Using a FAT32-formatted drive as backup disk with Time Machine

For strange and perverse reasons of my own, I'd like to use a FAT32-formatted external hard drive with Time Machine. Is this possible?

No, Time Machine needs a HFS+ formatted drive for its backup folder:
Mac OS Extended or Mac OS Extended Journaled.
_A solution_ if you still want to use the same drive for TM backup and for some Windows files:
Partition the drive before you start using it.
1) Format it (using Disk Utility) as Mac OS Extended
2) Make two partitions.
3) Now you can format Partition2 as FAT32, so you have then two different volumes with each its own format.

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HT201250 Is it possible to use Dropbox or Microsoft OneDrive as the backup disk for time machine?

I have a MacBook Pro for which I have not set up Time Machine. I have a Dropbox account and a Microsoft OneDrive account, each with plenty of space to serve as backups. Is it possible to use either of these as THE backup disk for Time Machine? It doesn't appear intuitive from Time Machine on my MBP.
Thank you.

No. Time Machine does not work with "cloud" drives.

I am changing to a larger hard drive on my Mac. Can I copy the Aperture library from my backup disk running Time Machine without loosing anything?

I am installing a larger harddrive on my Mac. Can I copy the Aperture library from my backup disk running Time Machine without loosing anything? I am getting help migrating everything else on to the new harddrive, but since copying the 350Gb Aperture library takes a lot of time, I am planning to do that part myself.

I found the following information on Time Machine help about restoring Aperture library from TM
Restoring Your Aperture System
If you buy a new computer or use another system at a different location and want access to the Aperture library, you can install Aperture and then transfer the library from your vault (on your backup disk) to the other computer. If you experience equipment failure or other unexpected events, such as fire or weather-related damage to your equipment, you can easily restore the entire library to your new computer from a backup disk.
HideTo restore the entire library from an external backup disk
Restoring Your Aperture System
If you buy a new computer or use another system at a different location and want access to the Aperture library, you can install Aperture and then transfer the library from your vault (on your backup disk) to the other computer. If you experience equipment failure or other unexpected events, such as fire or weather-related damage to your equipment, you can easily restore the entire library to your new computer from a backup disk.
HideTo restore the entire library from an external backup disk
If you buy a new computer or use another system at a different location and want access to the Aperture library, you can install Aperture and then transfer the library from your vault (on your backup disk) to the other computer. If you experience equipment failure or other unexpected events, such as fire or weather-related damage to your equipment, you can easily restore the entire library to your new computer from a backup disk.
HideTo restore the entire library from an external backup disk
Connect the hard disk drive that contains the most up-to-date vault to your computer and open Aperture.
Choose File > Vault > Restore Library.The Restore Library dialog appears.
Choose the vault you want to use to restore your library from the Source Vault pop-up menu.If the vault doesn’t appear in the Source Vault pop-up menu, choose Select Source Vault from the Source Vault pop-up menu, navigate to the vaults location in the Select Source Vault dialog, then click Select.
Click Restore, then click Restore again.

If I choose a hard drive ask my backup disk for time machine, will it clear out the data that was previously stored in my hard drive?

If I choose a hard drive ask my backup disk for time machine, will it clear out the data that was previously stored in my hard drive?

Hello edjhsu,
Unless the drive is in a format that isn't compatible with Time Machine, the files will not be overrwitten. However it is typically a better idea to keep your files and your backup separate, especially since files on the Time Machine drive will not be backed up by Time Machine.
Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427
Cheers,
Allen

The first time I connected my new My Passport portable hard drive to my Mac, the message asking if I want to use the drive to back up with Time Machine did not appear. What is the next step?

The first time I connected my new My Passport portable hard drive to my MacBook Pro, the message asking if I want to use the drive to back up with Time Machine did not appear. I would like to set it up to do this. What would my next step be?

Drive Partition and Format
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Apply button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
Open Time Machine preferences to select this drive for use as the backup drive. Turn on Time Machine.

I need to configure a new hard disk as backup disk for time machine. The set up program is running and it says it will take 9 days to backup about 56 GB. Is it normal ?

I need to configure a new hard disk as backup disk for time machine.
The set up program is running since two hours and it says it will take 9 days to backup about 56 GB.
Is it normal ?

