Do i need a external hard drive for my pictures

Do I need an external hard drive for my pictures?

Generally, you should have an external hard drive to backup your system. If your internal hard drive is filling up, you certainly can move pictures to an external hard drive.

Similar Messages

  • External Hard Drive for iMac - Firewire or USB?

    I need an external hard drive for my new iMac. Can you clarify the difference between a firewall connection and a USB connection? I assume you use one or the other, but not both. If I use firewall, will that free up a USB port (which I'd like to do)? Also, some USB hard drives require 2 USB ports; this I do not want!
    Also, do these hard drives work like a zip drive.....no more complicated?
    Beyond this, do you have any other advice about which hard drive to purchase?
    Thanks.

    I think you are starting to put the cart before the horse. Back up (pun intended) and think about what your goal is. Is it your intention to back up just your user documents, photos, and music? When disaster strikes (note that I didn't say if) are you okay with installing the OS from the DVD, reinstalling all your software, reconfiguring your printer, your scanner, your internet, and setting everything up the way it was? Notice that I'm really piling it on here! I don't know about you, but it took me about a week to fully move into my new computer and if my hard drive died tomorrow, I don't want to spend (I don't have) a week putting it back together again.
    My backup plan, in the nutshell, consists of three parts. 1) a clone of my hard drive; an exact duplicate so if my drive dies I can reboot and get right back to work. So that when I install the new drive I can immediately repopulate it as it was. 2) an incremental backup, especially of my data. If I discover I deleted a file I didn't mean to, I can go back a few days to a pre-delete backup and restore that file. 3) a backup of crucial material that leaves the house so if file destroys my computer or a thief makes off it with I haven't lost the most very precious information.
    I believe everyone should adopt a plan similar to mine. The particulars of how you achieve the plan will vary but I think all three steps are vital. If you agree then your hard drive needs to be large - 120GB probably doesn't come close to cutting it. To estimate how big a drive you'd need to implement this plan, determine how much of your drive you are currently using. Double it. That is once for the clone and once for the complete (non-bootable) backup Time Machine will make. Now, at the very least, add the full contents again. That is for a couple weeks worth of incremental backups. Now add another 50% for growth as you add new programs, music, photos, and data.
    So if you are currently using 30GB of your computer's hard drive, 105GB is the very smallest drive you want. The 120GB drive you are talking about is okay. Barely. When you get it make a 40GB partition and a 80GB partition. The 40GB is for the clone you'll make using SuperDuper! and the 80GB is for Time Machine. Of course, if you are using more than 30GB then you need a bigger drive for your backup. And if you know you intend to add a goodly amount of stuff to your drive soon, then plan for it now.
    Now if you are okay with getting the computer back together more slowly - maybe being without it complete if the drive dies - you can dispense with keeping the clone. In that case, you will want to determine your current disk usage and buy a drive about 150% to 200% of that. It'll take about an hour to reinstall the OS on the hard drive and depending on how much you have in data and other programs, another half hour to a couple hours to restore that.

  • I need to buy an external hard drive for my MacBook Air as it is almost full. Which one should I buy?

    Do I need to buy an Apple external Hard Drive for my MacBook Air?

