Sets Macintosh HD as backup disk when external drive unplugged

When I unplug my laCie drive it sets my Macintosh HD as the target disk the macintosh HD icon in the desktop is the same as is shown next to a backup disk (blue with time machine symbol), what can I do?
Also, is there a way of knowing when it has finished backing up? As I have a mbp I don't always have it plugged in.
Thanks
Tom

Go to System Preferences > Time Machine > Change Disk. See if Time Machine has selected your hard drive as its backup disk. If it has, that is a very serious problem as Time Machine should never do that under any circumstances. Please post back if that is the case.
I would expect that what you are seeing is confusion in the code that changes a normal disk icon to a Time Machine disk icon. If this is the case it is unlikely to affect how Time Machine functions.
Either issue should be reported as a bug via Apple Care or by posting to Feedback so the problem gets attention for a fix.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/feedback/

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Errors when transferring my Time Machine backup to an external drive.

Hello,
I need some help transferring my Time Machine backup to an external drive. Let me explain what happened.
I have a Mac OSX Mountain Lion that was upgraded to Mavericks when the upgrade came out. Prior to upgrading, I've been backing up WD Passport Mac with the proprietary software "WD Unlocker on it". It worked flawlessly but after upgrading to Mavericks, I decided to backup and noticed that once i inserted the WD Passport, my screen will flicker, windows will close and reappear.
I decided to read up on this and discovered that Mavericks is not compatible with the "WD Unlocker " program on the Passport drive. Since I already have a backup in place, i decided to restore my computer to factory settings and when I attached the Passport drive with my backup on it, My device will see the backup but it will keep spinning for hours without restoring my backup. I decided to read further on this and I got the same Mavericks compatibility conclusion.
I then copied my entire backups.backupdb folder to my Mac desktop and formatted my WD Passport external drive and got rid of the proprietary software "WD Unlocker".. Once this was completed, I then tried to copy my backups.backupdb folder to my external drive within finder. Each time i tried, i get error messages and permission messages. Even when i changed the permission on the backups.backupdb folder to read & write for everyone, i still get the permissions error.
Please helppppp. I have over 500gb of vital data in my backup.
Thank you.

Since you don't really have a question, I will give you a very broad information source for the next time you have a Time Machine question.
Please visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with all things Time Machine.
Oh, you cannot use a computer whose only disk drive is the target of a an OS X cloning operation regardless of what software is used for the clone. You can, however, use the source drive except if you try to clone using Disk Utility.

Is it possible to set up a backup between two external drives

Is it possible to set up a backup between two external drives?
i use time machine to back up my imac onto an external 2T.
i also have two external 3T drives. i am looking for redundancy of data, tried software RAID and it failed. i also see some limitations with RAID that a backup would avoid.
thanks for sharing your expertise.
be well,
tony

so thanks to all of you, particularly rkaufmann87 i have decided to stop the plan of setting up a software RAID set. instead i have downloaded ccc and am in the process of setting up the secone 3t external drive as a clone. i will use time machine to back up the internal hard drive only and if possible see if i can clone that as well onto one of the 3t's.
this gives me the peace of mind i sounght and avoids the problem of total corruption that exists with the raid solution i was exploring.
thank you all for making this an enjoyable and informative experience. what a powerful community.
be well
tony

Trying to set up a new Lacie Porsche 9220 external drive on a 1.25Gb Dual Processor G4 Mirrordrive running OS X 10.5.8

