iPad backup on external HD or Time machine?

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Level 1

3 points

iPad backup on external HD or Time machine?

Hi

My nearly full 64 GBs iPad is eating up my HD. I have like 200 MBs left! Is there a way to save the backup to an external HD to save it for whenever I need to restore??

If there isn't a way, I have a full Time machine backup, is it OK to delete the backup from iTunes, and if I needed the backup I restore it from Time machine, or I can't??

Please help!

Message was edited by: Hotsouma

White MacBook, iPhone 4, 64GB WiFi iPad, Mac OS X (10.6.3)

Posted on Dec 7, 2010 3:36 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 7, 2010 3:58 AM in response to Hotsouma

A backup of the ipad does not actually backup all the content on the iPad.
For instance it does NOT backup, Music, Video, Photos, Apps, etc, i.e. content that you can load at anytime via iTunes. It does backup iPad settings, App settings, App save files, but these will not be huge. I suspect you need to look for other areas on your computer to save space as it will not be the iPad backup that is causing the problem.

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Answer 2

Hotsouma Author

Level 1

3 points

Dec 7, 2010 4:22 AM in response to Ian Parkinson

I use GoodReader to save HD video files (because I use the videos app for movies), so the apps bar takes about 27 GBs, I don't know if that gets backed up.

My problem started an hour ago when my HD had about 10GBs free space, when I synced my iPad, it took some time then a message popped out that the back up can't be saved, when I checked my HD, it had about 200 MBs left!

I don't know the source of the problem, so I assumed its the huge iPad backup, since i had about 10 GBs free??

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Answer 3

Dec 7, 2010 4:25 AM in response to Hotsouma

Yes those files will be the problem as they are App files (files which are associated with an App) which I mentioned will get backed up.

All I can suggest is that you make more room on your computer as I don't know of any way to store the iPad backup elsewhere.

You could delete the backup if you are not worried about losing any of the content.

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Answer 4

lllaass

Level 10

210,411 points

Dec 7, 2010 4:26 AM in response to Hotsouma

I have 53.5 GB available on my iPad and my backup takes 343 MB. Yes you can delete the backup from your computer and restore it later. This article says what is contained in the backup and give you the location of it.

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Answer 5

Dec 7, 2010 4:27 AM in response to lllaass

Which article?

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Answer 6

lllaass

Level 10

210,411 points

Dec 7, 2010 6:16 AM in response to lllaass

Repost - I left out Article

I have 53.5 GB available on my iPad and my backup takes 343 MB. Yes you can delete the backup from your computer and restore it later. This article says what is contained in the backup and give you the location of it.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4079

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Answer 7

Hotsouma Author

Level 1

3 points

Dec 7, 2010 8:06 AM in response to lllaass

Thank you the article is really helpful. But I don't know how to restore an iPad backup from a time machine back up, it doesn't say how in the time machine article.

The article shows where the backus are saved on my Mac, can I simply copy the file to the external HD and then delete it from my iTunes perfrences? or will iTunes won't recognize my iPad again if I want to sync (not back up)???

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Answer 8

rccharles

Level 6

12,957 points

Dec 7, 2010 11:39 AM in response to Hotsouma

To see where the space is going on your Mac harddrive...

Run
OmniDiskSweeper
"The simple, fast way to save disk space"
OmniDiskSweeper is now free!
http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnidisksweeper/download/

This will give you a list of files and folders sorted by size. Go after things you know that are big.

Robert

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Answer 9

Dec 7, 2010 11:57 AM in response to Hotsouma

Hotsouma wrote:
Hi

I have like 200 MBs left!

If you have only 200Mb left, you need a new hard disc anyway for pretty much any reason you can think of.

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Answer 10

Hotsouma Author

Level 1

3 points

Dec 8, 2010 4:38 AM in response to rccharles

Thanks!

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Answer 11

Dec 8, 2010 5:03 AM in response to Hotsouma

Backups can't be moved to another location or hard drive. It needs to stay on the startup hard drive. Backups can be quite large, mine is over 30 gigs.

If you have only 200 MBs on your startup hard drive you need to transfer some of the data off that drive. There is rule of thumb of how much you should fill a startup disk too... 80 to 90% of capacity. You have to remember the OS needs hard drive space to write files too, same with programs. Leaving not enough space and the hard drive can freeze. And the worst, failure. This happen to me a longtime ago...

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Answer 12

vijoy

Level 1

0 points

Jan 3, 2011 12:54 PM in response to David M Brewer

See below for backing up iTunes externally:

http://lifehacker.com/5722932/free-up-hard-drive-space-by-changing-the-location- of-itunes-backups

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Answer 13

tjc38440

Level 1

8 points

May 29, 2012 10:55 AM in response to Hotsouma

With Finder open on your computer, Create a new file on your Time Capsule to store the data. Open iTunes. From the Edit menu choose Select All. Then just drag to files to your Time Capsule. It's pretty easy to do.

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Answer 14

tjc38440

Level 1

8 points

May 29, 2012 10:58 AM in response to tjc38440

You can also download the File Browser App from the App Store (4.99) then you can access the files remotely from the Time Capsule. This App also let's you access photos, videos and docs from Time Capsule to play on your iPad or iPhone.

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Answer 15

mime2dds

Level 1

0 points

Mar 22, 2014 10:57 AM in response to Hotsouma

There îs a nice application GoodreaderUSB . You can downloaded , connect your Ipad to the computer and just click and drag any file from Ipad to the external hard drive , no iTunes necessary. I use a seagate wifi external hard drive and I transferred all my videos , photos , folders into the hard drive just with this application. I got this information from Goodreader support .

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