    There is no such thing as an Apple hard drive, ...Apples doesnt make same.
    avoid western digital if possible. 
    Yes, having an external HD is necessary for data backups and keeping large media files for packing around etc.
    you need data redundancy.
    best options for the price, and high quality HD:
    Quality 1TB drives are $50 per TB on 3.5" or  $65 per TB on 2.5"
    Perfect 1TB for $68
    http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-Hard-Drive/dp/B005J7YA3W/ref=sr_1_ 1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379452568&sr=8-1&keywords=1tb+toshiba
    Nice 500gig for $50. ultraslim perfect for use with a notebook
    http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-External-Drive/dp/B009F1CXI2/ref=s r_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377642728&sr=1-1&keywords=toshiba+slim+500gb
    Best small HD for the money:
    2.5" USB portable High quality BEST FOR THE COST, Toshiba "tiny giant" 2TB drive (have several of them, LOT of storage in a SMALL package)    $117
    http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Connect-Portable-HDTC720XK3C1/dp/B00CGUMS48 /ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379182740&sr=1-4&keywords=2tb+toshiba
    *This one is the BEST portable  external HD available that money can buy:
    HGST Touro Mobile 1TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive $88
    http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Mobile-Portable-External-0S03559/dp/B009GE6JI8/ref=sr _1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383238934&sr=8-1&keywords=HGST+Touro+Mobile+Pro+1TB+USB+3.0+7 2 00+RPM
    Most storage experts agree on the Hitachi 2.5"
    Hitachi is the winner in hard drive reliability survey:
    Hitachi manufacturers the safest and most reliable hard drives, according to the Storelab study. Of the hundreds of Hitachi hard drives received, not a single one had failed due to manufacturing or design errors. Adding the highest average lifespans and the best relationship between failures and market share, Hitachi can be regarded as the winner.

  • I use an external hard drive for my Lightroom library and I notice that all the images shown on there are DNG. On my MAC hard drive I have images shown as NEF. I desperately need to free up space on my hard drive, can I safely delete these NEFs?

    I use an external hard drive for my Lightroom library and I notice that all the images shown on there are DNG. On my MAC hard drive I have images shown as NEF. I desperately need to free up space on my hard drive, can I safely delete these NEFs?

    dj_paige wrote:
    however, I do point out that obtaining an additional hard drive and not throwing anything away seems a preferable solution to me.
    heidie22, dj_paige has a very good point there. I would not through away the NEF files; I would archive them to a external drive.
    By the way, I am assuming that converting RAW files to DNG is a decision you have made and not an accident.

  • Should I get a 2.0 or 3.0 USB external hard drive for my 2011 Macbook Pro? I need it to be compatible with the USB ports of both a PC and a Mac.

    Should I get a 2.0 or 3.0 USB external hard drive for my 2011 Macbook Pro? I need it to be compatible with the USB ports of both a PC and a Mac. I was thinking of getting a Seagate becuase apparently it is compatible with both systems, but I want to know which would be a better investment.

    Using USB 3 devices on Mac computers FAQ

  • Need to reformat external hard drive for time machine?

    Hello,
    We recently purchased an external hard drive for our family iMac after we had to have a new hard drive put in. We picked up a Western Digital 1tb My Book (http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=725). I set up the external hd with time machine and all was fine for about a month.
    An error message of "The backup volume is read only" started appearing. I attempted to repair the disk through these directions http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3275#1 but when I was trying to follow the steps, I think I disconnected the external hd without dismounting it, so now I'd assume I need to reformat the external hd. I can't seem to find instructions on how to do this. Where should I look for reformatting my external hard drive?
    Any other tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    Hard Drive Preparation
    1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
    2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
    3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (for Intel Macs) or APM (for PPC Macs) then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
    Message was edited by: Kappy

  • I need a new external hard drive for my iMac8,1

    I need a new external hard drive for my :
      Model Name:    iMac
      Model Identifier:    iMac8,1
      Processor Name:    Intel Core 2 Duo
      Processor Speed:    3.06 GHz
      Number Of Processors:    1
      Total Number Of Cores:    2
      L2 Cache:    6 MB
      Memory:    4 GB
      Bus Speed:    1.07 GHz
      Boot ROM Version:    IM81.00C1.B00
      SMC Version (system):    1.30f1
      Serial Number (system):    YD8520CD0N4
      Hardware UUID:    073B29AD-6FFB-5E64-A52C-BF19A054F363
    I do not have Thunderbolt on this and when I look up the specs for USB I get
    USB Bus:
      Host Controller Location:    Built-in USB
      Host Controller Driver:    AppleUSBUHCI
      PCI Device ID:    0x2835
      PCI Revision ID:    0x0004
      PCI Vendor ID:    0x8086
      Bus Number:    0x3a
    Don't know if this is USB 3.0 or USB 2.0
    All the new drives seem to use either Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 

    I have a Western Digital 2 Terabyte USB External Hard Drive and it works like a charm and it costed me $129.00.  My opinion is you can't go wrong with this brand and size for home use.
    Cheers
    Don

  • What is the best External Hard Drive for a Macbook Leopard 10.5.8?  I need more memory for documents, pictures, videos, and music.  Thanks!