Roberto 17 wrote:
I started this morning at 12 and after 5 hours now the backup is about 6 GB up on 56 GB.
The new HD is a WD My Passport Edge 500 GB capacity
5 hours to do 6 GB of transfer is NOT normal, even for USB 2.0 so there's something wrong here. I'd say cancel it, wipe the drive and then test the integrity of the drive. Do some file transfers over to and see if it's behaving normally. It could be a bad USB cable, it could be a bad drive or bad enclosure. As it's new, I suspect you haven't really put it through its paces yet and it's important to do that first before commissioning it to serve as your "reliable backup."

Remove disk from backup disks in Time Machine, old backups no longer accessible

I accidentally removed a disk from my backup disks in Time Machine. It said it wouldn't delete any backups, but after reconnecting it, I cannot access any previous backups through the Time Machine interface and it says "Latest Backup: None". The data is still visible on the drive.
What can I do? I really need these backups.
PS This poster appears to have had a similar problem but was never resolved: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4175446

See Pondini's TM FAQs for starters.

Working in adobe illustrator - computer crashed - will not soft boot or reset PRAM - should i reinstall from CD snow leopard 10.6.3? I have an extra hard drive in my MAC with time machine on it set to do auto back ups. How do i recover ?

working in adobe illustrator - computer crashed - will not soft boot or reset PRAM - should i reinstall from CD snow leopard 10.6.3? I have an extra hard drive in my MAC with time machine on it set to do auto back ups. How do i recover ?

Well first you have to figure out what is wrong with the machine and solve that problem first.
Your post is very vague on what occured, and there are many types of "crashes" it really depends upon what see on the screen and what the hardware does, we can't see it to tell you, so you have to tell us.
I suggest you run through these user tips and provide more information about your hardware.
Disconnect the TimeMachine drive for now
..Step by Step to fix your Mac
Help us to help you on these forums
Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive
If this is going way over your head, there are local PC/Mac techs that will assist you for a fee, Apple only does hardware repairs and is advised to use them if you discover it is, especially if under warranty/AppleCare.
Hard drive and RAM upgrades can be handled yourself or by a outside tech in many older models of Mac, but don't expect Apple to cover the new parts.
Install/upgrade RAM or storage drive in Mac's

Can I use the ipod classic as an external hardrive with time machine as well as an ipod for my mac book pro OS X?

Can I use the ipod classic as an external hardrive with time machine as well as an ipod for my mac book pro OS X?

No. Time Machine has been specifically written not to back up to an iPod.
(58364)

Now that i have a mac pro.how can i use a portable hard drive while i have the time machine working on my mac?

what do i do if i want to use a portable hard drive for backing up, if i also see
the time machine also on there?

flora1917 wrote:
what do i do if i want to use a portable hard drive for backing up, if i also see
the time machine also on there?
Do you mean you're already backing-up to a Time Capsule, and want to switch to using an external HD? If so, just format the drive and select it via Time Machine Preferences > Select Disk. See #21 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.
If you mean something else, please clarify.

Leopard doesn't mount the disk with time machine backup!

Hi friends. It's my first time in this forum, and I'm sorry by now for my poor english.
My problem: One week ago I had some problem with hard disk, but after a visit to an Apple center and after a replacement of my disk the problem was solved.
Now I want to restore all my file and my system preference from an external hard disk (USB LaCie 500GB) when have made a complete backup with time machine.
But Leopard doesn't mount the disk in finder or in Utility Disco. I see it only in System Profiler. I try with my old iBook with Tiger and it mount correctly the disk! It's amazing! Please Help me, I need my file on my iMac for work!
Thanks and merry Christmas!!!

