Just bought 1T ext hard drive for back up, addl storage, boot backup?

I am a NOVICE. Just purchased 1T ext hard drive for backups and additional storage for music, docs, photos, etc. Should I partition, and also include boot? Does this mean 3 equal partitions? Or how much should be dedicated to boot drive? In case you couldn't tell, I am talking over my head.

Thank you for responding. I didn't even know I was Snow Leopard. I should have the disks somewhere, though I'm not sure where the "safe" place is that I put them. The ioSafe instructions suggested Time Machine, though I've heard it can have issues. The external hard drive instructions also suggested using 1 partion and Apple Partition Map, but I see comments suggesting that GUID is better for intel macs which I believe this is as the info says:
Processor Name: Intel Core i3
The "about this mac" info says memory 4 GB. When I select "get info" on the HD it says Capacity: 499.76 GB. So I'm not sure. I have a lot of music CD's I want to install my itunes library currently contains 3.32 GB and that is nowhere close to all the music I want to add. I also need to save MANY text docs, large PDFs and high resolution photos. And would like to start exploring creative Adobe Software, and don't know how big those files end up being.

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I am using a WD external hard drive for backing up my laptop with Time Machine, but I have to do it manually. How do I know when it has finished the back up? How long should it take?

I am using an external WD hard drive for backing up my laptop. I have to do it manually, so I can't set Time Machine to just do it for me. How do I know when it is done backing up? How long should this take?

Triple-click anywhere in the line below to select it:
tmutil compare -E
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C).
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V).
The command will take at least a few minutes to run. Eventually some lines of output will appear below what you entered.
Each line that begins with a plus sign (“+”) represents a file that has been added to the source volume since the last snapshot was taken. These files have not been backed up yet.
Each line that begins with an exclamation point (“!”) represents a file that has changed on the source volume. These files have been backed up, but not in their present state.
Each line that begins with a minus sign (“-“) represents a file that has been removed from the source volume.
At the end of the output, you’ll get some lines like the following:
Added:
Removed:
Changed:
These lines show the total amount of data added, removed, or changed on the source(s) since the last snapshot.

What's the best external hard drive for back-ups?

I have a Powerbook G4 and would like to buy an external hard drive for back-up purposes. It seems impossible to choose one because drives made by every company occasionally fail and only then do people write reviews on them. Every time I hear that LaCie, Maxtor and Seagate make the best hard drives, an equal amount of people say they suck and fail on a regular basis.
My question is:
Who makes a good, most consistently reliable hard drive that I can easily do back-ups with?

The problem with review sites is that your average Joe buys a drive, it dies, so he throws mud at the company without giving any thought to the fact that no factory can attain perfection. And of course this average joe wants the best possible price (in other words cheap as dirt) so the company's tech support is staffed by under payed workers in Bangalore.
Where I work part time we are selling a lot of Maxtor One Touch and Western Digital My Book drives and haven't had a single complaint. Its the kind of store where we get to know our customers (you know, the one where the prices aren't dirt cheap but the service is fantastic) so we'd hear about it if our customers weren't happy. I've had several Maxtor One Touch drives running 24/7 for about 2 years without any failures and I have no complaints about the WD drive either although I've had it for just a couple months.
I've also been very pleased with the items I've gotten from macsales.com. They also aren't dirt cheap (though good) and they have super support. No, make that stellar support.

I bought an external hard drive for backups to use with Time Machine, but however when I try to connect it with the other windows laptop it doesn't work ? intact it doesn't work on any other device except my MAC ?

I bought an external hard drive for backups to use with Time Machine, but however when I try to connect it with the other windows laptop it doesn't work ? intact it doesn't work on any other device except my MAC ?

Do not worry about it.
Time Machine needs that your external drive is formatted in HFS+, or better known as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)". This filesystem is used by Apple on Macs and Windows cannot read or write drives formatted with this filesystem, being this the reason why all your devices do not read the external drive except your Mac.
You can only use your external drive to make Time Machine drives. If you store anything different, you may damage the Time Machine structure, so it is better not to use it as a drive to store other data. Instead, get another external drive to do it or create a second partition on the external drive formatted in FAT32 by using Disk Utility > http://pondini.org/OSX/DU3.html FAT32 can be read by Windows PCs

How can I get all of my music off of my laptop and onto an external hard drive? I bought a new hard drive for it but it got turned into a Time Machine drive...

how can I get all of my music off of my laptop and onto an external hard drive? I bought a new hard drive for it but it got turned into a Time Machine drive... I want to have all of my music on the external hard drive, and NOT on my macbook pro. Thanks everyone

Hello lramospsych,
To move your iTunes media library to a different location, take a look at the article below to walk you through that process. Make sure that you have everything organized before you move everything over.
iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1449
Regards,
-Norm G.

