New Buffalo extreme external hard drive do I need to format before use

Hello
Just purchased a Buffalo extreme external hard drive which can be used for mac or windows. What I would like to know, do I need to format it journaled before using this hard drive for backing up only? Should I partition this hard?
Thank you
rachealfromva

Hi Illaass
Many thanks for your response, what would we do without lads and ladies like you, thank you again
rachealfromva

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I have a new mini mac and i want to use my existing external hard drive but it needs to be reformated how do i do this without loosing all my old photos?

i have a new mini mac and i want to use my existing external hard drive but it needs to be reformated how do i do this without loosing all my old photos?

Formatting will erase the drive.
You need to copy the photo's to either your old computer, the Mac Mini or to a new external drive and then decide what to do with your existing external drive.
For example: You could use one External drive for Photo's and one external drive for Time Machine to backup both your Mac Mini and the Photo drive.

Do I need external hard drive to back up my iMac before update to mountain lion? My is OS 10.6.8

Do I need external hard drive to back up my iMac before update to mountain lion? My is OS 10.6.8.

First, repair your hard drive and permissions:
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Snow Leopard 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 Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
Second, make a bootable backup to an external drive using the Restore option of Disk Utility:
Clone using Restore Option of Disk Utility
1. Open Disk Utility in the Utilities folder.
2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
4. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag
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5. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to
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6. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.
Third, purchase and download Mountain Lion from the App Store. Be sure you meet the requirements for Mountain Lion:
Upgrading to Mountain Lion
To upgrade to Mountain Lion you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Purchase and download Mountain Lion from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Mountain Lion is $19.99 plus tax. The file is quite large, over 4 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
     OS X Mountain Lion - System Requirements
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         1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 7,1 or later
         2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 5,1 or later
         3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later
         5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
     Are my applications compatible?
         See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.
     For a complete How-To introduction from Apple see Upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion.

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If I already have an Airport Express Base Station, can i hook an external hard drive into it's USB port and use that hard drive with Time Machine?

No, and that shouldn't be done with an AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule.
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Looks bad. I would strongly advise backing up the stuff on the other two partitions as soon as possible in case the rest of the drive goes wrong.
Beyond that, Disk Utility has limited abilities to repair disks, DiskWarrior uses a different approach and might, emphasis might be more successful. It has certainly done the job for me in the past when Disk Utility could not.
See http://www.alsoft.com/diskwarrior/

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If you mean a Time Capsule, its internal drive can be used for regular file storage but shouldn't be; as with all drives, it'll eventually fail. You're better off using a standalone drive and setting Time Machine to back it up as well.
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Since I upgraded to 10.9.5, my macbook no longer recognizes my external hard drive. How do I fix this? External hard drive is a 1TB Toshiba formatted for mac. Worked fine until latest upgrade.

Since I upgraded to 10.9.5, my macbook no longer recognizes my external hard drive. How do I fix this? External hard drive is a 1TB Toshiba formatted for mac. Worked fine until latest upgrade.

Solved the problem by dumping my external HD onto another computer. Re-formatting and re-installing the data. Not what I wanted to do but it solved the problem.

My iTunes is running from my external hard drive because I need to make space on my C drive. Could/should I delete the music on the C drive?

My iTunes is running from my external hard drive because I need to make space on my C drive. Could/should I remove the music from the C drive?

Hello Willlig
If iTunes media is taking up a good majority of space on your computer, you can move it by following the steps in the article below.
iTunes for Windows: Moving your iTunes Media folder
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1364
Regards,
-Norm G.

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I run a 2 Ghz iMac with 1Gb memory, currently using around 108 GB of the 150 GB available memory.
Hpw larghe an external hard drive do I need to run Time Machione efficiently? 500GB? 320? 520?

Not answered - don't know why!

I have iMovie 09. I just erased my external hard drive, but it is still formatted for the mac. However, iMovie will not recognize the hard drive. It shows the only hard drive available is the computers. How do I get the external hard drive to show up?

I have iMovie 09. I just erased my external hard drive, but it is still formatted for the mac. However, iMovie will not recognize the hard drive. It shows the only hard drive available is the computers. How do I get the external hard drive to show up?

