MacBook suddenly not finding external HD set up for Time Machine

I have a WD MyPassport that I used via USB for Time Machine backups. Suddenly, it won't show up in my Finder (listed under Devices as MyPassport). I've had similar problems in the past, and have been able to pull it up by doing a quick spotlight or finder search, then dragging it over to my list of devices. It's not working this time, and I'm getting a Time Machine Error saying "backup delayed." "The Backup disk is not available." I've already shut down my computer and restarted it, to no avail. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
Joanne

Try Repairing it, per #A5 in [Time Machine - Troubleshooting|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Troubleshooting.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
If that doesn't help, it may be a connection problem or a problem with the drive. Try different ports, cables, and combinations of the two (a plug that works fine in one port may not make good contact in another).

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External hard drive setup for time machine reading as a virtual cd

Why is my MacBook Pro reading my external hard drive setup for time machine reading as a virtual cd?
Thanks

Hi Christian,
Is this something that has happened from the start? If so, I would reformat the disk and setup TM from scratch again.
Prepare the external HD by connecting to the Mac, open Disk Utility, select the manufacturer’s name of the external HD, select Partition and choose GUID Partition Table, format to Apple OS Extended (Journaled); quit Disk Utility.
Open System Preferences.
Click on Time Machine.
Click on “Select Disk.”
Click just to the left of "On" to turn TM on if it's not already on.
Click on the disk or partition you want to use.
Click on “Use for backup.”
Leave external HD connected, and TM will automatically do its thing.

TS1338 I have 4 Trojan Horse viruses on my external drive I use for Time Machine. My MacBook Pro hard drive is clean. I have eased the external drive 3 times using Disk Utility and it still has the 4 Trojan Horse viruses. How do I get rid of them. Wayne

I have 4 Trojan Horse viruses on my external drive I use for Time Machine. My MacBook Pro hard drive is clean. I have eased the external drive 3 times using Disk Utility and it still has the 4 Trojan Horse viruses. How do I get rid of them. I am using 10.8.3 Wayne

ksu62 wrote:
The infection names are: classload.jar-719ef6a5.zip
                                          classload.jar-5db452le31.zip
                                          ar3.jar-6ce3b2f-45l483f.zip
                                          classload.jar-lef99412-63bsd3fl.zip
Those look alot like file names and not infection names. I don't find any reference to anything like that on Norton or VirusTotal. Since you said these were Trojans, I would expect to see "Trojan" as part of the infection name.
".jar" files are executable Java applets. The random alpha-numerics would seem to indicate a cache file, likely from a browser with Java enabled. And we all know what ".zip" means.
Worst case is that you had Java enabled in a browser and were infected by one of the late variants of the Flashback Trojan over a year ago or one of a couple of other attacks using the same vulnerability but targetted against a small number of political sympathizers. Much more probable is that thes were Windows only Trojans. Hopefully you have a fully up-to-date OS X, including Java, and have disabled Java in all your browsers by now.

Are all external FW drives used for Time Machine more prone to fail?

Within a period of just several months, I've seen three different external FW drives used for time Machine in three different locations fail terminally. They were different brands (Seagate, OWC and a nondescript generic from Fry's).
Is there something intrinsically different about how Time Machines disks function compared to plain data storage drives? Or was do these three drives amount to just a coincidence?
Thanks in advance.

Bus-powered seem not as robust as self-powered.
Soemtimes cables are flaky.
How did you decide these drives are "terminal?"

Just bought a 3TB Time Capsule for a small office. Will have 4 users with MacBooks. What would ne the best setup for time machine individual backups and internet sharing in a secure way?

Just bought a 3TB Time Capsule for a small office. Will have 4 users with MacBooks. What would ne the best setup for time machine individual backups and internet sharing in a secure way?

