Does Time Machine automatically reformat a non-Mac OS Extended hard drive?

A friend has just told me something surprising he read in the "Mountain Lion Missing Manual".
It apparently says that if you connect a FAT or NTFS formatted hard drive to your Mac and startup Time Machine, it will be automatically reformatted to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) by TM.
Is this true?

Here is the quote from David Pogue's, "Mountain Lion - The Missing Manual"
Note: The backup drive must be a standard Mac-formatted hard drive—yet many new drives bought by Mac fans come preformatted as Windows disks. Fortunately, Time Machine automatically reformats them to the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) scheme, which it requires. Thoughtful, really.
It sounds too good to be true . . . . . can anyone confirm it?

Similar Messages

HT201250 What files and directories, if any, does Time Machine automatically exclude?

Does Time Machine automatically ignore any files that aren't displayed in the Preferences>Time Machine>Options exclude list?

That is not entirely correct: TM does exclude some items. To see the complete list: in Finder's menubar select Go -> Go to Folder.... and type in this path (followed by [return]:
/System/Library/CoreServices/backupd.bundle/Contents/Resources/
In the window that opens, select "StdExclusions.plist". You can see what's in it with any text editor.

Can somebody tell me please: does Time Machine automatically back up iPhoto?

Can somebody tell me please: does Time Machine automatically back up iPhoto?

Unless you have excluded it, it will backup the iPhoto Library.
Ciao.

HT201250 I had files stored on a hard drive that were not on my Mac. I used the hard drive for my first Time Machine back up, but it was not enough hard drive space to finish. Now those stored files are gone. Is there any way I can recover them?

I had files stored on a hard drive that were not on my Mac. I used the hard drive for my first Time Machine back up, but it was not enough hard drive space to finish. Now those stored files are gone. Is there any way I can recover them? No, they were not part of previous Time Machine backups, and I have checked both the hard drive the documents were lost on and the new one that I now use for backups. Any suggestions would be helpful, as the lost files are old pictures that are gone forever. :[ Thanks!

1. Yes, if both drives are formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
2. Reformat the drives if needed, open the Time Machine pane of System Preferences, and remove the drive with the pictures from the list of items set to be excluded.
(110331)

How can I force Time Machine to make a complete backup of my Hard Drive. I just installed a new external drive for Backup since my previous one failed. Now when I back up, Time Machine only backs up my data folder and the Users folder.

How can I force Time Machine to make a complete backup of my Hard Drive. I just installed a new external drive for Backup since my previous one failed. Now when I back up, Time Machine only backs up my data folder and the Users folder.
When I start a backup. Time Machine says "Oldest Backup: None; Latest Backup: None", so it seems like it should do a complete backup, but it only does a partial.

Hi I'd like to jump in here. Your app showed me this:
Time Machine:
          Skip System Files: NO
          Mobile backups: OFF
          Auto backup: YES
          Volumes being backed up:
                    Macintosh HD: Disk size: 749.3 GB Disk used: 453.81 GB
          Destinations:
                    Plastic Wrapper [Local] (Last used)
                    Total size: 999.86 GB
                    Total number of backups: 64
                    Oldest backup: 2013-07-24 23:25:11 +0000
                    Last backup: 2013-11-17 01:40:47 +0000
                    Size of backup disk: Too small
                              Backup size 999.86 GB < (Disk used 453.81 GB X 3)
          Time Machine details may not be accurate.
          All volumes being backed up may not be listed.
          /sbin excluded from backup!
          /usr excluded from backup!
          /System excluded from backup!
          /bin excluded from backup!
          /private excluded from backup!
          /Library excluded from backup!
          /Applications excluded from backup!
Aside from the size of my backup drive, which I will increase at some point, I'd really like to have time machine backing up all system folders, especially Applications. How to I reset this hidden exclusions?
Thanks,
Darcy

How can I "Put Back" a time machine backup from the trash to my external hard drive?