Keep getting a "the disk you inserted was not readable by this computer" when I insert my printer cord into either USB port. Recently installed a portable hard drive for back up purposes. Related?

Keep getting a "the disk you inserted was not readable by this computer" when I insert my printer cord into either USB port. Recently installed a portable hard drive for back up purposes. Related?

Does your printer have a slot for an SD card? Is there are card in the slot? If so, the computer is trying to mount that card as an external device. It might be corrupted so that it can't be read.

Choosing an external hard drive for back up

This is more for general advice than a specific question. Right now I have my hard drive partitioned and use the second as a backup with Time Machine. It will work for most situations but not all, such as a home fire or break-in (all my photos and music, lost forever!).
What I want to do is buy an external hard drive for backup and keep it at work. I would then bring it home every few weeks to update, but otherwise not store it in the same place as my computer. That way I would never lose more than a few weeks worth of stuff. So, a few questions, the nature of which will let you know how much of a novice I am at this.
1) Right now, Time Machine automatically updates once per hour. When I am using the external drive will I be able to set Time Machine up to only update my back up files when I connect the external drive. Is this difficult.
2) Any suggestions on what kind of external hard drive I should buy, or what features I should look for would be appreciated. I live in a remote area, so something I can get from futureshop.ca would be preferable.
3) My hard drive is about 280 GB. What size should I buy.
Advice on any of the above would be appreciated. Also feel free to toss in anything else you think I should know or consider.
Rgds
PF

Snowfog wrote:
This is more for general advice than a specific question. Right now I have my hard drive partitioned and use the second as a backup with Time Machine. It will work for most situations but not all, such as a home fire or break-in (all my photos and music, lost forever!).
What I want to do is buy an external hard drive for backup and keep it at work. I would then bring it home every few weeks to update, but otherwise not store it in the same place as my computer. That way I would never lose more than a few weeks worth of stuff. So, a few questions, the nature of which will let you know how much of a novice I am at this.
1) Right now, Time Machine automatically updates once per hour. When I am using the external drive will I be able to set Time Machine up to only update my back up files when I connect the external drive.
This is what I am currently doing among 3 different backup disks (1 Time Capsule, a WD500GB, and a Lacie 160GB). You won't have to "set" anything up other than attach the new drive and select it in the TM prefs. Then when your done, reselect your normal TM disk.
2) Any suggestions on what kind of external hard drive I should buy, or what features I should look for would be appreciated. I live in a remote area, so something I can get from futureshop.ca would be preferable.
Most any drive will do, as you partition it correctly to begin with.
*_How Should a Time Machine Hard Disk be Prepared?_*
For Time Machine to work properly, the hard disk must be formatted “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” and its’ Partition Scheme should be either GUID or Apple Partition Map.
Time Machine is incompatible with disks partitioned as Master Boot Record (MBR). Unfortunately, this describes nearly every hard drive you can buy because MBR is a Windows partition scheme. (Naturally, this DOES NOT apply to Apples’ Time Capsule.)
For some, Time Machine begins to perform as expected with a new external hard disk. But then the initial full backup or subsequent incremental backups fail. The user only later discovers the hard disk was still partitioned as Master Boot Record (MBR).
One article on Time Machine made this observation: “Virtually everybody will have to open Disk Utility and repartition the disk as APM or GUID. It doesn't really matter which one because the Time Machine disk will not be bootable anyway. APM allows a disk to boot a PowerPC, GUID allows the disk to boot an Intel processor but both are easily digestible by Time Machine on either kind of processor.” [http://www.girr.org/mac_stuff/backups.html]
It’s been recommended by many here that your reserve +at least+ double the size of your primary hard disk, that way Time Machine backups have room to grow as the size of your data grows. Additionally, the more space you give Time Machine the more history it can preserve. The less space you reserve for Time Machine the sooner older backups & deleted items will disappear.
One poster recommended this regarding multiple partitions: “If you do create multiple partitions (half and half would be a good place to start), make sure you use the first partition for Time Machine, and the second for your own stuff (the first one will be on top in the graphical representation shown in Disk Utility; you'll understand when you see the partition tab). This way, you can expand the Time Machine volume at any later time by deleting the second partition. Disk Utility allows this dynamic re-sizing of volumes, but volumes can only be expanded toward the end of the drive, when a volume that comes after is deleted to create the room.” [http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1712437&tstart=0]
Procedure
Connect the hard disk you wish to use for Time Machine backups.
Launch Disk Utility.
It will appear twice in the pane on the left. (Make sure you recognize that it is different from the 2 icons that represent your Macs' internal drive.) The upper entry represent the device as a whole, including the controller inside. The lower entry represents the hard disk contained within the device.
Click on the upper icon of the external hard disk.
Select the "Partition" tab.
For "Volume Scheme" choose "1 partition". (Choose 2 partitions if you intend on storing other data on the disk besides your Time Machine backups. Ensure that the two partitions have different names.)
Name the disk.
Format should be "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)".
Click "Options".
Select either GUID or Apple Partition Map. (See above for significance)
Click "OK".
Click "Apply". Then click “Partition”.
Once the external hard disk is repartitioned, select it again in Time Machine preferences and use it for your backups. If you chose to create 2 partitions, then select the first partition for Time Machine backups, and the second for additional files/folders.
3) My hard drive is about 280 GB. What size should I buy.
Any TM backup drive should be +at least+ twice as large as your Macs internal hard disk.
Let us know if this resolves your issue.
Cheers!

