I just found out about TM local snapshots feature - so I went into TM Prefs - and when I click "on" - it only comes up and says "select disk - other time machine capsule". There is no way to keep TM on, if I don't back it up to an external HD as well?
iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), i5 with Thunderbolt
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4878
Only laptops keep local snapshots.
Note the "on portable Macs." If you're on an iMac they probably can't be enabled.
oops, just realised my tag doesn't reflect my portable. Yes, I'm on a MacBook Air. 10.8.3
Local snapshots are enabled automatically when you activate Time Machine on a portable Mac. If TM is not active, you can't activate local snapshots.
If you don't use an external hard drive connected to the Mac, local backup is transparent.
A hidden .MobileBackups on the root directory of the main drive is created and all the snapshots goes there.
It also works for desktops, but it must be manually enabled from the command line
sudo tmutil enablelocalLinc, I already described what is wrong: I can't enable TM, without an external drive present.
Is there something I am missing to turn on TM without an external drive?
Alberto - according to the HT4878 doc, local backup is not created unless TM is on. I can't turn on TM without an external HD. Am I missing something??
I'm not ready to use the terminal command yet when everyone says local backups are possible using the interface in preferences. I just don't see how it's possible. Please show me.
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"After I press ON in TM System Prefs, it pops up with the dialog looking for an external HD. When I press cancel, it turns TM off".
Hence, Local Backups are not being kept.
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It doesn't hurt your computer to enable local TM backup using the Terminal.
Do you have enough free hard disk space?
Is there something I am missing to turn on TM without an external drive?
No. It's impossible, and local snapshots won't work if TM is not enabled. Trying to enable them in the shell does not work in my experience.
Local snapshot are enabled using command line.
If you open System Preferences, Time Machine, you'll read beneath the button Select Backup Disk
and when Local snapshot are disabled
Read for more details Pondini's page
Yes, I'm well aware of all that. I've tried it, and it doesn't work.
can't turn on Time machine local snapshots