I'm trying to set up a new Lacie Porsche 9220 external drive on a 1.25Gb Dual Processor G4 Mirrordrive running OS X 10.5.8.
I ran erase, formatting to Mac OS Extended (Journaled). But when I try to set up two partitions (Mac OS Extended Journaled for both) using Apple Partition Scheme, Disk Utility returns a fail as follows...
'Partition failed with the error: File system formatter failed'.
Also, before partitioning, whilst erasing, the following warning appeared in Disk Utility....
newfs_hfs: WARNING: wrapper option ignored since volume size > 256GB
Can't see whether the problem is with drive, system or myself.
The DU Log is as follows...
2013-01-19 23:14:03 +0000: Disk Utility started.
2013-01-19 23:17:26 +0000: Preparing to erase : “disk2s10”
2013-01-19 23:17:26 +0000:           Partition Scheme: Apple Partition Map
2013-01-19 23:17:26 +0000:           1 volume will be erased
2013-01-19 23:17:26 +0000:                     Name       : “disk2s10”
2013-01-19 23:17:26 +0000:                     Size       : 465.6 GB
2013-01-19 23:17:26 +0000:                     Filesystem : Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
2013-01-19 23:17:26 +0000: newfs_hfs: WARNING: wrapper option ignored since volume size > 256GB
2013-01-19 23:19:49 +0000: Initialized /dev/rdisk2s10 as a 466 GB HFS Plus volume with a 40960k journal
2013-01-19 23:19:49 +0000: Mounting disk.
2013-01-19 23:20:50 +0000: Could not mount disk2s10 with name disk2s10 after erase
2013-01-19 23:20:50 +0000: Erase complete.
2013-01-19 23:20:50 +0000:
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000: Preparing to partition disk: “ST950032 5AS Media”
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000:           Partition Scheme: Apple Partition Map
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000:           2 volumes will be created
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000:
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000:           Partition 1
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000:                     Name       : “Boot”
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000:                     Size       : 15 GB
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000:                     Filesystem : Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000:
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000:           Partition 2
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000:                     Name       : “Repository”
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000:                     Size       : 450.8 GB
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000:                     Filesystem : Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000:
2013-01-19 23:24:17 +0000: Creating partition map.
2013-01-19 23:24:23 +0000: Formatting disk2s5 as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) with name Repository.
2013-01-19 23:26:31 +0000: Partition failed for disk disk2s5 File system formatter failed.
2013-01-19 23:26:32 +0000: Formatting disk2s3 as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) with name Boot.
2013-01-19 23:27:22 +0000: Partition failed for disk (null) File system formatter failed.
2013-01-19 23:27:22 +0000: Partition failed for disk (null) File system formatter failed.
2013-01-19 23:27:22 +0000: Partition complete.
2013-01-19 23:27:22 +0000:
2013-01-19 23:27:52 +0000: Eject of “disk2” failed
2013-01-19 23:28:13 +0000: Unmount of “disk2” failed

...in fact, just trying it again, it appears to have successfully erased on a volume level...
2013-01-20 20:54:39 +0000: Disk Utility started.
2013-01-20 20:55:33 +0000: Preparing to erase : “Back-up”
2013-01-20 20:55:33 +0000:           Partition Scheme: Apple Partition Map
2013-01-20 20:55:33 +0000:           1 volume will be created
2013-01-20 20:55:33 +0000:                     Name       : “Back-up”
2013-01-20 20:55:33 +0000:                     Size       : 465.8 GB
2013-01-20 20:55:33 +0000:                     Filesystem : Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
2013-01-20 20:55:33 +0000: Creating partition map.
2013-01-20 20:55:36 +0000: Formatting disk2s3 as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) with name Back-up.
2013-01-20 20:59:19 +0000: Erase complete.
2013-01-20 20:59:19 +0000:
I'm now testing this for read/write. Ummm, no go. It has disconnected the drive. The system has also come back with this dialogue...
"The operation cannot be completed because you do not have sufficient privileges for some of the items." The items were just some photos (Jpegs) for which there should not be any privilege issues.
Does this offer you enough to suggest any possibilities, perhaps?
Thanks

I had a HD failure on my MBP, luckily i had a full backup on an external drive. However, my new drive had Maverick installed, my photo's were in a 9.2.3 version of iPhoto. Now I can't move my library across. Help !

I had a HD failure on my MBP, luckily i had a full backup on an external drive. However, my new drive had Maverick installed, my photo's were in a 9.2.3 version of iPhoto. Now I can't move my library across. Help !

my photo's were in a 9.2.3 version of iPhoto. Now I can't move my library across. Help
What exactly is the problem?
You are now running Mavericks. What version of iPhoto do you now have installed? If you restored an iPhoto 9.2.3 version, it will not work with Mavericks, you first need to update iPhoto to the current version 9.5.1. Check, if you are seeing an update on the "updates" tab of the App Store, when you sign in with your Apple iD, or on the "Purchased" tab in the "Accept" portion of the tab.
What kind of backup of your iPhoto library do you have?

Time machine backup with 2 external drives?

i got myself an external hard drive to use with my MBP. I do a lot of filmwork in imovie for my artwork, and have found my internal hard drive filling up fast.
So i bought a second hard drive yesterday. I'm hoping to backup my files on the external drives so i can erase the files on my MBP and keep it fairly free to record more film.
Is there a way to simultaneously backup to both external drives? or to move files from one external drive to another quickly? I am a complete newbie to macs (and technology for that matter) so simple words work best smile
thanks!

dman8950 wrote:
Hello
Does anyone know if it's possible to use two separate external drives in Time Machine to backup different parts of my mbp hard drive? That is, I want to use ex.drive1 to back up work files at work and ex.drive2 to back up personal files at home. In time machine options, I can set the folders for exclusion, but currently have to set those each time I back up at home/work.
There's no easy way to do that with Time Machine. As you see, it only has one set of exclusions and one destination drive at a time.
In theory, and if you're careful, you might be able to manipulate the preference file where all that's stored. Set TM up for home, say, then copy or rename that version. Then set it up for work and do the same.
The file is at the top level of your drive, not in your home folder:
/Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist
You could probably write an Automator workflow or AppleScript to simplify swapping the files.
Otherwise, two alternatives:
Back up everything in both places.
Use Time Machine at home, and a different app, such as CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper, at work, or vice-versa.