Mountain lion will not install because time machine uses hard drive for back up. What should I do?

I have downloaded Mountain Lion but it will not allow me to install because the time machine uses the hard drive to back up. How do I solve this problem?

Unless you are trying to install on an external hard drive that actually has been used for Time Machine backups, this is usually caused by having a folder named "Backups.backupd" on your hard drive somewhere. It may be at the root level of the hard drive, but may also be elsewhere. Try searching for it, and then delete it. (You shouldn't need it.)

Best external hard drive for backing up iMac?

I have a 20" Intel iMac with 500 GB hard drive purchased 1/07. I would like to buy an external hard drive for backup purposes and have been researching what to buy.
The best backup program for this purpose appears to be Super Duper, but I am having a difficult time trying to determine which hard drive to buy. In reading user comments I notice that none of the major hard drive manufacturers is exempt from severe criticism by some of their customers. I read many complaints of premature failures, lousy technical support, etc.
Can anybody recommend an externmal hard drive setup that will give satisfactory results? By the way, I am still operating with Tiger OS and have no plans to upgrade to Leopard in the foreseeable future.
Bob

Yes, ignore the software that comes with the drives, SuperDuper! will have to be downloaded from the Shirtpocket site, it costs about $28.00 but is well worth it.
(Actually, my friend fell hiking down the mountain and had to have stitches in her scalp, then got to the base and found that someone had broken into her car and stolen her suitcase, so yes, the mountain had an impact.)

I just bought an external hard drive. What files should I back up?

I just bought a 60gig external hard drive and I wanted to know what files should I back up?

The easiest is to drag /Users/<yourhomefoldername> to the backup drive.
Only the files you've created can't be replaced. The rest is on CDs, DVDs, or can be purchased again if need be.
I don't bother with clones because there's always the possibility of trouble down the line if you have to restore from one. (Something could be wrong with the clone, or it could be altered if you have to boot from it.) Why take the chance, when the OS and apps are expendable? And, if you don't test that the clone is good (by restoring to a blank drive), you're just fooling yourself as to its viability.
If the internal drive dies, you take the time to install a new one, load up OS and applications, then copy your home folder back. So your computer will be unusable for a half-day---big deal. This doesn't happen every day.
The main thing is that you've backed up your home folder.

Can i install a second hard drive for back up/storage

i have 1td already and could exchange my mac mini for the server editions but im told its much more complicated
i just want to have enough drive space, is it possible to get another hard drive and have it in the mac mini for back up / storage
or would i simply be best to get a USB hub with an external drive ?

Yes, you can add a 2nd drive. You can review this iFixit.com page for instructions. You would need to purchase their data doubler kit which would include all the parts you need to add it. All you need to remember is to follow their instructions and TAKE YOUR TIME. There are several little screws and plugs that you have to be careful with. Otherwise, it's a breeze to take the Mini apart and add a 2nd drive.
All the Mac Mini Server has extra is an additional 1TB hard drive and the OS X Server app. If you want OS X Server, you can purchase it on the App Store for $19.99 US.

Hi,I'm trying to put all of the songs on my ipod classic to a hard drive for back up but it's only adding songs that I have purchased from the store but none of the albums that I put on from my cd collection.Is there a way to do this please?

Hi,I'm trying to put all the songs from my ipod classic onto an external hard drive,but it is only putting purchases from itunes onto hard drive and not any of my old cd's that I put onto the ipod manually.Am I doing something wrong?Thanks.

