Purchasing external HD and use with Time Machine

I've got an eMac, 1GB RAM, 1 MHZ processor (+/-), 40GB hard drive.
Am considering purchasing Leopard upgrade and external FireWire HD.
Existing internal HD is near capacity. Would like to move some files to external HD, such as iPhoto and iTunes.
Would Time Machine be able to back up both the files and folders residing natively in the internal HD AND files and folders which reside on the external HD, to a single area on the external HD (partition?) dedicated to the Time Machine backup? Or, would two external drives be required for this?
Any comments on whether I'm crazy upgrading our eMac for these functions?

Al Thorp wrote:
I've got an eMac, 1GB RAM, 1 MHZ processor (+/-), 40GB hard drive.
Am considering purchasing Leopard upgrade and external FireWire HD.
Existing internal HD is near capacity. Would like to move some files to external HD, such as iPhoto and iTunes.
Would Time Machine be able to back up both the files and folders residing natively in the internal HD AND files and folders which reside on the external HD, to a single area on the external HD (partition?) dedicated to the Time Machine backup?
yes. the only restriction is that the external drive has to be properly formatted (mac os extended).
Or, would two external drives be required for this?
no.
Any comments on whether I'm crazy upgrading our eMac for these functions?
no comment on that but if you are running leopard on your emac it could definitely benefit from more RAM. BTW, your profile says 10.3. I assume that's not correct.

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External HD for use with Time Machine

I have a new MacBook Pro with 320GB HD. I want to buy an external HD to use with Time Machine for a back up. HOw much capacity should I be looking at for the external? Is 500GB enough or is it possible to partition a 1TB unit for use as backup and extra storage (photos, music, etc...)?
Thanks.
This should have been posted in the late model forum. Sorry.

tsoup2u wrote:
Can I use disk utility to partition once plug in HD?
Yes, you can. Click the Partition tab. Click options and set the partition scheme to GUID. One option is to have one partition a bit smaller than your internal HDD, which you can use for a bootable clone (SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner).
See this post for a great discussion of backup strategies:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9423426&#9423426

Any Recommendations for External HD to use with Time Machine?

Have been using Time Capsule wireless as my drive for Time Machine back-ups for a couple of years with mixed success. It also serves as a wireless router for internet service between all devices in my household.
Was recently recommended to me to invest in an external firewired hard drive to use for Time Machine so now I'm presented with a dilemma: Which one to choose?
Need 3 Terabytes and I'm looking at the Iomega Mac Companion (3TB) but see that Apple has discontinued selling it from its store and there's an issue with using USB and FW simultaneously.
Looking for feedback from anyone whose used this device and/or recommendations on another 3TB drive to purchase.
Thanks in advance.

From that broad page The hatter suggested, these specific enclosures (with or without a drive pre-installed) are pretty good.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/1394/USB/EliteAL/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB
The one at the bottom that says 0GB is the same enclosure empty, so that you can pick a separate drive mechanism to install in it. That way you can order the exact drive you want, instead of having them choose from what they have on hand.
Wireheads will choose the 0GB and install the drive they prefer, most "regular" folks just buy it with a drive already installed and it works (after initializing) right out of the box, no assembly required.

What sort of external drive to use with Time Machine

Hi all,
I was wondering if there are requirements to the sort of external drive Time Machine can use: does it have to be a FireWire drive or will an USB drive suffice? Additionally, what would be the best type?
Wil Dieteren

Time machine will per default do incremental backups on an hourly, daily weekly and monthly basis. Therefore you need an external harddrive that is larger than the harddrive you are backing up. Depending on how many changes and large files you work with, the requirements for the right size may vary.
I'd suggest getting an external HD that is at least 150% of your HD. 200% would be more generous.
I just bought an Iomega MiniMax 500GB and it works great with Time Machine (my iMac's HD is 320GB).

Advice - External HD for use with Time Machine?

Hi,
Just wanted to know what's best for me to buy. Looking into what's available has only made me more confused...
I want a HD that:
- Works well with Time Machine and my Macbook
- Will copy everything from my computer rather than drag-and-drop or manual file choice (although that's more the program I use than the HD itself, right; Time Machine does that as far as I know?)
- Enough space for all of my video files from my video camera (there's quite a lot of them)
I want to start deleting some video files from my computer and my video camera but I don't want to lose them, so that's the major use really. As long as they'll all fit and if I want one back on my computer again it'll be easy enough to find it and put it back on...
Any ideas? Keep in mind that I live in Perth, Western Australia...
(And I apologise for the ignorance/lack of proper techy terms!)

