Mac mini vs. Lacie Ethernet Hard Drive

So I just got a new Lacie Ethernet Disk mini that I'll be hooking up to my router. I also have a "spare" Mac mini that I thought about using as a file server. Both would just be connected to the router.
Which do you think would be faster in terms of access speeds? The Mac mini or the Lacie drive?
Ultimately I'll just be storing/accessing things like photos and design files.

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
It can be done, but it's a very VERY expensive way of adding an external drive. Far better to sell it and buy a much less expensive external drive with far greater capacity and faster speed.
However, if you do with to do this, connect the two with a firewire cable, and with the iMac already running, boot the mini while holding the T key until the mini appears as a drive, mounted on the iMac desktop. That's firewire target disk mode.

Similar Messages

  • I've got a late 2009 mac mini with a 320gb hard drive and I want to upgrade it to a 1tb drive or bigger. What HDDs are compatible with my mini?

    I've got a late 2009 mac mini with a 320gb hard drive and I want to upgrade it to a 1tb drive or bigger. What HDDs are compatible with my mini?
    Because of the price I'm not interested in solid state drives, unless of course you want to send me $1,000.
    I've already got external drives but I take my mini back and forth to work and don't want to carry those drives with me.
    I'm not interested in buying a laptop. My mini works great so why waste $1,000 or more when I can buy a 1 to 3 TB hdd for under $300 and have exactly what I want. My late 2009 Mac Mini with a large hdd.
    I went to Crucial's website and they can't tell me what drives fit my Mac Mini. That's where I got my ram (8GB). I'm ONLY interested in name brand quality HDDs.

    The limiting factor in your 2009 mini is the max 9.5mm drive thickness.
    One of the largest capacity 2.5" drives that meets this criteria is the HGST (formerly Hitachi) at 1.5GB
    Any reputable SATA HDD you can find that is not thicker then this 9.5mm will work.

  • Can I replace the optical drive on a 2010 mac mini with a second hard drive?

    i was just wandering how easy it would be (if at all) to replace the optical drive on my 2010 Mac Mini with a second hard drive
    we use it as a media server only, and the DVD is almost never used

    http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/drive_bracket/datadoubler/

  • Mac mini as an external hard drive

    Can I use a mac mini as an external hard drive? if i can how do I make the connection?

    You would restart the mini while holding down the T key on the attached keyboard. This puts the mini into Firewire target mode. Assuming the mini is attached to a monitor, you will see a moving Firewire logo on the screen indicating the mini is in target mode.
    From there, all you have to do is plug it into the FW port on a second computer and it will look just like a hard drive to the other computer.

  • How can I transfer pictures from my old Mac mini to an external hard drive?

    HHow can I transfer pictures from my old Mac mini to an external hard drive? Thanks.

    Normally you should be able to drag and drop them onto the drive, provided the drive is Mac formatted. Have you already tried that?
    Matt

  • Airport Express with LaCie Ethernet Hard Drive

    I have an existing airport express that currently is serving me just fine for wireless internet access (for mac mini, two pc laptops), print sharing and itunes.
    I recently purchased LaCie's Ethernet hard drive. I am not able to use the usb port for to set the drive up - but was told buying D-Link Wireless G Router would do the trick and work in "tandem" with the AE. Anyone know how to figure this out? No problem using the AE for just print sharing and itunes - but does anyone know if this can be done? I would like to hook up the ethernet drive and possibly a Tivo but am limited w/ the Airport Express. At the same time, I don't want to replace the benefits of having the AE and do not need it to necessarily extend my network either.....

    Well...I did just that - bought a D-Link 4-port router and hooked everything up. I disabled the AE router and have not been able to find the drive at all on any of my wireless connections. However, when I hooked up an ethernet cable from my laptop (pc) directly to the new router - i was able to see drive and access the login dialog box.
    After having to reset the AE - and reestablishing the wireless network and checking all connections - I still had no luck. My wireless internet connection was working just fine so it appears that this setup is close to working - but still no recognition of a ethernet drive. Any ideas? Thanks.

  • How do I transfer photos from my mac mini to my external hard drive without iPhoto?

    I am trying to get my already downloaded onto my mac photos onto my external hard drive but my computer will not alow me to.
    Any Help?

    I've been trying to do the same myself, want to move pictures from my new iMac to my new Macbook Air, made the switch big time!   I thought that a Mac was famous for ease of use.   Plug in passport usb portable, find it in the finder, open another finder winder, try to drag photo library over..... nope.    Open the Iphoto program, edit, select all, drag to passport...... nope.  Extremely frustrating.  On a PC it would be done in minutes or less.  Either my head is in the wrong place or I'm missing something.   GGRRRRRRR     Any help would be appreciated before they both go back in their boxes and I pull the PC back out of the closet.   LOL

  • Can anyone help with clearing space on my Mac Mini, it says the hard drive is full and runs slowly.

