When I use my portable hard drive with time machine, can I still use it to put stuff on etc??

Can I use it with time machine and then use it to store stuff on as well?? Or when I plug it in will it back up automatically and I can't do anything else with it??
Thanks for your help

It is recommended that Time Machine has it's Own Dedicated Drive.
- Corza - wrote:
Can I use it with time machine and then use it to store stuff on as well??..
See here  >  Can I use my TM disk for other stuff?
From Here  >  http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html

Similar Messages

  • Problem using a WD hard Drive with Time Machine

    A couple weeks ago I bought a 1TB Western Digital "Elements" Hard Drive and configured it with Time Machine on my MacBook Pro (running Mountain Lion OSX version 10.8.3). The drive was working fine until last night, when it was in the process of backing up and it got the following error:
    Time Machine Error
    Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder.
    Now whenever I try to unlock the drive, it freezes up like this:
    I've tried restarting the computer and reconnecting the drive several times, and it always gets stuck in the same place. I know my password is correct, because I've tried incorrect ones, and it shakes and rejects them like it should. It's only when I enter the correct password that it freezes.
    I went into the disk utility to try to verify the disk, but it gave me these two popups:
    I notice it says the drive is almost full, though last night it was somewhere around a third full. I don't know what to make of that.
    I had to eject the disk and reconnect it before I could try to repair it. When I did try to repair it, it worked for several minutes, then gave me this:
    I notice here that the disk utility looks to have ejected the disk when it couldn't repair it. After that, I don't know what to try.
    The one thing I did differently last night that may have contributed to the problem was that before I got the initial Time Machine error, I added a couple of folders to the WD drive and backed up some pictures and music manually. Does Time Machine not work if you have other things on the external drive you're using?
    At any rate, I'd rather not erase the drive and start over. Is there anything else I can do at this point? Thanks.

    Sounds like your drive may be failing.  Test it on another system first, but if the problem persists, get it replaced under warranty.

  • Can I use any external hard drive with Time Machine?

    I have a 1TB external hard drive and also a 16GB flash drive. Is it possible to use either of these with Time Machine?

    IMO Time Machine should be on its own Dedicated External Drive... one that is twice the size of the drive that it is backing up... the 16 GB Flash Drive is not appropiate for the task.
    See Here
    TM 101
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427
    You may also find this Link of Interest...
    Time Machine vs. Clones and Archives

  • Using My Passport hard drive with Time Machine

    i bought a new 320gb My Passport external hard drive to use on both a Mac and a PC. I connected it to my macbook and it mounts and shows that its formatted to FAT32 under disk utility. when i open up time machine to back up the data, it recognizes the drive but says that its an incompatible filesystem and it must erase everything on the hard drive before backing it up. there is nothing on there right now. but, will it affect it when i connect it to a pc after backing it up from my mac? do i have to format it to something else if i want to be able to go back and forth between a pc and a mac? thanks for your help!

    will it affect it when i connect it to a pc after backing it up from my mac?
    Yes.
    do i have to format it to something else if i want to be able to go back and forth between a pc and a mac?
    You need to partition the drive or install MacDrive onto the PC if you want to be able to do that. Time Machine can only back up to a drive in the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format, and Windows can't read that format natively. This doesn't apply to a drive hooked up to a Mac and shared over a network, or the internal drive in a Time Capsule, or anything connected to the USB port of a Time Capsule or 802.11n AirPort Extreme base station.
    (47696)

  • Can I use an Internal Hard Drive with Time Machine?

    My Mac Pro has 4 internal bays for hard drives. Can I set-up one of those bays for a Time Machine hard drive?

    Yes, lots of Mac Pro users do that.
    It's still a good idea to make secondary backups, especially to a portable external HD, that you can take off-site, so you're protected against fire, flood, theft, direct lightning strike on your power lines, etc.
    [CarbonCopyCloner|http://www.bombich.com> is donationware; [SuperDuper|http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html] has a free version, but you need the paid one (about $30) to do updates instead of full replacements, or scheduling.
    And/or, see Kappy's post on [Basic Backup|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12366915#12366915].

  • HT201250 can I use more than one drive with Time Machine i.e. one for just music, one for photos, etc.?

    Can I use multiple hard drives for backing up specific folders in Time Machine?

    You can use only one drive at a time as a TM backup destination, though you can switch among as many drives as you like. They'll all back up the same set of files, unless you keep changing your exclusion list (which I wouldn't recommend.)

  • Hi, ive been backing up my computer to an external hard drive (with time machine). When i buy a new macbook will that hard drive put all my info on to the new computer?

    hi, ive been backing up my computer to an external hard drive (with time machine). When i buy a new macbook will that hard drive put all my info on to the new computer?

    When you boot the new machine for the first time, you'll be prompted to import your data from a Time Machine backup.

  • Can I use a non apple wireless hard drive with time machine?

    Can I use a non apple wireless hard drive with time Machine?

    Some NAS (network storage) systems do claim to support Time Machine, with varying levels of success. For example, the Synology units have this feature. They're not officially supported by Apple, though.
    Matt

  • 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?

    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.
    (66017)

  • I restored my hard drive with time machine but when I log in I get "home folder protected by fire vault and needs to be repaired. But I can't get past the regular log

    I restored my hard drive with time machine but when I log in I get "home folder protected by fire vault and needs to be repaired. But I can't get past the regular log

    Maybe you might find some info to the right>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

  • Using the same external drive with Time Machine on new mac?