Set up each Mac for Time Machine backups in the normal way. Time Machine will keep each backup separate on the Time Capsule, so users will only be able to see the backups of their own Mac.
Yes....there are convoluted workarounds that might allow one user to see the backups of another.....IF...they know the administrator password of the "other" Mac.
As far as Internet sharing, all users will have access to the Internet if they have a wired or wireless connection. If a Mac connects using wireless, it is possible to limit the time that they are allowed to connect to the network.
For example, you might limit the ability to connect to the wireless from say each Weekday from 8 AM to 6 PM.
With a wired Ethernet connection, you cannot limit access times to the Internet.

External hard drive used for Time machine is full and having a hard time backing up. what should I do?

External hard drive used for Time Machine is full and having a hrad time backing up. What is my best option moving forward? NAS?

For All things Time Machine see Pondini's Excellent Infirmation here...
http://pondini.org/OSX/Home.html
Start with FAQs and Troubleshooting.

External usb disc used for Time Machine backup disconnects when Mac has been into sleep mode

I use a 1Tb External usb disc used for Time Machine backup which works fine, but when the Mac goes into sleep mode & powers back on I get a message stating that you should always eject the Drive before removing.
Any suggestions on how to get around this problem would be welcome

Look at the root of your hard drive for a folder called Backups.backupdb.
Or, a sparse bundle disk image for one of mobile computers that might have tried to back up to your Mac.
If you have those, remove them and try again.

New External Drive how do I set it for Time Machine?

I just bought a new 250g firewire to back up my hard drive - I formatted it and it's ok and all but I want to use it to back up my entire hard drive.
I thought I was supposed to make a Disk Image?? but browsing these forums it seems I was supposed to designate it for Time Machine? I didn't know that. Can I still do that? If so what do I do? and how do I do it?
also what is disk image? I thought that was supposed to be the back up feature -
and if anyone else knows and I'm allowed more questions - I really wanted to install Final Cut Studio Pro on the external drive because apparently it ***** up disk space like a --- -well you know ----- - but it says it has to be on my regular drive - does that mean I have to uninstall some programs? can I set other software to work off the external or am I going to have the same problem?
I'm so ******!! I bought the 120 g drive thinking it was enough to run programs off of and use the other for data storage - apparently not!
I'm about 10 gigs short right now and that doesn't even count leaving something for extra space.
I'm in a time crunch too - ok who isn't I know - but really - I'm on vaca now and was supposed to be working on my projects but instead am babysitting this freakin' computer and am really getting ******!!
so anyone that can jump in here and help please do so. I appreciate it very much am used to windows machines am new to mac in case that wasn't already blatantly apparent!

No disc image is required. Prepare the drive as follows:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder. If you need to reformat your startup volume, then you must boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger or Leopard.)
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (only required for Intel Macs) then click on the OK button. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.
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.
Connect the drive to a Firewire port. Open Time Machine preferences and select the drive as the TM backup drive and turn on TM.
If you use the external drive for backups you should not use it for installing applications or storing other files. It should be used as a dedicated backup drive. If you need additional storage space get another external drive.
See Disk Image for discussion of what a disc image is.
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on Backup and Restore.
Hopefully the next vacation you go on you will prepare for more thoroughly in advance. And, don't swear at the computer - it's a machine and only does what you tell it to do. If you need to swear at something look in the mirror!

Cleaning virus-infected files on external hard drive used for Time Machine

I am kinda reposting this with some extra explanation since I didn't really get any good respnses on my first post:
I am running McAfee VirusScan and it locates and cleans virus infected files just fine on my computer, but when it finds infected files on the external hard drive I use for Time Machine backups, it says "Repair Failed". Is there a way to clean infected files on my Time Machine backup drive?
I had found a virus in several documents on my Mac, which I cleaned, but it seemed to infect a bunch of the files located in Time Machine as well. I know these files shouldn't harm my Mac, but I still don't like having virus infected files. They seem to propagate and I don't want to give them to any of my Windows-using friends.