    Please help, we got the Mac Mini from a family member so it may have his stuff on it but no longer required, we have only put a smal amount of data on it so don't believe we have over filled it. I backed up to a hard drive all photos etc as I thought it may be them filling it, now I cannot even scan a document to it. Is there any way to Defrag it as you can normally do to a windows system as well as either declutter it or restore the whole thing.
    Best Regards
    Smithy

    The first thing to do with a second-hand computer is to erase the internal drive and install a clean copy of OS X. You — not the previous owner — must do that. How you do it depends on the model, and on whether you already own another Mac. If you're not sure of the model, enter the serial number on this page. Then find the model on this page to see what OS version was originally installed.
    1. You don't own another Mac.
    If the machine shipped with OS X 10.4 or 10.5, you need a boxed and shrink-wrapped retail Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6) installation disc from the Apple Store or a reputable reseller — not from eBay or anything of the kind. If the machine has less than 1 GB of memory, you'll need to add more in order to install 10.6. Preferably, install as much memory as it can take, according to the technical specifications.
    If the machine shipped with OS X 10.6, you need the installation media that came with it: gray installation discs, or a USB flash drive for some MacBook Air models. For early MBA models, you may need a USB optical drive or Remote Disc. You should have received the media from the previous owner, but if you didn't, order replacements from Apple. A retail disc, or the gray discs from another model, will not work.
    To boot from an optical disc or a flash drive, insert it, then reboot and hold down the C key at the startup chime. Release the key when you see the gray Apple logo on the screen.
    If the machine shipped with OS X 10.7 or later, you don't need media. It should boot into Internet Recovery mode when you hold down the key combination option-command-R at the startup chime. Release the keys when you see a spinning globe.
    2. You do own another Mac.
    If you already own another Mac that was upgraded in the App Store to the version of OS X that you want to install, and if the new Mac is compatible with it, then you can install it. Use Recovery Disk Assistant to create a bootable USB device and boot the new Mac from it by holding down the C key at the startup chime. Alternatively, if you have a Time Machine backup of OS X 10.7.3 or later on an external hard drive (not a Time Capsule or other network device), you can boot from that by holding down the option key and selecting it from the row of icons that appears. Note that if your other Mac was never upgraded in the App Store, you can't use this method.
    Once booted in Recovery, launch Disk Utility and select the icon of the internal drive — not any of the volume icons nested beneath it. In the Partition tab, select the default options: a GUID partition table with one data volume in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format. This operation will permanently remove all existing data on the drive.
    After partitioning, quit Disk Utility and run the OS X Installer. You will need the Apple ID and password that you used to upgrade. When the installation is done, the system will automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant, which will prompt you to transfer the data from another Mac, its backups, or from a Windows computer. If you have any data to transfer, this is usually the best time to do it.
    Then run Software Update and install all available system updates from Apple. To upgrade to a major version of OS X newer than 10.6, get it from the Mac App Store. Note that you can't keep an upgraded version that was installed by the previous owner. He or she can't legally transfer it to you, and without the Apple ID you won't be able to update it in Software Update or reinstall, if that becomes necessary. The same goes for any App Store products that the previous owner installed — you have to repurchase them.
    If the previous owner "accepted" the bundled iLife applications (iPhoto, iMovie, and Garage Band) in the App Store so that he or she could update them, then they're linked to that Apple ID and you won't be able to download them without buying them. Reportedly, Mac App Store Customer Service has sometimes issued redemption codes for these apps to second owners who asked.
    If the previous owner didn't deauthorize the computer in the iTunes Store under his Apple ID, you wont be able to  authorize it immediately under your ID. In that case, you'll either have to wait up to 90 days or contact iTunes Support.

  • Can I use mac mini as a second hard drive

    I want to use a second hard drive to run Logic Pro and nothing else. Will a mac mini do this? Can I hook it up to my imac?

    Why not just get an external hard drive?  A whole lot
    cheaper.

  • MAC Mini & 2.5 USB Hard Drive Issue

    Strange thing happening with a new MAC Mini:
    For Christmas, I bought my wife a brand new MAC mini. Everything has been working fine. So, for our anniversary, I bought her a 120 gig USB hard drive (I know, I'm such a romantic
    Anyway, ever since I hooked up the hard drive (USB Drive) to her system, it seems that when I first turn the MINI on, the keyboard and mouse completely stop working. once, I had to hold the power button in to hard boot it, then, when it restarted, everything was working fine again.
    Tonight, when I turned the MINI on, it did the same thing. No keyboard or mouse. Then, after I hard booted it, the mini never booted up. Black screen. USB hard drive light was on, but, no MAC power light and screen was black.
    Now, I just unplugged the USB drive and all is working fine again.
    It seems that the USB hard drive being plugged in while powering the MINI up is giving me some grief.
    Does anyone have any ideas as to what can be happening here? It is a brand new MINI with Leopard installed. I highly doubt I have a defective MAC because everything was fine until I plugged a USB HDD into it. With the drive unplugged, it seems that it works fine.
    No Operating System(s) are on the USB drive. Just pictures and movie files.
    Here is the drive I got her:
    http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8110750
    Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.
    Gary

