Options for Seagate Backup Plus for Mac/Windows

I have a new Mac-mini (my first Mac since my original Mac 128), and just got a 3TB Seagate Backup Plus. It's so new, I haven't even read up on Time Macine though I assume that's the way to go.
I originally had in mind partitioning the Seagate with one HFS+ for the Mac and one NTFS for my Windows laptop (Win7) and old Windows desktop (XP). The latter is mainly for storing files in a place where it will be convenient to use them on the Mac. But with all the threads about partition and other errors, I'm wondering if that's not so wise.
The obvious alternatives are leave the drive as NTFS and find something other than Time Machine for backing up the Mac - or format it as HFS+, use TM to backup the Mac, and install HFS+ drivers at least on my laptop.
I usually like to try and research these sorts of questions directly, but with the learning curve moving to the Mac, and all sorts of other things, it would take me to next year to find my ideal solution. So for now, I'm just looking for suggestions on a backup strategy for the Mac that would, in addition to backups, leave space for manually archiving Mac files as well as exploiting the spare space on the external drive for some Windows purposes. (Not much videos, mostly photos, finances, and eventually my main reason for getting the Mac, ios development.)
Thanks for any suggestions.
Gary

The following troubleshooter from Seagate may help: http://knowledge.seagate.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/213059en

Similar Messages

I just bought and backed up my computer and time machine with a "Seagate BackUp Plus for Mac". Now my time machine is empty. Panicked. can anyone help?

I just bought and backed up my computer and time machine with a "Seagate BackUp Plus for Mac". Now my time machine is empty. Panicked. can anyone help?

Lets start over...
Please restart the network.. shut down everything..
Restart in order.. modem.. router.. if different to TC.. or TC.. client devices.. wait 2min between each startup.
If the TC does not show up on the computer, in finder.. then we need more info.. what OS are you running?
Does the TC show up in Airport utility? Are you running wireless or ethernet?
If you still have issues.. plug the TC directly into the computer by ethernet.
Do a full factory reset of the TC.. and see if it now shows up.
Please tell us exactly what model TC it is and how old.. the A1xxx model number from the base will help if you don't know.
You take a screen shot of the TC opened in finder.
eg..
My TC is named Tardis4.. click on it.. and then open the data folder.. on this one called Tardisdata.
Then take a screen shot of it so we can see what the problem is.. screenshot.. with area selection.. control + shift + 4 .. the picture goes into the desktop.. and then you click the picture icon in the posting web page controls and select the picture.

Seagate Backup Plus won't show up anymore

I have a 1TB Seagate Backup Plus for Mac Portable Drive. I bought less than a year ago. It had been working great. Until recently. Since the last week or so, when I plug it in my Macbook Pro (10.9.5), the external drive lights up but it doesn't show up on my desktop. I checked Disk Utility as well. Nothing there either. It simply doesn't read it.
I have had OSX Mavericks installed for quite a while now. Recently I tried to update it to Yosemite, and it looked like it worked, but apparently not. My "About this Mac" still shows 10.9.5. Maybe it just updated to a higher version of Mavericks. I am wondering if the OSX might have something to do with my ext. drive not getting read. I already tried it on a different mac with a much older version OSX. Doesn't show up there either.
Of course, I also checked that the problem is not with my connection chord. I tried a different chord with my drive, but no changes. I also tried it on a friend's computer using his chord (which definitely works), but it doesnt show up on his computer either.
Any thoughts what the problem and the fix might be? I have important data on this hard drive, and have also backed up my Timeline on it. I cannot afford to lose my data, in any circumstances. Please help.
Thanks

Take out the HDD from the enclosure and install it in a different one. It could be that the internal SATA connection board is faulty.
Do not dismiss the possibility that the HDD has died.
Ciao.

