Make use of Seagate 120gb SATA as external drive for imac

I have a nice seagate barracuda 120gb drive in my PC, which I virtually don't use. I was wondering whether there is a way I could use the drice as external firewire drive for my iMac g4 1ghz. Can you actually leave it in the PC and connect to it via a Firewire card in the PC or do you need to take it out, put it into a case with Firewire adapter and use it that way? If so, can you recommend a decent case at good price?
Thanks,
Matthias
imac g4 1ghz Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Hello and Welcome to Apple Discussions. I believe your choices are:
Network the two machines such that you can share the storage space.
iFelix's Tech Pages provides details of the set-ups required, you can network over Ethernet, Firewire or Wirelessely.
Or get a SATA to FW/USB2 enclosure. It should be firewire as you need FW to boot a PowerPC OS X Mac from an external drive.
I don't believe a PC can do Target Mode so that rules out that option.
mrtotes

Similar Messages

External drive for iMac 600mhz

hello,
I am planning to replace the hard drive in my iMac and would like to backup the data onto an external drive using the firewire port.
Can you tell me what kind of drive I should be looking for, and maybe an idea of what it would cost?
Also, I've never used the firewire port before, will there be anything else I need to do other than plug in the external drive.
cheers,
arlene

http://www.macsales.com/ and http://www.lacie.com make getting a Firewire 400 drive pretty painless. They include backup software with their drives that is fairly easy to use. I've used both Retrospect Express (included with Macsales drives), and Silverkeeper (included with LaCie drives, or downloadable from http://www.lacie.com ) if you have any questions once you get them. The price varies on how much data you need to backup. I do believe all their current hard drives are bigger than the one that came installed in your iMac originally. So unless you already replaced that one, an 80 GB or higher should be more than sufficient.

External Drives for iMac

I've an older Mac Pro with 4, 3TB internal disks. I am buying an iMac. Is there a way I can use the internal disks off the Mac Pro with the newest iMac? Are there such things as external drive enclosures for multiple discs? Recommendations, considerations?
Thank you.

Just keep in mind that SATA1 = ~1.5Gbps and SATA2 = ~3.0 Gbps. Both Thunderbolt and USB3 are way faster than this, so the drive's own bus speed (SATA1 or SATA2) is a limiting factor. imho it would be a waste of your hard earned $$ to buy Thunderbolt or USB3 enclosures for these drives.
Further, hard drive data transfer rates generally top out in the range of 1.0 - 1.4 Gbps (120-190 MB/s) when you factor in the internal buffer-to-platter transfer rate. The drive inside is much slower than the external bus interface. Marketers love to tout the speed of the external bus for obvious reasons, and most people don't know the difference.
Even a so-called eSATA/SATA3 (6Gbps), USB3 (5Gbps) or Thunderbolt (10Gbps) drive is not going to be anywhere as fast as the advertised interface would lead you to believe. Even the Lacie 4TB 2Big Disk (native Thunderbolt, 7200 rpm, RAID0 striped) only has a 327 MB/s (2.6 Gbps) effective data transfer rate.

Trying to format an external drive for imac

Hi I am new to this and have just bought an external drive to back up my imac, 9,1 via time machine. I have followed the instructions in disk utility to erase and reformat, but it is coming back with an error message " could not unmount disk" - can anyone help me get round this please?

An iMac running OS 9.1.x? If so, post to http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=99. If not, since you're mentioning Time Machine, correct your profile information. From Finder->Help->Mac Help: *erase a disk*, returns:
*+To erase a disk:+*
+Open Disk Utility, in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder.+
+Open Disk Utility+
+Select the disk in the list at left, and then click Erase.+
+For more information about erasing, click the Help button (looks like a question mark).+

Using same External drive for iMac and iBook

Hello all,
I have a 15" FP iMac 10.2.8 and iBook 10.3.9 and a wireless Linksys router which is about 4-5 years old. All work on the Linksys network. Currently my LaCie external is hooked to the iMac.
I want to have my external LaCie accessible to both computers for storing Final Cut video files. Is this as simple as connecting the LaCie to the router? I can connect to the LaCie via the ibook through the wireless network now but for accessing video files I assume this is not sufficient; need a physical connection.
Thanks,
Al

