Dual hard drive switch and TimeMachine backup

I recently did a dual hard drive swap on my mid-2006 MacBook Pro, changing out both the machine's internal drive as well as purchasing a new external unit. I have been using Time Machine since I first installed Leopard and have had no serious issues with it.
Prior to installing the new internal drive I updated using Time Machine and also used Carbon Copy Cloner to duplicate my home folder on both external drives. Once the new internal drive was installed, I did a clean install on Leopard after reformatting the drive.
Once Leopard was installed I moved information from the disk image created by CCC into my fresh home folder. I did so instead of using Migration Assistant, since part of my motivation for installing the new drive was to get as clean an install of Leopard as possible. In other words, I didn't copy over any data from programs I no longer use, old media, etc.
I then transferred the Time Machine backup from my old external drive to my new one using SuperDuper. Once that was complete I attempted to use the new external drive as my new Time Machine backup. Time Machine recognized the backup without any problem, but when I went to back up my home folder Time Machine attempted to transfer 125+ GB of data.
So here's my question: how do I get Time Machine to preserve my old backup and merge it with my new Leopard install? I'd really prefer not to have to waste 125 GB of my new 1 TB drive to backup data that's already backed up. I'd also prefer not to have to reinstall Leopard (and Boot Camp, and my apps, etc.).

Since you have created a completely new set up I don't see how you would expect Time Machine to somehow reconcile it with your old set up. Even moving a file from one folder to another results in a new UUID and a fresh backup of the file by Time Machine. In your case all your files would appear to be either freshly installed by the installer or transferred from an external source and so new to the system.

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Dual Hard Drive Setup and Time Machine Backup

Hello All, I am about to start a major upgrade to my iMac and I just need a tiny bit of help.
I will be installing a secondary hard drive, an SSD into the empty space on my 2011 iMac, and upgrading the HDD to a 3tb. I know this is a big job but I did all my homework and I am ready to go. Here is my plan and my question:
1. Do the install. Add the 3tb hard drive in place of the 1tb original and install the ssd.
2. install mountain lion from disc onto the ssd
3. start up my new awesomly fast computer, and move the home folder to the 3tb drive so that only the applications and osx are on the ssd
4. use time machine to put all my data back onto my computer.
#4 is where my question is. If I use time machine to restore my data AFTER I have moved my home folder to the 2nd drive, will Time Machine function properly? Will it know that some of the data about the system will need to go on the SSD and some will need to go on the large capacity drive?
This is a very important question, because if it turns out that Time Machine will be confused by this, I will need to just back up my individual files and drop them piecemeal back into my new setup. This would be a huge pain and would make me rebuild all of my system preferences etc.
Has anyone done this before? Any insight would be very much appreciated!

Make life simple. Leave your HDD as it is and clone it to the 3 TB drive. Install the 3 TB drive in your computer and verify it starts up the computer. Next, install Mountain Lion onto your SSD. Put the SSD into the computer. Use Startup Disk preference pane to set the SSD as the permanent boot volume. Boot the computer from the SSD. Setup the SSD admin account with the exact same username and password as on the HDD. Open Users & Groups preference pane, click on the lock icon to authenticate. CTRL- or RIGHT-click on the SSD's entry in the users list and select Advanced Options from the context menu. On the right side of the Home dir: field is a Choose button. Click on the button, locate the /Users/username/ folder on the HDD, select it and click on the Open button. Close the Advanced Options window and immediately restart the computer.
You will now boot from the SSD using your Home folder located on the HDD.
Clone Lion/Mountain Lion using Restore Option of Disk Utility
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
     1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu then press the Continue
         button.
     2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
     3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
     4. Check the box labeled Erase destination.
     5. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it
         to the Destination entry field.
     6. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to
         the Source entry field.
     7. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the new 3TB drive. Source means the old startup drive.

Which portable hard drives to store TimeMachine backups with MBA?

