External backup hard drive recommendations

I'm ashamed to say, but all that I have for a backup is a pocket portable USB 500G drive. Now it does 'do the job', although very slowy. I'm looking for recommendations for a new hard drive. I currently have 1 PC desktop(ethernet) and two MBP (wireless) connected via network through an AEBS. All of the machines are physically in different rooms and currently between all three machines, I'm at about 300GB of data, This is strictly for home use. I hope I've given enough background information. So, should I go for a network backup drive? It seems the simplest choice, but having never used one, wasn't certain. How about brands/style, which RAID? I don't want to spend above $1000 and would prefer to keep it @ about $500-700.
Thanks for the input
Message was edited by: paulyman

Have you considered an Apple Time Capsule?? It will wirelessly backup any MACs you have on the network. PCs can also browse to it.
If not you need a good External hard disk drive with a USB interface so that you can connect it to the back of your AEBS and use it as a shared drive on the network. This is what I plan to do when I get my TC. This external drive must have hardware RAID built in so you never have to worry about losing data. You could keep it as a backup and storage area that all other clients can access.
I would recommend a My Book Studio Edition 2. This has RAID and will mirror one disk to the other automatically, so if a disk dies you can easily replace it (WD give a 5 year warranty as well!). It also has a FireWire800 port so if you want to connect it directly to a MBP, you can use the faster connection.
Here is a video I created of the drive...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUbBdAuzxXk
Although I have the 4TB version, you can also get a 2TB version, which has 2x1TB discs inside.
If this is too much and you dont want the Firewire ports, you can also get this same drive in Black which is USB only - called the My Book Mirror Edition. Its also a bit cheaper since it doesnt have the other ports.

Similar Messages

External backup hard drive recommendations/advice?

I've been backing up files one CD-R at a time and it's getting ridiculous. I'd like to buy an external drive which I would update monthly and then disconnect & put on a shelf. I don't need a ridiculous amount of space -- just at least double-digit gigs.
Any insights into the most reliable, easiest to use, most compact/lightweight and best-priced drives would be greatly appreciated.
He who laughs last has a backup disk,
--Christine

I Have been using a LaCie 160GB drive for the last couple of years. I use it in conjunction with SuperDuper!, which has made a clone of my system, and then it performs regularly scheduled incremental backups, so I am always up-to-date.
It's easy and painless, save your CDs for better things,
Miriam

I have a Free Agent external backup hard drive connected to my iMac Intel desktop via USB. Why do I get an error message, from time to time, upon startup stating: "disk was disconnected improperly, always eject disk before disconnecting"?

I have a Free Agent external backup hard drive connected to my iMac Intel desktop via USB, I never unplug it. Why do I get an error message, from time to time, upon startup stating, "Disk was disconnected improperly. Always eject disk before disconnecting."?

I never unplug the external harddrive, and the error message comes up only occassionaly upon startup. Maybe the USB connection gets disrupted enough to cause the computer to see it as disconnected and then reconnected while the iMac is powered.

Recommendations for external backup hard drive...mirrored

My external hard drive that I used with Time Machine to backup my MacBook has bit the dust.
Ideally, I would like to get one that has hardware mirroring. At least 1gb. and Firewire 400 compatible.
It's the mirroring feature that I'm having trouble finding. Anyone have a drive they are happy with? Or can you point me in the right direction?
Thanks

My favorite mirroring or cloning application is SuperDuper! which can be downloaded [Here|http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html].
As far as an external drive is concerned, I've had tremendous success with Western Digital drives. I've used several desktop models but recently purchased a portable (2.5") 750Gb Passport Essential SE because of it's size and portability. After formatting it for Mac, I remember that I needed assistance from the Internet for instructions to remove the pesky windows only WD backup software from the disk. It was simple to remove but it involved an update in order to get rid of it.