Transfer Time Machine backup from one external drive to another

Surely this has been covered, but I can't find it.
If you have your time machine backup on an external drive and get a new (larger) external drive, what is the best way to transfer the backup from one drive to the other (and define the new drive as the backup drive)? Straight copy ? Then to define the new drive, rename old drive to something else and name new drive the backup name?

I haven't tried this yet but a few other methods are described at http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071128055047339

Transfer music from PC to Mac using data disks or external drive?

I have my iPhone synced with my office computer (a PC running XP Pro) and originally had my iPad synced with the same PC computer.
But now I synced my iPad with my Macbook pro at home.
Is there anyway to transfer the music and playlists via data disks (or external drive) from the office PC to the home Macbook?
If so, can you please tell me very slowly how to do that. What do I need to transfer and what is the file called, etc... I'm not very familiar with PCs (I'm more of a Mac person).
Thanks in advance,
Anne

Open iTunes and go to Store>Authorise Computer or play a purchased song in iTunes. If the computer has not yet been authorised, iTunes asks you to enter the Apple ID and password you used to purchase the song:
About iTunes Music Store Authorisation and Deauthorisation
iTunes Music Store - Authorization FAQ

Had PSE 8 installed on PC Windows 7 with a catalog backup on an external drive. Now have a Mac with OS Mavericks. If I install PSE 12 or Lightroom on this Mac can I use the cat. backup from Windows or must I start from scratch

Had pse 8 on a Windows 7 PC with a catalog backup on an external drive. Now have a Mac with OS Mavericks. If install pse 12 or Lightroom on the Mac will I be able to use the old catalog backup or must I start from scratch.

If you made a full catalog backup using the organizer's backup command, and you did it to a removable drive, yes, you can restore it to the mac. A backup made on discs will not work, though.

Acrobat Pro 9 for mac won't launch, reloaded from disk when hard drive needed to be replace. It's in applications folder but there is an X on the Acrobat Reinstall icon. What should I do.

Acrobat Pro 9 for mac won't launch, reloaded from disk when hard drive needed to be replace. It's in applications folder but there is an X on the Acrobat Reinstall icon. What should I do.

Hi Janice,
What version of Mac OS are you using?
Adobe does not recommend migrating the software from one disk to the other.
Please run the setup file for Acrobat and reinstall the software. You might want to delete the existing version of Acrobat installed before reinstalling it.
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Using smart previews on iMac to control two sets of identical original files on two external drives --- render previews setting when using smart previews

I’m just getting started with Lightroom and if someone can help me I’ll be very appreciative.
I’m using an iMac with a 1TB drive and two external 2.5 TB drives for backup. My active files are on all three drives and I’m running out of room on the iMac drive.
With the smart previews capability of Lightroom 5, I’m hoping to remove all the active files from the iMac drive. I hope to import existing images into the LR catalog from two identical drives with identical folders and have both sets of images reflect the changes I make using smart previews on my iMac.
I just created two identical test folders of junk images on the external drives and was following a beginners tutorial on importing. However, I see nothing about using smart previews on my iMac that, when connected, will update more than one external drive at the same time.
I’m also wondering if, when using smart previews, it matters how I set the render previews during the import process.
Many thanks for any help,
Karl Hentz

I don't see any way to use smart previews to update both external drives at the same time. The smart previews are linked to a specific set of images. But it seems to me that if both drives are in fact identical, once the catalog is updated when one of those drives is connected those changes should also apply to the files on the other drive. It's actually the catalog that gets updated, not the images. Smart previews and regular import previews are completely unrelated. How you have your import previews configured will have no effect on your smart previews.
Incidentally, in order for my suggestion to work it would be necessary to only have one of those external drives connected. And when the other EHD is connected it would have to have the same drive letter or name. In other words it would have to appear to the iMac that it is precisely the same drive.

Can I set an alarm when external drive powers off?

I must be one of the few people who have no trouble at all with TM! I use it to back up about 1TB of photos (I am a semi-pro photographer) to two different drives - keeping one offsite at the office and rotating them regularly.
However - my external drive is hidden at home when connected. When we have a power outage (all too often here in MA) then the drive powers off and does not power on again (I am using MacAlly enclosures - have tried several, these are the most reliable to date).
Given that TM works so well, I never think to check if it has backed up so if the power has cycled I don't notice that TM has not run. Is there any way to set an alert (dialog box popup, auto email etc) to tell me when TM cannot access the drive as it is powered off. Is this buried in Leopard, or does anyone know of a 3rd party app?
Thanks

I could not agree more with Kappy.
I would never plug either my Mac or my external into anything but a UPS. They've gotten much less expensive lately, and even a fairly small one ($100 to $130 or so) will run my Mac and external for an hour or so.
But you don't necessarily need even that much; just enough for your Mac to power itself down in an orderly manner.
If you have a power failure to either your Mac or external disk, it can corrupt your data. I'd recommend using Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder) to do a +Repair Disk+ (not permissions) on your external, and a +Verify Disk+ (not permissions) on your internal. If the internal shows errors, you'll have to use the copy of DU on your Leopard Install disc to fix them. Post back if you need to do this but don't know how.

