How To Backup Mac Onto My Passport For Mac

Hi,
I have purchased an external hard disk WD My Passport for Mac in order to backup my MacBook Air regularly (with time machine) and store films and pictures to save space from my mac.
I have just realised that I have several old backups from my MacBook air stored in the hard drive which are taking quite a lot of space. I have tried deleting the old backups manually (I only need the last one, why would I need a backup from January?), however, the folder disappears but the space doesn't clear up, I'm guessing it's not possible to fully delete back ups this way.
I have read that it's possible deleting those old backups connecting the hard drive to a Windows PC but I do not have one (or any of my family or friends for that matter), surely there has to be a simpler way to clear up space from the hard drive, right? I have read to save the backup and files on my computer and then delete everything through disk utility, but I don't have enough space to keep the old backup and all the media I have stored on my HD in my mac (or another HD) in order to delete everything. Besides, it just sounds stupid, I should be able to delete old back ups easily.
Thanks in advance!
Marta

I installed my passport for Mac onto my MacBook Pro laptop. While it is connected the backup says it is in progress for a long time. The indicator light stops flashing but I can feel the spinning still going on. I have it set up with Time Machine. What is the approximate amount of time it should take to back up. I do not have a lot of used space on the laptop. Thanks in advance for any replies. WD My Passport is compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 interfaces. It includes WD backup software that can be set to automatically protect your data on a timed schedule. It comes formatted for Windows but can be formatted for use on a Mac. To see the size of a specific file or folder, click it once and then press Command-I. To see storage information about your Mac, click the Apple menu in the top-left of your screen. Choose About This Mac and click the Storage tab. For Time Machine backups, it's good to use a drive that has at least twice the storage capacity of your Mac. May 25, 2020 This article was co-authored by Chiara Corsaro.Chiara Corsaro is the General Manager and Apple Certified Mac & iOS Technician for macVolks, Inc., an Apple Authorized Service Provider located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Was founded in 1990, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating, and is part of the Apple Consultants Network (ACN).

Hi MadameMarta,
If you backed up your computer onto that external hard drive using Time Machine, then you will want to see the information in the following article to help you address this issue:
OS X Mavericks: Remove a backed-up item from your backup disk
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14221
You can move, copy, or delete the Backups.backupdb folder on your Time Machine backup disk as you would other folders. You can also delete folders within the Backups.backupdb folder. You can’t delete individual items inside the dated folders.
Important: Do not use Terminal or any app other than the Finder to move, copy, or remove items from the Backups.backupdb folder.
Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities!
Cheers,
Braden

Similar Messages

  • New MacBook Retina Pro 15.4 inch with 2.2 Ghz and running Yosemite 10.10.2 will not recognize LaCie Quadra H2 disk. Also will not complete Time Machine Backup onto My Passport for Mac which it does recognize. Plenty of disc space both externals.

    If you choose to use garbage such as 'Intego VirusBarrier' you are going to need more memory, a lot more. I suggest you uninstall it according to its instructions, and evaluate your Mac's performance without burdening it with completely useless junk. As long as Intego remains active, your Mac will have few resources remaining to do anything else.
    Using Intego's 'Virus Barrier' and 'Net Barrier' products on a brand new Mac containing nothing but one minimally configured user account resulted in performance degradation so severe that it became nearly unusable. No knowledgeable Mac user would consider using it even remotely tolerable.
    Intego should only be uninstalled using the uninstaller included with it. Don't use anything else. A successful uninstallation will result in the following:
    After that, restart your Mac. Other Intego components will remain but they will be inert and will not affect your Mac's operation.

  • Could I use My Passport for mac to install everything thats on my Macbook to a new Macbook Air?

    Yes, although if you don't already have a backup on that Passport drive, you can just as easily use Migration Assistant to transfer your files directly from the Macbook. You would connect both computers to your wireless network (or wired to a router, if you have a Thunderbolt - Ethernet adaptor for the Air; this may be faster).
    Matt