    What is the best External Hard Drive for a Macbook Leopard 10.5.8?  I need more memory for documents, pictures, videos, and music.  Thanks!

    Hi, does your MacBook have Firewire, or just USB?
    FW is far faster if you have that.
    Avoid Bus powered ones.
    http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/1394/USB/EliteAL/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB
    USB only...
    http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/usb/eliteclassic

  • Do you need a special external hard drive for iMac?

    Do you need a special external hard drive for iMac?

    Any external hard drive that will connect via Firewire 800, USB, or Thunderbolt will work.
    I have a 750GB Western Digital Scorpio drive in an OWC case, sitting on a Backpack, which connects via Firewire.  Western Digital Scorpio drives have 5 year warranties, the OWC (macsales.com) cases usually use the Oxford chipset which works well with macs, and the Backpack is a slick way to mount a backup drive without taking up desk space.
    After you hook up whatever external drive you end up with, you'll partition and initialize it for OS X, then begin using it.
    My opinion, I would not get a Western Digital pre-packaged external drive/case.  While the hard drives are OK, there have been a number of people that have had issues with the electronics.

  • Need advice on purchasing an external hard drive for video editing

    Hi,
    I looking for advice on which external hard drive to get. The main purpose for the hard drive will be storing video files on for use with Final Cut Pro. I have the 12 inch powerbook G4 so I plan to use the FireWire (400) port to connect the drive. I'm interested in getting comment from others who use their external hard drives for video editing.
    Thanks!

    Firstly your decision to use FireWire is a good one, as not only will it free up the USB it performs much better on sustained transfers.
    That said you're still limited by the FireWire interface, so opt for a drive with a big cache (16MB would be good) and fast spindle speed (7200rpm+).
    Some of the newer enclosures are compatible with SATA drives. While these are easier to install and theoretically will perform better, I'm not sure that the performance would justify the extra cost.
    Matt

  • How can I use one external hard drive for both Time Machine and iPhoto Library?

    I have been using a 1 TG LaCie external hard drive for Time Machine backups.  My (older) Mac has 160 GB and is almost full.  I would like to move my iPhoto Library to the external hard drive, but I've heard Time Machine doesn't share one space well.  Should I
    1.  create another partition (but will this erase what I've already saved) with Disk Utility?  *I am running Snow Leopard*
    2.  create another volume to use for iPhoto, and if so, should the two volumes be of equal size?
    3.  leave it with one partition and move the iPhoto Library to the same partition with Time Machine back ups?
    I know I don't need the entire 1 TG for back up of 160 GBs.  Please advise the best path to take.  Thank you!

    You are getting incorrect information from your ASP. If you look at drive specifications the heat generated is no different for high vs low capacity drives.
    I have upgraded the internal drive in my iMac 2007 with a 3TB Hitachi drive without any heat issues or other problems.
    Larger hard drives have higher density platters so to access any given amount data the drives travel a shorter distance. Higher capacity drives should therefore run cooler than lower density drives because the drive spends less time spinning to access data.

  • What is the best external hard drives for macbook pro?

    I am looking to buy an external hard drive for my macbook pro urgently.
    I was intending to purchase a time capsule but am really concerned with the reliability concerns of the time capsules where they stop working after 6 months to 18 months as posted on various forums.
    I was considering purchasing a western digital external hard drive but they also receive a lot of negative feedback.
    I have never used firewire previously but am interested in getting feedback as to how useful forum readers find this feature.
    In terms of size am looking for 1TB approx.
    Thanks in advance for your assistance as i need to purchase one immediately and i do not have time to research fully. Make, model number and approximate cost would be very helpful as well as where i could purchase hard drive in london. I am more concerned with quality rather than cost.

