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brtkekso

Q: I have a 2 tb memory stick (USB 2.0).

I tried to use Time Machine this weekend. After running 2 days and nights it had only backed up 9gb out of 150gb total. 'Way to slow to be useful as any kind of a backup. How do I make this setup go faster? MackBook Pro 15 inch, mid 2012, ElCapitan 10.11.6.

MacBook Pro, Windows 7, BootCamp

Posted on Jul 11, 2016 7:14 PM

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Q: I have a 2 tb memory stick (USB 2.0).

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  • by Mike's Pad,

    Mike's Pad Mike's Pad Jul 11, 2016 8:30 PM in response to brtkekso
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    Jul 11, 2016 8:30 PM in response to brtkekso

    Well, unfortunately a USB 2.0 stick is about as slow as it gets.

     

    Your MacBook Pro should have two USB 3.0 ports.  For starters, get yourself a 3.0 USB flash drive and realize a 10 fold improvement in speed, from 480Mbps (USB 2) to up to 5Gbps (USB 3).

     

    You also have a Thunderbolt port which is even faster than USB 3, up to two times.

  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Jul 11, 2016 8:36 PM in response to brtkekso
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    Jul 11, 2016 8:36 PM in response to brtkekso

    Something is very wrong.....probably your old USB 2.0 stick.

     

    Stop the backup, and start over again by formatting the stick again in Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

     

    Restart your Mac, then set up the backup again.

     

    If you have the drive/stick connected directly to the USB port on your Mac, with USB 2.0 you might expect to move over about 15-18 GB of data per hour, so a 150 GB backup will take, on average, maybe 8-10 hours.

     

    You could cut that time by half or more if you invest in a USB 3.0 stick.

  • by brtkekso,

    brtkekso brtkekso Jul 12, 2016 3:20 PM in response to Mike's Pad
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    Jul 12, 2016 3:20 PM in response to Mike's Pad

    Thanks for your quick responses.

    My MacBook Pro is mid 2012, purchased in 2013and, according to the published data has 2 (two) USB 2.0 ports installed. As i understand it, plugging a USB 3.0 memory stick into a USB 2.0 rated port won't gain anything.

    The Firewire port is also a possibility but how do I convert from a USB stick to a Firewire connection?

    Timmonds post also indicates that I should expect 15-18 gb/hr over the USB 2.0 connection - I don't even come close to that as the situation stands.

    Is there any way to directly measure the data transfer rate to the USB memory? I am not sure if the 2tb memory stick really meets the USB 2.0 speed standard. Performance to date indicates either Time Machine is slow or the stick doesn't meet specs.

    Thanks,

    brt

  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Jul 12, 2016 3:29 PM in response to brtkekso
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    Jul 12, 2016 3:29 PM in response to brtkekso

    Did you start over and reformat the USB stick?

    If the ultra slow performance continues, do you have another stick to try?

    Using a USB 3.0 stick won't help if your Mac is limited to USB 2.0, but it won't hurt either.

    No real way to measure transfer rate other than know the total amount of data and divide by the time required for completion

     

    I'm assuming that you are not encrypting the backups. If you are, then things are going to be really, really slow.

  • by brtkekso,

    brtkekso brtkekso Jul 12, 2016 3:36 PM in response to Bob Timmons
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    Jul 12, 2016 3:36 PM in response to Bob Timmons

    The Mac formatted the stick when I originally plugged it in - new - 3 days ago. It formatted it Mac OS extended (Journaled). I have not reformatted it since. I'll try again tonight just in case but I'm pretty sure Time Machine won't work at all unless the format is successful.

    Thanks for your help and I guess i got what I paid for in a Chinese memorystick.

  • by Mike's Pad,

    Mike's Pad Mike's Pad Jul 12, 2016 5:53 PM in response to brtkekso
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    Jul 12, 2016 5:53 PM in response to brtkekso

    What size MacBook Pro do you have?  I'm curious because according to these Apple published specs, both the 13" and 15" Mid 2012 models come with USB 3 ports:

    13"  MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) - Technical Specifications

    15"  MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) - Technical Specifications

     

    As mentioned earlier, USB 3.0 is up to 10 times faster than 2.0

  • by brtkekso,Helpful

    brtkekso brtkekso Aug 6, 2016 7:22 PM in response to Mike's Pad
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    Aug 6, 2016 7:22 PM in response to Mike's Pad

    15 inch MacBook Pro mid 2012 2.3 ghz intel processor

    You are right, that is what the Apple website says is there. BUT, when I go to the Apple menu under 'about this Mac', and under 'system report' [USB] there are 2 USB 2.0 hubs listed and one USB 3.0 (for the G mouse whatever that is). The specs for the USB 2.0 bus are:

    USB 2.0 Bus:

    Host Controller Driver:    AppleUSBEHCIPCI

      PCI Device ID:    0x1e2d

      PCI Revision ID:    0x0004

      PCI Vendor ID:    0x8086

    Hub:

    Product ID:    0x0024

      Vendor ID:    0x8087  (Intel Corporation)

      Version:    0.00

      Speed:    Up to 480 Mb/sec

      Location ID:    0x1a100000 / 1

      Current Available (mA):    1000

      Current Required (mA):    0

      Extra Operating Current (mA):    0

      Built-In:    Yes

     

    So, as far as I can tell, I have up to 480 Mb/sec transfer speed on both ports.

     

    I think I figured out a way to get comparative speeds. If I load a large file (movie for example) to a KNOWN USB 2.0 flash drive (even if it is a smaller size), time how long it takes and then compare the time it takes to load the same file to the new 2tb flash drive under the same conditions. If the time for the 2 tb drive is substantially longer then the new drive probably doesn't meet the USB 2.0 specs.

    Thanks for your help.

    B

  • by brtkekso,

    brtkekso brtkekso Aug 6, 2016 7:30 PM in response to brtkekso
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    Aug 6, 2016 7:30 PM in response to brtkekso

    Resolution was as follows:

    A friend gave me a 960gb solid state SATA drive and a USB (2.0) cable to hook to the MacBook. Formatted the drive to Mac extended (journaled) and ran time machine. It completed the 150gb backup in a little over an hour. [vs well over 2 days to only transfer 25% of the 151gb using the memory stick] This proved the 2tb memory stick I had bought (origin China via eBay) didn't meet the advertised USB 2.0 speed requirements. Asking for a refund of my payment.

    Thank you all for your help.