IMac with external HDD backup to Time Machine

I have an iMac with a 1TB internal HDD and have run out of space due to the number of photos in my library. I want to move the photos to a 1TB external HDD, then add a new 2TB external HDD to serve as the new Time Machine backup drive. So my setup will include the iMac and two connected external HDDs. What is the best way to set this up so the new Time Machine backup drive captures both the internal iMac HDD and the external photos HDD? Any tips or tricks would be appreciated. Thanks!

First of all, note that Time Machine can only make backups of drives formatted in HFS+ (known as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)"), so your 1 TB external drive has to use that format before moving your photos to it. As you are using it to make Time Machine backups, it is already using that format.
There are two possibilities in order to start using a different external drive for Time Machine:
Move your old Time Machine backups made in your 1 TB external drive to your 2 TB external drive.
Start a completely new backup, deleting the old ones.
In the first possibility, you only have to follow these steps -> Time Machine: How to transfer backups from a current backup drive to a new backup drive - Soporte técnico de Apple After moving your Time Machine backups to the 2 TB external drive, remember to format the 1 TB drive with Disk Utility in order to store your photos there.
In the second possibility, just go to System Preferences -> Time Machine, and choose your 2 TB external drive as your Time Machine drive. Then, format the 1 TB external drive.
In both cases, Time Machine does not make backups of external drives by default, so after moving your photos to the 1 TB external drive, you have to go to System Preferences -> Time Machine -> Options, and remove the 1 TB external drive from the excluded items list. By doing that, the next backup will also include your 1 TB drive.

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Hi, I have a macbook pro with a new hard drive installed. My WD external drive backup on time machine now wont let me access the files. I get a prompt saying 'you do not have permission to access the files'

hi, I have a macbook pro with a new hard drive installed and restored. My WD external drive backup on time machine now wont let me access the files. I get a prompt saying 'you do not have permission to access the files' After my new drive was installed I plugged in time machine and it started backing up. I paused it when I realised that it was running for more than a few minutes. I now realise that it probably started backing up the new hard drive all over again. Which makes me think that the original back up must be on the WD back I cant seem to access it. Any ideas would be helpful.

See E-10 in the first link.
Time Machine Troubleshooting
Time Machine Troubleshooting Problems

Backing up photos on iMac using external hard drive and time machine

How do i back up photos from my imac using an external hard drive and time machine
Thanks in advance

Apple explains how to use Time Machine in http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1427.
Setting up and using TM is very simple to do, connect any external HD (format as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) using Disk Utility ) and your computer shoudl ask if you want to use that EHD for a Time Machine backup. If you have any questions visit your local Apple Store or reseller and they can answer how to setup and use TM and also should be able to offer suggestions on EHDs. My personal preference is OWC (www.macsales.com) Mercury Elite Pro due to the build quality and OWC's level of support.

Time Capsule, External HDD as NAS, Time Machine Backup the NAS

Can I attach an external HDD to Time Capsule to use as a NAS? Then can I use Time Machine on my Macbook to backup both my Macbook and the NAS drive to the HDD in the Time Capsule?

Can I attach an external HDD to Time Capsule to use as a NAS?
Yes. Although it will not exactly be a NAS with its own "brains".
Then can I use Time Machine on my Macbook to backup both my Macbook and the NAS drive to the HDD in the Time Capsule?
No. In order to back up the hard drive using Time Machine, the drive must be connected to your Mac, not the Time Capsule.

HT201250 How to retrieve external drive backups from time machine on hard drive without external drive connected

I am keeping my work files on an external drive which are backed up using Time Machine onto my computer's hard drive. I set it up this way so I can take my actual work drive with me if I need it. However, I just noticed that I can't see any of those files in time machine if the drive itself isn't plugged in, which makes this method useless. Is there any way to get to those, or do I need to reconfigure my backup system? I always thought if something happened to my hard drive I'd have a backup, but that won't work if I can't get to the files.

See Pondini's TM FAQs, for starters.

Help with external hard drive as time machine

specs of my kit
Processor 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3
Software OS X 10.8.2 (12C60)
iomega ego 1tb external hd
I ahve been using this hd for time machine but it is no longer connecting to the mac. i have tried using usb and firewire cables. no joy. i have tried restarting and shutsown on mac. no joy. in disc utilities no external hd found. in system information under firewire it states firewire bus - unknown device.
any help will be greatly appreciated. i have spnet a lot of jours on other forums with no joy
thnaks
leon

I once had a connection failure to an external Firewire Hard drive. It turned out that the Firewire port on the iMac had stopped working. The eventual solution that solved it and got the Firewire port working again was to reset the SMC and Reset the PRAM:
Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
Resetting the SMC for Mac Pro, Intel-based iMac, Intel-based Mac mini, or Intel-based Xserve
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord.
Wait fifteen seconds.
Attach the computer's power cord.
Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the computer.
Resetting NVRAM / PRAM
Shut down your Mac.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (⌘), Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.

