into my laptop. Plus, the cable connection is pretty specific to the device; I'm not sure if you can buy another one seperately.

Drive lights red

Hi
This is my first time on the forum so please excuse if I transgress any rules. I have a NMH305 which has been working perferctly for quite a while. Yesterday it wen off the network and wheh I checked both hard drive lights are showing steady red. The device cannot be accessed via the mapped drive letter or via the virtual connection. The only way I can see it is by using the IP address and this shows me everything on the drives. This allows me to download files to the PC but it will not allow me to delete files. It is telling me that the mirrored drives are over 95% full and this is why I am trying to delete files. I have searched the support files on the Linksys site and Googled this but cannot find any reference to the loghts being red. Any ideas would be gratefully received.
Tonywh

Hi
I have managed to get rid of the solid red lights by doing a hard reset. problem is that the device is still not visible on the network. I can see the home page by using the IP address and it is currently performing a MediaHub scan. It got to 89% and then reverted to 0% and started the scan again. It has just rescanned but when I click on 'Configre' it tells me that the device is either no connected or is not working. I can see the thumbnails of some of the data files and it is showing me the pie chart of the drives (which indicates that I am at 95%+ and so need to delete files. At first I wondered if this was the problem but I cannot delete files while accessing it via the IP address.
I have tried everything relating to the info in the lins you sent me (thanks for that). I am really stuck now as the device knows that the disks are nearly full but won't let me access them. I contacted Linksys via live chay last friday but still no-one has come back to me so a doible thank you for your response. I have work part done on the server and this happened just before I was about to run a backup - bad timing eh?
Any other suggestions would be gratefully accepted.
Regards - Tonywh

Cannot select Time Capsule as my backup drive

I just purchased Time Capsule 802.11N Wi-Fi Hard Drive 1TB, and I want to use it exclusively as a wireless backup drive and not as a Router. I connected the time capsule power cord and have a yellow light on the time capsule. I then went to system preferences and selected Time machine. Once in time machine I slid the button from off to on and the only option that I have is Bootcamp and underneat it says "reformat required(incompatible filesystem). Can someone tell me why time capsule is not indicated as a possible selection?

rider93 wrote:
I just purchased Time Capsule 802.11N Wi-Fi Hard Drive 1TB, and I want to use it exclusively as a wireless backup drive and not as a Router. I connected the time capsule power cord and have a yellow light on the time capsule. I then went to system preferences and selected Time machine.
You can't use the Time Capsule for wireless backups unless you can integrate it into your LAN, which will require configuring it. Depending on what brand/model of router you're using, that may or may not be easy. Start by setting "Wireless Mode" (in AirPort Utility's AirPort panel, Wireless tab) to "Join a wireless network". If you can't get AIrPort Utility to see the Time Capsule, try connecting to it with an Ethernet cable.

Do i want to use my external hard drive as a backup drive?

i just got a 1TB external hard drive and as i installed it, i was asked if i want to use it or bootcamp as a backup drive. i bought the hard drive to put all my extra video files onto and i don't want to waste any space, but should i use it as a backup drive or should i use bootcamp, which i haven't setup yet (but plan to in the next week or so).

nikkib197 wrote:
200GB should be plenty, i am only backing up my word documents, and some applications. everything else i have can easily be re-added if i do happen to lose it.
Please reconsider. You're missing one of the major features of Time Machine, not available elsewhere.
Here's what you'll have to do when (not if) your internal HD fails, or some other catastrophe occurs, without a full backup of your entire system:
Install OSX from your Leopard or Snow Leopard Install disc.
Go through the set-up procedure: setup your Internet connection(s), email accounts, etc., including account info, passwords, server names, etc.
Download and install the "combo" update, to get back to your current version of OSX.
If you didn't purchase your Mac with the latest iLife apps, find the disc they're on and restore them.
Find all the discs for 3rd-party apps and install them. Re-enter any purchase keys.
Find the websites for all downloaded 3rd-party apps, download and install them. Re-enter any purchase keys.
Restore whatever data you saved.
Re-enter all your preferences and settings.
Wonder what you missed, and find out the hard way . . . for months or longer.
However, if you let TM back up your entire system, there's one simple procedure to recover it to the exact state it was in at the time of any backup, even if that's a previous version of OSX. For example, any open Finder windows will reappear in exactly the same locations, with exactly the same contents. See #14 in the FAQ for details.

Time Capsule can't function as backup drive?

My main work computer's logic board fried yesterday. (Under AppleCare, so shouldn't be the end of the world, just a pain). I have it set for continuous hourly backups to a 1TB Time Capsule. So I should have all my files accessible.
I'm working on another computer now, that uses Time Capsule as a router, but doesn't back up to it. I need to pull some files off the Time Capsule in order to continue working. Is this possible? Calling Apple Support indicated that it was not, but then why tout this thing as a backup drive?? What's the point of having backups if you can't access them from anywhere but the computer that they were backed up from?
I'm desperate here. Any help would be hugely appreciated.