Hi,
Usually (but not always), virus-infected files aren't system-related, so if they cannot be repaired, there should be an option in VirusScan to delete them or quarantine them instead of repairing them. Assuming that you are archiving Mac-related files and not archives of Windows files, then it should certainly be safe to just have VirusScan delete or quarantine them. An alternative is that you could delete them manually. But before you do any of this, be sure to take a look at the filename and its location in the folder hierarchy to make sure that you aren't removing a file that's critical to the operation of some piece of software.
Hope this helps,
Ken

On a 500G MBP running Lion what's the best size to partition a 2T WD external hard drive to for Time Machine? Thankse

Just picked up a 2T WD external HD for my new MBPro with 500 G drive. Looking to use part of the external drive for Time MAchine. Not sur if I should designate 1T of it or 750G. I'm running Lion. What's the best way to format the external drive. Disk Utility?
Thanks,
Dennis

Ask in Lion: TimeMachine / MacBook Pro even - this is workstation territory
I would not use the same drive for data and for backups.
If I had to, I'd make a partition large enough to boot your Mac from though, whether 50-500GB to clone your system.
You should still be able to use Lion's Recovery boot mode.
I don't think there really is much choice in what to format with, unless you want to spend over $100.

External Hard Drive only for Time Machine?

I just bought a 500GB external HD and just ordered Leopard. I'm wanting to use the hard drive for my iTunes library rather than keep it on the internal HD due to the size.
My question is, if I then use it for Time Machine, will it be only for TM or can I do both?
And if I can do both, will it erase what is currently on there while setting it up for TM?

Apple doesnt recommend it, but it shouldnt be any problem. Time Machine creates a backup directory in which it keeps all the backup info. As long as there's space you can use the drive for other items. I have an internal 500GB drive I use for backup, and I keep some large files on it. The problem will be sooner or later the drive will just fill up with backup info, and time machine at that point will dynamically erase the oldest backups but will not have space for storing other files. Basically dont rely on the drive to have space for storing extra stuff. Partitioning the thing will prevent this, but it will make your backup drive smaller.

External hard drive partition for Time Machine wont mount

I have an external HD that I've partitioned half for Time Machine, and half for external storage. Today the Time Machine partition wouldn't show up on the desktop. I checked Disk Utility and it recognizes both partitions, but the Time Machine partition is greyed out. When I selected it, in the stat list at the bottom it said "Mount Point: Not Mounted." I then clicked on "Mount" at the top, and after a bit a popup told me it couldn't mount and I should attempt to repar the disk. So I clicked "Repair Disk," and after a while, I finally got the message "Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files."
Why is only one partition affected? Can I reformat one petition but leave the other untouched? Are there any other options before I do this?
One other item that is probably related: I've been having an issue with a flash drive that seems to constantly unmount itself, giving me "error, disk ejected improperly" messages. Earlier today I believe I had the same thing with my external HD.

Why is only one partition affected?
The drive malfunction that caused the problem only affected that partition.
Can I reformat one petition but leave the other untouched?
Yes.
Are there any other options before I do this?
This is not an option, it's mandatory: start a new backup on another drive. The one you have has lost data once already. If it were mine, it would be in the recycling bin now. You need more than one backup to be safe anyway. Apparently you have no backups at all of the data on the other partition. That means you're going to lose that data, sooner or later.

How do I part ion an external hard drive used for time machine?

I have a Seagate 1.5 T external harddrive I'm using for Time Machine. I would like to partition it so I can store other files and photos on it. How do I do it??
Thanks,
JD

In Disk Utility
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.7/en/mchlp1725.html
Message was edited by: b j t

Macbook suddenly not recognizing external HD..