Backing up Itunes library to external backup hard drive

May have missed this... but I just bought an external hard drive for use as a backup. It didn't come with backup software. For now, I just copy and paste personal folders. What do I copy to backup my itunes library? Itunes internal backup apparently only backs up to CD or DVD. Can I not back up some weird voodoo protected version of my music to an external hard drive wthout having to copy to DVD? I mean, that would go through a lot of DVDs over a year wouldn it?
Mike

Hi, Mike.
Assuming you haven't changed any of iTunes' default settings, everything you need to back-up - the iTunes Music folder, the Album Artwork and the iTunes Library files - is found in the iTunes folder at C:\Documents and Settings\ user name \My Documents\My Music\iTunes .
So, again assuming you haven't changed the defaults, all you have to do is copy the iTunes folder to your external.
If you've changed the defaults, it can be a bit more complicated.

External Firewire Hard Drive Recommendation

Hi.
Can anyone recommend a reliable brand for external hard drives? I'm not the most tech savvy person and have read various threads where people have had problems w/ compatibility.
I would need this to transfer work files, mp3s and images files, etc.
I would like to buy one relatively soon but would like some advice first.
Thank you!
imac special edition Mac OS X (10.3.9)
imac special edition Mac OS X (10.3.9) 400 MHz PowerPC G3/640 MB SDRAM

I will always recommend the Mercury Elite Pro USB/FW drives from OWC, but as long as you get a drive or enclosure with the Oxford 911 chipset, that would be an excellent choice. Avoid the more common and cheaper Prolific chipset as it is not as reliable and cannot always boot all Macs.
You can either get a pre-assembled drive, or "roll your own" by buying an enclosure and adding your own IDE drive to it. It is super easy to do, but there is no shame in buying one that is all ready to go.
I like having both FW and USB for the flexibility of using either interface. I prefer to use FireWire, but not all computers have it, so you might have to resort to using the slower USB. It is nice to have that option.

External Firewire Hard Drive Recommendations for novice

I would like to buy a external hard drive so that I can create a bootable clone, back up files and store pictures on. I am intimidated by reading the threads here on the various problems. Could some suggest "Hard Drives 101" or a simple to use hard drive for me?
Thanks in advance.

You cannot go wrong with an external FireWire drive from Other World Computing. I recommend something in the Mercury Elite line, as these are known to work well with Macs. These come in different configuations (e.g. FW 800, FW 400, USB 2.0, and combinations thereof). Unless you have a FW 800 port on your Mac, there is no reason to get this option. FW 400 and USB 2.0 should suffice. I recommend buying a drive with at least as large as your Mac's hard disk, though you may with for more space (e.g. to make a bootable clone, and have room left over for other back ups).
There are other decent manufacturers, as well. I have read some good things about LaCie in these discussion forums, so you may wish to shop around.

External Backup Hard Drive Help

Hello all,
I bought a Western Digital 320gb External Hard Drive for my Power Mac G3 and it is both 2.0 usb and firewire. I was thinking of using firewire instead of usb. A coworker told me that the WD HD is not good and several people told him that they crash alot. I have an 80 gb internal Western Digital hard drive and I've had no problems w/it. I have 3 questions, 1. is it true what they've said about the WD external HD? 2. If I use firewire, do I need 2 add/install anything along w/the HD? 3. I understand Seagate is really good, should I return the WD E HD (it's unopened) and get the Seagate instead?
Thank u all 4 your help.

I've never used a WD HD, so I can't comment on the reliability. I have 2 Maxtor HDs.
However, on your choice of Firewire or USB. Do you have a USB 2.0 PCI card in your Mac? If you plan on using the built-in USB port which is USB 1.1, data transfer will be r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w.
USB 2.0 has approximately the same top rated speed as Firewire. However, in reality, The Firewire speed is the sustained speed while USB 2.0 speed is the maximum & you will get probably half that. USB 1.1 is much, much slower. You don't have to install anything to use Firewire. See USB: Transfer Speed Compared to Other Technologies
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=24531
 Cheers, Tom