Below are two ways in which to get a file from the Time Machine backup.
When Time Machine does a backup it creates a 'sparsebundle' image file on the backup disk. This file is named after the computer so to locate and identify it easily. All you need to do is mount the 'sparsebundle' (by mouse double click or other method) from any computer that has access to the backup disk. When mounted it should show on the desktop or in a Finder window (depending on your Finder preferences).
Once mounted you can manually browse the disk by opening this newly mounted disk (named after your computer - example: backup of yourcomputer). When you open it, there should be a folder inside named 'Backups.backupdb' and inside are all the contents of the backup - just find what you need and copy and paste. Or once mounted, right mouse click (or hold 'control' and mouse click) on the Time Machine icon in the dock and select 'browse other disks' (or click the icon in the menu bar - upper right of screen - and when the menu comes out press and hold the 'option' or 'alt' key to bring up the 'browse other disks' choice). And it should now show the 'backup of yourcomputer' available to browse. You will now enter the Time Machine as normal. To retrieve a file - locate the file you want and then click the action (or gear like) icon and select the 'restore to' option and choose a location to put the file.

HT201250 I have two external hard drives. One is my Time Machine backup drive. The other I use for external storage of files (documents, photos, movies, etc). Can I set Time Machine to backup BOTH my Mac hard drive and my other external hard drive?

I have two external hard drives. One is my Time Machine backup drive. The other I use for external storage of files (documents, photos, movies, etc). Can I set Time Machine to backup BOTH my Mac hard drive and my other external hard drive?

Yes you can make multiple backups on one hard drive, for example if you’ve 1TB hard drive installed in your PC and you’ve two Mac Machines with 500GB drive each then you just make two backup images with size of 500GB each.
http://www.halfspot.com/use-your-pc-hard-drive-for-time-machine-backup/

Can time machine and carbon copy cloner use the same backup drive?

Can time machine and CCC use the same esata backup drive?

Yes, but you will need to first partition the drive so that TM and CCC will backup to their own respective volumes. This way the CCC volume can accommodate a bootable clone.
Be sure the TM volume has adequate space. A TM backup volume should have about twice the capacity of the volume it backs up.

I have a clickfree backup drive and don't know how to restore my previous bookmarks? I tried to copy the places.sqlite file from the backup drive to my compute

I have a clickfree backup drive and my computer crashed. I restored it to factory settings and reinstalled Firefox but cannot figure out how to get my old bookmarks back. I tried to replace the new places.sqlite file with the one I had on my backup drive but still got nothing? I tried to use the restore option but it won't take the old places.sqlite file. Is there anyway to get my old bookmarks? I'm really not a techy person.....
Thanks

Bookmark Backups
Type '''about:support''' in the address bar and press enter.
Under the page logo on the left side you will see '''Application Basics.'''
Under this find '''Profile Folder.''' To it’s right press the button
'''Show Folder.''' This will open your file browser to the current
Firefox profile. Now '''Close Firefox.'''
Enter the '''bookmarkbackups''' folder. This is where Firefox makes backups
of your bookmarks. Look for the '''jsonlz4''' file you want to restore
(check the time / date / size). Right click on that file and select '''Copy.'''
Now go back to the profile folder where you started. Rename the file
'''places.sqlite''' by adding '''.old''' to it. Now right click in the folder
and select '''Paste.''' The file you just pasted here, rename it to
'''places.sqlite.''' After you are done, restart Firefox.
Edited to correct file name error.

Using Time Machine Backup Drive with NEW Macbook Pro

I just got a new Macbook Pro. I migrated from my old MacBook Pro. Now I want to use my Time Machine Disk with this new machine.
When I connect the external drive, and select back up now, it says there is not enough space (due to the fact this is a new machine and it wants to backup the entire thing)
Also, when I go into the TimeMachine, it doesn't show me anything past today. . . all of my backups are not displayed over the past year. . .
How do I make it so that the external drive displays all my old backups. . . ??
Thank you for your help.

Turn off TM or set the backup drive to null. Rename your computer in Sharing preferences to the same computer name of your old computer. Turn TM back on and reselect the backup drive. TM will behave as you expect. Of course if the file dates on the new machine are all changed since the migration, then TM will correctly assume that they require backing up. You will then find that there will not be sufficient space on the drive for the new backups. If this occurs then you should simply erase the backup drive and start your TM backup anew.

Can I use it for both a backup drive and shared network drive?

Is it possible to use the Time Capsule for both an automatic backup drive for my Mac AND use it as a shared network drive to store my large library of home videos? If so, does it require partitioning the drive and are there instructions available? Alternatively, if I store my home videos on its own network drive, will Time Capsule backup this drive too? If I don't want any external drives tethered to my mac, how would set up the 2 drive scenario, so that home video drive can be shared on the network?
To be specific, I'm looking for a networked drive solution that allows me to do the following:
1) automatically back up my Mac
2) act as the primary storage drive for 750GB of the kids home videos (to save room on Mac) [Side question - ]
3) have the ability to watch the home videos on both my family room Apple TV (is this even possible?) and my kitchen Mac Mini display (would my Mac's iMovie's library be able to include my home video content that is stored on a network drive, or does it require the content to be on the Mac hard drive?).
4) If I use a two drive solution (time capsule backup and cheaper second drive), I want to be able to have Time Capsule back up the home video content on the second drive.
5) I do not want any drive tethered to my Mac, only wirelessly connected. Would the second drive be connected to the Time Capsule? How would this be set up?
Many thanks!

