How do i make a make a backup disk for Time Machine?

I need a backup disk for Time Machine

You need an external hard drive. Here's a cheap SATA external hard drive case on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-NexStar-2-5-Inch-External-Enclosure/dp/B002JQNXZC/r ef=pd_cp_pc_0
For a hard drive try Newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=380&name=Laptop-Hard-Dr ives&Order=PRICE
Or OWC http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/

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I need to configure a new hard disk as backup disk for time machine. The set up program is running and it says it will take 9 days to backup about 56 GB. Is it normal ?

I need to configure a new hard disk as backup disk for time machine.
The set up program is running since two hours and it says it will take 9 days to backup about 56 GB.
Is it normal ?

Roberto 17 wrote:
I started this morning at 12 and after 5 hours now the backup is about 6 GB up on 56 GB.
The new HD is a WD My Passport Edge 500 GB capacity
5 hours to do 6 GB of transfer is NOT normal, even for USB 2.0 so there's something wrong here. I'd say cancel it, wipe the drive and then test the integrity of the drive. Do some file transfers over to and see if it's behaving normally. It could be a bad USB cable, it could be a bad drive or bad enclosure. As it's new, I suspect you haven't really put it through its paces yet and it's important to do that first before commissioning it to serve as your "reliable backup."

HT201250 Is it possible to use Dropbox or Microsoft OneDrive as the backup disk for time machine?

I have a MacBook Pro for which I have not set up Time Machine. I have a Dropbox account and a Microsoft OneDrive account, each with plenty of space to serve as backups. Is it possible to use either of these as THE backup disk for Time Machine? It doesn't appear intuitive from Time Machine on my MBP.
Thank you.

No. Time Machine does not work with "cloud" drives.

If I choose a hard drive ask my backup disk for time machine, will it clear out the data that was previously stored in my hard drive?

If I choose a hard drive ask my backup disk for time machine, will it clear out the data that was previously stored in my hard drive?

Hello edjhsu,
Unless the drive is in a format that isn't compatible with Time Machine, the files will not be overrwitten. However it is typically a better idea to keep your files and your backup separate, especially since files on the Time Machine drive will not be backed up by Time Machine.
Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427
Cheers,
Allen

How do I choose a backup disk for Time Machine?

I'm using a 1T Seagate backup disk with 3 partitions to back up on Time Machine. Very suddenly, when it was mounted, the Time Machine icon disappeared, and the Time Machine Partition turned into the generic black Seagate partition-- same as the other two partitions. I ran Disk Utililty; supposedly, everything is fine. I didn't need any of the previous backups, so I reformatted the backup disk. In choosing a disk to use in the Time Machine preferences, I chose a partition. It did perform the backup, and the Time Machine icon was on the desktop while it was backing up, but when I ejected the disk and then plugged it back-- there was the generic icon again.
Also, when I cicked on command e, previously, I was given the option of ejecting one or all three partitions. Now, everything just ejects immediately. Seems like there is a glitch somewhere. In the Time Machine Preferences, the disk with the Time Machine icon at the top of the preferences has an option to select disk and then an option to remove. Why would I remove that disk? Very confusing.

The option to remove the disk in the TM preferences is so you can use another disk if you want.

I have an iMac OS X 10.6.8 and have problems with the backup Disk for Time Machine disconnecting itself with the message that I ejected it improperly.. It ejected itself - why?

I have an iMac OS X 10.6.8 and have problems with the backup drive to Time Machine ejecting itself and so does not automatically backup the way it is meant to do. It is connected with an USB cable to my iMac. What could cause this - malfuntioning drive?

The "iLife" apps are not part of any Mac operating system install and are a separate purchase.
Once you get past 10.6.6 you can purchase and download iPhoto, GarageBand and iMovie. iWeb and iDVD have been discontinued.
Snow Leopard 10.6.6 and higher include the App Store application which is what you use to purchase Lion.

Backup disk for Time Machine not available after recent update.

Please Help!!!
I just did and automatic update that consisted of about 6 items, now my external hard drive is not even recognized! Long story short, Time Machine can not find my external to do a backup.
I have already done all the unplugging and restarting and searching for the disk... Nothing!
Plugged in, my external is Lit and seemingly functioning.
There has GOT to be an easy fix for this one!
Again, HELP!
=Marc

Check that the data cable is securely inserted at both ends.
Try a different cable.
If you're connecting the drive through a hub, connect it directly to a built-in port on the Mac.
If you're connecting it directly, try a different port.
Test the drive with another Mac. Test another drive with this Mac.
Boot from your recovery partition (Mac OS X 10.7 or later) or from your installation disc, and launch Disk Utility. Is the drive recognized?
If the drive doesn't work under any of the above conditions, and if another drive does work with the same Mac, then the drive has failed. You may be able to salvage the mechanism by removing it from the enclosure and installing it in another one, or in a drive dock.

