Help with a partition problem, please

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Level 1

14 points

Help with a partition problem, please

Used to be, my external back-up HD was divided into 3, one part for Time Machine, one for SuperDuper and a third for ancient G5 Mac stuff.

Because I need more space for SuperDuper, I took some space from the G5 partition that wasn't all used, but was told one couldn't just add that to SuperDuper's 203 GB -- no cut-and-paste there. So I cleared out the G5 partition entirely and tried some more, the result now being:

SuperDuper has 203 GB as before (too small), Time Machine must have the 702 (a little less before) and it seems I've now got 3 other small partitions.

Is there a way for me to add those 3 small partitions to SuperDuper? Would just changing the names in the left hand list help? Another concern with names is that the left hand list no longer says "Time Machine" -- does that matter?

iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015), OS X El Capitan (10.11.4)

Posted on Jun 11, 2016 8:42 PM

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Answer 1

theratter

Level 4

3,955 points

Jun 11, 2016 9:09 PM in response to fortes

Note that the SuperDuper volume is at the end of the disk meaning there is no way to add on to it. You now have one very large volume named "Untitled" and a smaller one of the same name between it and SuperDuper. Now, if you remove the green colored volume named "Untitled" then it will add automatically to the large volume in orange. I'm reading this from the first image. Your second image does not display the same info because the partition control panel has dropped down in front. The panel shows one extra partition compared to the main devices display in the main window.

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Answer 2

fortes Author

Level 1

14 points

Jun 13, 2016 6:48 PM in response to theratter

Thanks for that, much appreciated. (While I don't know much about partitions, I wonder if the circular graphic and its slices aren't misleading -- suspect a bar is better. There's no "end" with the cake slices image.)

Could you enlighten me any as to my questions above, in particular how to make the SuperDuper partition bigger without messing with Time Machine, whose name has disappeared. As things now stand, Time Machine won't back up -- I get a Desktop message saying: Backup Disk Not Available Try backing up again when "LaCie Time Machine" is available.

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Answer 3

theratter

Level 4

3,955 points

Jun 14, 2016 10:16 PM in response to fortes

As I said just earlier you cannot enlarge the SuperDuper partition because it is the last partition. You can make it smaller but not larger. The Time Machine error you ask about does not mean that the Time Machine disk isn't large enough. It means the disk is not available. However, you should be using a completely separate disk for your backup. The arrangement you now have is not acceptable. Backups should always be on a disk completely independent of any other use. You need to buy another disk for your Time Machine backups. That disk should be two to three times the capacity of the disk being backed up.

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