You'd get problems. The ports are equal though.
http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/firewire/topic2199.html
You could connect an Ethernet-based Hard Disk to the router but it's going to be pretty slow compared to the Firewire connection you're accustomed to. If I were you I'd just hot-swap the Firewire drive between the two Macs.
mrtotes

Suggestion on a good external drive for imac

I just got to the point of having no memory space. I am looking for the best approach to picking a solid, cost efficient external hard drive. Any suggestion on where to get or possible prices.
TX-Nobya

Robert and BDAqua gave some links to OtherWorldComputing (OWC) a reputable vendor of Mac-compatible accessories and upgrades. I don't represent them, just another satisfied customer over the years.
I think FW drives are in general better performance than USB drives, but there are many variables like how many other devices you have connected, etc... I think most folks would recommend FW drives over USB.
Your model info still doesn't quite narrow down the potential list enough to know if you have FW 400 or FW 800 ports, I think it depends on the display size, only the 24" had the FW800, I'm not really sure.
In your Apple Menu Bar, select the About This Mac, then in the little window that pops up, click the More info button. This will launch System Profiler. You will see a window with lots of info about your computer hardware, click on the FireWire triangle and see the info displayed about the Maximum Speed of the channel.
So for example if you have FW 400, this means the max theoretical speed is 400Mb/sec, if you have FW 800 then your max speed is 800Mb/sec. Neither of which you will probably ever attain this quoted Max speed, but why spend more on a FW800 drive if you only have FW400 ports on that iMac, unless maybe you plan to use it with a future machine.
You definitely need to free up space on your primary internal disk, free space is needed for temporary files and virtual memory as you use your computer, it can lock up if you lack sufficient free space.
http://www.otherworldcomputing.com/
FW 400 Neptune drives
http://eshop.macsales.com/search/Neptune
FW 800 drives
http://eshop.macsales.com/search/FW800
Striped RAID-0 dual drives, enclosures
http://eshop.macsales.com/search/RAID+0
Basically, if you have questions, call Other World Computing, they are also very helpful in making your selection if you aren't totally sure the best fit to your needs.

Using an External Drive for Time Machine and Other Things

I have a 2TB external drive which I use for Time Machine Backups on my 2 macs. The macs have HDs of 500GB and 160GB so the external drive has ample space for backups.
Is it okay to use the external drive for other things that I don't care if they aren't backed up (like digital copies of DVDs)? i.e. Will Time Machine cause any issues if a drive is used for more than just Time Machine backups?

rgraves wrote:
I have a 2TB external drive which I use for Time Machine Backups on my 2 macs. The macs have HDs of 500GB and 160GB so the external drive has ample space for backups.
Maybe. See #1 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
Is it okay to use the external drive for other things that I don't care if they aren't backed up (like digital copies of DVDs)? i.e. Will Time Machine cause any issues if a drive is used for more than just Time Machine backups?
It's best to put such things in their own partition. See #3 in the FAQ.
You may also want to make separate partitions for each Mac's backups, if you're backing-up either one directly (ie, not over your network). See #4 in the FAQ.

How can I force Time Machine to make a complete backup of my Hard Drive. I just installed a new external drive for Backup since my previous one failed. Now when I back up, Time Machine only backs up my data folder and the Users folder.

How can I force Time Machine to make a complete backup of my Hard Drive. I just installed a new external drive for Backup since my previous one failed. Now when I back up, Time Machine only backs up my data folder and the Users folder.
When I start a backup. Time Machine says "Oldest Backup: None; Latest Backup: None", so it seems like it should do a complete backup, but it only does a partial.