Hi, I am looking forward to purchasing a MBA within a few months. In the menawhile, I am moving around with and old iBook. I need to purchase a portable Hard Disk for backups, but I need to make sure that it will work with MBA to store TimeMachine Backups.
I read some user review in the Apple online store that says that Lacie Rugged Hard Disk does NOT wrk with MacBook Air. I was surprised.
Does anybody know of a portable hard disk that can survive shocks AND works with MBA?
Would Iomega eGo do?
Thanks in advance

Marcus S. Zarra wrote:
Which hub are you using? I have tried it with a couple of powered hubs with no luck. Granted they were older. Would love to purchase a hub that it will work on!
I'm using a (powered) Gigaware hub from Radioshack. I think my drive is WD Passport essential 250G.

Is the mac mini server the same hardware as the other mac minis (except for the quad core i7 and dual hard drives) with different software or is it configured differently?

I have a mac mini with an i7 dual core processor. It is perceptably slower than my macbook pro with a quad core i7. Does the mac mini server have the same hardware configuation as the regular mac mini with server software or is the hardware different (aside from the i7 quad core and dual hard drives)? I want a mini with a quad core i7...

Your assumption is correct. The server does however only
have the Intel HD3000 graphics like the base model with
no option, at this time, for the discrete graphics chip. So,
depending on what you are using it for, that could be a deal
breaker. Remember that your MBP does have a discrete
graphics chip.
I have a 2011 Mini Server connected to a Thunderbolt display
that gets used as an engineering workstation and general
personal use (some photo editing, LP restoraton, general
internet browsing). You simply just not enable any of the
server services. I find the combination to work quite well
for my purposes. I also have a 13" 2.7 GHz i7 Macbook Pro
which is pretty much strictly for work. As far as CPU
power it is pretty much equivelent to your Mini. For the most
part I find the Mini does outperfom my MBP. I heavily use
Parallels and Windows7 virtual machines, so the more cores
the better.
So, If you do a lot of CPU intensive stuff that is multithreaded,
the Server may help. If it is graphics intensive and your software
heavily leaverages the GPU, you may actually take a hit on
performance.

HT201250 Circle and cross through iTunes icon afte the seagate hard drive replaced and restored data from time machine backup.

Circle and cross through iTunes icon: had the seagate hard drive replaced and restored data from time machine backup. Why does the iTunes icon have a circle and cross through it? As though incomplete? tried everything and still Circle and cross through iTunes icon.

No it isn't something you'd find on the computer, it has to be custom installed from the 10.6 installer disc or Software Update if it wasn't before. It allows you to use older PowerPC applications on your Mac. On the other hand double check the version of iTunes you have does not require 10.7 minimum either.

Is it possible to use an external hard drive for time machine backup and also as a regular hard drive?

Is it possible to use an external hard drive for time machine backup and also as a regular hard drive?

I am using an external drive in the exact way that you described. You just keep it plugged in to the computer when you want to access the movies and files. In order to put files on it, just go to finder open up the drive under devices and drag and drop files onto the drive. It is just like using a usb drive with a terabyte of space.

My hard drive crashed and I am using a different machine. How do I retrieve my personalized Pages 5.2 templates from my backup drive? I have searched at length and can't seem to find them.

My hard drive crashed and I am using a different machine. How do I retrieve my personalized Pages 5.2 templates from my backup drive? I have searched at length and can't seem to find them.

login_directory = /Users/yourname
If the Library folder is not shown in your login directory, then open a Finder window, and press command+J. This will open a Finder View Options panel. On it, there is a selectable entry to Show Library Folder. Once this is selected, the Library folder will appear. Now, follow the instructions in my May 6 post. You will have to right-click on com.apple.iWork.Pages and choose Show Package Contents, before continuing.
Correction: login_directory/Library/Containers/com.apple.iWork.Pages/Data/Library/Applicatio n Support/User Templates/
The host software persists in changing the correct Application Support text above to Applicatio n Support, which does not exist.

I had my hard drive replaced and since my Time Machine backups say failed

I had my hard drive replace and since my Time Capsule backups are failing. The exact message is:
The backup was not performed because an error occurred while copying files to the backup disk.
The problem may be temporary. Try again later to back up. If the problem persists, use disk utility to repair your backup disk.

