Having trouble setting up time machine.

I'm trying to set up time machine and I go to the program, click it on, and then I click "choose backup disk", but there is nothing there. Is there anything I am supposed to do beforehand to give Time Machine a backup disk to save in?
My next question isn't about time machine but it might be related. I have to reinstall windows on my mac. I had it before and somehow it caught a virus, so I had to erase and it went to ****....long story short, It broke, I fixed it. Now i have to repartition my drive though. I assume that I have to split it three ways, one for Mac, Windows, and Time Machine. My question is....I want to leave Mac with the most space of all 3, obviously....whats the minimum I can split it to to install Windows xp and get Time Machine working (unless I'm way off and time machine setup is a different way)?

So one can't back up to a partition on the main disk with Time Machine?
The iMac comes from the factory with a single partition. If you want TM to backup to a second partition on the iMac internal drive, you will need to Partition the drive using OSX disk that came with the iMac (this erases every thing on the hard drive) and reinstall the OS from the DVD.
But, I do not recommend that approach. Backups are generally needed if your hard disk crashes. If you are backing up to a partition on the internal disk, you will lose your backup if/when the drive crashes.
The only reason to use TM on a partition on the internal drive is if you are doing a LOT of version sensitive work (meaning you made need to look at yesterday's work on the same project). But most applications can be set to do incremental change backups of individual projects making TM a ppor choice anyway.
Buy an external drive for the TM backup.
(jk)

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    Jim

    Thank you, Jim Somoygi. I had a similar multi-hour odyssey with a AE and a Comcast cable modem.
    This solved the seemingly endless blinking amber light:
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  • I am having trouble with my Time Machine on Snow Leopard

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    First off, thank you so much to everyone who is trying to help!  I really appreciate it! 
    I opened the "backups.backupdb" folder as you suggested "jeffreyfromtas" and found 2 folders:
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    And thanks again! 

  • Trouble setting up time machine

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    Mike

    Time Machine will only show drives that are formatted as HFS+ and with a certain amount of free space (I think). In theory, Time Machine can backup to your System disk, but this would be a little pointless.
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  • Trouble setting up Time Machine with Time Capsule

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    Hey there,
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  • After changing my wifi password I am having trouble finding my time machine on my network, any help please?

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    First off, thank you so much to everyone who is trying to help!  I really appreciate it! 
    I opened the "backups.backupdb" folder as you suggested "jeffreyfromtas" and found 2 folders:
    dvlynn's iMac and
    dvlynn's iMac 2. 
    The 1st folder seems to contain all the backups from the 1st time it backed up in Sept. 2010 until the last time it backed up without error in January of this year. 
    The 2nd folder contains one file titled "2014-01-03-175020.inProgress"
    I purchased this time machine backup drive in 2010 after the origional drive on my iMac crashed and was replaced.  When that happened my system was updated to Snow Leopard where it is now.  The only major changes I have made are that I moved a lot of large video files off my main drive onto external hard drives to make more room on the iMac. 
    Other than that everything has stayed the same. 
    I'm asking it what size the 2 folders are but it's taking forever to answer and I venture to guess it will be 99.99% in the 1st folder and 0.01% in the second folder. 
    Let me know if that makes any sense. 
    And thanks again! 

  • HT201250 I am having trouble setting up my time capsule.  the amber light is flashing.  i have a Verizon FIOS network that i use for the internet (WiFi) and do not want to configure the Time Capsule to do that function.  I just want the Time Capsule to ba

    I am having trouble setting up my time capsule.  the amber light is flashing.  i have a Verizon FIOS network that i use for the internet (WiFi) and do not want to configure the Time Capsule to do that function.  I just want the Time Capsule to back up.

    Simple.. bridge the TC.. in the apple utility in the NAT and DHCP area.
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  • TS3972 having trouble setting date and time

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    You would probably benefit from a couple of things, first going through these 2 links
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    You do need to know that Apple may not support this: Here's the official word: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1733 (Leopard) or http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/15139.html (Snow Leopard).
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    Check around the forum, you are one of very very many. It doesn't matter what WD say, do you see a Certified by Apple notice on it?
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