Can I use the second HDD in a Mini for Time Machine?

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Level 1

31 points

Can I use the second HDD in a Mini for Time Machine?

I am looking to replace one of the HDDs in a Mac Mini with an SSD, this would be for the main OS to work on and all my files, I am not a big advocate of spreading around my files over multiple data silos. I was wondering then, as I don't have a Time Capsule, whether it would be possible to dedicate the second HDD for exclusive use of Time Machine, backing everything up?

I don't have a Mini at the moment and so don't know how OS X treats the existing setup, is the HD treated as one, or are the two clearly separate? It's a mystery to me why there are two in the first place, I summise that it was an attempt by Apple to create the illusion of a fater computer by adding in a small amount of SSD to complement the larger (and cheaper) HDD?

Anyway, would splitting the two work and would it be easily achievable with existing tools in OS X?

Thanks.

Posted on May 31, 2013 7:07 AM

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Answer 1

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keg55

Level 6

11,743 points

May 31, 2013 7:49 AM in response to Hamper

Hamper wrote:

I was wondering then, as I don't have a Time Capsule, whether it would be possible to dedicate the second HDD for exclusive use of Time Machine, backing everything up?

Anyway, would splitting the two work and would it be easily achievable with existing tools in OS X?

Yes, you can use the 2nd HDD with Time Machine as your TM back up drive.

As long as you are able to format your new SSD and the HDD, you can use them independently. I would advise using Terminal and the diskutil commands to do this as Mountain Lion 10.8.3's GUI Disk Utility will see the SSD and HDD as needing to be "fixed" (drives marked in RED) and if you choose to FIX the drives your two drives will automatically be setup as a Fusion drive and all data on the drives will be lost.

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Answer 2

lllaass

Level 10

210,417 points

May 31, 2013 7:48 AM in response to Hamper

Yes you can use the second one for a TM backup. See the following for how the OSX handles a SSD and a hard disk.

SSD fitting in 2012 Mac Mini?: Apple Support Communities

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Answer 3

Hamper Author

Level 1

31 points

May 31, 2013 9:20 AM in response to keg55

Keg55: I will reference from your other reply how to do this come the time, thanks.

lllass: Thanks, that was my other forum topic.

I was more concerned here with how TM behaves to HDDs as I know it does not treat them the same as it would a TC. I will start another topic in the appropriate forum.

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