No, replacing your hard drive has nothing to do with it. There is a problem with your backup drive. As far as Time Machine is concerned replacing a drive is no different than buying a new computer. Time Machine will need to make a brand new backup from scratch.
If you have a large enough backup drive this may not be a problem. Otherwise, you may not have sufficient space to maintain a new backup and keep the old one. So, I would suggest under the circumstances that you erase your backup drive, then start a new Time Machine backup from scratch.
Drive Erase
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After Disk Utility loads select the volume you wish to format from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the Disk Utility main window.
3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
For additional help with Time Machine: Visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with all things Time Machine.

Hard drive crashed and can't restore backups

I have an older model Macbook (circa 2006). The original 120GB hard drive crashed, yes I got the dreaded white screen of death, and I replaced with a new 500GB hard drive. I had backups of all of my data stored to my Time Capsule, but am unable to restore my laptop because the backups were on OS 10.7 and I receive an error message that my OS must be updated.
The install disks that I was able to reboot with after installing the new hard drive are 10.5.8. I found a Snow Leopard disk (10.6.6) but when trying to run an install received a message that it cannot be installed.
How am I supposed to restore my backups and get to the corre?
This is my current system:
Model Name:          MacBook
Model Identifier:          MacBook3,1
Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:          2.2 GHz
Number Of Processors:          1
Total Number Of Cores:          2
L2 Cache:          4 MB
Memory:          2 GB
Bus Speed:          800 MHz
Boot ROM Version:          MB31.008E.B02

If the drive fails to appear in Disk Utility then it's most likely died. You can try this:
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
The flashing question mark means system files are damaged assuming the drive is OK. In this case just reinstall Snow Leopard. All your user accounts and data will be preserved.

Can I use time machine to back up computer hard drive AND contents of an external HD (contains only photos) onto another external hard drive (standalone HD for backups only)? PLEASE HELP!!

I keep my photo files on a separate external hard drive, separate from my laptop hard drive. And I want to be able to use time machine as the back-up system to back up BOTH the computer's hard drive AND the external hard drive.... and i want all of the "back-up" information contained on a separate standalone external HD. So in the end, I have a 250GB computer hardrive, a 1TB external hardrive, and I want to have a 2nd external hard drive that will be the location to store the "back-ups" (using time machine) which will be either a 2TB or 3TB harddrive.
I am in dire need of help....

Yes, just make sure that they are not excluded in Time Machine.

How do I backup my HDD in dual hard drive configuration (the other is an SSD)?

I have 2 hard drives in my Macbook Pro 15" early 2011. I think people are becoming more familiar with this arrangement: the boot drive is the SSD located in the original hard drive bay and my old 500 GB hard drive is in a data doubler in the optical bay.
I'm trying to replace the 500 gig drive with 1TB drive i bought today. Any ideas how to clone the old 500 gig onto the new one?
Thanks

download and install carbon copy cloner - free - and use it to do the clone.
you'll need a USB external enclosure - around $10 - install your new drive there and proceed with the clone.

My hard drive crashed and when I replaced it, I am unable to sync most of my music. The message "file not found" appears. I have all my music on my . How can I upload these to iCloud or iTunes?

My hard drive crashed and I replaced it. I also switched from ATT to Verizon for my iPhone. Now when I sync with iTunes, only about a tenth of my songs are on the new iPhone. one or two from each album. I still have an iPad with all my songs on it. I subscribed to music match, but when I try on the iPad it wants to match with iTunes and erase a\the music on the iPad. I have no music on iCloud when I sign in. Can anyone help me???

If the hard drive that crashed is the one that stored the itunes library, be sure to restore the library from Time Machine (mac) or whatever backup you use on windows. That will get back your music. I suspect that the replacement drive has an empty itunes library and thus, perhaps, the itunes match used that to sync to its servers.
Try posting in the iTunes Match forum, you'll probably find more knowledgeable folks there.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/itunes/itunes_match

Is it possible to use more than one external hard drive for Time Machine backups?