Hi I'd like to jump in here. Your app showed me this:
Time Machine:
          Skip System Files: NO
          Mobile backups: OFF
          Auto backup: YES
          Volumes being backed up:
                    Macintosh HD: Disk size: 749.3 GB Disk used: 453.81 GB
          Destinations:
                    Plastic Wrapper [Local] (Last used)
                    Total size: 999.86 GB
                    Total number of backups: 64
                    Oldest backup: 2013-07-24 23:25:11 +0000
                    Last backup: 2013-11-17 01:40:47 +0000
                    Size of backup disk: Too small
                              Backup size 999.86 GB < (Disk used 453.81 GB X 3)
          Time Machine details may not be accurate.
          All volumes being backed up may not be listed.
          /sbin excluded from backup!
          /usr excluded from backup!
          /System excluded from backup!
          /bin excluded from backup!
          /private excluded from backup!
          /Library excluded from backup!
          /Applications excluded from backup!
Aside from the size of my backup drive, which I will increase at some point, I'd really like to have time machine backing up all system folders, especially Applications. How to I reset this hidden exclusions?
Thanks,
Darcy

Can i use my external drive for TM and files i don't want on my mac HD

my hard drive has a total of 232.57g which is not nearly enough space to save all my pictures, movies, etc. i've been using a 300g external drive to save my pictures, movies, etc. which is now full so i bought a maxtor one touch 4 750g to hopefully back up my computer using time machine, my 300g external drive, and whatever new pictures, movies, etc.
if i set up my new external drive for time machine can i still put the pictures, movies from my 300g external drive and whatever new pictures, movies, etc. on my new 750g external drive?
do i need to make a partition? if so can you tell me how?
should i not use time machine?
any information is appreciated

mac HD
capacity: 232.57g
available: 170.29g
iomega
capacity: 298.02g
available: 14.29g
one touch 4
capacity: 698.51g
available: 698.36g
thanks for the quick reply but i need to explain it better or ask, once all is backed up from my mac HD and my iomega external drive to my new one touch 4 i want to stop using the iomega since there isn't much room left on it
will i be able to add files directly to the one touch 4 without having those files saved to my mac HD like i do now?
or will TM remove my files the next time it backs up my mac HD since i won't have the iomega on anymore?

Using Superdrive as an external burner for iMac

I have an iMac flat screen (OS 10.4.6) Combo drive and an iMac (OS 10.2.8)with a SuperDrive. Can I use the older machine with the superdrive as an external drive for the newer machine?
iMac Flat Screen Mac OS X (10.4.6)

On your iMac flat screen you could use iDVD to make a disc image. Copy the disc image to your older iMac and use Disk Utility on that iMac to burn the DVD.

I got an old Apple G5 shell from Goodwill. I'd like to salvage the Superdrive and use it as an external drive for my Apple laptop. Is this possible, and what cables would I need if so?

I got an old Apple G5 shell from Goodwill. I'd like to salvage the Superdrive and use it as an external drive for my Apple laptop. Is this possible, and what cables would I need if so?
Other info is available:
Superdrive MFG date: Sept 2009
Model: DVR-118LBK DVD-R/RW Writer Unit
My Macbook is: Mid-2010, running Mavericks
Thanks in advance, God bless!

That's a nice Pioneer DVD±RW drive - and an upgraded replacement for the original optical drive that shipped with that G5. For a finished look, you'd want to install it in an external enclosure for 5.25" IDE/ATAPI drives that converts it to USB connectivity. Because SATA optical drives have replaced ATAPI drives in recent years, the selection is getting more limited for a new enclosure, although used ones can undoubtedly be found at ebay. Here's an example of one, although it only features USB connectivity. You can also find enclosures that have both FireWire and USB connectivity, which for Mac users is beneficial. Booting the computer (if needed) by a FireWire-connected device is generally more reliable than USB booting. If this isn't important to you, then a USB-only enclosure would be adequate. The enclosure will have directions, but essentially all you need to do is plug in the power cable and data ribbon cable and then secure the drive to the bottom plate of the enclosure with the included machine screws.

Can the mac osxlion usb jump drive be used after as a external drive for storing media files

can the mac osxlion usb jump drive be used after as a external drive for storing media files

If you are talking about the Lion install USB thumb drive sold by Apple then no it can't. it has some specail formatting that makes it show up as a DVD drive and is securely locked from any changes.
But I must ask why would you want to. That would destroy that drive and wipe out the Lion installer.
USB thumb drive can be bought for $8.