Hi Eleanor,
I'm from Sydney so it's great to see another Aussie on here! Welcome to the forum.
Just a couple of points that I would keep in mind in addition to the correct advice already given:
Apple recommends having a dedicated drive for Time Machine, so ideally you wouldn't use it for anything else. Also, as a guideline, they recommend having a Time Machine drive at least twice as large as the primary drive in your computer so that enough space is always available. The more space, the further back your backups will go before needing to be written over.
You can put other stuff on the drive but ideally it's better (if your budget allows) to get a second external drive for video camera files and the like. Those video files also grow pretty big as you've probably noticed, so they will need room to move as well. External drives are cheaper than ever, so two drives is the best bet.
One final recommendation/option is to go for a Time Capsule as your Time Machine drive. The benefit here is that it works wirelessly so you won't have to plug it into your USB/firewire port at all. It just backs up without any action from you whatsoever, which is what makes it ideal. If you don't yet have a WiFi network, here's your chance to dive in. If you do, it's a natural fit for your network.
So my ultimate recommendation is: 1) Time Capsule 2) USB/firewire drive.
I hope that helps!
Message was edited by: Michael271

Sharing External HD For Use With Time Machine

Hi,
I have a home network with an iMac and two MacBooks. I have bought an external HD in order to set up Time Machine. My hope is to leave the HD connected to the iMac and then to mount it via the network to the MacBooks so that Time Machine can back up to there.
Is there a simple way to do this ?
Steven

There's some advice on that in item #4 of this post. It does seem to be pretty simple. You'd need to use the Sharing panel of System Preferences to start sharing that disk. What part of the setup process do you expect to give you trouble?

HT2477 what is the best external drive to use with time machine?

I already have an external hard drive that I use to backup anything I want to then delete from my macbook air. I also use Carbonite to back up everything on my mac. I am looking to switch to Carbonite to Time Machine because it's free. Can you recommend a drive? How do most people use TM? Do you manually back up once a day or do you set it to constantly back up your files?
Thanks,
Jan

I back up every day, I also have 2 back up drives, which you should also have, if your data is imporant to you.
A Time Machine back up, and a clone (which is bootable)
I use a OWC Elite,and a IOmega.
Use Time Machine on OWC:
ttp://eshop.macsales.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=adwords& gclid=COCM8O3uuLsCFSUOOgodVBEAOwuuLsCFSUOOgodVBEAOw
IOMEGA:
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=iomega+portable+hard+drives&tag=googhy dr-20&index=electronics&hvadid=3927029335&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2132 262008473015365&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_2k8gsvyzks_b
These are but a few that are available for affordable prices, I have had very good performance from both, there is going to be many other opinions, and all are valid, I just sat stay away from WD as they have been problematic.
Do a web search you will find tons of drives, at different prices, and capacities, choose one or better still two and back uo to 3 different systems.
I use Time Machine and Carbon Copy Cloner:
http://www.bombich.com/
Also check into SuperDuper:
http://download.cnet.com/SuperDuper/3000-2242_4-46651.html
Hope this helps

Type of External Drive to use with Time Machine

I just upgraded to Leopard & want to use Time Machine to back up my data. Is it better (i.e. faster) to use a FireWire or USB external drive, or doesn't it make a difference?
TIA!

Hi-
It's better, and faster, to use firewire.

Partitioning an External 320gb drive for use with Time Machine and...

I want to be able to use my Western Digital 320GB external drive for use with Time Machine and to use as extra storage space on both my Mac and when I boot into Windows Vista.
Is this possible?
I was playing around in Disk Utility and would I partition the part I want to use for Time Machine with the Mac OS Journaled, and whatever I want as space for windows, use a MS - DOS format?
Has anyone done this before?
Cheers-

Unless you are using 64 bit version of MSWindows (64 bit XP/Vista), it won't be able to handle a disk with GUID partition table (GPT). Disks with Apple Partition Map (APM) or GUID partition table are the only ones that Time Machine will work with (not MBR disks). Note also that the MBR/APM/GPT are at the DISK level and not the partition level, so don't mix the format with partitioning scheme. Time Machine disks are meant to live in the Mac universe (for now, anyway) and sharing with the MSWindows 32-bit universe is not possible.
See http://img87.imageshack.us/my.php?image=macpcdiskdd06sv8.png for some additional background.

External hard drive to use with Time Machine? Thoughts? Mac newbie.

Hello. Switched to an imac and have loved the experience. Was just about to buy an external hard drive when apple announced the time capsule. I've been holding off thinking I would purchase one but now I'm re-thinking it.
Between music, videos and pictures, I currently have about 400gb of stuff (and it will grow). My main concern is backing up (archiving) a copy of these files. Backing up other system files is a second concern after that.
I'm thinking of buying a 1TB external hard drive, firewire capable, partitioning part of it to be an archive drive, and the other part to use with time machine. Skip the time capsule.
Will that work? Other recommendations?
If so, any recommendations on a quiet, reasonably sized (i.e. doesn't take up the entire corner of the desk), 1tb external hard drive?
Thanks.