Do I need to encrypts backup disk for Time Machine to encrypt backups?

I have a new LaCie disk that I want to dedicate as my backup. In case it is ever stolen, I don't want others to be able to retrieve files.
I've seen screen shots where Time Machine has a checkbox "Encrypt backups". This seems like what I want, right?
But I'm first erasing the disk to get it ready for backups. Do I choose:
"Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" or
"Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted)"
I.e. will the option in Time Machine not appear unless I format the drive as encrypted?
Thanks.

See #31
Time Machine FAQ

I have used my 2TB TC for wifi and as principal backup disk for Time Machine for a few years. I would now like to begin using another external HD for Time Machine. My question is.... Can I repurpose the Time Capsule to use as storage for libraries?

For example - I plan to use 2TB TC to house my iTunes Media Library and iPhoto Libraries - permitting access from my network.

I believe based on your notes that I need to forget about moving the iPhoto library.... even though I have found in Apple support:
http://help.apple.com/iphoto/mac/9.5/#pht6d607c42
That document says.. and I quote.
You can move your entire iPhoto library to a different computer, a hard disk, or another location on your computer.
Note that none of those locations are network.
A different computer is not network.. a hard disk is a location on the same computer as is computer location.. they are saying the same thing.
Here is what apple says about networks.. which I referenced above.. and Bob referred to.
It's recommended that you store your iPhoto library on a locally mounted hard drive. Storing your iPhoto library on a network share can lead to poor performance, data corruption, or data loss.
These are not inconsistent.. you can move the library.. what you cannot do is use it from a network location.. it must be locally mounted.
And do you think the new Photos will change any of this (though presently I am still on 10.9.5)
This is what we don't know yet.. it does look like photos will be more network aware.. do you want to be on the bleeding edge and discover it fails??
You can use any drive you like locally for TM backups.. however if you plug that drive into the TC and make it a network drive then it will become super slow.. since the TC only has USB2 port. You also cannot use TM backups on a local drive and then move it to the network.. TM backs up differently in network cf local drives.
You must partition the drive. If you want to use the one and same drive for both backups and files, partition it before hand. if you mix the backups with actual data files on the same drive.. you have no backups if the drive fails.. You must have all files on at least 2 drives. For iphoto let me suggest more than 2.. since photos are irreplaceable and it is so easy for things to go wrong.. including fire, flood and theft. Make up a USB drive and park it with relatives.

Can two macs use same disk for Time Machine backup with Airport Extreme?

Hi
I use a Western Digital disk as a wireless Time Machine backup connected to the USB port on my Airport Extreme and it works great. My question is: can my girlfriend use that same disk for Time Machine backup from HER computer too? (I don't mind formatting the disk if needed.)
If she can't, is it then possible to connect a USB hub and have two disks hooked up to the Airport Extreme?
Thanks for helping. I am constantly in awe of all the help people like you give people like me. Thanks!!!
Jakob

I've gone through the manual setup and the assisted setup and can't seem to get my MacBook to use the Time Machine. Any thoughts or help would be greatly appreciated.
Well, as the Jolly Giant points out....+this type of configuration is not supported by Apple+, so it's difficult, if not impossible, to provide a fix for something that Apple says that you cannot do. Reference these Apple Support documents regarding this topic:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2038
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/15139.html
Your situation is not unlike other users who try this and find that one computer may backup...(usually for a limited time before corruption issues start to creep in)...but another computer cannot backup. Count me as one of those users who thought that because things seemed to work that I had somehow "beat the system".
I started getting the corruption error messages after 4-5 weeks of successful backups, so I figured that it did not make sense to continue to try to get a second computer to backup (yes, I too could not setup a second Mac to backup).
Sorry, I could not get a second machine to backup, so can't tell you how to accomplish that goal. If you want to continue to try backing up this way, you might want to also think about a second backup strategy...just in case backups become corrupted on the WD drive.
Maybe if Apple says you cannot do this, they just may be right?
Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

How large should a disk for time machine be vs the hard disk

Can anyone tell me how large a disk for time machine be vs the size of the hard disk?

I usually say 2x or more but your milage may vary on that based on how much your hard drive is actually used, what sort of data (how large the files are) you typically handle and how far back you want your TM backup to go.

How to turn off the 'Use disk for Time Machine?' warning

I have Time Machine set to OFF.
I use cloning software instead; "SuperDuper" with a "Voyager Q" unit attached via FW 800
I rotate my external backups HDs using 2 x 3.5" HDs.
How do I get rid of the annoying message; ‘Use disk for Time Machine?’ each time I attach an external HD?
I have tried the solution at;
http://www.macworld.com/article/133175/2008/04/105notmdrive.html
but doesn't work for me.
Mind you, the article was written for 10.5 and I was hoping the same solution would apply to 10.6.
Anyone have an answer?
Many thanks in advance,
Michael.