christianfromshaker heights wrote:
Is it possible to use the Time Capsule for both an automatic backup drive for my Mac AND use it as a shared network drive to store my large library of home videos?
basically yes, but i wouldn't recommend it.
If so, does it require partitioning the drive and are there instructions available?
the disk in the TC can't be partitioned in the traditional way. but you can use disk utility to create a "fixed-size" sparse disk image on the TC's disk for use with other data. use the instructions here, just leave out the encryption part.
Alternatively, if I store my home videos on its own network drive, will Time Capsule backup this drive too?
no.
time machine can not back up from network drives.
To be specific, I'm looking for a networked drive solution that allows me to do the following:
1) automatically back up my Mac
2) act as the primary storage drive for 750GB of the kids home videos (to save room on Mac) [Side question - ]
consider a NAS that is time machine compatible.
3) have the ability to watch the home videos on both my family room Apple TV (is this even possible?) and my kitchen Mac Mini display (would my Mac's iMovie's library be able to include my home video content that is stored on a network drive, or does it require the content to be on the Mac hard drive?).
it's possible to stream content stored on a TC (or NAS) to TV. using home sharing, your mini would be able to access files in homeshared libraries.
it doesn't matter where the files are stored as long as iTunes knows they are there. in other words, the content needs to be in an iTunes/TV friednly format and in your iTunes library - that doesn't mean the content can't be stored on an external HD, a TC, or a NAS.
4) If I use a two drive solution (time capsule backup and cheaper second drive), I want to be able to have Time Capsule back up the home video content on the second drive.
What can Time Machine back up, and where can it put it’s backups?
5) I do not want any drive tethered to my Mac, only wirelessly connected.
IMO, your best course of action is to get a NAS. if you're interested, i can highly recommend this device by Synology.
Synology NASes play very well with Macs and have excellent backup features on board. given enough space (i have 4x2 TB drives installed) you can store your media files there, use time machine to backup your Macs to it and can use the on-board backup solution to back up the whole shebang to a USB drive connected to the NAS.

I have a model 1,1 Mac Book in the black case. How can I transfer about 30 GB of stuff to a MacBook Pro running Yosemite? Can't do a Thunderbolt transfer. The Seagate backup drive I bought doesn't support 10.5.8. Thank you.

How do I transfer 30 GB of stuff, mostly text documents, bookmarks and a few hundred photos from a MacBook model 1,1 in the black case, purchased in (2007?) running Leopard 10.5.8 with a 667 bus, 2 GB, 256 GB to a MBP 13" Retina running Yosemite 10.10.1? Using Migrate is out. Discovered after I bought it that the Seagate Plus Backup for Mac does not work with 10.5.8. OnetoOne recommends backing up my data before I do that, which seems like a good idea. Have a 801.11 n Time Capsule that also isn't working so that is not presently an option. Thank you.

The Seagate backup drive I bought doesn't support 10.5.8
The only reason I can see for that is it's formatted NTFS, which would likely be Read Only in 10.5.x, if you can reformat it MacOS extended, which would erase everything on it now, then that should work for your purposes.

External (Backup) Drive No Longer Recognized After Mavericks

Since installing Mavericks on my iMac (was running Snow Leopard) I can only see partial information from my WD My Book Live external backup drive. Finder lets me see the two partitions but only some of the files on that drive. However, the Disk Utility does not see the external drive at all. This is mostly impacting Time Machine which also does not seem to recognize the external drive at all. I cannot enter Time Machine to access my old backups and cannot create new ones.
I would prefer not to re-format the external drive since it has other files on it that I don't want to lose.
All helpful suggestions appreciated!

lettertosteve
PROBLEM SOLVED! It was as simple as going to the WD (Western Digital) site and downloading a few updates for the My Book Live.
You need to NOT connect any WD MyBook right now under Mavericks, you have a high likelihood of severe data corruption
WD is telling its customers to REMOVE WD SOFTWARE especially on WD MyBook
keep your WD MY BOOK unconnected right now until a resolution unless you have a backup of ALL DATA on your MyBook stored elsewhere
http://community.wd.com/t5/External-Drives-for-Mac/bd-p/passport_mac
Bill_S
Community Manager
External Drives for Mac Experiencing Data Loss with Maverick OS (10/30/13)
There are reports of Western Digital and other external HDD products experiencing data loss when updating to Apple's OS X Mavericks (10.9). Western Digital is urgently investigating these reports and the possible connection to the WD Drive Manager, WD Raid Manager and WD SmartWare software applications.
Until the issue is understood and the cause identified, WD strongly urges our customers to uninstall these software applications on their systems before updating to OS X Mavericks (10.9), or delay upgrading. If you have already upgraded to Mavericks, WD recommends that you remove these applications and restart your computer. WD has removed these software applications from our web site solely as a precaution as we investigate this issue.

Backup drive light

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