external drive backup options

Question

external drive backup options

I recently added a 2tb external drive after a smaller one used for backup filled up, partitioned the new drive and loaded Time Machine on one partition and os 10.7 on the other, while running 10.6 on the internal drive of my 2011 iMac. The 10.7 I am using only for apps that won't run on 10.6. My problem is that I am continuing to backup my work running 10.6, but haven't figured out how to backup the limited work I'm I'm doing with 10.7. It may be too late to coordinate these hardware-software pieces. I would welcome any comments or ideas on how I might reconfigure my setup.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.6), Inter Core i5

Posted on Feb 15, 2015 6:54 PM

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Answer 1

Eric Root

Level 10

684,039 points

Feb 16, 2015 7:03 AM in response to William Mcewen

If the drive is attached to the computer, can you see both partitions in Finder? If so, System Preferences/Time Machine/Options - remove the partition that has 10.7 on it, leaving the Time Machine partition excluded.

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Answer 2

Feb 16, 2015 10:55 AM in response to Eric Root

The external drive appears on the desktop as two drives following the single partition I put in with Time Machine on one part and 10.7 on the other. Removing that partition , as you suggest, puts both together on the external drive with no partitions at all.. How then does Time Machine distinguish backups from 10.6 work on the internal drive vs. 10.7 work on the external drive? Or would Time Machine simply layer the two together?

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Answer 3

Eric Root

Level 10

684,039 points

Feb 17, 2015 7:34 AM in response to William Mcewen

It should put them together if everything works as it is supposed to.

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Answer 4

Feb 17, 2015 12:03 PM in response to William Mcewen

Just to be absolutely clear, my external hard drive is partitioned in two: the larger part had the OS 10.6 Time Machine backup file and the smaller has OS 10.7 whose work has not been backed up yet. As I understand it, when I run Time Machine on the 10.7, it will make a new folder for that work on the backup partition of the external hard drive separate from the backup file of the 10.6 where the 10.6 is itself running on the internal hard drive. If this is not correct, please let me know. Thanks for the comments thus far and sorry for any ambiguities on my part.

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Answer 5

Eric Root

Level 10

684,039 points

Feb 18, 2015 7:05 PM in response to William Mcewen

You are welcome. It should all be in the same backup with just different folders to the best of my understanding of Time Machine. There shouldn't be 2 Time Machine backup files when you are done.

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