Think I just found the answer to my own question.
External drive has to be mounted on the desktop BEFORE the following command is run.
defaults write com.apple.TimeMachine DoNotOfferNewDisksForBackup -bool YES
this assumes you've setup TM
Now I don't see that annoying message.

I am changing to a larger hard drive on my Mac. Can I copy the Aperture library from my backup disk running Time Machine without loosing anything?

I am installing a larger harddrive on my Mac. Can I copy the Aperture library from my backup disk running Time Machine without loosing anything? I am getting help migrating everything else on to the new harddrive, but since copying the 350Gb Aperture library takes a lot of time, I am planning to do that part myself.

I found the following information on Time Machine help about restoring Aperture library from TM
Restoring Your Aperture System
If you buy a new computer or use another system at a different location and want access to the Aperture library, you can install Aperture and then transfer the library from your vault (on your backup disk) to the other computer. If you experience equipment failure or other unexpected events, such as fire or weather-related damage to your equipment, you can easily restore the entire library to your new computer from a backup disk.
HideTo restore the entire library from an external backup disk
Restoring Your Aperture System
If you buy a new computer or use another system at a different location and want access to the Aperture library, you can install Aperture and then transfer the library from your vault (on your backup disk) to the other computer. If you experience equipment failure or other unexpected events, such as fire or weather-related damage to your equipment, you can easily restore the entire library to your new computer from a backup disk.
HideTo restore the entire library from an external backup disk
If you buy a new computer or use another system at a different location and want access to the Aperture library, you can install Aperture and then transfer the library from your vault (on your backup disk) to the other computer. If you experience equipment failure or other unexpected events, such as fire or weather-related damage to your equipment, you can easily restore the entire library to your new computer from a backup disk.
HideTo restore the entire library from an external backup disk
Connect the hard disk drive that contains the most up-to-date vault to your computer and open Aperture.
Choose File > Vault > Restore Library.The Restore Library dialog appears.
Choose the vault you want to use to restore your library from the Source Vault pop-up menu.If the vault doesn’t appear in the Source Vault pop-up menu, choose Select Source Vault from the Source Vault pop-up menu, navigate to the vaults location in the Select Source Vault dialog, then click Select.
Click Restore, then click Restore again.

Backup Drive for Time Machine FILLS UP FAST!

*Be forewarned!*
I have a new iMac 2.8 GHz with an internal 750GB drive (about 500GB free). I bought a 500GB external drive (Western Digital Book My Book™), and after just 4 days of running with Time Machine turned on, I get this error message, "Time Machine backup failed. Time Machine needs 175GB to backup, and only 150GB available." Huh?
I just spoke to someone at the Apple Store's Genius bar, and they recommend a backup drive that is twice the size of your internal drive. (which means a 1.5 TB drive: not cheap...LaCie costs $539)
Also, come to find out some programs simply "don't play nice" with Time Machine. A good example is MS-Entourage, which has a single database file (in the Main Identity folder) which holds all the info for your email, address book and calendar. Mine is 350 MB in size, and it is being backed up IN FULL every hour because, well...I use my email. And every time any changes are made to that single file, it is considered modified, which means it is backed up every hour on the hour, which can quickly add up.
The same is true for the Windows XP or Vista VM files created by Parallels or VMware Fusion. Each are single, 2+ GB files, and each time any change is made to this 'huge' file, it gets backed up repeatedly by Leopard's Time Machine.
_So the larger the backup drive for Time Machine the better_! I'm considering giving up on Entourage (kiss Microsoft goodbye!) and switching to Apple's excellent mail, address book and calendar programs!
Tim Liszt
LisZt Design

Tim,
I just switched from Entourage to Mail (for many reasons). Thus far, I love Mail. You may want to get the Widescreen plugin for it if you like the three-pane configuration of Entourage.
You should also be careful with Address Book if you have syncing set up in Entourage. In other words, probably should turn it off, along with any daemons you may have running. I lost data twice (once before my very eyes!) until figuring this out. Used Time Machine to restore a previous address book with all my contacts.
Thanks for the other information on this thread. Since I should be upgrading my old external drive anyway, it will help in purchasing a new machine for use with TM.
Message was edited by: SPD

Remove disk from backup disks in Time Machine, old backups no longer accessible

I accidentally removed a disk from my backup disks in Time Machine. It said it wouldn't delete any backups, but after reconnecting it, I cannot access any previous backups through the Time Machine interface and it says "Latest Backup: None". The data is still visible on the drive.
What can I do? I really need these backups.
PS This poster appears to have had a similar problem but was never resolved: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4175446

See Pondini's TM FAQs for starters.

How do i make a make a backup disk for Time Machine?

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