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Time Machine also copy Bootcamp?

Hello.

First of all, an overview:
Macbook Pro 13. HDD: 650 GB. Latest Snow Leopard. Mac experience: Some.

I'm trying to make a copy of my computer using Time Machine. I've been doing this before when I had my standard HDD, and it worked excellent. Since I bought a new HDD, I thought that I should make a new Time Machine copy. I've installed Windows 7 using Boot Camp, which got about 100 GB of the Harddrive. OSX got 550 GB (489 GB used). My external harddrive's space is just 500 GB.

When I tried to make a copy, it says that the external harddrive got too little space remaining, which is true if Time Machine also copy my Windows 7. (Another partition).

My question is, if I buy a new external HDD which got more than 650 GB space, will I be able to make a Time Machine copy of both my OSX and W7, and if my computer crashes in the future, will I just be able to plug the external harddrive in, and install the copy and it all looks like now? I know that OSX will, but will W7 also do it?

If the answer is not, how can I make that the Time Machine don't choose to copy the Windows partition? I can't do as I normal do.. Because you can't click on the partition and omit it. (please answer this question even if the answer is yes.)

Summary:
If I use Time Machine, will it also copy Windows 7 exaclly as it is right now? How can I uncheck to copy the windows partition?

Thanks in advance.

//imol.

Macbook Pro 13, Mac OS X (10.6.4), Time Machine

Posted on Jul 30, 2010 5:46 AM

Reply
4 replies

Jul 30, 2010 6:41 AM in response to imol92

Time Machine does not back up Boot Camp partitions. You'll need to use Windows backup software to make a separate backup for that.

As a general rule, your Time Machine drive should be at least twice the size of the partitions that you want to back up. Your external drive is smaller than the 550 GB that you've assigned to your OS X partition, so Time Machine is refusing to use it.

Try to find an external drive that's at least 1.5 TB.

Jul 31, 2010 4:59 AM in response to imol92

Thanks for a good answer.

Why can't I mark the bootcamp partition as not to make a copy of it? If I just copy the OSX partition, my HDD got enough space. (Since I will remove some files soon.) But as it is right now, I must make a copy of the bootcamp partition, which I don't want to. How to fix it? (I just can't select it.)

Thanks.

Time Machine also copy Bootcamp?

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