Twitchy McDuggal
Level 1 (11 points)
Mac App Store

Q: I need help understanding Time Machine.

I've got 2 MacBooks, 1 Mac G5 desktop and a 3TB external HD (Seagate). Can I back up all 3 HDs to the one external HD? And what will happen if I delete entire folders from an original HD? Will the backup keep all those the next time I back up? And does it keep them forever?

Any video tutorials, references, etc. you have to help my understanding is appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Steve

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8), 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon

Posted on Jun 26, 2016 6:12 PM

by Rysz,Apple recommended
Rysz Rysz
Level 7 (21,001 points)
iPad
A:

A few basics are here:

Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac - Apple Support

Posted on Jun 26, 2016 6:27 PM

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Twitchy McDuggal

Q: I need help understanding Time Machine.

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Rysz,Apple recommended

    Rysz Rysz Jun 26, 2016 6:27 PM in response to Twitchy McDuggal
    Level 7 (21,001 points)
    iPad
    Jun 26, 2016 6:27 PM in response to Twitchy McDuggal

    A few basics are here:

    Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac - Apple Support

  • by theratter,

    theratter theratter Jun 26, 2016 6:49 PM in response to Twitchy McDuggal
    Level 4 (3,917 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 26, 2016 6:49 PM in response to Twitchy McDuggal

    Basic Backup

     

    Using Time Machine is very easy, and all the tools you need come with OS X. If you later need help with Time Machine then I highly recommend a visit to Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with Time Machine. This is an extensive site with most everything you may need for using Time Machine. You will not find a better resource for Time Machine of OS X in one location. Due to the passing of James Pondini the site is no longer being updated. Therefore, some of the information may be outdated.

     

    You may backup as many source disks as will fit on a backup disk, but I would recommend a separate backup for each source disk because putting all of them on one disk that then fails will result in losing all the data for all three of your disks. But should your prefer backing up all three on the one disk, then make partitions for each disk. Be sure each partition is large enough for the backup. If you use Time Machine, then you need to allow 2 to 3 times the capacity of the source disk for the the backup disk.

     

    As an alternative you can use any third-party backup utility your prefer. They all create straight file backups meaning you can restore individual files manually if you want by drag and drop copy.

     

    Recommended Backup Software

     

      1. Carbon Copy Cloner

      2. Get Backup

      3. Deja Vu

      4. SuperDuper!

     

    Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore.  Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.