I want to partition my Mac's Hard Drive

But I don't have the space.  I wanted to backup the hard drive onto an external hard drive and do a system reboot.  But I'm afraid it won't work and I'll lose everything.  What would be the best way to clear up space, aside from deleting unnecessary things, so that I have the room to partition my hard drive?

If you intend to erase your Internal Hard drive, you should make TWO copies of your data, possibly using different methods, as a hedge against a Backup being Bad when needed.
Remember that you can re-create Mac OS X and pre-Installed Applications through a re-Install, so backup of Mac OS X itself is optional.
External drives in enclosures can be had for well under US$100. Buy several. USB is prefectly adequate for backups, but not very good for Production data.
If your drive is getting full, you don't have room to partition it, and never will. You may need a larger Internal Drive (and an enclosure to hold it while you install Mac OS X on it).

Similar Messages

  • I want to partition my Mac Book hard drive into 3 Partitions

    I am running Mac 10.4.9 and want to partition my machine, I guess I can use the Mac OS install CD
    I have with me, can some one provide some instructions on how this can be done.

    why is partitioning not supported for Tiger.
    Good question, but all I can say is that built in Disk handling & repair has always been quite limited on Macs.
    Mac OS install disks come with a disk utility which can do the job, but I found none.
    Not sure what you found none of!? Disk Utility is on the Install Disk...
    "Try Disk Utility
    1. Insert the Mac OS X Tiger Install disc that came with your computer, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
    2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
    *Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
    3. Click the First Aid tab.
    4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
    5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
    6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
    But you still don't want to partition it if possible, and those two APPs means there is absolutely no need to.

  • Creating Partition in Mac Mini Hard Drive

    i Have buy a mac mini a week ago, but before three days ago, some file got corrupted, and it does not start, only the password screen appears, when i entered the password, the screen appears again. and it continues. Now i want to partition the mac mini hard drive. i have only one drive, and i want to create another partition in the hard drive. when i create another partition  through the disk utility , i gives error, and cannot create the partition. i acutally want that first i make partition in the hard drive, and after using the "restore from time machine option" to install the mac osx lion in the system. Please help me in make the partition in the hard drive.

    Apple themselves don't specify hard drive RPM because they buy a number of different drives, some apparently 4200 some apparently 5400.
    It's no surprise that your retailer wants you to buy a G5 though, and is trying to upsell one based on the minis weaknesses - after all, they get more money from a G5 sale than from a mini. They may also be considering your planned use of Photoshop as a stumbling block to effective use of a mini, but the question really is what you intend to use Photoshop to do. If you're a hobbyist, the system is fine and will work more than adequately - particularly if you max out the RAM. If you're a professional user with pro-level expectations, then a mini likely wouldn't be sufficient, not so much due to the drive speed (powerbook users have run Photoshop verisons for years quite happily on what are predominently 4200rpm drives) but because for pro work, Photoshop needs a lot of hard drive space and a great deal of RAM.
    On the basis of what you've posted, I'd say your retailer is more interested in their profit than your need. Chances are, if you run PS on the G4 listed in your profile, you're already running on a drive of similar general performance.

  • Want to partition a new External Hard drive for both pc and mac

    Hello!
    I am going to partition a new Seagate external hard drive for both my pc and mac.  What format do I choose for the PC partition?  MS-DOS (FAT), ExFAT, or Free Space.
    Thank you!
    Nikki

    If I may suggest:
    Drive Preparation
    1.  Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
    2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
    3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
    4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
    5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
    6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
    7. After formatting has completed select the main entry for the new drive (mfgr.'s ID) then click on the Partition tab in the DU main window. Click on the large partition rectangle then click on the Add [+] button. The partition should divide into two equal volumes. Resize as you prefer. Select the second or bottom volume to use on the PC. Set the format type to ExFat, then click on the Apply button. Wait for the two volumes to finish mounting on the Desktop.

  • Is it possible to partition my MacBook pro Hard drive?

