Hi there, 1st time poster here. I'm still fairly new to using a Mac. I want to back it up & have a Seagate, 2TB portable drive, should I use Time Machine to back it up?
Thanks in advance
iMac 21.5″, macOS 12.0
I add to the chorus. If not TM then something else definitely! But TM is free and it's never failed me. Just set it up and leave it alone; it knows what to do. Tinkering with it with Finder can easily corrupt data. If you ever need to restore a file, "Enter TimeMachine" is correct method.
I also use Carbon Copy Cloner v6. It has a feature (non bootable clone) which is essentially a fully compatible TM type backup.
I add to the chorus. If not TM then something else definitely! But TM is free and it's never failed me. Just set it up and leave it alone; it knows what to do. Tinkering with it with Finder can easily corrupt data. If you ever need to restore a file, "Enter TimeMachine" is correct method.
I also use Carbon Copy Cloner v6. It has a feature (non bootable clone) which is essentially a fully compatible TM type backup.
Absolutely! DO NOT use the Seagate for anything else except backing up using Time Machine.
Any drive used for Time Machine must be dedicated entirely to Time Machine and no other purpose.
Yes, that is exactly what I was referring to. The reason being is ALL HD's fail, it is not a matter of if it is a matter of when and most times they fail with no warning. So to store data of any type on the same drive as your backup is just plain foolish. When that drive dies it will lose the data and the backup simultaneously.
That's all I've used for 14 years.
rkaufmann87, when I was talking with Apple Support one say they said something about not using the same external drive to both back up & export photos, is that what you're referring to, or something else?
Thanks
Thanks very much everyone for your input, I’m going to do this today!
iMac computer back up - should I use Time Machine?
