Will time machine affect additional files on external Hd?

I'm wanting to set up time machine for the first time, using an external HD. However there are some files on the external from some other file moving I was doing, that still aren't on the main computer.
Will TM copy over those files when it updates, or just leave them as is?
Thanks.

that depends on how your external is formatted. if it's formatted mac os extended journaled with appropriate partition scheme (APM for PPC mac and GUID for intel), TM will give you an option to leave the existing data on the external alone. if it's not formatted correctly, TM will force you to reformat the drive before you can use it for TM. in any case, it's a bad idea to have other stuff on the TM partition besides TM backups. There are too many situations when you need to erase a TM partition and having other data on it makes it more complicated. It's best to have a dedicated partition just for TM.

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As I write that, however, it strikes me that if that external drive fails, I've lost my entire iTunes media directory AND my TM backup. So I suppose I should use a separate external HD for each, right?
But my main question is whether or not TM will still back up that iTunes media folder even if it's no longer located on the same boot drive as my main machine, which is a Mac Mini.
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mende1 says:
I recommend you to store the library on another partition on the external disk and keep the first volume only for Time Machine backups.
and you say:
As I write that, however, it strikes me that if that external drive fails, I've lost my entire iTunes media directory AND my TM backup. So I suppose I should use a separate external HD for each, right?
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Best way to transfer time machine back up files between external drives

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G

Will time machine affect additional files on external Hd?

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