Apple's Time Machine feature in OS X is a convenient way to maintain a fully recoverable backup of your system. But sometimes you might wish to upgrade your Time Machine drive, either because you. If you are wanting to use the drive to make backups of your important data, this can easily be done through Apple's Time Machine utility. When an external hard drive is first connected to the Mac, you may see a pop-up asking you how you want to use the new drive. I just got my hands on Mac's new operating system, Leopard, and I want to be able to utilize the new feature 'Time Machine' but I need to upgrade to a new external hard drive. Does anyone have any idea as to what are the best external hard drives for a Mac? My current external hard drive is a.
- Every Mac owner needs to backup their computer and the best way is to use Time Machine which comes pre-installed into every Apple Computer. Time Machine can.
- The MacBook and MacBook Pros come with an SSD to store data and an OS. When you use a hard disk drive, Time Machine will take a while to back up your Mac. You can get an external SSD (Samsung T5 500GB $89.99 from Amazon) and format for a reasonable price to use with your Mac's Time Machine. The SSDs are fast, don't need any external power.
/PowerMyMac /Guide on How to Clone Mac Hard Drive to SSD
When it comes to the cloning topic, what do you expect from the process? If you are planning to clone Mac hard drive to SSD, let us take a close look at what is the cloning process all about. Generally, it is recommended to clone the hard drive of your Mac in case you decide to upgrade the hard drive with a solid state drive (SSD), replace an old or corrupted drive with a new one or if you are going to create a bootable hard drive.
In most cases, all these demands can be achieved with the help of cloning. Essentially, when you clone the hard drive, you will no longer worry about reinstalling the operating system as well as transfer folders, files, applications and some configurations on the new hard disk. Another advantage with the cloning process is that if you have a duplicate hard drive with setup volume, it can aid in booting your Mac easily in case of unexpected disasters.
Article GuideWhat are solid state drives (SSDs)?How to clone Mac hard drive to SSDShould I backup or clone?Let's wrap it up
What are solid state drives (SSDs)?
Before you decide to clone Mac hard drive to SSD, let us take a close look at SSDs. Solid state drives or SSDs utilize flash memory to keep data. If built into a computer, they are usually seen as chips on the circuit board. You can also find them in 2.5' format that you can install in a laptop or an external enclosure.
Generally, SSDs are quiet, compact and fast, especially if you are starting up a computer or waking up the device. Remember that hard disks might go into sleep mode when not used for a certain span of time and takes a few seconds to spin up. SSDs also utilize less power, run cooler, lighter and do not have any movable parts which make them suitable for laptops.
When you accidentally drop your laptop when the hard drive is spinning, there is a likelihood for the drive to be damaged and lose data. SSDs are generally more dependable, and in case they fail, you can still read data whereas you cannot do this with a hard disk.
Nevertheless, SSDs are considered as a costly option if you are considering the cost to storage ratio. At present, you can purchase an 8TB external drive for less than $150 while that same amount of money will only provide you with a 500GB SSD.
People Also Read:How to Partition A Hard Drive on Mac?How to upgrade your MacBook Pro with an SSD?
How to clone Mac hard drive to SSD
There are several reasons why it is best to boot from an external hard drive. In case you prefer to keep your files synchronized from a desktop and laptop, enlarge your storage or have an on-hand bootable backup duplicate of your system, there is an unseen feature in Disk Utility that makes the process an easy task.
Essentially, booting from an external hard drive is usually slower, even if you are using the latest Thunderbolt or the USB-C drives. They are relatively sluggish than the solid state drives (SSDs) that are found in most of the latest Macs. Although this is not suggested for daily use, it is a possible option.
Using Disk Utility
If you are going to clone Mac hard drive to SSD, it is recommended to use Disk Utility.Simply open Disk Utility from the Spotlight (Command+Space) or on the Utility folder in your applications. You will be presented with a list of all the volumes including the internal hard drive and the external hard drive.
It is important to note that the 'Restore' option in Disk Utility will work by copying the files from the backup to your core drive. It is ideally intended to the utilized for Recovery mode to reinstate the hard drive in case a failure occurs.
Once you decide to set your external drive as the restore target, you can switch that action around and copy files from the main drive to the backup. Choose your external drive in the sidebar, tap on the 'Restore' button in the menu and select your main drive as the 'Restore From' option. You have the option to choose an ISO image, but it does not have much use.