Similar thing for me as well. I however haven't made a backup using Time Machine.
In preparation for Leopard, I reformatted my laptop's hard drive and installed Mac OS X 10.5.1 fresh. As soon as I plugged in my trusty 500GB external WD MyBook Pro (trying both Firewire 400 and 800 on my MacBook Pro 17"), I get the following alert:
"Disk Repair
The disk "500GB" was not repairable by this computer. It is being made available to you with limited functionality. you must back up your data and reformat the disk as soon as possible. OK"
Keep in mind, I run Disk Utility and "Repair Disk" and "Repair Permissions" religiously every week and have had no issues while running under Mac OS X 10.4.11. My other laptop running the 10.4.11 doesn't report any issues with the drive at all - only when I plug it into this one running 10.5.1.
Is there a firmware update for this drive? Is this Apple's issue? I have another LaCie Firewire drive and it works flawlessly even under 10.5.1.
Right now, I can't even use the drive as it's Read Only (due to the error).
In system logs:
Feb 9 19:02:59 Cam diskarbitrationd69: unable to repair /dev/disk4s3 (status code 0x00000008).
/dev/rdisk4s3: fsck_hfs run at Sat Feb 9 19:00:41 2008
/dev/rdisk4s3: ** /dev/rdisk4s3 (NO WRITE)
/dev/rdisk4s3: QUICKCHECK ONLY; FILESYSTEM DIRTY
/dev/rdisk4s3: fsck_hfs run at Sat Feb 9 19:00:41 2008
/dev/rdisk4s3: ** /dev/rdisk4s3
/dev/rdisk4s3: ** Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
/dev/rdisk4s3: ** Checking Extents Overflow file.
/dev/rdisk4s3: ** Checking Catalog file.
/dev/rdisk4s3: Incorrect number of file hard links
/dev/rdisk4s3: ** Checking multi-linked files.
/dev/rdisk4s3: ** Checking Catalog hierarchy.
/dev/rdisk4s3: ** Checking Extended Attributes file.
/dev/rdisk4s3: ** Checking volume bitmap.
/dev/rdisk4s3: ** Checking volume information.
/dev/rdisk4s3: ** Repairing volume.
/dev/rdisk4s3: ** The volume 500GB could not be repaired.
The drive is reported to be "Ok" when running Disk Repair on other machines not running Leopard. As a test, I just "upgraded" my wife's laptop to Leopard and now I have the same issue on that machine.
Help.

My primary HD is shown as a 'Backup Disk' in Time Machine . . .

I was a longtime user of SuperDuper and want to try Time Machine.
Is the primary hard drive (mine called Prime) supposed to show up as a 'backup disk' in the Time Machine preferences?
See image:
I want to back up to two other hard drives, Time Machine (On Site), and USB Back-Up. How does one identify the disk to be backed up? Does Time Machine default to the one containing the active system?
Thanks.

Hi Edward,
From the screenshot, it looks like you have 3 active backup disks. This article has some information on using multiple disks for backup:
OS X Mountain Lion: Use multiple backup disks
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11452
Time Machine rotates the backup schedule among the disks. For each backup disk, Time Machine backs up everything that’s changed since the last time that backup disk was used. If you’ve clicked Options in Time Machine preferences and designated items that should not be backed up, the list of excluded items applies to all backup disks.
Additionally, here's some info on the disks that can be used with Time Machine:
OS X Mountain Lion: Disks you can use with Time Machine
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11171
I hope this helps!
- Ari

Clicking "encrypt backup disk" crashes Time Machine Preference Pane

Everytime click "encrypt backup disk" Time Machine Preference Pane crashes on MacOS Lion. I have a 2TB disk partioned into 2x1TB volumes, could this be the problem? Are there any other reaons that might cause the crash?

It sounds a bit like your backups may be corrupted, and TM is having a tough time figuring out what's on the drive.
Try doing a +*Repair Disk+* on your TM drive, per #A5 of the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
Then do a "full reset" per #A4 there.

How do I choose a backup disk for Time Machine?

I'm using a 1T Seagate backup disk with 3 partitions to back up on Time Machine. Very suddenly, when it was mounted, the Time Machine icon disappeared, and the Time Machine Partition turned into the generic black Seagate partition-- same as the other two partitions. I ran Disk Utililty; supposedly, everything is fine. I didn't need any of the previous backups, so I reformatted the backup disk. In choosing a disk to use in the Time Machine preferences, I chose a partition. It did perform the backup, and the Time Machine icon was on the desktop while it was backing up, but when I ejected the disk and then plugged it back-- there was the generic icon again.
Also, when I cicked on command e, previously, I was given the option of ejecting one or all three partitions. Now, everything just ejects immediately. Seems like there is a glitch somewhere. In the Time Machine Preferences, the disk with the Time Machine icon at the top of the preferences has an option to select disk and then an option to remove. Why would I remove that disk? Very confusing.

The option to remove the disk in the TM preferences is so you can use another disk if you want.

How do i make a make a backup disk for Time Machine?

I need a backup disk for Time Machine

You need an external hard drive. Here's a cheap SATA external hard drive case on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-NexStar-2-5-Inch-External-Enclosure/dp/B002JQNXZC/r ef=pd_cp_pc_0
For a hard drive try Newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=380&name=Laptop-Hard-Dr ives&Order=PRICE
Or OWC http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/

Using a FAT32-formatted drive as backup disk with Time Machine

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