Can I set Time Machine to backup both my hard drive and an external hard drive?

Hi. I've been working with a lot of family video lately and my internal hard drive has filled up significantly. iMovie doesn't seem to have a good archiving facility like Adobe InDesign which I use at work were all the relevant files are gathered together into one folder. Apple advised me to relocate my movie files to an external hard drive and herein lies my query.
Is there a way for me to set Time Machine to backup both my iMac's internal drive and the external hard drive that would contain my movie files? I've been using Time Machine for my backups for a few years now, but backing up the external as well has me stumped. If Time Machine could be used then all the necessary file accociations etc would be safely backed up as well - that's why I don't want to have to manually backup the external.
Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

7string48 wrote:
Thanks so much Pondini!! You just quickly answered a question that none of the Mac people in 3 stores or Apple Care have been able to answer.If you can format it HFS+ (any variation of Mac OS Extended), it will work. If not, it won't.
I'm not too surprised about the Apple Stores, as they don't get much training on Time Machine. But AppleCare sure ought to know.
Oh...what about if the external drive is an array...like a Drobo with it's own proprietary formatting...I guess that would not work...??
I've never used a Drobo. A number of folks here have used them as their Time Machine drives, but I don't recall seeing anyone try to back one up with TM, so can't say for sure. But if you can format it as HFS+ (any variation of Mac OS Extended), it will work. If not, it won't.
At least part of the reason is, Time Machine uses the File System Event Store, a hidden log of changes that OSX keeps on each Mac-formatted disk/partition, to figure out what's changed and needs to be backed-up. See How Time Machine works its Magic for details.
See Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #32 for details and considerations of backing-up multiple volumes with Time Machine.
However, even if it will work, that may not be your best strategy, depending on your circumstances:
Since Time Machine keeps copies of things you've changed or deleted, the destination needs to be considerably larger than the data being backed-up. How much larger varies widely depending on how you use your Mac, but a general "rule of thumb" is, it needs at least twice the space to be able to keep a reasonable "depth" of backups for you.
If you have a large internal HD, fairly full, plus a large external HD, and the files on the external don't change frequently, you might want to use Time Machine for the internal, and a different app to a different disk or partition, on a different schedule, for the external. Especially if space is a consideration, you might not need to keep previous versions of files on the externals. See Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #27 for some alternatives.

Can't set up Time Machine to backup to WD external drive

Hi, I have a WD external drive that I want to use to back up my Mac book Pro 10.8 files.
I connected the WD to the computer's USB and it appears in the "Devices" list in the Finder Window.
I opened "System Preferences / Time Machine" switched it to "On", clicked the option "Other Time Capsule" and the "Set up..." button
A new screen opened and I couldn't find the option to choose the WD drive as the Time Machine backup location.
This screen only says:
"no new Airport base stations discovered"
"no remote Airport base stations discovered"
"no configured Airport base stations have been found. AirPort utility will continue searching"
Am I doing something wrong? Why can't I find the option to save the backup to the WD drive?
Thanks

Not only should it be OSX Extended (journaled), it should also
be repartitioned to a GUID partition format. Click Partition tab
is Disk Utility (make sure you have the WD drive selected),
reset to create one or however many partitions you want,
click the Options button. Select GUID partition map, then
repartition.

Can I use a Time Machine Backup (on an external drive) as a "start up" drive? I need to do a disk repair.

I am upgrading my MacBook Pro (17"; Intel Core Duo; Speed 2.16 GHz; 2 GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM) from Leopard (10.5.8) to Snow Leopard (10.6.8). I successfully Time Machine to make a backup to an external LaCie drive. Some issues appeared when I ran a "disk verify," and need to change the startup drive to boot up and use "repair disk." When I tried to change the startup drive (in System Preferences) the drive with the Time Machine Backup was not recognized. Can I even use Time Machine to create a bootable drive? I use Carbon Copy Clone with my iMac (and can boot from the clone), but that is not an option when running OSX 10.5.8.

Only if the backup was created by Mac OS X 10.8 or newer. Use the Mac OS X 10.6 install DVD instead.
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Sets Macintosh HD as backup disk when external drive unplugged

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