I have an external SSD with many files I want to preserve. I also want to use the drive as a Time Machine backup but cannot because it has macOS Monterey installed on it.
Is there a way to safely and easily remove Monterey while leaving the files I want to keep untouched so I can use the drive as a Time Machine backup location?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 12.6
Nope. I'd boot from that drive and create a Time Machine backup of it, which will result in a completely restorable repository for all the files on it. I realize that may appear to be a duplicated effort, but it's not a good idea to have one and only one backup anyway.
You can use any inexpensive USB hard disk drive. The clear speed advantages of a SSD are totally irrelevant with Time Machine.
Once you have that TM backup, you can boot from that drive if you want to run Monterey for whatever reason you may want to do that. Or, just erase it and use it as a TM backup drive for your MacBook Pro's startup disk. TM will back up to both of those drives, in succession.
But the bottom line is no, you can't do what you propose. The external SSD has to be erased before you can use it as a TM backup drive.
Nope. I'd boot from that drive and create a Time Machine backup of it, which will result in a completely restorable repository for all the files on it. I realize that may appear to be a duplicated effort, but it's not a good idea to have one and only one backup anyway.
You can use any inexpensive USB hard disk drive. The clear speed advantages of a SSD are totally irrelevant with Time Machine.
Once you have that TM backup, you can boot from that drive if you want to run Monterey for whatever reason you may want to do that. Or, just erase it and use it as a TM backup drive for your MacBook Pro's startup disk. TM will back up to both of those drives, in succession.
But the bottom line is no, you can't do what you propose. The external SSD has to be erased before you can use it as a TM backup drive.
The files I want to save already exist on other drives. I don't need another copy of them.
I also do not have a drive available to do as you suggest.
Perhaps what I should do is just erase the drive, copy the files I want to preserve back to it from the other locations they exist, then set the drive up as a Time Machine backup.
I'm assuming it's OK to have non-OS files outside of a Time Machine backup folder. Is that correct?
It is, but you have to realize those files will be invisible to your Time Machine interface of your prior backup files. The Finder can access them just as is, but Time Machine will not see them. The important thing to remember, do not the Time Machine file structure itself, as it will make recovery very difficult with Time Machine or migration assistant.
One little interesting side effect is that when you want to bring your Time Machine backup to another drive, the OS needs to recover the backup to that other drive, or you need to use Shirt-Pocket Superduper. Eventually your Time Machine backup drive will get close to failure, and you'll want to copy its backup somewhere else.
I don't understand most of that but thanks just the same. No need to explain.
Tomorrow I will reformat the drive, copy the files back onto it, then set up Time Machine to back up my startup drive to it.
BTW, the files that I am copying and will be outside of the Time Machine backup are not from my startup drive that will be backed up by Time Machine. That's why they are and need to be separate.
When I said:
The important thing to remember, do not the Time Machine file structure
itself, as it will make recovery very difficult with Time Machine or
migration assistant.
I meant to say:
The important thing to remember, do not mess with the Time Machine file structure itself, as it will make recovery very difficult to work with Time Machine or the Migration/Setup Assistant.
.
How to safely remove macOS Monterey from External SSD, while leaving the selected files untouched?