Using external drive for MacBook that was previously used for PC

I can't be the only person who'd had this issue...but I can't seem to find anything about this problem.
I have an external drive that I was using for my iTunes library on my PC. I recently upgraded to a MacBook. I was hoping to continue using my external drive for my iTunes library. When I plugged the external drive into the MacBook, it characteristically made my life very easy by quickly setting up itunes for me. It wasn't until the next day I realized that my entire library had been copied from the external drive onto the MacBook hard drive. This was not my intention.
It seems, however, that though my nifty new MacBook can easily read and use any files from my old external drive, it absolutely will not write to the external drive. In fact, even though I've repeatedly changed my iTunes settings to use the external drive for the iTunes library, it continues to write CD's onto the Macbook hard drive.
sigh
I'm very worried that:
1. I've now used 4 of my 5 "authorized" machines
2. I've used another move that I can make with the music I've purchased on iTunes and I will now have to use yet another move in order to make this right
3. I fear if I back up my music now, because of 1 & 2 I will lose my rights to some of my music.
If anyone has any help for any of these issues I would be very grateful! This is my first Apple in about 20 years, so be gentle!

martinifontaine wrote:
It seems, however, that though my nifty new MacBook can easily read and use any files from my old external drive, it absolutely will not write to the external drive.
i'm guessing this is a NTSF formatted drive. in order for your Mac to write to it, you need to install e.g. NTFS-3G
In fact, even though I've repeatedly changed my iTunes settings to use the external drive for the iTunes library, it continues to write CD's onto the Macbook hard drive.
above will probably take care of that
I'm very worried that:
1. I've now used 4 of my 5 "authorized" machines
you can deauthorize the PC if no longer in use. also, once you've reached the "5-computer" limit, you get the option (once per year) to *deauthorize all*, then reauthorize those in use. click here for information.
2. I've used another move that I can make with the music I've purchased on iTunes and I will now have to use yet another move in order to make this right
not sure what you mean by move.
3. I fear if I back up my music now, because of 1 & 2 I will lose my rights to some of my music.
no. you can transfer purchased content between authorized machines as much as you want. see _*iTunes for Mac: How to copy purchases between computers*_.
JGG

I'm using Time Machine and a LaCie external drive to backup. I also have a 8 GB LaCie flash drive I want to use for small jobs. If I plug the LaCie flash drive in, is my Mac going to think it is the LaCie external drive and start trying to backup?

I'm using Time Machine and a LaCie external drive to backup. I also have a 8 GB LaCie flash drive I want to use for small jobs. If I plug the LaCie flash drive in, is my Mac going to think it is the LaCie external drive and start trying to backup?

no.

I would like to know if you have to back up a macbook hard drive, can I use a external hard drive that has been previously used to back up several pc 's, or is it best to have a separate external drive for the Mac?

I would like to know if you have to back up a macbook hard drive, can I use a external hard drive that has been previously used to back up several pc 's, or is it best to have a separate external drive for the Mac?

In the Mac side of things, backups usually come in two flavors: clones or incrementals.
A bootable clone is a bit-for-bit copy of all essential files in the startup volume. If using the Lions, clones can be made using CarbonCopyCloner or just plain old Disk Utility. These backups represent the safest protection of your info, but take the longest to do. Recovery is an inverse process: you copy the clone back into the internal drive.
Incremental backups start with a complete backup of the startup volume and only copy whatever changed from the previous run. OS X includes the fully integrated Time Machine backup utility to do this. It is extremely easy to do and takes the least amount of time. Recovery is another matter altogether since you have to start with a freshly installed instance of the OS and have to apply all intervening backups to bring the result to the latest saved version.
As for where the backup takes place, the recommended media is an external dedicated drive or drives connected via the fastest interface available on your Mac: Thunderbolt, USB3, Firewire, or USB2. Network-based backups, wired or wireless, are attractive but may not offer the same performance and hence take longer. Also important to note that the entire drive need not be completely dedicated to a single backup. The Mac's EFI firmware infrastructure allows for an unlimited number of partitions on a hard drive and each can be used for either type of backups.
Holler if you need specifics on how to do each. This was just an executive summary.

Make use of Seagate 120gb SATA as external drive for imac

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