    I want to partition my MacBook Pro hard drive. is that possible? And if yes, How do i go about it? Thanks

    Use the Disk Utility in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder to create a new partition of the desired size. Note that if you use Boot Camp, repartitioning the drive may disable it.
    (72049)

  • HT4718 I want to install a new internal hard drive for my Macbook (13in, Late 2009) and restore to factory settings. However, I want to keep my Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

    I want to install a new internal hard drive for my Macbook (13in, Late 2009) and restore to factory settings.  However, I want to keep my Mac OS X Snow Leopard., which I downloaded from the app store. How can I restore computer with the updated OS?

    What I did on our two computers was partition the hard drive so that both Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion can be used on the computers. This allowed me to be able to retain/use older applications and games on the Snow Leopard partition. This will allow you to do a clean install of Mountain Lion on the newly created partition. The Mountain Lion installer has a button that allows you to select another drive so you don't install it over Snow Leopard. I cleverly name one partition Snow Leopard and the other one Mountain Lion so I wouldn't confuse the two (I never claimed to be smart).
    To partition, you need to have sufficient free hard drive space (I suggest 50 GB minimum). Boot off the Snow Leopard DVD or the disks that came with the computer and use Disk Utility to partition your hard drive into two partitions. If you plan to make Mountain Lion your primary OS, then you can reduce the size of the Snow Leopard partition so most of the free hard drive space is available for Mountain Lion. While booted off the disk, you can install Snow Leopard on the partition you want it on.
    Restart and download Mountain Lion, remembering to select the correct partition before installing. I would make a copy of the installer and move it out of the Applications folder because the installer self destructs.
    After getting all that sorted out, I found that while booted in Mountain Lion I could access the Snow Leopard partition. That allowed me to drag files and applications from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion. Applications that won't work with Mountain Lion will be grayed out with a slash through them.

  • Can i make (for example) 3 partitions on my external Hard Drive, and make different formatations for each, so i can share files of one of them in a pc and mac?

    Hello ...
    My name is Rui, i'm from Portugal ... (so please be patiente with my english, it can get a bit confusing)
    so... first of all ... i have to say ... i'm still a pc user ... i don't have a Mac ... yet ... they are sold out right now in the shops near me ... i am waitting for them to arrive so i can pick up mine ... (i wish in a couple of days i will be entering the Mac world ....) ... i'll be picking the "entery" iMac model, the 21,5'', i5 with 500gb hard disk ... well .. i know it's the cheapest one (i hope it is a good machine tho) ... but it's my entering Mac world too (my only apple products till know were the ipod ...) ... one of my concerns are being the 500gb hard drive ... that for my pc experience is a little bit short ... that makes me a little scared (but paying 300e for the next model to have a 1tb disk, it's not a good option for me right now) ...
    so..
    I've been reading a lot about iMac's ans OS X so i can get familiar with this all new world ...
    and i couldn't get any answer for some of my doubts... so i decided to ask you Mac Users ..
    My idea is to have an external HD to store files (and not to fill the 500gb of the iMac) ... and i am wondering if it would be possible to make this ...
    - make three partitions on the external Hard Drive and
    - the first be formatted in Mac OS extended (journaled) mode
    - the second on fat 32 - so i can store and share files with a mac or pc
    - third be reserved for  Time Machine
    i wonder would that be possible... or would make sort of incompabilities ... would it work all well ?
    hummm ...
    I hope someone can help me with this ...
    ... if it is a silly question ... sorry ... but please remember, i've never had a Mac computer (i'm waiting for my 1st iMac to be available on store) ... so a lot of things are "flying" in my head right now ...
    ... and of course .. sorry for my english ... i hope you all understood me ...
    thanks (obrigado) a lot for your patience...
    Rui from Portugal

    Hi! Dwagner, once again ...
    I've just got my Mac last friday ... i'm still getting amazed with this new world to me ... eehe .. quite different ... but
    ... "i can do it, i can do it" eheeh
    i'm in that period that a new question appears at almost every mouse click ... lol
    so ... can you help me (once again) ..
    you said you had your hard drive with this settings...
    "You can partition for OSX (extended Journal) - read/write by only OSX or read only by Windows via BootCamp
    You can partition for Windows (NTFS) - readable by only Windows
    OR - you can format with ex-FAT and this is read/write capable for both operating systems."
    how did you formated the partition in NTFS ? ... on the mac? using the "disk utility" ? or did you use another program to do so ...?
    i hope i'm not "bugging" you ... this might be a silly question for most of people ... but right now ... it's a major question for me ... ehehe
    once again Obrigado (Thank You)
    Rui from Portugal

  • I have a new mini mac and i want to use my existing external hard drive but it needs to be reformated how do i do this without loosing all my old photos?

    i have a new mini mac and i want to use my existing external hard drive but it needs to be reformated how do i do this without loosing all my old photos?

