External hard drive can't be found as a backup disk in time machine and I can't reformat it in Disk Utility.

Just bought a samsung 500gb external hard drive because I need to backup my mac to do a full system reboot because it is completely messed up after downloading the new yosemite update.
But when I go to time machine it isn't offered as an option for a backup disk. I go to disk utility and I can't reformat the hard drive from MS-DOS (FAT) to Mac OS extended (Journaled). I try to change it and it reverts back straight away and I can't change the name of my hard drive. I don't understand what I have to do, i'm currently in safe boot because my laptop runs too slow in normal mode.
Any help would be great.
MacBook Pro

Select a new partition in disk utility.. change the drive options then to GPT from MBR.
And then select Mac OS for the format.
It should work.. if not get a friend with a mac to help you.

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This is a tricky one.
Open up Time Machine and go back to a date using the timeline on the right side of the window when you know the drive was working and was backing up as part of Time Machine backups.
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Right-Click on the name of the external hard drive and then click on "Restore (name of drive) to....." You may be asked for your adminstrator password at this point.
It might be easier to restore the drive contents to your desktop if you have room on your Mac, and then copy things over to the new external drive where you want to store the Aperture and iMovie Libraries.
Once the libraries have been moved over the new external hard drive, you will likely need to "point" Aperture and iMovie to the location of the libraries on the new external hard drive.

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Any of these SATA HDDs that are at least the same size as your internal HDD (preferably larger capacity). In addition you will need an enclosure, preferably one with a Firewire as well as a USB connection.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/
Ciao.

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You might want to check your process for moving your iTunes music against this: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527.

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I had an HP laptop with Itunes on it and kept my library on an external hard drive. I had a 160gb classic Ipod. My computer died and i am buying a new one (mac is out of budget) When I get my new computer, obviously I will download Itunes. My Ipod s

I had an HP laptop with Itunes on it and kept my library on an external hard drive. I had a 160gb classic Ipod.
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Thanks in advance

The following user tip is worth checking through:
Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device

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Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
The purpose of this exercise is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
Be sure your Mac is shut down.
Press the power button.
Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold the Shift key. The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone, but not before the tone.
Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple icon and the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem(s)?
After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)

I am setting up a new Time Capsule to replace another hard drive. Is there any way to include the the Time Machine history from the old drive on the new Time Capsule?

I am setting up a new Time Capsule to replace another hard drive. Is there any way to include the the Time Machine history from the old drive on the new Time Capsule?

Check item #18 of Time Machine FAQ, particularly the material in #3 of the "How to" section.
By the way, you've been misled by poor field labeling on this forum into typing a large part of your message into the field intended for the subject. In the future just type a short summary of your post into that field and type the whole message into the field below that.

HT4527 I transeferred my itunes to a new computer via external hard drive, however over 4000 plus songs have a ! mark beside it and they cannt be played as itunes states that the location can not be found. how do i fix this so all my music can be played.

Hi
I recently moved my itunes to a new computer by using a external hard drive.
However my itunes music is not all playable. over 4000 songs have a ! mark and when tried to be played or copied to ipod or iphone, it says that this song cannot be found and asks to locate it.
How do i fix this problem so that all my songs are available in itunes

It is probably best to start over. These are two possible approaches that will normally work to move an existing library to a new computer.
Method 1
Backup the library with this User Tip.
Deauthorize the old computer if you no longer want to access protected content on it.
Restore the backup to your new computer using the same tool used to back it up.
Keep your backup up-to-date in future.
Method 2
Connect the two computers to the same network. Share your <User's Music> folder from the old computer and copy the entire iTunes library folder into the <User's Music> folder on the new one. Again, deauthorize the old computer if no longer required.
Both methods should give the new computer a working clone of the library that was on the old one. As far as iTunes is concerned this is still the "home" library for your devices so you shouldn't have any issues with iTunes wanting to erase and reload.
I'd recommend method 1 since it establishes an ongoing backup for your library.
If you have an iOS device that syncs with contact & calendar data on your computer you should migrate this information too. If that isn't possible create a dummy entry of each type in your new profile and iTunes should offer to merge the existing data from the device into the computer, otherwise the danger is that it will wipe the information from the device.
If your media folder has been split out from the main iTunes folder you may need to do some preparatory work to make it easier to move. See make a split library portable.
Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library, or a backup of it, then see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device for advice on how to set up your devices with a new library with the maximum preservation of data. If you don't have any Apple devices then see HT2519 - Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store.
tt2

Moved my files to external hard drive, now files not found. Help?

My Itunes folder having outgrown my memory, I moved all the files to my external hard drive, following the directions in Itunes. I was able to play the songs as long as the hard drive was connected. However, I opened Itunes mistakenly without the E: Drive connected, and it opened blank, with no files in place. I closed, hooked up the hard drive, and opened Itunes again, holding down the shift key and choosing the library on E: (the xmp file). The files now show up, but when I try to play them, I get a message indicating that the file isn't found, do I want to find it? I can, but I don't want to go through 5000 files and add each one individually. If I try adding or importing the folder again, the file is simply in itunes twice. I can always import everything again, but I don't want to lose all my ratings, last-played, etc. It took a lot of time to listen to and rate all those songs. Any help would certainly be appreciated. Thanks.

I am having the same problem. I moved my itunes library to an external drive to free up the space on my notebook and now I "get files not found do you want to search" If I search I can find the song in Windows but have to find each song individually, I have 2600 songs I burned from my CD collection, it would take way too long. I have tried copying the file to the same drive, I have reintalled itunes multiple times. I have checked Apple and my computer is "authorized". Is there any way out of this? Otherwise I will be limited to just having the music I already have on my ipod and being unable to add any more, and if that ever bocomes compromised I would be unable to restore it. None of my music is purchased from itunes, it is all burned from my CD's.

External hard drive can't be found as a backup disk in time machine and I can't reformat it in Disk Utility.

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