External HD backup for Time Machine

I have a 320GB MyBook Ext HD. When I was installing Leopard I got a message that if I chose my Ext HD as a backup HD all the content would erased.
So I didn't select it as a backup HD.
I've purchased another 320GB Ext HD.
What would happen, since my eMac has only one FireWire port, if I hooked up both Ext HDs to that port? Would I get two Ext HD, one in which my files wouldn't be erased and one that would serve as a backup HD?
Could I just hookup the new Ext HD initially to set up Time Machine and then connect the second Ext HD afterwards. Would that save my old Ext HD's files?

I just called Western Digital and the tech guy said I could link the MyBook HDs. He said that another MyBook icon would show up on my desktop and finder.
I'm just nervous about the potential of erasing the older Ext HD.
Is there an idiot proof way to do this?
When I went to the Apple Store last weekend only one person in the store had actually installed Leopard and I had a hard time getting answers. I'm sure now it would be different. The Geniuses hadn't even installed it!

Constant problems with external HD used for time machine.

I have had numerous problems with my backup disk and can't seem to solve the problem... I often get errors with disk not ejecting properly, sometimes when the iMac has gone to sleep, sometimes not. Often the Mac won't recognise the disk when plugged back in (it recognises the other partition though). I can get the disk in disk utility sometimes, but if I run repair disk it finds a lot of errors and tells me it can't fix the disk. I'm told to Backup, format the disk etc.
Running yosemite on a 2008 iMac - disk is Hitachi 1TB usb powered (plugged straight in to iMac). I have prevented spotlight from indexing the HD.
Any advice ideas? Thanks in advance.

applejoose wrote:
I can't because it's a specific type.
Is it hard-wired to the enclosure? If not, examine the connectors and compare with what is available. I doubt that it has a connector that is unique to this particular drive.
If you choose to replace the drive, don't get another manufacturer-branded external. They are often "crippled" so that they can't be used in anything other than the generally cheap enclosure in which they are packaged, or only usable if you re-format them. Here's a comment from a recent Macintouch thread on new Seagate 5TB externals (http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/harddrives/index.html#d23mar2015):
A word of warning for those who want to rip out their drive. If you have data on it, it will only be read by Seagate controllers such as its original case or the GoFlex adapters. If you stick it in something like an IcyDock, it cannot be read and require a reformat. If you used it with another controller, it cannot be read when you put it back on the Seagate controllers.
A good quality enclosure, such as the OWC Mercury aluminum cases, is a good investment. You can choose the drive you install, and you usually get a better drive warranty that way.

Migration Assistant doesn't see external HDD (NOT a Time Machine)

Mid-2010 MBP running 10.6.8 died... HDD was alright so I put it in an enclosure and USB-'d it to my brand new MBP running Yosemite.
The new MBP sees the "Macintosh HD" within Finder just fine and individual files are transferable.
However Migration Assistant gets stuck forever looking for the drive. How do I fix this?
Thanks in advance!!

Yes, I could, but I gave up and just re-created all of the users and groups and reset folder permissions manually.

Does Time Machine only work with external HDD's and Networks?

I have a Mac Mini that I just replaced the optical drive with a hard drive. This second HDD is formated into two partitions, with one of them being for my Time Machine backups, the other a media scratch drive.
When I try to choose this volume in setting up Time Machine, I get an error message that says, +"Are you sure you want to back up to the same disk your original data is on?"+ The message goes on to explain that +"the volume you have chosen for storing backups is on the same disk as the volume containing your data... you should back up to a volume on a different disk."+
The volume that I have selected IS on a different disk than my start-up system drive and the data to be backed up IS NOT on the same disk as the disk storing the backups. System Profiler defines my startup HDD as "BSD Name: disk0" and my second HDD as "disk1," with the two partitions "disk1s2" and "disk1s3." Mount Point for the start-up HDD is "/" and the two partitions on the second HDD are "/Volumes/Scratch Disk" and /Volumes/Time Machine." These two volumes show up as options when I "Choose Backup Disk" in Time Machine, but not the Mini's startup HDD.
Does Time Machine allow the use of second internal HDD? I have an external HDD, but it has a clone of my start-up drive on it. Thanks for any help.

Chris, excluding the other volume could certainly be the issue since the two options that I'm given for a backup volume are both on the same hard disk. The start-up system HDD is not listed. Maybe the message is referring to this, rather than to the start-up disk.
Not until after I selected "use this volume anyway," did I get to the "Option" screen to exclude items from the backup. When I selected "+" I was surprised to find the other volume, Scratch Disk, listed along with the start-up HDD as being included in the backup routine. So I selected Scratch Disk as one of the items to exclude.
As V.K. mentions, the cautionary message is rather vague as to what exactly it is referring to. Thanks.

Time Capsule 4 gen. with iMac OS X Lion 3 Windows PC (XP OS, Vista OS, Seven OS) cable modem with TC as Wi-Fi. Time Machine on iMac found TC for backup easily. Have Wi-Fi access on PC XP with Airport utility but cannot create TC.

Installed today Time Capsule 4 gen. with iMac OS X Lion. I also have 3 Windows PC (XP OS, Vista OS, Seven OS). Internet Access is cable modem with TC as Wi-Fi. Time Machine on iMac found TC for backup easily. Have Wi-Fi access on PC XP with Airport utility but cannot create TC. Does the Airport utility under Windows is way to access backup capabilities with TC ?