    I'm sorry. I should have been more detailed in my description. It is a Toshiba drive. here are the specs:
    The Toshiba HDDR120E02X 120GB Hard Drive is USB-powered and includes an internal shock sensor and ramp loading technology. Ready to go out of the box and certified to work with Windows XP and Vista as well as Mac OS 10.3.9 or later.
    Technical Information
    Storage Capacity
    120GB
    Drive Performance
    Data Transfer Rate
    480Mbps External Maximum USB 2.0
    Interfaces/Ports
    Interfaces/Ports
    USB 2.0 USB
    Physical Characteristics
    Form Factor
    External Hot-swappable Portable
    Miscellaneous
    Compatibility
    USB 1.1
    Plug n Play
    I didnt have it hooked to the keyboard though. I have had some trouble trying that in the past, so, other than my mouse, nothing else is plugged into the keyboard.
    Thanks again for your help.

  • 2 mac with leopard, 1 ethernet Hard drive and Time machine : Does it work ?

    I have 2 Imac with leopard connected by wireless to my local network (Linksys routeur).
    I want to buy a ethernet 500Go drive to do my backup. This drive will be connected to the routeur with a cable.
    Will I able to use TM with this configuration ?
    If case of big problem, could I restore my data ?
    Sorry if this question is already posted, I didn't find same case.
    Bruno

    Well, currently Apple doesn't support using a NAS drive.
    The official line is that the hard drive be connected to the client Mac or anther Mac running Leopard. Some people have found ways to make a NAS work, but whether this works in the long run (i.e. reliable) is an open question.
    Message was edited by: pvonk

  • Mac Mini vs. large USB hard drives

    I have a Mac Mini (circa 2008 or 9) running OSX10.7.5 installed by Apple and two 2TB hard drives have problems with the Mini. One drive is a Seagate and the other is a Verbatim. Both were reformatted by me before first use. The Verbatim gives me a write error ever few days. I cannot write or delete anything from the drive. Disk Utility sees no problem. Checking drive permissions using the terminal shows everything is normal. However, the problem is continuous. I haven't used the Seagate in a while, but as I recall, it would not mount. Since removing it, it has started working again. The Seagate tech people think the drive is defective. I find it strange that two external drives of the same large size both find it difficult to live peacefully with my Mini. Other (smaller) USB drives seem to work normally.
    Is there anything I can check or do to improve the compatibility?

    NTFS  Macs can't write to without third party software, which I mentioned in my link above.
    Drives that are dedicated for Time Machine are typically not writable by anything but Time Machine.   If you turn Time Machine off in the Apple menu -> System Preferences, you can avoid that problem.
    If neither of these conditions exist, and two external drives you can't write to, then yes, I would say there is something wrong with the Mac or the cables being used to hook up the external drive.

  • Mac mini as an external hard drive for time machine??

    I have a mac mini from a few years ago and it is never used. I was wonder if it could be used as an external hard drive for time machine. If this can be done how do I go about setting it up for this type of useage?

    Thanks for starting this thread. I too am trying to use my old mac mini in target mode to utilize it's hard drive for Time Machine.
    I hope to strip it down to just it's OS (10.5) and use the remaining hard drive space for Time Machine backup.
    Is it possible to just have it running at certain times for regular back in target mode? Or do I have to keep it on constantly?
    I fear having to restart using the "T" command each time. Isn't there a way to just have it sleep and then have the ability to wake it up as I backup or restore?
    thanks in advance for any help.
    Vince

  • Mac mini won't mount hard drive on start up

    My mac mini was shut dow for a week while on vacation.  Upon return I tried to start up and hard drive won't mount.  I can hear it make repeated attempts but it won't engage.

    Actually I think there may have been a power outage while I was gone, but the computer was shut down.  Could this be a factor?
    I do not get any boot choices it just keeps cycling the initial disk start-up prior to the chime.  I'll try starting with the Option or alt key down. 

  • Why is my mac mini not using both hard drives?

    I have a mid 2010 mac mini server, with OSX Lion installed. It has dual 500gb hard drives.
    I've been backing up all my important files to it, and I've always assumed that once I filled one disc, it would seamlessly transfer over to the other and continue backing up. This does not seem to be the case.
    I'm at roughly 495gb of data, and when I try to move a 10gb file onto my server, it tells me that I don't have enough disc space to continue the operation.
    What can I do to make use of both drives?
    -Thanks

    I am not familiar with OS X Server setups, so it may be possible it can automatically spillover from one drive to the next. But this is not something with which I'm familiar. Maybe you should post your query in the Mac OS X Lion Server forum.
    You cannot make a RAID array of the two drives without losing all the files, so that would not be an alternative unless you had a way to backup everything first.
    The Mini uses notebook sized SATA drives. The largest currently available is 1 TB, so you could install dual 1 TB drives.

Maybe you are looking for