How do I backup and reformat my hard drive?

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How do I backup and reformat my hard drive?

I have a gray loading bar during startup and it forces me to wait 5-10 minutes for my computer to start. This happens during every startup but does not happen when I start up using Windows 7 on my Bootcamp partition. I researched the problem and it told me to run Disk Utility. First, I verified and repaired the disk to see if that was the problem. Disk Utility fixed some errors, but the problem persisted. I verified disk and it said that my disk needed to be repaired. I booted up using my Mac OS X Snow Leopard disk and ran repair disk. It said that I should backup my data and reformat my disk. How do I do this? I've never done something like this before. I know that an external hard drive is required, so I'm prepared to order one. Additionally, how would I also backup my Bootcamp partition? I have researched that and found out about a program called WinClone that backups your partition somehow. I would appreciate it if someone could explain this to me as well. I have a Windows 7 partition. Lastly, how do you format an external FAT32 external hard drive into HFS+? And would you be able to use a HFS+ formatted hard drive on Windows 7 to store data? (Not necessarily backup)

Thanks! 😁

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on May 24, 2011 2:50 PM

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Answer 1

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Kappy

Level 10

361,719 points

May 24, 2011 2:54 PM in response to -Dan

Basic Backup

Get an external drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):

Super Flexible File Synchronizer

Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.

Although you can buy a complete external drive system, you can also put one together if you are so inclined. It's relatively easy and only requires a Phillips head screwdriver (typically.) You can purchase hard drives separately. This gives you an opportunity to shop for the best prices on a hard drive of your choice. Reliable brands include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Fujitsu. You can find reviews and benchmarks on many drives at Storage Review.

Enclosures for FireWire and USB are readily available. You can find only FireWire enclosures, only USB enclosures, and enclosures that feature multiple ports. I would stress getting enclosures that use the Oxford chipsets especially for Firewire drives (911, 921, 922, for example.) You can find enclosures at places such as;

All you need do is remove a case cover, mount the hard drive in the enclosure and connect the cables, then re-attach the case cover. Usually the only tool required is a small or medium Phillips screwdriver.

Drive Preparation

1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.

2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.

3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (for Intel Macs) or APM (for PPC Macs) then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.

4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.

5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.

6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.

Steps 4-6 are optional but should be used on a drive that has never been formatted before, if the format type is not Mac OS Extended, if the partition scheme has been changed, or if a different operating system (not OS X) has been installed on the drive.

When formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Complete the OS X installation.

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Answer 2

-Dan Author

Level 1

0 points

May 24, 2011 3:39 PM in response to Kappy

Will something like SuperDuper! allow me to also clone my bootcamp partition? Also, with a bootable clone, how would I restore the files from my external hard drive?

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

361,719 points

May 24, 2011 4:20 PM in response to -Dan

Yes, SuperDuper! will clone a drive, but then so does Disk Utility which is already included with OS X. See:

Clone using Restore Option of Disk Utility

1. Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.

2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.

3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.

4. Check the box labeled Erase destination.

5. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.

6. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.

7. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.

Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.

You can restore files by Drag and Drop from folders such as Documents. But if you are going to restore system files such as what will be in the various Library folders, then you should use a proper backup utility that will be sure all permissions are properly transferred along with the files.

Restoring some applications may require simply reinstalling from the installation discs because they have files spread all over the hard drive.

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