    I recently got a new mac because my old one broke. Thankfully, I had a fresh backup on Time Machine ready to restore onto my new computer. But when I try to use Time Machine with my new computer, it keeps wanting to do a whole new backup. It won't recognize the latest backup to only add new or changed files.
    Here's a breakdown of my events:
    new computer
    restore Time Machine on new computer at install
    want to continue using the external drive with Time Machine from where I left off (only adding new files since the last backup) on my new computer
    Time Machine wants to do a whole new backup
    Question: How can I continue to use my existing external hard drive with Time Machine on my new computer, picking up where I left off (not a new, complete backup)?
    My old computer was Snow Lepoard, my new one is Lion.

    Bergers wrote:
    new computer
    restore Time Machine on new computer at install
    That should have left a "trail" in your SystemMigration log, so Time Machine can figure out what happened and automatically "inherit" the old backups.  But sometimes, obviously, that doesn't work.
    Since it didn't, there's a chance you can do it manually.  See #B6 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.

  • Is it possible to use an external hard drive for time machine backup and also as a regular hard drive?

    Is it possible to use an external hard drive for time machine backup and also as a regular hard drive?

    I am using an external drive in the exact way that you described. You just keep it plugged in to the computer when you want to access the movies and files. In order to put files on it, just go to finder open up the drive under devices and drag and drop files onto the drive. It is just like using a usb drive with a terabyte of space.

  • When I back up on my exertnal HD drive with time machine can I erase what on my computer HD for more space?

    When I back up files on my exertnal HD drive with time machine can I erase what's on my Mac HD for space without losing what's on external HD?

    If the data is valuable to you, redundant backups are essential.  Time Machine is an excellent vehicle when you have to restore data that no longer exists on your internal HDD.
    Mende1's suggestion of using Carbon Copy Cloner is excellent because it gives yous a HDD that is 'ready to go' should your internal HDD fail (as all HDDs eventually will). 
    For example, I have 5 copies of my iTunes folder, one each on three MBPs, on a HDD devoted strictly to iTunes and Time Machine (this does not include the iPod).  One may view this as excessive but since I have over 100 GB in this application, I am very comfortable with this.
    I advocate that the best backup strategy is Time machine combined with a boot HDD and a third HDD for the most important user data.  If there is non essential data, the you may certainly compromise and use just Time Machine.
    Ciao.

  • Do I need to use all the hard drive for time machine or can I partition it

    Do I need to use all the hard drive for time machine or can I partition it

    You cannot partition a TC disk.
    See pondini about mixing data and backups.. but remember this.. the TC has no way to back itself up and TM cannot backup files on the TC. Anything not backed up on the TC will be lost at some future point.
    http://pondini.org/TM/TCQ3.html

  • Can I use a 2tb external drive with Time Machine to backup my Mac Mini (256gbSSD + 2tbHDD)?

    Can I use a 2tb external drive with Time Machine to backup what I have on my Mac Mini?
    My Mac Mini has one 256 SSD and one 2tb HDD. I want to use Time Machine to do a backup of everything.
    Would an external 2tb My Passport Drive by Western Digital work for the backup?
    It seems like it would not work because the total storage on the Mac Mini is 2304 gigabytes (SSD + HDD).
    And the external Western Digital drive is only 2048 in gigabytes versus 2304 gigabytes the Mac Mini has.

    No. A Time Machine backup drive should have at least twice the capacity of the drive it backs up. You would need at least a 4 TB backup drive for Time Machine.
    Might I suggest as an alternative that you not use Time Machine but a third-party backup utility that simply overwrites older files with new ones such that the backup drive can be the same capacity as the drive backed up.
    Suggested Backup Software
      1. Carbon Copy Cloner
      2. Get Backup
      3. Deja Vu
      4. SuperDuper!
      5. Synk Pro
      6. Tri-Backup
    Others may be found at MacUpdate.
    Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore.  Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.

Maybe you are looking for

  • Is there a way to change the font size in the Creative Cloud user interfaces?

    It would appear that there is no way to change the unbelievably small font size in the panels, menus, etc for InDesign and Illustrator. If I'm mistaken, someone... please enlighten me. I'm a professional designer with 20/20 vision, working on an iMac

  • Error message when business completion of a production maintenance order

    Hello, When we try to do the business completion of an order, we get the following error message. We did all the steps that is mention in the error message long text, but still, we can't close this PM order... any suggestions how to resolve this issu

  • The sequence to stop and start xMII?

    Hi, good afternoon: Could anybody provide the sequence to stop and start xMII? Is it different from xMii11.* to xMii12.*? Thanks!

  • Can't get picture - BUT PERMISSION IS OK

    In my applet the following code ( from init() ) throws an exception: Access denied. Image img = getImage(getCodeBase(), "pic.gif"); images[i] = img; mediaTracker.addImage(img, 0); Fine - but this code section doesn't: try{ SecurityManager sec = Syste

  • "Active Requests"

    Hello, Under "Response and Load Metrics" for our Infra HTTP_SERVER (Apache on RHEL3) the total number of "Active Requests" continues to grow and is currently about 46,000. On our mid-tier this number is usually around 10. Does anyone know what might