External Drive set up for Time Machine

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Level 3

925 points

External Drive set up for Time Machine

Hi!

Just taken receipt of a Mac Studio M1 max ...and so far so good!

Only annoying discovery, so far, is that my Time Machine set up is not working as it did with previous 27" iMac.

With previous set up I had a 4TB Seagate Backup + Hub set up to do Time Machine Backups. This worked away well in the background and every night when I switched the iMac off, the Seagate drive powered down and the light went out.

With the same set up on my Mac Studio all seems to be working well except that, on computer shut down, the Seagate light goes out... but almost immediately springs back to life... and stays on all night doing nothing!

Questions...

1/ Is this due to the Studio's rear USB-A ports, to which the Seagate drive is connected, being permanently powered ON?

2/ If so, does this apply to ALL the Studio's Ports... are they all permanently on?

3/ If answer to 2/ is negative would connecting Seagate drive to rear thunderbolt 4 ports via adapter solve problem?

Any answers to problem would be gratefully received.

Mac Studio (2022)

Posted on Apr 28, 2023 2:46 AM

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Answer 1

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den.thed

Level 10

82,294 points

Apr 28, 2023 9:25 AM in response to Tom Mac.

Sorry I though it was a Seagate drive plugged into a Hub.

I would test it on a USB-C to USB-A adapter to see if that helps.
Then I would reach out to Seagate support for assistance.

Another thing that I gleaned from the link you posted. Is that the Seagate Hub (or at least the downstream ports) are continually powered on for backup, connecting and charging.

Which could be why the light is on when the Mac Studio is Off.

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Answer 2

den.thed

Level 10

82,294 points

Apr 28, 2023 6:47 AM in response to Tom Mac.

Test the Seagate drive plugged directly into one of the TB/USB-C port using a USB-C to USB-A adapter.

Fo examples:

USB-C to USB Adapter - Apple

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PDLQ555/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?

https://www.target.com/p/philips-usb-c-to-3-0-usb-a-female-adapter/-/A-79804275

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Answer 3

den.thed

Level 10

82,294 points

Apr 28, 2023 8:18 AM in response to Tom Mac.

You're welcome.

What happens if you by-pass the Hub and plug the Seagate directly into one of the two Mac Studio's USB-A ports.

FWIW we have three of those $10 Philips USB adapter cables and they work fine with both of our Late model Mac mini's. Our Seagate's and other USB-A external drives work as expected when plugged into USB-C ports using those adapters.

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Answer 4

Tom Mac. Author

Level 3

925 points

Apr 29, 2023 9:36 AM in response to Tom Mac.

den.thd,

My weekend just got better!

Having tried the 'amazon' type adapter supplied by my son-in-law I had no problem backing up to Seagate Drive.

However, the best part was that the Seagate power light extinguished when I switched off Mac Studio.

A result!

For info. I plugged adapter into the second from right 'Thunderbolt 4' port on rear of Studio.

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Answer 5

Tom Mac. Author

Level 3

925 points

Apr 28, 2023 8:52 AM in response to den.thed

den.thed,

Again many thanks for response and suggestions.

RE "What happens if you by-pass the Hub and plug the Seagate"

A wee bit of a misunderstanding there... the Seagate drive goes by the name "Seagate Backup + Hub"

https://www.seagate.com/gb/en/products/external-hard-drives/backup-plus-hub/

They are not separate components.

Your 'hands-on' endorsement of the 'Philips' cable gives me hope. Meanwhile my son-in-law tells me that he has one of the small 'Amazon' type adapters which he will bring over. Will report back sometime over the weekend.

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Answer 6

Tom Mac. Author

Level 3

925 points

Apr 28, 2023 10:11 AM in response to den.thed

den.thed,

Thanks again!

The Mac Studio & Display come with more ports than I think I could afford to use.

However, the ports on the Seagate drive were handy with my previous iMac (which I was loathe to give up as it still worked well and was only consigned to the recycle bin due to the fact that I could no longer update Lightroom & Office).

It is only because the light on the Seagate drive always went out when I shut down the iMac that I was looking for the same result when shutting down the Mac Studio.

As said previously, I will try your suggestion of using the adaptor over the weekend and let you know how I get on.

With grateful thanks again and greetings from here in Scotland!

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Answer 7

Tom Mac. Author

Level 3

925 points

Apr 28, 2023 7:28 AM in response to den.thed

den.thed

Many thanks for response and your suggestion was certainly on my mind. I will try & get to store over weekend, but has anyone actually tried this 'adaptor' setup to see if it works?

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