How can I backup a USB flash drive onto my time capsule using time machine?

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How can I backup a USB flash drive onto my time capsule using time machine?

Hi,

I have just bought an external USB flash/thumb drive believing that I could expand the memory of my currently full macbook (OS X 10.7.5), whilst keeping an up to date backup of everything on my Time Capsule. (I was planning on dumping my photos/videos onto the new USB stick and freeing up some space on my macbook).

I have already formatted the USB flash drive so it is now "Mac OS External (Journaled)". I then attempted to remove the flash drive from the Time Machine preferences exclusion list (by selecting "options" and then selecting the "-" button to remove the highlighted drive). It appears to remove the USB flash drive at this point and allows me to save and close the options box, however it still does not appear to back up the external formatted USB drive onto Time Capsule.

Subsequently, on rechecking the Time Machine preferences Option box, the drive that I just removed from the exclusion list, is back on the list!

Feel like I'm going in circles…. Is there something I'm missing, or another way to back up this drive automatically?

Many thanks.

Airport Time Capsule 802.11ac, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Feb 6, 2016 2:07 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

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Feb 6, 2016 2:17 PM in response to d@ue

First, unless you plan to keep the flash drive connected all the time, there really is no point in what you want to do. Just copy the data to a backup drive other than the Time Machine backup drive.

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Answer 2

d@ue Author

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Feb 6, 2016 2:25 PM in response to Kappy

I don't plan to use the new USB stick as a backup drive, I want to use it for additional storage and plan to keep it plugged in all the time (It's fairly tiny). However, I do need to back it up, and hence was hoping time machine/time capsule would take care of that for me.

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

Feb 6, 2016 3:08 PM in response to d@ue

I don't see why it would not considering it will backup any USB connected external drive if not in the Exclusion list. At least it seems to work that way in the later versions of OS X. Perhaps it didn't do that in 10.7.5. I don't remember.

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Answer 4

Bob Timmons

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185,114 points

Feb 14, 2016 1:20 AM in response to d@ue

I don't plan to use the new USB stick as a backup drive, I want to use it for additional storage and plan to keep it plugged in all the time (It's fairly tiny). However, I do need to back it up, and hence was hoping time machine/time capsule would take care of that for me.

Time Machine will do what you want and back up both the Mac and the data on the USB stick.......IF......the USB stick is formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled). The chances that it is are just slightly above zero, so things are probably going to become more complicated if you want to accomplish your goals.

If you already have data on the USB stick, that data will need to be copied to another drive for temporary storage. Then, you will need to use Disk Utility on your Mac to format the USB stick in Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Once the USB stick has been formatted correctly, you will then copy the data from the temporary storage location back to the USB stick.

By default, the USB stick will be Excluded from Time Machine backups, so you will need to open up Time Machine Preferences / Options, click on the name of the drive to highlight it, then click the - (minus) button at the bottom of the Exclusions list. Click to Save the new settings.

Now Time Machine will back up both your Mac and the USB stick on the next pass.

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Answer 5

d@ue Author

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Feb 6, 2016 11:35 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Thanks for your clear reply Bob, but unfortunately what you have recommended is what I have already done. My problem appears to be that despite removing the external USB flash drive from the exclusion list and saving that change, it still doesn't back up the USB drive.... And when opening up the Time Machine Preferences / Options now, the external USB is back on the exclusion list.

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Answer 6

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,114 points

Feb 7, 2016 6:27 AM in response to d@ue

Unfortunately, the advice that I gave works for me on several different thumb drives, so all that I can suggest at this point is that you try a different thumb drive. Two that work fine here are Sandisk products, and the other is a "no name" device.

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Answer 7

d@ue Author

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Feb 14, 2016 1:12 AM in response to d@ue

Thank you for all your advise. Bob's description was spot on. However it didn't work until I updated my operating system, was still on Lion (not sure why i hadn't upgraded). Have upgraded to El Capitan, and now my tiny USB drive is now automatically backed up. Happy days, just got an extra 128GB of memory for £20. Thanks again.

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