cponce3

Q: HELP! I'm backing up my hard drive via disk utility and it's stuck in " preparing imaging engine". What do I do now?

Help! I am backing up my hard drive for the first time through disk utility and it'a stuck in "preparing imaging engine". What do I do now?

When I open my mac, I am given 4 options: restore from time machine backup, reinstall OS X, help online, and disk utility. So I am backing up for first time, I have a lot of files to save, please help!

Posted on Jan 17, 2016 9:04 PM

Close

Q: HELP! I'm backing up my hard drive via disk utility and it's stuck in " preparing imaging engine". What do I do now?

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by judysings,

    judysings judysings Jan 19, 2016 6:46 AM in response to cponce3
    Community Specialists
    Jan 19, 2016 6:46 AM in response to cponce3

    Hi cponce3,

    The best way to back up your Mac is to use an external drive formatted for Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and the Time Machine application that comes with your Mac.  Here is some information to help you get started with Time Machine.

    Format external drives to Mac OS Extended

    Even though this document mentions Aperture, the process is the same for formatting all external drives to work with a Mac.

     

    Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac

    Time Machine is the built-in backup feature of OS X. To use it, you need one of these external storage solutions, sold separately:

    • External hard drive connected to a USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt port on your Mac
    • Time Capsule or OS X Server on your network 
    • External hard drive connected to the USB port of an AirPort Extreme (802.11ac) base station on your network  

    When you connect an external hard drive directly to your Mac, you might be asked if you want to use the drive to back up with Time Machine. Click “Use as Backup Disk.”

     

    Take care,

  • by cponce3,

    cponce3 cponce3 Jan 20, 2016 3:54 PM in response to judysings
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 20, 2016 3:54 PM in response to judysings

     

  • by cponce3,

    cponce3 cponce3 Jan 26, 2016 6:00 PM in response to judysings
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 26, 2016 6:00 PM in response to judysings

    Hi judysings,

    Thank you for your response. I still have a problem. Every time I turn on my computer I get a screen with 4 options; restore from time machine backup, reinstall OSX, help online, and disk utility. I have only tried to make a backup through disk utility and it freezes in "preparing imaging engine." Is there a way to backup with time machine when I am only given the 4 options I mentioned above? Thank you for your time.