Tap on the 'Restore' button and Disk Utility will initiate the copying process. In most cases, the process is relatively a long one which is based on the speediness of your external drive as well as its link to your Mac. Due to this, it is recommended to have a rapid hard drive with USB-C, Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 connections.
Once Disk Utility completes the task, you can turn off your Mac and press on the Option when it starts to restart again. You will be presented with the boot switcher and you are allowed to boot from the external hard drive. You can utilize your Mac as usual but remember that it is separate from the installation on the main internal hard drive. Take note that any settings that you alter or files that are saved there will not be reflected on the primary installation.
You can perform the same process in a reverse manner if there is a need to copy the files back over or to restore the backup in case your computer malfunctions.
Should I backup or clone?
Generally, hard disks can be backed up or cloned. Remember that there are differences between the two with their own advantages and drawbacks.
Backing up a hard drive
If you are going to back up a hard drive, the entire content of the chosen drive or partition is backed up into a file on the targeted location. All data is saved into a single file. When a complete backup of the hard drive is carried out, the whole operating system along with the installed applications and settings are also set aside. The file can be protected or encrypted with a password.
The advantage of this approach is no other than simple management since a single file contains the whole backup. You can also compress the backup file so that it utilizes less space.
As for a drawback, you need a backup software to be able to reinstate the system or data to a previous state or to access documents and files.
Cloning the hard drive
If you are going to duplicate or clone Mac hard drive to SSD, a copy of the drive is created directly on the target location. This simply means that you have an instant copy including the hard disk structure. A cloned disk or drive includes all the partitions from the source drive or disk.
An advantage with cloning is that the data is directly copied to the specified location and can be utilized and edited directly. The duplicated system drive which includes the operating system can be mounted as a fresh drive and booted right away.
As for the drawbacks, a clone requires more space since the partitions are created immediately on the targeted disk. Due to this, it is not likely to compress or add encryption to the data.
Let's wrap it up
If there is a need for a backup to be created regularly, it is recommended to opt for the hard drive backup. This usually takes up less space and allows the creation of extra backups.
In case you require a bootable extra drive to be operational after an unforeseen crash and to lessen the downtime period, it is best to clone Mac hard drive to SSD.
Generally, both methods have been proven to be the ideal choice. A consistent drive backup for daily data along with a clone of the system drive is essential for easy accessibility in case of emergencies.
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Free DownloadThe latest version of the macOS operating system, macOS High Sierra, was released on Monday, September 25, 2017.
In this article, we will explain how to upgrade mac to macOS High Sierra.
Why Should We Upgrade to macOS High Sierra?
Apple released the latest macOS, High Sierra, and added some new features including a new and improved Apple File System (AFPS), a faster browser, stellar graphics, better gaming capabilities and VR support. MacOS 10.13 is absolutely worthwhile to upgrade your Mac.
macOS High Sierra System Compatibility
You can download and install macOS High Sierra OS for free in 2009 or later. Basically, if your Mac is currently running macOS Sierra system (macOS 10.12), you can smoothly upgrade to macOS High Sierra.
The following is the device compatibility information released by Apple:
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Some features, such as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) encoding and decoding require newer processors and devices, some of which unfortunately cannot run on older devices.
If you are running OS X Lion (10.7.5) or later, you can upgrade directly to macOS High Sierra.
External Hard Drives For Mac
How to Upgrade macOS
There are two ways to upgrade macOS: directly in Mac App Store, or upgrade using an USB device.
No matter which way you choose, always remember to back up your data before performing an upgrade.
Time Machine Backup
Apple has its own official backup tool: Time Machine. This feature was released in OS X 10.5 Leopard. If you have never backed up, let me tell you how important it is.
Time Machine can connect to your Mac and any external hard drive via USB, FireWire or Thunderbolt port. Back up everything on your Mac directly to your hard drive, in case the Mac cannot upgrade properly.
It also supports Apple's Time Capsule and backup disks connected over a network as long as the disks support AFPS. As long as the disk is available to your Mac, you can use it for Time Machine backups.
When enabled, Apple's Time Machine will periodically transfer all files and store data on an inserted external hard drive or on a Time Capsule connected to the network.