I want to use two hard drives for Time Machine backups.
Bigger one keep at home and be sure it is safe.
Second one (very small pocket size) keep with me for travels.
I want to backup to both drives to be sure I can restore everywhere and to be sure if something bad happened with my small travel disk I can restore from home backup.
Is there any problem with listed schema? Is it normal for Time Machine to handle backups for different drivers and keep everything consistent and smooth?

I really need some help! I have been using an Iomega NAS 1TB HD for the past year. And I received an error message. I believe I have ran out of memory on this drive.
Then recently in the last couple of months I got a ReadyNAS Duo 2TB with 2TB RAID. Should I switch my back ups to this one and delete the other back up file or keep the old back up image file on the Iomega?
Can I transfer the old image back up to this new ReadyNAS? How do I do this?
I appreciate any help.

MacBook Pro -- external hard drive corruption -- AND hanging computer?

Since purchasing a 17" MacBook Pro, I've had serious problems with directory corruption on three of my external firewire hard drives (80 and 100 G FireLite Pocket drives and a 400 G Lacie drive). About 2 weeks ago, the 80 G drive (with most of my critical files) disappeared from the desktop. Disk Utilities returned with a message that it was repairable. Tech Tools supposedly fixed it, but the drive icon shortly disappeared from the desktop. This time, Disk Utilities "repaired" it, but it was the kiss of death. After this, plugging in the drive caused the computer to hang indefinitely. I could no longer run any repair or data rescue software. Once this problem occurs, I can switch firewire cables and computers, and the computers still crash/hang. A techy at work managed to rescue the files and replace them on the disk (this required other hardware, a PC, and some software he downloaded(?)). Two weeks later, the problem happened again. However, this time, it was the 80 G and my 400 G backup drive. Now, all of my originals and backups (for the past 2 years, since I did my last CD/DVD backups) are (hopefully) temporarily unavailable. My 100 G drive started to do the same thing. However, I purchased and downloaded a copy of Disk Warrior, which seems to have rescued this disk.
I've had these drive for between 3 and 5 years, with little or absolutely no trouble. Then, after getting the MacBook Pro, I'm encountering really serious problems.
Is the MacBook Pro at fault? (I've returned to my PowerBook G4 until this issue is resolve).
What causes such severe disk directory damage that causes my computer to hang?
How can I recover my files (critically important to my work, some of which is on a tight deadline) without having to run to the vastly overworked/underpaid techy in my place of employment)?
My conversation with an Apple Tech was much less than satisfying. In fact, he seemed to portray a state of denial about the MacBook Pro having any problems, even though the web is full of complaints. What's up Apple? Are you beginning to backslide yet again?

Welcome To Discussions JeffBloom!
I'm sorry to hear that you are having problems with your MBP, but you have posted your inquiry, in the Discussions Forum, that is intended for discourse about the use of Apple Discussions.
You will get more focused attention to your issue, if you select a more appropriate location from this page Discussions Forum Home.
For example,
From the Forum Home Page, select the Category MacBook Pro.
Then choose an appropriate MBP Forum, such as Using your MacBook Pro.
On Forum pages, there is an option to Post New Topic.
Good Luck!
ali b

I moved iTunes music to my hard drive "D" and now it won't open!

My hard drive "C" was getting somewhat full, so I decided to move my iTunes music files over to my second hard drive "D" (I have a dual hard drive on my computer). When I try and open iTunes, it says, "The folder 'iTunes' cannot be found or created, and is required. The default location for this folder is inside the 'Music' folder."
I cannot open the "Music" folder, because when I do, it just opens up the same window I was already in when I tried to open it. The main reason I want to open iTunes is so I can reset my iPod because it is not working anymore. The scroll wheel, the hold button, the backlight, and it automatically sleep mode (after not touching it for a couple of minutes) is all that works. I cannot click anything.
I have moved all of my iTunes folders back over to my "C" drive, but it still won't work. I also reinstalled iTunes in the "Music" folder, and it won't work. Basically nothing has worked!

You might find this article useful, don't be put off by the title, the process is substantially similar moving to another internal drive: iLounge - Managing your iTunes Library on an External Hard Drive

Dual hard drive switch and TimeMachine backup

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