The TC is really just an external networked hard disk plus router.. you can access the hard disk and place files on it from any computer. You can backup any computer to the TC but it will have to use a backup software in windows.. there are literally thousands available. The built in msbackup is horrible.. but you can download lots of different software and buy then online for not a lot. Macrium Reflect has a free disk image backup, and when you pay for it includes incremental. I think disk images are well worth it, as they recover much better.. and their is a proper method of recovery using a boot cd.
BTW the TC space is not endless. And it is designed to hold a large number of incremental backups.. so anything you do in backing up several machines will make the number of backups limited. Remember you can also use a usb hard disk plugged in as a Network accessible disk. But it has to be formatted HFS+ or Fat32.. the later being highly undesirable.

I'm having a hard time setting up my external hard from with my AirPort Extreme and Time Machine Backups.

I have been using a Mac Mini with an external hard and Time Machine. I bought an Airport Extreme and have had problem setting up the hard drive using the USB port on the Airport Extreme. I also just recently bought a Mac Book Air and hope to have both computers back up to the external hard drive using Time Machine and Airport Extreme. I have been using the optical drive from the Mac mini to load programs into the Mac Book Air. I think I'm just getting confused in Finder. I am just not seeing the hard drive. I ended up plugging the hard drive back into the Mac Mini and that is work fine again. How do I setting the external hard drive up to the AirPort Extreme and use for both computers? Or at least to start with the Mac mini.

It's critical to understand that Time Machine (TM) stores backups differently between local and network drives. That would mean the TM backup on your locally attached USB hard drive will not be directly useable when it is connected to the AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBS). There is a way to copy a local version to a network version, but it is not fool-proof. When you do connect this drive and point TM to it, TM will start a brand new backup, leaving your existing backup as is.
If your current backup is critical to you, you may want to consider getting a second USB drive to attach to the Extreme and use your existing one as a backup ... or use TM's multi-backup process to backup to more than one destination drive alternatively.
So, at this point, you may want to make a decision on how you want to go forward to help provide a solution for you.
To directly answer your question, when you go to select a destination for a Time Machine backup, the drive(s) that show up under "Backup Disks" are those that TM already recognizes and has backed up to. Those listed under "Available Disks" are drives (either local or on the network) that TM can back up to.

My 5 year old iMac's hard drive is at the point of failing. I'm trying to save al files on it, but it wont allow backup via Time Machine to an external hard drive. How can I keep from losing all the files and programs if the hard drive fails?

I'm concerned that my iMac, purchased 5 years ago, is about the crash and I can't back up my files and programs to an external hard drive via Time Machine because the computer freezes after only a couple hundred MB and gets nowhere near the required amount.
How can I save these files and programs if the computer hard drive fails or has to be replaced without the backup being able to be done? I need to do something quickly, but I'm not sure what I can or should be doing.

Get an external hard drive, some good ones that I like are the OWC, http://www.macsales.com Mercury Elite Pro drives...they are very good and reasonably priced.
Get the drive, connect via USB or FireWire, then use Disk Utility to format the new drive as Mac OS X Extended (Journaled), and then use Disk Utility to Restore the current drive to the new drive. Restore actually clones the drive so you will have a bootable backup on the external drive.
After you have formatted and named the external drive, click Restore in the main Disk Utility window, drag the name of the old hard drive to the Source box, and drag the name of the new external drive to the Destination box. DU will make an exact clone of the internal drive on the external drive.
That clone will be a complete backup of the operating system and all of your data.
You can test it by restarting the iMac and hold the Option key. That will give you a grey screen showing all bootable drives. Just click the external drive, then click the upward pointing arrow under it and the iMac will boot from that drive.

I am running my first backup on Time Machine using a Seagate external hard drive with a thunderbolt adapter and cable. I have a MacBook Pro 2011. It is backing up 11GB, and is telling me it will take approx two days. Is this normal?

I am running my first backup on Time Machine using a Seagate external hard drive with a thunderbolt adapter and cable. I have a MacBook Pro 2011. It is backing up 11GB, and is telling me it will take approx two days. Is this normal?

Download the supplemental fix to 10.7.5
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1599

I recently upgraded my Macbook pro with a new Hard Drive. I then transferred the data using Time Machine. Now when I want to backup using Time Machine again, it won't do it as it did before to the same external HD. How can I get it to reconnect?

Purchased a new, larger solid state drive to replace my old drive. I installed OSX then I had Time Machine do it's magic.
Now when I want to do a backup using Time Machine, it tells me that the external HD is full. When I did so prior to upgrade, it would erase old backups and then do a new backup.
Please help. I am worried about losing files, and am tired of seeing the "Time Machine hasn't backed up in xxx days" Error Message.
Thanks.

it thinks yours is a new machine so it doesn't want to start deleting another machine's backups
see the bottom of this page
http://pondini.org/TM/19.html

IMac with external HDD backup to Time Machine

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