You can choose hourly, daily or weekly backup to store your data on the external hard drive. When the external device is full, Time Machine will delete the oldest backup and replace it with the newer version.
Let's check how to enable Time Machine backup on Mac devices.
1. Choose 'System Preferences…' from the Mac menu.
2. Double-click the Time Machine icon.
3. Click 'Select Backup Disk…' to select the disk you want to use as a Time Machine backup.
4. Select the 'Back Up Automatically' check box so that your Mac will automatically back up data to your chosen disk.
If you want to restore files from Time Machine, make sure your Mac is running. Click 'Enter Time Machine', find the previous file or folder, and then click 'Restore.'
Besides Time Machine, you can try other great backup and restore software such as Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) and SuperDuper.
1. Direct Upgrade in Mac App Store
Generally, you can upgrade your system directly in the Mac App Store by clicking 'Check for Updates' or click the following link to download macOS High Sierra:
Sims 4 system requirements mac. If you use a Beta version, you still need to click the link above to download the system, or go to the developer's website for download information.
If you want to choose 'USB clean upgrade', check the detailed information below.
2. Upgrade using USB device
i. Pdf xchange viewer pour mac os x. USB Preparation
Before formatting your current operating system, download macOS High Sierra from the Mac App Store first. You will need a copy of macOS High Sierra to perform a clean installation later. If you want to upgrade to this version, it is possible as long as your current operating system version is lower than macOS High Sierra.
Natively, look for 'Disk Utility' in your application, select an external USB device with a capacity of 8 GB or larger, format it directly, and remember to choose the format 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)'. If it is a hard disk, it would be better to make a partition beforehand.
Mac Upgrade Hard Drive Time Machine Troubleshooting
If you have already downloaded the macOS High Sierra package, do not click on the installation. Directly open the 'terminal' program, which you can find in the application.
When typing the following text in the terminal, check the name of the formatted external USB device. If you do not name it 'Untitled', you need to change the command syntax of the path name: Volumes/Untitled. The names of external USB devices cannot contain spaces and are case sensitive.
sudo /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/Untitled –applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app –nointeraction
Press 'Enter' on your keyboard to execute the command. You will then be prompted to enter the administrator password. It will start the process after the operation, which can take a long time, depending on the transfer speed of the external USB device. When done, the terminal window will report 'Done.'
ii. USB Upgrade Installation
a. Click the Apple icon .
b. Choose 'Restart…' from the drop-down menu.
c. Press and hold 'Command+R' when you hear a startup ring (or when the screen on your newer Mac device turns black), and hold down the keys until your computer restarts.
d. Open 'Disk Utility', choose your startup disk, and then click 'Erase'.
e. Select 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)' from the list of volume formats and start formatting. Numbers to excel mac.
f. When it returns to the former page, insert your USB and click 'Continue'.
g. When the installation window appears, click 'Continue' again.
h. Agree to the software terms and conditions. Choose your hard drive.
i. Click 'Install' and wait until the upgrade is done.
How to Keep Your Mac Always Clean
If you have done a complete installation of macOS, you must be enjoying the completely new macOS now. I believe you also want to keep your Mac clean. Let's say someday your Mac has a lot of junk files and duplicate photos. There are also probably many apps you have never used and don't need them anymore. I must tell you there is a savior for your Mac! Its name is Cleaner One Pro. It's really great to have such a system optimizing tool. With its 'Junk Files' feature, it not only cleans temporary files including logs, mail caches, iTunes and iOS temporary files, and empties trash for the current user, but also detects remaining files after deleting apps.
It also has a function called 'Duplicate Files', which can find duplicate files on your Mac through fast and accurate scanning techniques covering your entire home folder. Duplicates are selected not only by the file name but also by their contents. Files are shown in detailed previews. It can further help you decide which copy to delete by presenting the 'Auto Select' button.
Duplicates can be sorted by file type and listed in their full route for you to track. You can decide which way to clean these files; either by sending them to trash or deleting them permanently.
You probably also need an intelligent app uninstaller. Don't worry, Cleaner One Pro has this function. It can auto-clean leftovers of deleted apps and manage all the applications installed on your Mac easily. When you remove an app you don't need anymore, it can get rid of all the associated files of the uninstalled app as well. It will also notify you of new updates to installed apps.
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