Basically what happened was I accidentally put an older time machine backup from my external hard drive into the trash on my macbook. Since then, time machine has made new backups onto my external hard drive. How can I either "Put Back" or replace the deleted backup back into my hard drive?
Whenever I try to move it it says "A newer item named “Backups.backupdb” already exists in this location. Do you want to replace it with the older one you’re moving?" I click replace and after a few minutes of loading, it says "Cannot replace. An item named "" already exists."

As long as you don't delete the trash, the files should be recoverable.
I suspect using the Put Back command could take a long time, so be patient.
If your Time Machine backups are mixed with your daughter's backups you might want to buy a larger drive and move the Time Machine files to the new drive.
Regarding missing photos in iPhoto...There might be options to rebuild/recover that data from iPhoto rather than trying to revert to a Time Machine backup.
Check out this third party app, iPhoto Library Manager. It has a demo.
http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/
Options for a larger drive.
I like the Seagate USB 3.0 Backup plus drives. Works on USB 2.0 ports. They come formatted for PC but easy to format in Disk Utility.
I don't recommend Western Digital because of the boot problem with some of their drives.
LaCie makes good drives.
All Mac formatted drives will cost more and it’s easy to reformat with Disk Utility. Do not use the software that comes with the drives. It’s recommended that you use Apple’s Disk Utility.
Prices vary but this gives you an idea of what you’ll find. As you notice the second and third TB is usually only $15 more per TB. Normally, you’ll find these prices but right now the 1T is more than the 2T
Seagate Backup Plus 1 TB USB 3.0 $85
Seagate Backup Plus 2 TB USB 3.0 $99
Seagate Backup Plus 3 TB USB 3.0 $115
I have seen the 3T on sale for $99.
Locally, Best Buy seems to have the best prices.

Can I have mavericks time machine on one partition of a WD external hard drive and snow leopard data on another

can I have mavericks time machine on one partition of a WD external hard drive and snow leopard data on another

If you want to and it is so large that it has room (350% is a good estimate for TimeMachine), then use a partition(s) to hold system restore images or bootable clones. Or VM images.
Using SSDs most Mac Pro models can easily hold 6 or more storage devices inside, except the nMP cylinder 6,1's; which do need external Thunderbolt and USB3.
System drive / data / scratch / backup data / backups of system / ....
I recommend a couple system backups, especially when faced with dual boot situations as well as an OS that is still undergoing updates and changes.

HT201250 I want to use Time Machine to back up my pictures because my hard drive is full but I'm wondering if once I back up the pictures then delete them will time machine delete them off the back up too?

I want to use Time Machine to back up my pictures because my hard drive is full but I'm wondering if once I back up the pictures then delete them will time machine delete them off the back up too?

Evetually yes.
If your pictures have been in the same location (same folder, same subfolder, ...) for more than a week, then copies if them will remain in your TM backups until it fills up. They are then vulnerable to being deleted.
If they've been there for less than a week, TM could delete them as early as a month from now. If they've been there for only a few hours, chances are TM will delete them tomorrow.
This is why TM is not the best tool to use to archive data that you will be deleting from your main hard drive. Copy them to a dedicated external drive, or burn DVDs.

Does Time Machine automatically resume backing up when the external HD is connected?

My daughter has a MacBook Pro at college. I recently bought her an external hard drive to use with Time Machine. We connected the drive, the system said, "do you want to use this drive for Time Machine?", we said, "yes, please", and it started doing its backup thing.
Then we disconnected the drive, waited a few minutes, then re-connected it. I was expecting / hoping that Time Machine would automatically see the drive and resume its backup. But I didn't see any visual indication of this and am not convinced that's what happens.
My daughter is a college student and will probably not remember to start Time Machine every time she reconnects the hard drive. Is there a way to have Time Machine *automatically* resume its backup any time it sees the drive attached? Also, how do you see the status of the backup?
Thanks!