Clayton, if you're only backing up one Mac, then you can purchase any good, reputable 750 GB or 1 TB external drive.
Considerations:
1) Reliability is key here. You want a drive that works. Various people have complained about Western Digital (me included), so take that into consideration.
2) Quiet is important. You have a quiet computer -- why louse up the working environment with a noisy drive?
3) FW (Firewire) 800 is faster than FW400, which is faster than USB. But once you get the initial backup done, it really doesn't matter how fast the drive is, because it works in the background and doesn't hamper your work. And if you DO need to restore your entire computer via Time Machine (I've done it), speed is less important than reliability. Even if it takes 3 hours, you'll be grateful. So while some may counsel you to get a 'fast' drive, reliability is more important.
4) On FW versus USB, you'll hear many claims. Again the key is reliability versus speed. A good USB drive is fine for what you are doing; FW is faster. Some folks have had problems with one or the other, so hear what they have to say.
5) Every drive dies. That's true for any electromechanical device. Don't think you've solved your backup problems by plugging in a drive and walking away. Your most critical files need a second backup, be it to a DVD, CD, thumb drive, network drive -- something. The more critical it is, the more backups you need. If you're writing your Ph.D. thesis, by definition you can't have too many backups
6) Convenience matters. You can 'roll your own' drive if you have experience -- buy a case, buy a drive, assemble, etc. But it's many times easier, particularly for a Time Machine backup drive, to just buy a reliable (there's that word again) external HD off the shelf.
7) Finally, follow directions. Apple tells you how to set up a TM drive. Do it their way. That means, format the brand new drive and make it a 'GUID' partition. Use the Apple Disk Utility. Follow directions.
Good luck,
Steve

On imac 10.6.8 using current version of Aperture. How can I access the Aperture Library on my external hard drive that I use with time machine for backup? I can only access the application but not the library..

On imac 10.6.8 using current version of Aperture. How can I access the Aperture Library on my external hard drive that I use with time machine for backup? I can only access the application but not the library..

Go into Time Machine (the program not the bundle on the extrnal disk) and using Time Machine's browser go to the Folder where the library lives. You could look in the library bundle in Time Machine but that won't really tell you much,
If you want to make sure it truely has backed up your library you will need to restore it and open the restored library with Aperture.
If all this still has you confused you need to read up on Time Machine in order to get a feel for how it works, for what it is doing and for how to restore files from it.

Recently upgraded Mac 24" to Lion (clean install) and now no external hard disks work with Time Machine

Recently upgraded Mac 24" to Lion (clean install) and now no external hard disks work with Time Machine.
installed new internal disk first with fresh 10.7.3 Lion software. Also upgrade ram to 4GB. Work great, super fast.
BUT.... my WD 1TB firewire400 external disks no longer work with the Lion enabled machine now.
FURTHER... I read somewhere that WD is problematic with Lion but Seagate was not... so I went and bought a new 3TB Seagate GoFlex.
When it didnt work properly either, I patiently searched and found a software/firward upgrade and applied.
I re-partitioned disk to extened/journaled standard, etc.
Then assigned the particition to Time Machine. Drive turned the blue/grey color, so I thought it would work.
But, it has now been in "preparing" mode in Time Machine for HOURS....
What is up Apple? So dissappointed. Ive read these type of problems are notorious with Lion and I wish I never upgraded.
Are you trying to make issues with External disks, to drive people to iCloud? That trick ont work in me. I will not reward bad behaviour Apple.
Please provide a fix... I wasted hours/days screwing around with this, instead of using the Mac for what its intended!

Solved by Pondini, on another thread I opened...
Answer:
Sounds like either:
A directory problem on your internal HD. Verify your internal HD, and Repair any other volumes being backed-up per #A5 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.
Something in OSX may be damaged. You've tried the "combo," so a fresh copy of OSX (that won't disturb anything else) would be worth a try (and you don't need a tech for that). See Installing the ''combo'' update and/or Reinstalling OSX.

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.

I bought an external hard drive for backups to use with Time Machine, but however when I try to connect it with the other windows laptop it doesn't work ? intact it doesn't work on any other device except my MAC ?

I bought an external hard drive for backups to use with Time Machine, but however when I try to connect it with the other windows laptop it doesn't work ? intact it doesn't work on any other device except my MAC ?

Do not worry about it.
Time Machine needs that your external drive is formatted in HFS+, or better known as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)". This filesystem is used by Apple on Macs and Windows cannot read or write drives formatted with this filesystem, being this the reason why all your devices do not read the external drive except your Mac.
You can only use your external drive to make Time Machine drives. If you store anything different, you may damage the Time Machine structure, so it is better not to use it as a drive to store other data. Instead, get another external drive to do it or create a second partition on the external drive formatted in FAT32 by using Disk Utility > http://pondini.org/OSX/DU3.html FAT32 can be read by Windows PCs

Quiet external hard drive for use with Time Machine?

Few questions related to Time Machine:
1- what external hard drive that would be good to use with Time Machine, that also runs relatively quietly? Since TM runs 24/7, am looking for one that is quieter than my current G-tech.
2- Please confirm what size is optimal relative to the size of the internal hard drive.
3- I currently use a separate external hard drive as my bootable disc. Is it possible/preferable to have these be on one and the same drive?
Thank you.

1. I like these (have three of them) - literally whisper quiet:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/1394/USB/EliteAL/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB
2. You should allow 2 - 3 times your internal drive's size for TM.
3. No, it'd be best to be on another drive - you can create separate partitions, but if/when the drive fails, both of your backups would be gone. So, keep your clone on a separate disk. In fact, it's good to have two different backups.

Purchasing external HD and use with Time Machine

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