External FireWire Hard Drive Recommendations

I know that this has been asked many times and I've read many replies, but I'm looking for some specific information.
I am looking at 1, 1.5, or 2TB drives for my MacBook Pro. The 500GB Western Digital drive I currently have is connected via Firewire. It powers down very nicely when the Mac sleeps and stays connected and powers up when the Mac wakes up.
I'm not using this drive with Time Machine. I have a Time Capsule that my wife and I share. So this drive is just for external storage.
I did pick up a WD 1TB drive with a USB only connection, but it disconnected when the Mac went to sleep and woke up. So I returned it. Besides, I'd prefer firewire for speed. And if I can daisy chain my 500GB drive, that's an added bonus. I've had the 500GB connected with USB or Firewire and never had disconnection problems. After doing a search, I found that the Western Digital that I had (USB only) didn't send enough power through the USB port when it powered down. Therefore the Mac thought that it had disconnected.
I've looked at Western Digital, Seagate, Lacie, and Iomega. All have mixed reviews. And none of them definitively say that they will not disconnect when the Mac goes to sleep and wakes up and/or when the drive powers down to save power.
So I'm looking for some recommendations based on personal experience. Or some "stay away from ...".
I'm in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada so many of the U.S. sites are out of bounds. I'd like to get something that I might be able to retrun if there are problems.
Thanks
Bob

Just to close this one out, I picked up a 1.5TB LaCie d2 Quadra yesterday from a local retailer. The price was just a few dollars higher than mail order and of course no shipping. I ran into an error with the setup assistant and had to format it using the Disk Utility, but otherwise no problems. I've daisy chained my old WD 500GB My Book via FireWire 400 because that's what it had. And the LaCie is hooked up by FireWire 800 of course. Very nice to have the cables in the box.
In any case, it's fast, powers down nicely, plays nice with sleep, and so on. My only gripe might be the spin noise. There's no fan, but the spinning is actually louder than the My Book and is noticeable. Not a bad sound, just there. I'm sure it'll become background noise soon. Plus, the drive will mostly be powered down automatically so I'm not overly concerned. Since the drives are in behind my monitor, I don't see any lights, so no worries there.
So now we'll see about reliability and lifespan. But those are things that are always in question with any drive from any manufacturer. That's why we make backups.
Thanks again for the advice and suggestions.
Bob

Error says my External backup hard drive is read only

I have a WD External drive that I use for my Time Machine backup. I turned on the computer today and it says it cannot backup because the drive is read only. It appears on the desktop and in the Finder window. When I open Time Machine preferences, it's identified as the backup disk. But when I choose "backup now", I get that message (it's read only).
Do I have to partition this again using Disk Utility or is there a simpler solution? Thank you,

See #C6 in [Time Machine - Troubleshooting|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Troubleshooting.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).

External backup hard drive???

I need an external drive to back up photos. I noticed some models eg WD passport have 2 versions of the same drive. The one "for Mac" more expensive for the same model and space.Do I have to buy for Mac??

I would not recommend WD.
They offer proprietery software on their Mac version. You don't need it.
First thing to do if you get the WD is reformat it, and get rid of all their back up software anyway.

My iMac suddenly can't read the backup hard drive I've been using for Time Machine. I did NOT just upgrade the OS or anything. The external HD is an OWC Mercury Elite All Pro. It's worked fine since I got the iMac 4 years ago.`

My iMac suddenly can't read the backup hard drive I've been using for Time Machine. I tried unplugging the cord that connects the HD to the iMac and plugging it back in, but I still get "The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer" below which are buttons for Initialize, Ignore and Eject. I was using a cord that went from larger square plug to larger square plug. So then I tried one that went from smaller square plug to what I think is USB (thin rectangular plug) of the sort that connects the keyboard and mouse. It's the type that my printers and scanners use to connect to the iMac. I did NOT just upgrade the OS or anything. The external HD is an OWC Mercury Elite All Pro. It's worked fine since I got the iMac 4 years ago. What else can I try before just trying to initialize and

