Backing up with Toshiba Canvio connect

Question

Level 1

0 points

Backing up with Toshiba Canvio connect

Hi,

I have a new Toshiba external HD that is not formatted. I used it to save a ton of media from my old computer. I am now wanting to use it to backup (time machine) my new macbook but it's informing me that all data will be erased from it. How can I protect the content that is currently on it? My Toshiba HD is 1 TB, when I go backup the macbook the file space indicates 700gb, which is correct because I have 300 gb of media on it already. The 300gb of data is also indicated under the exclude from backup window. Will this data be overwritten? Thanks for any advice

MacBook Pro with Retina display, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Jan 9, 2014 5:51 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Jan 9, 2014 10:45 PM in response to IOHKNART

I used it to save a ton of media from my old computer.

.........and ...I am now wanting to use it to backup

BIG BIG MISTAKE 😟..... youre making a linchpin deathtrap for your data trying to shove everything on a single fragile HD.

Dont suffer the tragedy other people make, buy another or 2 more HD, theyre cheap as dust.

The number of people who have experienced terror by having a single external HD backup couldnt be counted in a million years. One failure that WILL HAPPEN, and kaput,......all gone!

Dont do it, its all about redundancy, redundancy, redundancy.

follow here:

Methodology to protect your data. Backups vs. Archives. Long-term data protection

Reply

Answer 2

mende1

Level 10

93,624 points

Jan 9, 2014 10:33 PM in response to IOHKNART

Welcome to Apple Support Communties

Time Machine (and any backup) needs that your external drive is formatted. If not, you will have problems when you want to restore the backup onto your MacBook Pro's hard drive.

What I recommend you to do is to copy the files from your external drive to your Mac's drive, but as you have got a MacBook Pro with Retina display and you need to copy 300 GB of files, I recommend you to get another external drive and put the files there.

Finally, set up Time Machine with the first external drive. Time Machine will format the external drive automatically.

IOHKNART wrote:

The 300gb of data is also indicated under the exclude from backup window. Will this data be overwritten?

That simply means that Time Machine will not make a backup of your files on the external drive, but it does not mean that the files will be kept on your external drive.

Reply