In Finder's Menu, select Go menu>Go to Folder, and go to "/volumes". (no quotes)
Volumes is where an alias to your hard drive ("/" at boot) is placed at startup, and where all the "mount points" for auxiliary drives are created for you to access them. This folder is normally hidden from view.
Drives with an extra 1 on the end have a side-effect of mounting a drive with the same name as the system already think exists. Try trashing the duplicates with a 1 or 2 if there are no real files in them, and reboot.
If it does contain data...
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2474

HT1452 I have a Toshiba Canvio 1TB external hard drive on my Mac. I've used it for 4-5 months with no problems, but now cannot add to it (I use it mostly for photo storage) to it. I can still access information previously added. Ideas?

I have a Toshiba Canvio 1TB external hard drive on my Mac. I've used it for 4-5 months with no problems, but now cannot add to it (I use it mostly for photo storage) to it. I can still access information previously added. Ideas?

I cannot find this 300GB "Backup" in the Finder, only in the Storage info when I check "About This Mac".
You are probably using Time Machine to backup your MacBook Pro, right? Then the additional 300 GB could be local Time Machine snapshots. Time Machine will write the hourly backups to the free space on your hard disk, if the backup drive is temporarily not connected. You do not see these local backups in the Finder, and MacOS will delete them, when you make a regular backup to Time Machine, or when you need the space for other data.
See Pondini's page for more explanation: What are Local Snapshots? http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
I have restarted my computer, but the information remains the same. How do I reclaim the use of the 300GB? Why is it showing up as "Backups" when it used to indicate "Photos"? Are my photos safe on the external drive?
You have tested the library on the external drive, and so your photos are save there.
The local TimeMachine snapshot probably now contains a backup of the moved library. Try, if connecting your Time Machine drive will reduce the size of your local Time Machine snapshots.

If I wanted to connect an external hard drive to my iPad, what can I use? Do I have to use the Mac mini??

If i wanted to connect an external hard drive to my iPad, what can I use? Or would I have to purchase a Mac mini?

Sorry, I DO NOT RECOMMEND the camera connection kit for what you are asking!
I was trying to say that as I have the connection kit (bought for camera use so no loss for me)
I often WISH it could do more.
So sorry for the confusion.
The camera connection kit only allows you to send photos and video (that are correctly formatted I might add) to the photos app.
Other people have had success with it connecting to keyboards, but that us not so useful.

Time Capsule or AirPort Extreme + External Hard Drive for iTunes Library

Hi, I currently have an Airport Extreme (Gigabit) and am planning on getting a MacBook Pro. What I want to do is keep my iTunes Library on an External Hard Drive and attach it to my AirPort so I can access it anywhere in the house (and world). Now I have been reading various reviews that perhaps a Time Capsule would be better for my needs. I don't plan on using it for Time Machine backups right now, just as a NAS Drive. If anyone has any experience with this I would appreciate the advice.
Thanks!
Message was edited by: Mr. Macintosh693

Hi,
I have something like that working at the moment. My setup is based on a Mac Mini Core Duo [ OS 10.5.6 ] connected to a Time Capsule. I have configured iTunes to store all archived music on the Time Capsule. I use the Apple Lossless format for my CDs and approx 420 titles have taken approx 130Gb from my 1Tb Capsule. In general this setup works well [ especially the optical out of the Mac ] but be aware of the following potential pitfalls:-
1. The Time Capsule is a little on the noisy side and depending on the quality of your playback equipment, your choice of music, ambient noise and your values of "satisfactory" you may want to put your Capsule or HDD in another room. This seems OK for generic playback, but in my experience wireless is not a good way to go for streaming content.
2. iTunes v8.0.2 has a preferences capability to allow you to redirect it's archive to the Time Capsule. However, even if you leave the Capsule switched on it goes into a "sleep" mode. Rip a new CD and iTunes won't tell you this; instead it will silently reconfigure itself to store on your local hard drive and then you're left with the challenge of moving your collection piecemeal if you want it in one location, followed by manually updating iTunes to "point" it to the new location of the music.
One nice thing about the Capsule is that it does allow other connection types. I have mine networked to a PC running Ubuntu Linux and a music player called Amarok and I am able to stream the Mac-Ripped lossless files and play them over Linux perfectly... Works very well. Apparently you can do this with a Windows client and iTunes for Windows, but I don't run Windows as a matter of principle and can't validate that.
My 1Tb Time Capsule runs hot, too. Not dangerously so, but hot to the touch. There are no cooling fans, but you might want to think about placement; it needs plenty of fresh air circulating around it.
For what it's worth [ and I appreciate this is going beyond your question ] I also wanted my setup to be able to store and retrieve recorded TV. I have Elgato EyeTV and a USB Freeview decoder. I quickly learned that despite claims to the contrary the performance of the wireless connection just isn't up to streaming video content. So I went out and purchased a pair of Ethernet-over-mains adapters from Zyxel that are absolutely perfect for the job.
Yes, the Capsule is a little pricey for what is little more than a Hard Drive in a box, but it does work very well.
Beware the timeout disconnections and the silently re-configuring iTunes thought...