Since it has always been very basic to backup your computer and all it's data, Apple provides no way for you to transfer music from your iPhone back to your computer. As you know, you can re-download all iTunes purchases, but music that you ripped yourself you'll have to just re-rip again.
You can try and find 3rd party applications that might help you. I'm sure you'll pay, however.
Let this be a very important lesson learned.
Best.

Hard drive for back up, new i7 MbookPro

Can anyone advise on a thunderbolt drive purchase?

There aren't many out there yet (LaCie is one available this summer) and are quite expensive to use just for backup purposes. I removed my optical drive and install another hard drive (via an OWC DataDoubler) in that bay. Everything is backed up on-board right away via Time Machine. I put the optical drive in an external enclosure I found on eBay for $10.00. The whole process took me about 1/2 hour.
17" 2.2GHz i7 Quad-Core MacBook Pro  8G RAM  750G HD + OCZ Vertex 3 SSD Boot HD 

I just bought a Intenso hard drive and its asking me to erase it before using time machine. should i erase the disk?

Hi all.
I just bought a T1B Intenso Hard Drive.
Plugged into my MacBook Pro and TimeMachine instantly pops up asking me if i want to back up.
I do, so I accept and encrypt it.
However, a message appears and asks me if I want to erase the disk (nothing is on there) to be able to continue.
Should I erase the disk?
Will it corrupt the files saved on it?
Thanks all.
±Adam±

Have you already formatted the drive using Disk Utility? If you erase the drive then, yes, you will lose all data on the drive.
If you want to use the drive as a Time Machine volume, however, you MUST format the drive as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" using Disk Utility (Applications>Utilities folder).
Good luck,
Clinton
MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2011), OS X Mavericks 10.9.5, 16GB Crucial RAM, Crucial M500 960GB SSD, 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display

Best hard drives for backing up macbook pro?

What is the best harddrive for backing up my macbook pro?

ALL HD WILL FAIL, so asking about A (single , one) HD is always the wrong question, its redundancy and more redundancy.
huge storage, low cost, high quality, very small and portable.
BEST FOR THE COST, Toshiba "tiny giant" 15mm thick 2TB drive (have several of them, lots of storage in tiny package)    $100
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Connect-Portable-HDTC720XK3C1/dp/B00CGUMS48    /ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1390020791&sr=8-3&keywords=toshiba+2tb
best options for the price, and high quality HD:
Quality 1TB drives are $50 per TB on 3.5" or $65 per TB on 2.5"
Perfect 1TB for $68
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-Hard-Drive/dp/B005J7YA3W/ref=sr_1_ 1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379452568&sr=8-1&keywords=1tb+toshiba
Nice 500gig for $50. ultraslim perfect for use with a notebook
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-External-Drive/dp/B009F1CXI2/ref=s    r_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377642728&sr=1-1&keywords=toshiba+slim+500gb
*This one is the BEST portable external HD available that money can buy:
HGST Touro Mobile 1TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive $88
http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Mobile-Portable-External-0S03559/dp/B009GE6JI8/ref=sr    _1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383238934&sr=8-1&keywords=HGST+Touro+Mobile+Pro+1TB+USB+3.0+7 2 00+RPM
Most storage experts agree on the Hitachi 2.5"
Hitachi is the winner in hard drive reliability survey:
Hitachi manufacturers the safest and most reliable hard drives, according to the Storelab study. Of the hundreds of Hitachi hard drives received, not a single one had failed due to manufacturing or design errors. Adding the highest average lifespans and the best relationship between failures and market share, Hitachi can be regarded as the winner.
Methodology to protect your data. Backups vs. Archives. Long-term data protection
Hard drives aren't prone to failure…hard drives are guaranteed to fail (the very same is true of SSD). Hard drives dont die when aged, hard drives die at any age, and peak in death when young and slowly increase in risk as they age.
Never practice at any time for any reason the false premise and unreal sense of security in thinking your data is safe on any single external hard drive. This is never the case and has proven to be the single most common horrible tragedy of data loss that exists.
Many hundreds of millions of hours of work and data are lost each year due to this single common false security. This is an unnatural disaster that can be avoided by making all data redundant and then redundant again. If you let a $60 additional redundant hard drive and 3 hours of copying stand between you and years of work, then you've made a fundamental mistake countless thousands of people each year have come to regret.
Countless people think they're safe and doing well having a single external backup of their vital data they worked months, years, and sometimes decades on. Nothing could be further from the truth. Never let yourself be in situation of having a single external copy of your precious data at any time.

Just bought 1T ext hard drive for back up, addl storage, boot backup?

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