External hard drive compatibility for Mac Book Pro running on Yosemite 10.5.5

Question

Level 1

4 points

External hard drive compatibility for Mac Book Pro running on Yosemite 10.5.5

I'm running out of storage space on my Mac Book Pro and it's running very slowly these days. I need to upgrade to a newer version of OS X, but was told by Apple that I shouldn't do that without backing up the contents first. I thought I needed to find an external hard drive that is compatible with my very ancient operating system, but I'm seeing different information about that online. Some folks reference the fact that it's not the operating system that the external hard drive needs to be compatible with, but rather, the port connection. Others say there is sometimes software that comes with the hard drive that needs to be compatible with your OS. Which is true? Both? Here's the goal: I'd like to be able to find an external drive that works with Yosemite 10.5.5, back my computer up, install a newer operating system, then use that same external drive with the new OS. What is the best course of action in this case?

MacBook Air 13", OS X 10.10

Posted on Jun 17, 2019 5:56 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Eric Root

Level 10

685,703 points

Jun 18, 2019 8:41 AM in response to smcarnell25

You can look for an external hard drive at the link below. I have purchased 2 of the OWC brand drives and they have been very reliable. They are plug in and use drives.

Other World Computing

Reply

Answer 2

rcosta887

Level 4

3,604 points

Jun 18, 2019 9:10 AM in response to smcarnell25

Making a Time Machine backup before a major operating system upgrade is always a good and safe way to do things.

Any external USB hard drive is going to be compatible, whether it's an older large/clunky 3.5-inch desktop hard disk drive in an external USB 2.0 enclosure, or a sweet and slick 2.5-inch Solid State Disk drive in a pocket-sized USB3.0 enclosure and also regardless of whether it has been pre-formatted by the manufacturer for Windows, or been pre-formatted by the manufacturer for Mac.

Even the smallest/cheapest new drive you could get is going to be compatible and very helpful and usable for your old MacBook Air. I'm assuming your MacBook Air has either a 64gb or 128gb or possible 256 gb SSD.

Here's a good/inexpensive $50 portable USB 3.0 1TB (i.e. 1000 gb) hard disk drive from Amazon:

https://amzn.to/2WOrDO7

It's a perfect choice unless you want a solid state disk (SSD) for greater speed and durability.

Reply

External hard drive compatibility for Mac Book Pro running on Yosemite 10.5.5

Similar questions