My external hard drive (Seagate backup plus) has stopped working on my macbook 10.8.5

I've been using Seagate Backup Plus for a year now and suddenly it has stopped working on my Macbook Pro (mountain lion 10.8.5). When I plug it in, it lights up and I can hear it running, but it won't show on my macbook. I've checked on Disk Utility but it won't recognise the hard drive. I also tried going on Terminal to see if my hard drive is listed by putting "diskutil list", and it's not. I also make sure that external hard drives are visible on Finder. Since my hard drive is on NTFS format, I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the NTFS drive, and still it won't work.
My hard drive is working perfectly on other devices and PCs so I'm sure the problem is on my macbook. Usb ports of my macbook are also working perfectly.
Please help. Thanks.

Open Disk Utility (Applications>Utilities folder) and format the disk as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" with a single GUID partition. Your Mac should see the drive and you should be able to use if for backups, storage, etc.
Clinton

I have bought a Seagate Backup Plus 1TB drive, first time I have selected Mac Windows option which excludes Time Machine to work on it, but now I want to go back and select Only Mac option to activate my Time Machine application. I request you to help me

I have bought a Seagate Backup Plus 1TB drive, first time during plug-in, I have selected Mac Windows option which excludes Time Machine to work on it, but now I want to go back and select Only Mac option to activate my Time Machine application.
I request you to help me with the procedure of the same?

IMPORTANT - This will reformat your Seagate drive and hence wipe it. If there is anything on your Seagate drive you want to keep, save it somewhere else FIRST.
Plug the drive in.
In Finder select Applications > Utilities > Disc Utilities.
Select the external drive, select Partition option, give it a name (I call mine Mac Backup), select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as the Format and under the drop down menu "Partition Layout" select the number of partitions you want (so if you want the drive to just be for Time Machine, select 1 Partition, if you want part of the drive to be for Time Machine and the rest for something else, select 2 partitions and so on). Click apply and the Disc Utility will partition and reformat your drive ready to use.
When this is complete, open Time Machine in System Preferences. Use Select Disc to select the drive (or if you have multiple partitions, the partition of the drive) you want and you are good to go.
This may be a long way round, but it gives you the option to partition your disc which you may want.

Time Machine Error message with Seagate Backup Plus ext HD for Mac.

Got a MacBook Pro running OS X 10.6.8. Bought a 4TB Seagate Backup Plus ext HD for Mac. Have 750GB of HD space I'm trying to back up via timemachine. Error message after 498GB backed. Tried reformatting, repairing disk, etc. and get stuck just before 500GB every time. Suggestions?

Have you tried repairing your system disk? It may be encountering a bad file on the Mac rather than a bad spot on the Seagate.

Seagate 1T backup plus for Mac won't mount

I have a seagate 1T backup plus for mac which suddenly will not mount. I have done the disk utility disk repair and it says the volume appears to be OK. What do I do next?

likely a dead SATA bridge card.
see here:
Your dead external hard drive is likely fine! Great hope for your 'faulty' external HD
verify on another Mac first however
"backup plus" by the way is just a name, and designates nothing special about this HD

What do I need to do to be able to read and write files to a Seagate Backup Plus Slim Portable Drive on BOTH a Mac and a PC? I downloaded "Paragon NTFS for Mac" onto my Mac, so now I can write to the drive, but when I plug it into a PC it won't work.

What do I need to do to be able to read and write files to a Seagate Backup Plus Slim Portable Drive on BOTH a Mac and a PC? I downloaded "Paragon NTFS for Mac" onto my Mac, so now I can write to the drive, but when I plug it into a PC it won't work.

If the HDD is formatted NTFS, then it suggests that there is a problem with the PC. Check with the manufacturer.
Ciao.

I bought a Seagate Backup Plus (Windows & Mac) but the specs don't mention FireWire 800...is this only with the Mac-only Backup Plus?

I bought a Seagate Backup Plus (Windows & Mac) external hard drive. The specs don't mention "FireWire 800"...should I return it for the Mac-only and does that have a FireWire 800 update that I saw mentioned on the Seagate site for Backup Plus?