Thanks, Michael! I do hear it at times spooling up and running. Just after I bumped the thread I looked for troubleshooting for this drive online and found the manual which suggested using Disk Utility which I've seen before accidentally (if I hit Command Shift U instead of Shift U to type "Unit" on a new folder for a student's homework ) but had never really noticed. Disk Utility does see it and also a sub-something (directory?) which might be the Time Machine archives on the disk, called disk1s2), sort of the way that my iMac's hard drive shows up as 640.14 GB Nitachi HDT7... and has a sub-something titled DB iMac, which is what I named my iMac's hard drive.
Anyway the owner's manual just shows the image under the formatting section, not the troubleshooting section, but as soon as I saw it in the manual I remembered seeing it accidentally a few times, went to it, and am now verifying the disk. Right now it's telling me that it will take 2 hours to complete the verification, so I guess I have a bigt of a wait. :-)
Does that fact that Disk Utilities can see it mean it's not failed, or just that it hasn't completely failed?
I can see the virtue in having multiple redundant backups, or at least two backups. What do you suggest? Two external hard drives? I had this one linked by ethernet, and but I also have a cord that could link it by USB (like a printer), so if this one is reparable I could get a second one and link it by USB. If this one is not reparable I could get two and do the same thing. I do have an Airport so I suppose it's possible to get some sort of Wi-Fi hard drive (my new printer/scanner uses only the network and not a cable, although it has a cable that I used for the initial installation), but I'd suspect a Wi-Fi hard drive might have a higher price.
What hard drives, if any, do you recommend? I seem to recall that when I was looking at external hard drives 4 years ago, Apple's were substantially more expensive, which is why I got the OWC Mercury Elite All Pro.

Easiest Way to Backup Main Hard Drive to External USB Hard Drive

I was wondering what the easiest way is to backup my main internal hard drive to an external usb hard drive on a regular basis?
Thanks for the help

Carbon Copy Cloner is NOT "freeware":
http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html
The trouble with CCC and a USB drive, is that if you ever have trouble with your iBook's hard drive, you won't be able to boot from a USB drive to copy everything back with Carbon Copy Cloner.
I would recommend booting from the Mac OS X install DVD that came with your computer and opening the Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. There you can make a "restore" from your iBook's hard drive to the USB drive. If necessary, you can do the reverse as well.
-Doug

I just had to reformat the external hard drive that houses my iPhoto library, then restore it from a backup. Now Time Machine is telling me my backup hard drive suddenly does not have the space to complete a backup. I also noticed when I go in to Time Mac

I just had to reformat the external hard drive that houses my iPhoto library, then restore it from a backup. Now Time Machine is telling me my backup hard drive suddenly does not have the space to complete a backup. I also noticed when I go in to Time Machine, there are only about 5 backups recorded on the ext. hard drive. There were many more before. Any idea what happened and if I have to buy a new back up hard drive?

Hallo Kieth ,
I am not quite ready to restore the full iphoto library , as I have days of work re - imputting titles,descriptions and enhancement . I hope that your suggestion works , as I use my Macbook basically to work with digital photography. Through time , I will need to delete my library to recover more disc space and I would hate to have to spend more time re - imputting titles and descriptions all over again .
Thanks for your interest and advice.
regards - Alan

Rescue and Recovery 4.3 on Win7 doesn't see a backup on external USB hard drive - Model W510

I've run the Rescue and Recovery utility within Windows 7 on two different external USB hard drives thinking that maybe it was a usb drive issue. When I open the R And R utility in expert mode I can see that both backups exist on their respective drives. I planned on updating my hard drive so I made a full hd backup and the R&R startup disc to boot the laptop from. The bios recognizes either external hard drive at boot with no problems. It shows the names and "+" sign next to drives. So I booted the drive at startup off the DVD drive with the R&R startup disc after I was sure that the bios recognized either external drives. Then when I choose a "Full" restore is of course asks me if I want to use hd, cd/dvd, or external usb drive which I choose the later. It then should show me the backup that I created earlier just as it did when I ran the utility from the Win7 environment so I can choose it to restore from. But I get a blank box showing no backups when I run the 4.3 R&R Startup disc. Again if I boot to Win7 and go into the R&R utility I can see the backup on the exact same USB external drive. Then boot off the CD startup recovery disc and it shows NO BACKUP! Help please! I want to shelf my old hard drive "as is" and create the Restore onto the new hard drive but the utility isn't working for me.
Thanks for any help.

Hmmm,
Seems like that _should_ work. Here's a way you might be able to finesse it: go to the advanced R&R menu in Win 7 and create rescue media on your USB drive. It's essentially the same process as creating the CD - it makes the USB drive bootable and puts a copy of R&R there.
There _should_ be an option to "preserve existing data" but be prepared to lose your existing backup and make it again.
Then just boot the external USB drive and see if R&R recognizes a backup image on the same drive from which you booted.
That's the way I usually migrate to new drives. Maybe it will get around your mysterious problem.
Z.
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External backup hard drive recommendations

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