Open thread for new purchase of external hard drive

I have 4x 500 GB drives and 2x 250GB drives that I want to consolidate to one drive. I have trusted LaCie and recently (in the past 2 years) have been happy with the G-Drives as well.
To my suprise (and shock really) the Mac geniuses I spoke to at the Calgary Apple Store said their techs use the WD 500GB Passport drives all the time. Super durable etc etc. but I was in need of 2 TB. I was torn between the G-Drive and the WD My Book Studio. The difference in cost was about $70. Historically, I've had the "don't trust western digital for Macs" running through my head ever since I heard it.
However, I was convinced to go with the Western Digital My Book Studio 2TB (it's not a "new" company), but I've found that every time I boot up the drive, it runs the proprietary software which I don't intend to use. So far, I'm not finding any luck on how to get around this as I'm told it's "built into the firmware". Also, after my iMac goes to sleep, the drive disappears and I have to shut it off and turn it back on to bring it back.
What would you recommend for an external hard drive for long term storage (not to be used for time machine or iPhoto or iTunes)?
Would you recommend I take the WD drive back and get my head checked?
Purchased this:
http://store.apple.com/ca/product/TX880ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA0Nw&mco=MTY5NDk2NzI&s=a lpha
Was looking at this:
http://store.apple.com/ca/product/TX538VC/A?fnode=MTY1NDA0Nw&mco=MTM3NjM5NTg&s=a lpha
Thanks.
Message was edited by: Middleborn

I'd return it for something else or a refund, but that's just me.
I too was shocked upon a recent visit to an Apple Store when I saw WD external drives for sale. One salesperson told me she was shocked that they were carrying them but that other staff member had told her that the WDs were now performing well for Mac users. I don't know what to make of it.
I find the external drive market to be confusing. I'll just say that I've been happy with an Iomega 250 GB triple interface drive that I bought 4 or 5 years ago and am happy with a 1 TB OWC Mercury Elite triple interface drive that I bought a couple of months ago.
Both these drives came WITHOUT any of the proprietary software so I didn't have to face the hassle of removing any of it.
Regards,
Steve M.

Migrating old iMac to new one via external hard drive with Time Machine

I was led to believe this was going to be easy! Using the migration wizard in Utilities I was hoping to copy everything over via my external hard drive however it told me that it couldn't do it because the name already existed so muggins here gave it a new name. It all ran smoothly, even all my email stuff etc etc. Then Time Machine told me it couldn't back up any more because there wasn't enough space on the hard drive. What I now have is two computers on one which I don't want and I don't know how to get it back and then solve the problem of having the same name on the back-up as the computer - not sure if this is making sense. Can anyone help me please?
thanks

Have a look at Pondini's Time Machine guide that might help you get back on track:
http://pondini.org/OSX/MigrationProblems.html
I know hindsight is a wonderful thing but Setup Assistant is the better option for transferring your data.
If all else fails, you can always erase the drive, re-install the OS as if it's new out of the box and use Setup Assistant. Hopefully that won't be necessary and Pondini will see you right.

New Buffalo extreme external hard drive do I need to format before use

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