Does an external hard drive have to stay plugged in with Time Machine?

I have an external hard drive but I do not always leave it plugged in. I usually back up my computer every week or so and am just now getting around to using Time Machine. If i plug in my external hard drive and press "Back up now" will Time machine back up my entire computer again or just what has been updated? Do I have to leave the slider for Time Machine in the On position or should I turn it off until the next time I plug it in?
Thanks

Only if you want it to continue backing up the computer. If you eject it Time Machine will suspend backups. Time Machine will reinitiate backups when the drive is reconnected.
If nothing has changed, the selecting Back up Now will not create a completely new backup.

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I am using a WD external hard drive for backing up my laptop with Time Machine, but I have to do it manually. How do I know when it has finished the back up? How long should it take?

I am using an external WD hard drive for backing up my laptop. I have to do it manually, so I can't set Time Machine to just do it for me. How do I know when it is done backing up? How long should this take?

Triple-click anywhere in the line below to select it:
tmutil compare -E
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C).
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V).
The command will take at least a few minutes to run. Eventually some lines of output will appear below what you entered.
Each line that begins with a plus sign (“+”) represents a file that has been added to the source volume since the last snapshot was taken. These files have not been backed up yet.
Each line that begins with an exclamation point (“!”) represents a file that has changed on the source volume. These files have been backed up, but not in their present state.
Each line that begins with a minus sign (“-“) represents a file that has been removed from the source volume.
At the end of the output, you’ll get some lines like the following:
Added:
Removed:
Changed:
These lines show the total amount of data added, removed, or changed on the source(s) since the last snapshot.

Just got Prosoft drive genius 3 software, and it's telling me that the external hard drive that i am using for my time machine back up drive needs to be defragmented. is it wise to do this or should i not??

just got Prosoft drive genius 3 software, and it's telling me that the external hard drive that i am using for my time machine back up drive needs to be defragmented. is it wise to do this or should i not??

Let's hope a couple things: that you have bootable clones of your drives also; that the backup drive for TimeMachine has over 3x capacity of the data you plan and are storing. I would also switch TM backup drives so you have a 2nd.
Fragmented free space affecting performance happens when the drive is too full which may mean there isn't enough free space for a full backup set.
1.5TB for backing up 500GB, while WD Green 3TB is $140 and WD Black 1.5TB is, about the same price.
I'd be worried about the integrity and directory, and whether you can afford to lose that drive. Defragging is also a very slow operation. the ideal: to just clone a drive, or start over with another drive and wait. cloning TM volumes has not been done or has it? SuperDuper hoped to but I don't think they or Bombich's CCC made it there.
Trouble with highly fragged is when free space gets to 20% normally, 1/3 or so though for TM volumes, and finding where and a chunk of space for the file being written. Does TM use large spare image files of like 2GB?
Best would be to ask in the TimeMachine section Snow Leopard
https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os/mac_os_x_v10.6_snow_leopard?view= discussions#/?tagSet=1009
where there are some good FAQ and tutorials, and people that know the ins-and-outs and shortcomings.

Can I partition my external hard drive so that one partition is for Time Machine and the other is to install Windows with Boot Camp?

I have a Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1TB USB 3.0 external hard drive that I currently use just for Time Machine backups. Is it possible for me to go into Disk Utility and create a new partition on the drive so that I may install Windows 7 via Boot Camp? Or since I am already using it for Time Machine do I have to keep it only for Time Machine?

You must install Boot Camp in your internal drive because Windows can't be installed in an external disk and Boot Camp can't do that

HT3764 How to reformat an external hard drive using Snow Lepard to use for Time Machine

How to reformat an external hard drive using Snow Lepard to use for Time Machine

Use the Disk Utility in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder to erase it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) with GUID as the partition map format(or APM if you're using a PowerPC Mac running 10.5).
(73291)

Does my external hard drive have to be always connected to my Mac for T.M?