Seagate Backup Plus only comes with a USB 3.0 connection, not FireWire. To use it with FireWire 800, you have to buy a FireWire cable for the external disk. Select "Accessories" > http://www.seagate.com/external-hard-drives/portable-hard-drives/standard/backup -plus/?sku=STAE102

Can I use a Seagate 1TB hard drive (Backup Plus) for extended storage/memory?

I was given a 1TB Seagate Backup Plus portable hard drive for my birthday. The only possible use I have for it is if I can somehow hook it up to my iPad2 64GB and put my documents and music on it to save my precious memory for software. Does anyone know how this can be done?
Thanks for helping...

Can't be done. Cannot attach an external hard drive to an iOS device via USB. There are HDs that include a hotspot feature letting you connect to them via wifi. I don't know if your Seagate is that kind of drive.
BTW, such a drive would behave like a cloud service, like Dropbox. You would need apps that are capable of syncing their own files to a cloud location. Unlike a computer, it's not just a matter of using some file manager to access any file you want on the device and copy it to an external source. iOS device don't work like that. For example, to get photos to Dropbox, you would have to use a special app from Dropbox that could sync photos from the Photos app to and from Dropbox.

Seagate Backup Plus Slim External USB 3 Hard Drive Not Working with Mac Pro

Hi, I have just purchased a brand new Mac Pro. I have three 2 TB Seagate Backup Plus Slim External USB 3 hard drives that just don't jive with the new Mac Pro's. When the drive is connected, I cannot access the drive, read/write or even format. Finder completely locks up and the drive cannot even be force ejected. When I try to format, Disk Utility either spits out an error that the drive cannot be read, or simply locks up. This happens regardless of the OS on the Mac Pro. I am currently running 10.10.2
I have ruled out an issues with the drives, as I have tested all of them on a variety of systems and OS's, including Power Mac, Mac Book Pro, PC, OS 10.7, 10.8, 10.9 as well as on Windows. I have tried formatting in every file system including Mac OS Extended, Mac OS Extended (Journaled), NTFS and exFAT. ALL other systems have no issues with the drives. Apple has replaced my Mac Pro with a brand new one and the drives still behave the same way. Furthermore, I have tested the drives on three other Mac Pro's at work and they all reject the drives. So, on their own, there is nothing wrong with the Mac Pro, or the drives. However, the configuration of them together is wreaking havoc.
I have contacted Seagate, and this was their response:
The most recent version of the Backup Plus drives use the USB Attached SCSI (UAS) standard to increase transfer rates. It's possible that the drivers being used currently on your Mac Pro are having issues using this feature with the standard USB 3.0 drivers installed. I would recommend contacting Apple to check for any driver updates or see if they any suggestions for issues involving drives using UAS.
I have also started a case with Apple Support (Case # 755934373) and am waiting to hear back regarding Seagate's response. I've spent DAYS trying to troubleshoot this and am now at a complete loss. If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears (or eyes in this case).
Thanks!

Hi danielsh6,
I recently bought the new Lacie Thunderbolt 2 D2 3TB and I had the same problem as you, i have a macbook pro early 2011, those support thunderbolt but many times there is a bug that doesn't let you connect any thunderbolt drives to your computer. The solution I found was installing this update:
Thunderbolt Firmware Update v1.0
Before doing this I would recommend you updating to mountain lion (not yosemite yet as there is still some glitches and more on preview's macbook pro's).
Hope this helped!
Forest