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  • Can I use an External Hard Drive for both my Powerbook ad my PC?

    I would like to purchase an external hard drive for safety reasons.
    Can I store both information of my PC and my Powerbook on the same ext. hard drive? Probably a dumb question but I'd still like to know...
    Thanks in advance.
    Milli.

    Any should do. Buy an external enclosure, purchase a bare drive of your choice, do your own installation. Takes 5 minutes. Save a little money. It's relatively easy and only requires a Phillips head screwdriver (typically.) You can purchase hard drives separately. This gives you an opportunity to shop for the best prices on a hard drive of your choice. Reliable brands include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Fujitsu. You can find reviews and benchmarks on many drives at Storage Review.
    Enclosures for FireWire and USB are readily available. You can find only FireWire enclosures, only USB enclosures, and enclosures that feature multiple ports. I would stress getting enclosures that use the Oxford chipsets especially for Firewire drives (911, 921, 922, for example.) You can find enclosures at places such as;
    Cool Drives
    OWC
    WiebeTech
    Firewire Direct
    California Drives
    NewEgg
    All you need do is remove a case cover, mount the hard drive in the enclosure and connect the cables, then re-attach the case cover. Usually the only tool required is a small or medium Phillips screwdriver.

  • How can I use my external hard drive for my iphoto instead of my mac book pro memory?

    i don't know if this question has been asked before: how can I use my external hard drive for my iphoto instead of my mac book pro memory? just like itunes all my song are save on my external hard drive. make sense?

    Moving the iPhoto library is safe and simple - quit iPhoto and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the external drive - depress the option key and launch iPhoto using the "select library" option to point to the new location on the external drive - fully test it and then trash the old library on the internal drive (test one more time prior to emptying the trash)
    And be sure that the External drive is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) (iPhoto does not work with drives with other formats) and that it is always available prior to launching iPhoto
    And backup soon and often - having your iPhoto library on an external drive is not a backup and if you are using Time Machine you need to check and be sure that TM is backing up your external drive
    LN

  • How can I use an external hard drive for capturing? I don't have enough mem

    I'm new at this...I have a Powerbook G4 and not nearly enough memory for capturing a full size video. Is there some way to send it to an external hard drive- for capturing, then burn it in my laptop? Would that external hard drive have to have IDVD loaded on it?

    Hi artdrake
    Just to add to the already good advice posted above.
    Another possible approach which works for me, assuming the ext. FireWire HD is large and fast enough (I recommend at least 120GB and 7200rpm) is to format the the ext. HD as stated above (journaled) and then clone your existing startup volume (using Carbon Copy Cloner) to the ext. Hard Drive. This will circumvent installing a fresh OS as well as all the iLife apps to the ext. device. You will simply make an exact copy of your laptops HD to the ext. volume. It takes me all of 30-40 mins. on my G4 system to do this procedure whereas installing everything from scratch may take several hours.
    Click Here for example/s:
    Once this is completed and assuming the ext. drive is connected securely via Firewire, Restart the computer while holding down the option key. Select the ext. FW HD. Once your G4 laptop is booted to external drive, use it as you would the primary drive. The only difference is that you now have plenty of room to capture to or to burn a DVD. This saves you from consuming much needed HD space on the G4 laptop plus it also serves as a fully operative backup hard drive for your G4.
    Hope this suggestion works as well for you as it does for me. Feel free to post back with additional questions/concerns.
    (3) G4 PM's/(3) S-Drives/Sony TRV900/Nikons/6FWHD's/PS7/iLife06/FCPHD/DVDSP/etc. Mac OS X (10.4.8) My ichatav AIM account is: SDMacuser1 (Please use Text chat prior to video)

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