webwiz wrote:
Then we disconnected the drive,
Oops. Never disconnect an external HD without ejecting it first. That can damage the file system on it, and Time Machine won't be able to back up to it without it being repaired (see below).
Did a backup complete? See what the System Preferences > Time Machine window shows:
You can also get to that by selecting the TM icon in the menubar, or right-clicking the TM icon in the Dock, and selecting Open Time Machine Preferences.
My daughter is a college student and will probably not remember to start Time Machine every time she reconnects the hard drive. Is there a way to have Time Machine *automatically* resume its backup any time it sees the drive attached?
TM will do backups hourly (just of what's been changed since the last one) while the disk is connected. If it's not available for over an hour, it will just wait until it is (and send a message after 10 days without a backup).
If the drive was only disconnected for a few minutes, though, it won't start a new one until the hour is up.
If the Preferences window doesn't show a "Latest backup," the backup may have been damaged. If it's been over an hour, and no new backup has started, try to repair the backups, per #A5 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting
You might want to review the Time Machine Tutorial, and perhaps browse Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.

How does time machine back up separate but computers on the same drive

Thinking about hooking up a hard drive to APBS to use as a time machine for several macs /iPads, how does time machine keep these different devices separate? How does it keep the backup info separate? Thanks

APBS is usually called AEBS or Airport Extreme Base Station.
You can only do Time Machine to the newest one.. it is not supported on earlier models.
See http://pondini.org/TM/Home.html
Look for Gory details about airdisk.
Also it is going to help you to actually read how Time Machine works on network drives.
What you are asking has all the answers there.
http://pondini.org/TM/Works.html
ipads do not backup like macs.. there is no time machine.
ipads backup to itunes or to icloud. The backup to local itunes can then be backed up by TM to the disk you are using.
Please note even though Apple now says it works.. I have seen reports where the old problem has come back.. it works for 6-8weeks and then the backup corrupts itself and you have to start over.

Does Time Machine backup my Office for Mac Email and Calendar?

I am using Microsoft Office for Mac for my business. I utilize the Email and the Calendar.
Time Machine periodically backs up my PC to an external hard drive. Does it also back up my Email and My Office Calendar?
and how do I get it back if my internal hard drive crashes?

Yes, it does.
(111686)

Does time machine automatically backup external hard drives?

Hi
I have 4 external disks connected to my macPro and a 5th which I am using to backup too. In the TM prefs I have selected the drives & specific folders that I DON'T want backed up. Can I assume it will back EVERYTHING ELSE up, including the external drives?
I conducted an experiment - I unmounted one of the external drives (my main Logic projects disk), then entered TM. I COULDN'T FIND the Projects disk even though the BackUp disk was still mounted! So if there was a problem with the Projects drive HOW would I access my backed-up projects?
I don't have much faith in TM at the moment.
Cheers
Chris

Hi
Time Machine will back up the files for all users, as well as the system files.
best,
Matt

Can time machine back up an imac and an external hard drive?

I currently back up my imac via time machine but to reduce space on my hard drive I want to move my itunes library onto an external hard drive. If i do this can time machine still back up my imac and the external hard drive with the itunes library on automatically?
Regards
Toekoms

toekoms wrote:
I currently back up my imac via time machine but to reduce space on my hard drive I want to move my itunes library onto an external hard drive. If i do this can time machine still back up my imac and the external hard drive with the itunes library on automatically?
yes, given enough space on the destination drive (your library may grow over time). also, the drive needs to be connected directly to your Mac.
you might want to make sure the drive is not excluded from TM backups by checking in system preferences > time machine > options.
also, as for moving your iTunes library, see this read for tips/instructions.
JGG
edited by the Jolly Green Giant (where Green stands for environmentally friendly)