Unable to write to Seagate Backup Plus drive on Mac

I just installed a brand new Seagate Backup Plus drive on my laptop with the goal of being able to use it on Macs and PCs.Seagate's web site says this:
Using the drive under MacOS and Windows
If you want to use the drive under Windows and MacOS, simply leave the drive in the NTFS format that it has when shipped from the factory (say No to "Do you want to use this drive with Time Machine?", if prompted). Install the included software which has a special driver that will allow the NTFS partition to be read and written under MacOS:
Plug in the drive.
Open the Seagate Backup Plus or FreeAgent GoFlex icon that appears on the desktop.
Double-click the Seagate Dashboard Installer.dmg (Backup Plus) or Mac Installer.dmg (GoFlex) file on the drive and follow the prompts.
If the driver is not installed, then the drive will be read-only under MacOS.
The installation process seemed seamless, but I was never prompted to download an extra driver and it would appear that the driver either didn't install or doesn't work as advertised.
I've found a user forum via Seagate addressing the inability to write to a GoFlex drive on a Mac:
http://forums.seagate.com/stx/board/crawl_message?board.id=UPHD_and_PU&message.i d=3360
One solution was to download a different driver (http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/24481/ntfs-3g), however when I tried this I got an error from NTFS-3G that said "NTFS-3G could not mount the Seagate Backup Plus Drive because the following problem occurred: /Library/Filesystems/fusefs.fs/Support/fusefs.kext failed to load - (libkern/kext) link error; check the system/kernel logs for errors or try kextutil(8). the MacFUSE file system is not available (71)"
I opened up the user guide, which instructed me to download MacFUSE, but the driver still wouldn't mount.
In the end, I simply re-formatted the external HD with ExFAT in order to be able to read AND write. Has anyone else had a similar problem, or found a different answer?

I thought that those particular Seagate drives shipped with the Paragon NTFS for Mac utility? If not, it's a $20 investment that you need to make.
Download and install and then format the drive as NTFS on your PC. Your Mac should then be able to both read and write files to the drive.
Clinton

Invalid Checksum when trying to use Seagate Backup Drive for Time Machine

Hi,
I'm trying to use a Seagate Backup Plus Drive with my Mac. It was originally used with a Windows machine. It does have the Seagate Dashboard Installer.dmg file. When I try to install it, it gives me an "invalid checksum" error.
I've also opened it in Disk Utility and attempted to reformat it into the Mac OS Extended (journaled) format, but it says it could not unmount the disk. I cannot see that it has any opened files that would be causing this problem. Any suggestions?
Thanks!

Tim,
I just switched from Entourage to Mail (for many reasons). Thus far, I love Mail. You may want to get the Widescreen plugin for it if you like the three-pane configuration of Entourage.
You should also be careful with Address Book if you have syncing set up in Entourage. In other words, probably should turn it off, along with any daemons you may have running. I lost data twice (once before my very eyes!) until figuring this out. Used Time Machine to restore a previous address book with all my contacts.
Thanks for the other information on this thread. Since I should be upgrading my old external drive anyway, it will help in purchasing a new machine for use with TM.
Message was edited by: SPD

I am using a Seagate backup plus portable drive on my iMac 7 with OSX 10.9.2. At startup up I always get a popup window stating "The disk you inserted is not readable by this computer. I click ignore and everything seems OK. Is it?

I am using a Seagate backup plus portable drive as my time machine backup on my iMac 7 with OSX 10.9.2 Mavericks. At startup I always get popup window stating "The disk you inserted is not readable by this computer..? I click ignore and everything seems to be OK. Time machine seems to be backuping up to the seagate. I can open time machine and see the history of backups. Why does this message come up at startup of computer????

If you installed the Seagate software, remove it according to the manufacturer's instructions.

I am trying to put the files from my mac onto a seagate backup plus slim portable drive but as soon as I plug the hard drive into my laptop, a notification comes up saying that there was an error

I am trying to put the files from my mac onto a seagate backup plus slim portable drive but as soon as I plug the hard drive into my laptop, a notification comes up saying that there was an error

carriinna wrote:
I am trying to put the files from my mac onto a seagate backup plus slim portable drive but as soon as I plug the hard drive into my laptop, a notification comes up saying that there was an error
What kind of error. What does it say?
Ciao.

Options for Seagate Backup Plus for Mac/Windows

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for