    Formatting will erase the drive.
    You need to copy the photo's to either your old computer, the Mac Mini or to a new external drive and then decide what to do with your existing external drive.
    For example: You could use one External drive for Photo's and one external drive for Time Machine to backup both your Mac Mini and the Photo drive.

  • I am semi-retiring my old mac mini and want to use it as a hard drive for my macbook pro.  Does anyone know how to do this?

    I am semi-retiring my old mac mini and want to use it as a hard drive for my macbook pro.  Does anyone know how to do this?

    1. Remove the drives, install them in external enclosures.
    2. Use a Firewire cable to connect to your computer. Boot the mini into Target Disk Mode - Transferring files between two computers using FireWire

  • How do I erase all data on one of the 4 partitions on my Mac. Hard Drive

    How do I erase all the data on one of the 4 partitions on my main Hard Drive???

    If it is not your startup partition:
    Volume Erase
    1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
    2. After DU loads select the desired volume from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
    3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Erase button.

  • I have an early 2008 Mac Pro and want to install a 3TB internal hard drive. Is this compatible? The manual indicates 1 TB per bay, but I have already installed two 2 TB hard drives in two other bays, and have had no problems. Any suggestions?

    I have an early 2008 Mac Pro and want to install a 3TB internal hard drive. Is this compatible? The manual indicates 1 TB per bay, but I have already installed two 2 TB hard drives in two other bays, and have had no problems. Any suggestions?

    RE: SATA Bus speed:
    Typical Rotating drives available today, whatever their SATA spec, can source data off the spinning platters no faster than about 125MBytes/sec.
    SATA 3 is rated at 6G bits/sec, which theoretically is about 750 Mega Bytes/sec
    SATA 2 is rated at 3G bits/sec, which is theoretically about 375 Mega Bytes/sec
    SATA 1 is rated at 1.5G bits/sec, which is theoretically about 187.5 Meg Bytes/sec
    None of the SATA Busses is a bottleneck for consumer Rotating drives you can buy today. Trying to speed up the SATA Bus will not provide any real-world performance increases for Rotating Drives.
    https://discussions.apple.com/message/22690384

  • I have an external hard drive set up as a Time Machine backup on my IMac. I want to add a second external hard drive and put my Aperture Photo Library on it. Is there a way to have the photos on this second hard drive automatically back up to the Time Mac

    I have an IMac with an external hard drive set up as  a Time Machine for automatic backups. I want to add a second external hard drive and load my Aperture Photo Library on to it so that the library can be shared by both me and my wife. Is there a way to automatically backup the photo library that will be on the second hard drive to the Time Machine hard drive?

    Open System Preference > Time Machine
    Click Options....
    Ckick on external disk in list and hit the - button below the list to remove from the Exclusion list
    Allan

  • Partitions on an external hard drive?

    Just wondering if anyone recamends using "Partitions" on an external hard drive?
    I have a Apple Power Book G4 w/Mac OS 10.2.8., 768MB of ram, 40GB internal HD and in the middle of installing my new Seagate 300GB firewire external HD. I'm going to be using Digidesign Pro Tools for audio recording/editing, iPhoto, iTunes and iMovie.
    The directions for the external HD says I have to format the drive first because I'm using a Mac. I'm just wondering if anyone thinks I should divide it up into partitions and if so, what size for each one? I've heard it's easier to organize/find files by partitioning the drive since it's so big? Is there any pros/cons to partitioning?
    The external hard drive also came w/"BounceBack Express" backup software for one button back up. Should I install this software or does my Powerbook already come w/backup software?
    please help
    any thoughts would be very appreciated, thank in advance!!