Hi there,
I have a MacBook and I back up my files onto a external hard drive using Time Machine, but when I come to back it up a second time it always say's failed so I have to reformat it and start all over. I was wondering if it needs to be constantly connected for it to work? If that's the case I might as well get a time capsule and do it wirelessly. I would keep it connected if I didn't have to move it.
Thanks guys for your time and for your comments in advance.
David.

David Robinson Art wrote:
Hi there,
I have a MacBook and I back up my files onto a external hard drive using Time Machine, but when I come to back it up a second time it always say's failed so I have to reformat it and start all over. I was wondering if it needs to be constantly connected for it to work?
No.
When the backup finishes, are you ejecting the drive before disconnecting it? If so, that's the problem -- OSX can't "close out" the disk properly, so the file system on it gets corrupted.
If not, A clue may be lurking in your logs. Click here to download the +Time Machine Buddy+ widget. It shows the messages from your logs for one TM backup run at a time, in a small window. Navigate to the backup in question, then copy and post all the messages for that run here.

Time capsule as external hard drive doesn't get backed up by Time machine

hi my set up is as follows:
iMac 1 TB, with a time capsule 1 TB used as an external hard drive to store media and iTunes files. My problem is that I have a 3TB external hard drive which I used to back up my iMac. I had thought it would also back up the time capsule automatically (yes it is not in in the exclude section on time machine). Unfortunately, it does not appear to recognise that time capsule is merely a hard drive. Any fixes? Help gratefully received as I really need the media files backed up in case the time capsule hard drive fails (which I believe is quite common).

I answerered on your other thread.. TM cannot back network drives.. never has been able to.. and probably never will be able to, as it depends on the HFS+ format structure.
Use a third party backup.. superduper.. CCC.. plenty of others available.. easy with media files as you are probably not changing them often.. a simply file copy via terminal can probably work fine much like we would script backup files with robocopy on windows. I am sure such products will exist.
Here we go, a script wrapper for rsync.
http://www.davidwaring.net/projects/backup.html

HT4848 Is it possible to partition an external hard drive that is already being used for Time Machine backups without it being erased?

I'm want to use my current external hard drive, which I use for Time Machine Backup, as a recovery disk for Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2. From what I have read, the recovery disk assistant will erase all data on the external drive unless it is partitioned. Can I partition my current backup drive without erasing it, even though it is already being used for Time Machine?

It's very simple to test. Turn off your computer. Have your time machine backup plugged in. Hold option and turn it on, keeping option held. Do you see your time machine drive? If so, select it and press enter. You'll end up in recovery. If it works, there you go. Then just click the apple and restart to get back to your regular desktop. Then you'll know for when you're ready to do the deed.
Edit...
I'm not sure if time machine will think it's an entirely different computer, though, when a hard drive changed, making an actual restore not doable. Either way, you could still reinstall mt lion fresh and then just migrate after, skipping the need for SL.

I cannot get the external hard drive on Airport to be used for Time Machine

I have an Airport Extreme (latest edition I believe) with all updates. I hooked up a powered hard drive to it via usb. When I go into the Airport Utility, I can see the disk (kind of grayed out) under disks. It even says the right size of space remaining. But I can't see how to choose it or do anything with it. I want to be able to do Time Machine backups with it. Any help would be appreciated.

Unfortunately, what you are trying to do is not supported by Apple, so you'll have to keep an open mind about all of this if you want to try it anyway.
It does seem to work for some users, it works for some other users some of the time, and some users have no success at all with this. I've tried this maybe 10-12 times over the past few years, and I remain in the "no success" category.
First, you need to make sure that the drive has been formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Second, you probably will need to use a powered USB hub even though your drive is powered
Then you have to set up Time Machine as follows:
Open System Preferences (gear icon on the dock)
Turn "ON" Time Machine
Click Select Disk
If your disk appears (it may not....remember this is not supported) click on it to highlight it
Click Use for Backup
if the backup is successful, please keep in mind that most problems tend to surface a few weeks to even a few months after you start the backups. They become corrupted and you usually have to erase the drive and start over again.
So, you would probably want to set up a secondary back up plan as well to keep your important data safe.