Time Machine not recognizing seagate back up plus external hard drive

Please somebody save me!!! My computer was running really slow and decided to take in to the Apple store. They recommended that i needed a new a hard drive. I've beeen using the Seagate back up plus model srd0sd0 3tb drive and before i disconnected the drive i checked time machine and it said it was backed up within the last 15 minutes. disconnected and went to the store. At the apple store i told them to transfer over everything from the hard drive to the new one even though i backed it up. Well they didnt (waiting to see if they can get the drive back) they figured it was back up and so did I. Well i've tried connecting the seagate to my imac and it does not recognize the external drive. i have 10.6.8 snow leopard and tried to reboot it using the install disk. that didnt work. was on the phone with apple support and they could not get it to recognize the drive. tried connecting the drive to a windows laptop and it did not recognize it either. the drive powers on and we are wondering if it's the usb card that's faulty (heading to the store to get a new one) I hope that's it but i'm looking ahead and seeing what other ways i can get it to work. He mentioned that i could replace the outer casing not sure how that works. I did notice that the bottom of the seagate where the usb connects detaches. could that be replace? just trying to find out how to save my drive. I have all of my family photos, videos etc. you know the priceless memories. sorry for the long message. just trying to provide as much info as possible. Thanks in advance!

The genuis was probably referring to a hard disk enclosure…
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/MISC/3.5USB2ENCL/
Enclosures can fail, but the disk can be OK. It is usually possible to take the disk out and fit it into another case.
I'd suggest you take the disk, it's power supply & the USB cable with you the genius may be willing check it on another Mac it could be as simple as a bad cable. Swapping the disk can be delicate, have someone help you if you don't know how to use a screwdriver. Sometimes you can find a guide on the internet if you search for the model and 'take apart', most are simple enough not to need it.
I can't see how the iMac's USB card would effect a Windows laptop, has the Windows laptop ever shown the contents of the TM disk? I don't think they allow Apple formatted disks to mount without extra software?
Good luck with the Store, let us know if they resolve it for you.

Can i use time machine with a airport extreme and a external hard drive

I have connected a hard drive to my airport extreme.
Now i would like to use time machine to back up my computers, and would like to do this on the hard drive which is connected to my airport extreme.
Next step is that i would like to be able to approach my external hard drive via the internet.
Is this possible or not?

Both are possible. However, Apple does NOT support Time Machine backups to AirPort Disks attached to the 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn). Doing so will potentially lead to data corruption and is highly not recommended. Please check out this excellent Pondini article for more details. This article also provides the Apple Support references that states Apple's position. Bottom line? If your backups are critical to you, then you may want to rethink your backup solution.
As far as accessing the AirPort Disk from the Internet, the following is the basic steps to do so:
Start the AirPort Utility > Select the AEBSn, and then, note the IP address shown.
Select Manual Setup.
Verify that Connection Sharing = Share a public IP address is selected on the Internet > Internet Connection tab.
Select Disks, and then, select File Sharing.
Verify that both the "Enable file sharing" and "Share disks over WAN" options are enabled.
Verify that Secure Shared Disks = With a disk password. (Recommended)
Verify that AirPort Disks Guest Access = Not allowed. (Recommended)
Select Advanced, and then, select the Port Mapping tab.
Click the plus sign to add a new port mapping.
For Service, select the "Personal File Sharing" option. (Note: This option would only allow Mac clients to access the AirPort Disks. If you want both Macs and PCs to connect, you would need to leave this field at its default value and enter the appropriate SMB ports to the mix of ports to be opened.)
In the Public UDP Port(s) and Public TCP Port(s) boxes, type in a 4-digit port number (e.g., 8888) that you choose. In the Private IP Address box, type the internal IP address of your AEBSn that you wrote down in step 1. In the Private UDP Port(s) and Private TCP Port(s) boxes, type 548. Click Continue.
In the Description box, type a descriptive name like "AirPort Disk File Sharing," and then, click Done.
Click on Update.
To connect to the shared AirPort Disk from a remote location using a Mac:
From the Finder > Go > Connect to Server.
Enter the Pubic (WAN-side) IP address of the AEBSn, followed by a colon and the Public port number that you choose in step 11 of the previous procedure. For example: afp://www.mydyndnsdomain.com:8888 or afp://123.456.789.123:8888
Click Connect.
You should be prompted for your user name and password. The user name can be anything you like; the password should be the Disk password for the AEBSn that you created in step 6 previously.
Click Connect.

Does Time Machine automatically reformat a non-Mac OS Extended hard drive?

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