    I've experimented with partitioning before and never really seen a perceptible performance benefit. That being said, I have partitioned my 150GB drive because I use Carbon Copy Cloner to back up my Powerbook. By creating a separate partition the same size as my Powerbook drive, I don't have to worry about Carbon Copy Cloner erasing files I put on the drive that are not on the Powerbook's drive.
    I only use the second partition to store files that I do not want on the Powerbook drive and the first partition is a mirror copy of my Powerbook. Since you now have plenty of drive space, you might want to consider using a piece of it as a back-up and having one extra partition the exact size of your Powerbooks drive makes sense for this purpose.
    Carbon Copy Cloner is a free download too.

  • New to MAC, External Hard Drive Problem Transfering files to MAC

    Hello All.
    First I'm new to the MAC world, just bought my powerbook pro yesterday. Love it. I tired looking for this topic and found similar post but no solutions that I understood.
    10.4.9
    I have a 260GB NTFS external hard drive with about 100 gigs of info on it. I used it with my PC, running XP Pro.
    I want to be able to access that HD from my MAC but all I can do is read, I cannot write. I was hoping it would just hook up to my MAC and I'd be able to read and write.
    I do not need to be able to use this HD with my PC anymore. I'm 100% MAC now. I was hoping someone could give me some advice on how to make that happen. Do I have to reformat my HD? What system is that FAT32, NTFS? Something else? And how do I go about doing it?
    Thanks to all.
    D-Power

    Welcome to Apple Discussions!
    You are correct, Macs can only write to FAT32, or Mac formatted hard drives with the built-in software, unless the Mac is networked to the PC, as this article describes:
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=19652
    You can also add Macfuse to the Mac, to connect to an NTFS drive, and that's linked here:
    http://code.google.com/p/macfuse/
    To reformat the drive, you'll have to erase it with Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility. Thus before you can reformat it, you'll have to copy over any essential information. The Partition section under Disk Uitlity lets you create a GUID Mac formatted partition under its Options button, and that is ideal for both Intel iMacs and MacBook Pros. If the label under the screen says Powerbook, let us know, and we'll direct you to that forum instead, if we can't answer your question here. Apple Partition Map on the other hand is the ideal for Powerbooks, and PowerPC based Macs. Formatting GUID or Apple Partition map, will let you boot from that drive, to verify that a clone backup was done properly depending on which Mac you made the clone for. Formatting FAT32 or NTFS won't let you make a full backup of your internal hard drive, and only will let you use it for backing up user documents. I highly recommend Shirt-pocket Superduper for backing up, as my FAQ* explains:
    http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html
    P.S. The MacBook Pro is the Intel version of the Pro notebooks. You posted to the Intel iMac forum. The Intel iMac looks like: . So unless you have that Mac, you are in the wrong forum. There is no such Mac as the Powerbook Pro. You'll see the label in front says MacBook Pro below the screen if that's what you got. Here's the forum for it for category reference:
    http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=190
    And pick a forum within it to post a new topic, if I can't answer your question here.
    In addition, this nomenclature article will be helpful as well:
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=503342&tstart=0
    * Links to my pages may give me compensation.

  • I have Lion as my current and main OS. Is it possible to partition part of my hard drive for Snow Leopard?

    I have Lion as my current and main OS. Is it possible to partition part of my hard drive for Snow Leopard? I'm good on partitioning but when I insert the Snow Leopard install disk a message tells me I can't run the install program because I currently have Lion installed... obviously. Have I gone about this the wrong way? Do I need to boot the computer using the Snow Leopard install disk instead of my main HD?

    Apple will never update that as for the most part it is true, and the fact that they really don't want you to run older OS X versions (for whatever reason).
    Now this probably won't work with the next line of MBPs and MBAs that come out. But it is for the current builds.
    But as I stated you need one of the lastest builds of SL for it to even boot the system.
    It won't work with the retail 10.6.3 DVD disc. That version does not have the correct drivers for the newest Mac's.

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