I was thinking about formatting my external hard drive into two partitions. HFS for time machine backup

I really want to format my MacBook after I back up and have it clean like a new machine. And I was wondering if I need to back up after a couple of months will Time Machine back it up as a new computer or will it overwrite?
Also if I do 250GB HFS+ partition for time machine & 250GB NTFS/FAT32 to use with windows. Can the HFS+ partition be used to save files from MacBook using drag & drop? I.E. without using time machine?

A data recovery specialist or some data recovery programs should be able to help. Most format simply rewrite the directory tree saying no files are on this disk. The bits that represent the files are still flipped appropreiately so they still exists, you just don't have the location info to get at them. Secure formats and erases rewrite each bit to a zero or 1 or random so the data is then truely gone. This type of format takes a long time to complete.
I'm not making a recomendation of a particular program but here is one company that does what you ask:
http://www.remosoftware.com/mac-recovery The cost is pretty high but I'm sure they don't sell many copies and need to cover their development costs.
Good luck and don't write anything on the freshly formatted disk until you decide what to do.

Should I back up my files with another external hard drive when I am already backing up time machine with my current external hard drive? Or, should I just get a flash usb to back up my audio files?

I am not sure what is best to back up my audio lecture files?
Thank you so much for your kind help...I am very grateful and Blessings to you!

Two backups are better than one, especially if the files are important. So make sure Time Machine is set to back up your "audio lecture files", and copy them to a flash drive as well.
(Keep in mind that no-one but you knows how Time Machine is set up on your computer, or where you store your "audio lecture files", or how important they are for you.)

I formatted an external hard drive to my macbook to use for time machine. I now want to "unformat" it so I can use it as a transfer device (large flash drive). How do I do it??

Explains it all ^

1. Connect the External HD and open Disk Utility in your Utilities Folder.
2. Highlight the external HD in the list of drives and select the Partition tab.
3. Under Partition Layout select 1 Partition and click on the Options... button.
4. Select Master Boot Record in the drop down window and click OK.
5. Set the Format: to MS-DOS (FAT), name it and click the Apply button.
6. Click the Partition button.

My external hard drive is not recognized my desktop or time machine

how can i fix this??

I tried to repair it through Disk Utility and this error message appeared
Filesystem verify or repair failed.
Invalid record count
volume check failed
It's almost full...could this be why??

If i have Time Machine backed up on an external hard drive, do i just plug the drive into another macbook pro and all my stuff is in the new computer? also, does it matter if the new computer is running Lion when the backed up info came from Snow Leopard

If i have Time Machine backed up on an external hard drive, do i just plug the drive into another macbook pro and all my stuff is in the new computer? Also, does it matter if the new computer is running Lion when the backed up info came from Snow Leopard 10.6.8?

No and Yes
Don't use TM for this purpose, clone your drive to an external, plug the external into another MBP and reboot from it. Please note that booting a machine that came with Lion may not be possible from a drive with Snow Leopard.

I made a bootable disc on an external hard drive, with Yosemite on it. I am running Snow Leopard on my iMac. How can I open the Yosemite disc from the desktop on my iMac? Does the external hard drive need to be connected to my iMac by firewire to

I made a bootable disc on an external hard drive, with Yosemite on it. I am running Snow Leopard on my iMac. How can I open the Yosemite disc from the desktop on my iMac? Does the external hard drive need to be connected to my iMac by firewire to do that?

kahjot wrote:
Snow Leopard's Startup Disk pref can’t see Yosemite volumes. So the only way to switch from Snow Leopard to Yosemite is to do what Niel mentioned. Doesn't matter whether it's connected by USB or Firewire, although performance via FW would be faster.
Are you saying that Yos/10.10, as a volume located in a mounted external drive won't appear as an option in Snow Leopard's Startup Disc, in Sys Prefs? I've never heard this one before. AFAIK any mounted volume, regardless of OS, should appear there. I would think that, if it appears in the Boot Picker/Startup Manager it would also appear and could be booted to from Snow's Startup Disk. I can't test this myself, since I don't have Yos. Is what you are saying documented somewhere?

Does an external hard drive have to stay plugged in with Time Machine?

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