Online Back Up - Help!

Welcome to Apple Support Communities

iCloud is designed to sync information between iPhones, iPads, iPods touch, Macs and PCs, so you shouldn't use it if you just want to store files in the cloud. Also, note that you can't make backups of your computer on iCloud.

Instead, use CrashPlan. Remember that the best way to make backups of your files is to make backups onto an external drive, so maybe it's a better option to buy a second external drive and put the files there, so you will save storage

What I told you is to keep the first external drive to make Time Machine backups, and get a second external drive to put the files you want in order to free up space on the Mac. With this, you don't have to use CrashPlan.

Hurley625 wrote:

Would you also agree to move the pathway away from the Imac onto an External when importing new data (music/photos)?

You only have to import the files you want, so you don't need to move the folders where the data is saved. Note that, after moving your photos and music files, if you have them on iTunes or iPhoto, open them while holding the Option (Alt) key, and point the applications to the external drive

Just so you know an iPhoto Library can't be backed up to a cloud storage system because they will not maintain the library structure correctly. You can backup the original photos to a cloud service by exporting the original files out of iPhoto to a folder on the Desktop and uploading those to your cloud service. But an iPhoto library package will be corrupted if backed up to a cloud service.

Those who have tried not only reported the corruption but the fact that it took days to upload and download.

mende1's advice re Time Machine is what you should consider.

OT

Again - my goal is to stop saving photos and music to my IMac - save it directly to the first external hard drive then have the second drive back that up.

Here's how it should be set up:

EHD #1

1 - format as OS X Extended (journaled) with ownership set to be ignored.

2 - move your iPhoto and iTunes libraries to this drive.

3 - Launch iPhoto with the Option key held down, select the library on EHD#1 and open. When you're satisfied that the library is working correctly delete the library from your internal boot drive.

4 - do the same (#3) with your iTunes library.

EHD#2

1 - set up this drive for use with Time Machine according to this Apple Document: Mac Basics: Time Machine

2 - with both EHDs connected to your Mac launch Time Machine and select EHD2 to be used for backups.

EHD2 will backup both your internal boot drive and EHD1. So make sure EHD2 is about 2X the size of the internal and EHD1 drives combined.

Where do I go to check or do this?

Click once on the icon for EDH#1 and type Command + i. This will bring up the info window for the drive with the necessary information.

Arent these applications already on this drive - or is Step 3 making Step 2 Complete?

Those aren't application, those are libraries. You want to move/copy the libraries from where they are currently to the EHD #1 hard drive. Step 3 just let's iPhoto know where that library is and makes it the default library when the next time iPhoto is launched.

That drive has been or is being used by Time Machine for backups. It would be the same as EHD#2 in my earlier post. Do you still want to use it for backups? If not open Time Machine's preferences and unselect the drive. Then you should be able to reformat it and use it as an general use external HD.