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Can one external backup device with sufficient memory be used to back up two separate laptops (e.g. MacBook Pro and MacBook Air)?
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.6
An external drive has space - not memory. And yes, you could backup more than one computer to it, BUT:
It is an extremely bad idea to put all of your backups on the same disk. All drives/disks fail sooner or later and you may lose all of your backups all at the same time. Additionally, unless you create separate partitions, TM may unwittingly simply delete part of the other backup when the space is getting low.
So, get two separate drives.
An external drive has space - not memory. And yes, you could backup more than one computer to it, BUT:
It is an extremely bad idea to put all of your backups on the same disk. All drives/disks fail sooner or later and you may lose all of your backups all at the same time. Additionally, unless you create separate partitions, TM may unwittingly simply delete part of the other backup when the space is getting low.
So, get two separate drives.
i currently use the Back-Up Plus external back-up on my iMac desk top. The USB that it comes with does not work with the MacBook Air (new). Any suggestions on which external back-up that can work with it?? I'm not a techie guy but the MB Air does not have a spot for a USB connection. thanks for any help.
I'd check into the various drives (especially mercury plus elite/mini) from OWC; they are a recommended Mac-centric vendor:
Those are the only ones I buy.
And, don't forget: any external drive does NOT need any kind of software on it to function. In fact, it can sometimes lead to problems. So, when I get a new one, I use Disk Utility to erase and format the drive before using it. You can then use Time Machine (already on your Mac) to do automatic backups.
Can one external backup device with sufficient memory be used to back up two separate laptops (e.g. MacBook Pro and MacBook Air)?