Okay, where to start..
SPECS:
I am currently using a Macbook OSX 10.5.8.
My external HD is a WD My Book Essential 1TB with USB 2.0 and it uses an external power source.
WHAT HAPPENED:
Now, I've already formatted this EHD about a couple months ago (In Mac OSX Journaled) and have only used it a few times since then, but every time it was readily available for use with my MacBook. Now, about a week ago, due to having some serious issues with Boot Camp and being unable to find any support, I decided to try out Parallels for my dual-OS'ing needs. My MacBook is easily at the end of its life span; it has issues with its battery and fan, but I've been able
to salvage it so far, but now I'm concerned that I pushed it too hard because one day, out of the blue, Parallels froze my entire laptop, and my MacBook started hanging on blue/gray screens when I tried to restart. I tried to verify and repair disks and their permissions and even tried to reinstall the OS while archiving the old system to keep my files in tact. Nothing worked. I ended up having to straight wipe it and reformat it to get it to a functional level again. So now I've tried connecting my EHD to my laptop so I can retrieve all my important files (music, art, etc) and it appears that my MacBook is unable to recognize the EHD at all.
WHAT I'VE TRIED:
This EHD is pretty new and I've kept it safely tucked away where it has not sustained any physical or weather-related damage. There isn't even a smudge on it. So I'm pretty sure the problem is with my MacBook. It will not recognize the EHD in Finder windows, on the desktop, in Disk Utility, or even in System Profiler. I even held Option on boot to try to force it to recognize it on boot but even that won't pull it up. I have, again, repaired and verified everything and anything I can just for the sake of it. I tried booting with it plugged in and on. I tried booting with it plugged in and off, then turning it on after booting. I tried unplugging and replugging the USB both while it was off and while it was spinning, on both the Option boot menu thing and while booted to the desktop. I tried plugging it in AFTER booting.. I think you get the picture. I've tried every possibility readily available to me at this point.
I guess my concern is that I tweaked something in the hardware by running it too hard with Parallels and now it's unable to recognize any other hard drives but its own. My USB ports work fine with other things. I'm going to a friend's house in less than an hour to test and make sure it's not the EHD (I really really doubt it is). Sooo.. I guess I need some more advanced help. Thanks in advance!
- A

Try Repairing it, per #A5 in [Time Machine - Troubleshooting|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Troubleshooting.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
If that doesn't help, it may be a connection problem or a problem with the drive. Try different ports, cables, and combinations of the two (a plug that works fine in one port may not make good contact in another).

Moving iPhoto Library to External HD also used for Time Machine?

Hi,
I know the moving of iPhoto Libraries seems to be a pretty common topic, but I want to throw this out there because everyone situation seems to be a little different and have slightly different variables. Like many others, I want to get my iPhoto Library off of my local HD to save space.
In my case, I am wondering if there is any problem with moving an iPhoto 09' Library (28K+ images/149GB) to an External HD (2TB Western Digital) that is also currently set up to do Time Machine Backups or do I need to reformat that drive to be used as an external only and not for TM?
Lastly I want to confirm that when I transfer this Library, I simply need to drag the iPhoto Library from my PIctures folder over to this External HD and then hold the Option key when I launch iPhoto next and tell it to choose the iPhoto Library on my External so it will open that one from that point forward.
Thanks in advance for the information and confirmation on how to do this transfer. Take care and have a great evening.
Joe Sabella

In my case, I am wondering if there is any problem with moving an iPhoto 09' Library (28K+ images/149GB) to an External HD (2TB Western Digital) that is also currently set up to do Time Machine Backups or do I need to reformat that drive to be used as an external only and not for TM?
You need to partition the drive with one partition for TM and one for normal external drive use - you should not have your iPhoto library or other dynamic file on the same partition with TM - TM grows until it fills its partition and at some time this will push up against your iPhoto library and cause failure for iPhoto
Lastly I want to confirm that when I transfer this Library, I simply need to drag the iPhoto Library from my PIctures folder over to this External HD and then hold the Option key when I launch iPhoto next and tell it to choose the iPhoto Library on my External so it will open that one from that point forward.
That is correct - and be sure that the external drive is available anytime you launch iPhoto
LN

MacBook suddenly not finding external HD set up for Time Machine

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