  • Cannot seem to get Time Machine to do a full backup of my NEW My Passport for Mac.
    I've:
    - Updated firmware on WD external drive (and formatted correctly for Apple)
    - Updated to latest IOS 10.10.3 (Yosemite)
    - Verified and repaired Mac HD via iOS Disk Utility and the WD Drive Utility (no issues found on either)
    Error message continues to be 'Time Machine couldn't complete the backup to My Passport for Mac. An error occurred while copying files. The problem may be temporary. If the problem persists, use Disk Utility to repair your backup disk.'
    I'm backing up about 250 GB and have done this numerous times on my Passport for Mac. Everything SEEMS to be fine during backup, until after about 2-3 hours, into a 4-hour backup, the error message appears without any error codes.
    Does anyone have any input? I don't think it is on the WD side. Anyone know if there an issue with Time Machine and this external drive? Help!
    Thanks,
    Dave

    Hi Linc,
    I hope this helps you.
    Thanks,
    Dave
    4/21/15 2:30:48.894 PM com.apple.backupd[696]: Starting manual backup
    4/21/15 2:30:48.924 PM com.apple.backupd[696]: Backing up to /dev/disk3: /Volumes/My Passport/Backups.backupdb
    4/21/15 2:30:50.165 PM com.apple.backupd[696]: Forcing deep traversal on source: 'Macintosh HD' (device: /dev/disk1 mount: '/' fsUUID: FAA966F2-1745-37AB-9FF9-CF4C23D771E4 eventDBUUID: B2005948-1DDE-40E6-ABC9-46245CA94AD1)
    4/21/15 2:30:50.175 PM com.apple.backupd[696]: Didn't get valid migration dates.
    4/21/15 2:30:50.180 PM com.apple.backupd[696]: Found 1181547 files (63.52 GB) needing backup
    4/21/15 2:30:50.187 PM com.apple.backupd[696]: 77.33 GB required (including padding), 819.06 GB available
    4/21/15 2:30:55.943 PM mdworker[699]: code validation failed in the process of getting signing information: Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-67062 'The operation couldn’t be completed. (OSStatus error -67062.)'
    4/21/15 2:30:56.050 PM mdworker[700]: code validation failed in the process of getting signing information: Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-67062 'The operation couldn’t be completed. (OSStatus error -67062.)'
    4/21/15 2:32:39.865 PM com.apple.mtmd[688]: low disk space thinning needed for volume Macintosh HD with 2.8 <= 10.0 pct free space , no snapshots can be thinned
    4/21/15 2:32:39.866 PM com.apple.mtmd[688]: volume Macintosh HD is now in an emergency freespace condition
    4/21/15 2:34:39.000 PM kernel[0]: nspace-handler-set-snapshot-time: 1429641281
    4/21/15 2:34:39.893 PM com.apple.mtmd[688]: Set snapshot time: 2015-04-21 14:34:41 -0400 (current time: 2015-04-21 14:34:39 -0400)
    4/21/15 2:34:44.894 PM com.apple.mtmd[688]: attempting to thin because of low free space on Macintosh HD by removing 2015-04-21 14:30:39 -0400, estimate 18498 bytes to recover, 1 snapshot can be thinned
    4/21/15 2:36:51.268 PM com.apple.backupd-helper[687]: Not starting scheduled Time Machine backup: Backup already running
    4/21/15 2:37:01.460 PM com.apple.xpc.launchd[1]: (com.apple.imfoundation.IMRemoteURLConnectionAgent) The _DirtyJetsamMemoryLimit key is not available on this platform.
    4/21/15 2:37:02.384 PM com.apple.iCloudHelper[838]: objc[838]: Class FALogging is implemented in both /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/FamilyCircle.framework/Versions/A/FamilyCircl e and /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/FamilyNotification.framework/Versions/A/Famil yNotification. One of the two will be used. Which one is undefined.
    4/21/15 2:37:02.402 PM com.apple.xpc.launchd[1]: (com.apple.imfoundation.IMRemoteURLConnectionAgent) The _DirtyJetsamMemoryLimit key is not available on this platform.
    4/21/15 2:37:02.662 PM com.apple.xpc.launchd[1]: (com.apple.auditd[840]) Endpoint has been activated through legacy launch(3) APIs. Please switch to XPC or bootstrap_check_in(): com.apple.auditd
    4/21/15 2:37:02.673 PM david81968[844]: audit warning: soft /var/audit
    4/21/15 2:37:02.673 PM david81968[845]: audit warning: allsoft
    4/21/15 2:37:02.676 PM david81968[846]: audit warning: closefile /var/audit/20150421183034.20150421183702
    4/21/15 2:37:02.839 PM com.apple.xpc.launchd[1]: (com.apple.imfoundation.IMRemoteURLConnectionAgent) The _DirtyJetsamMemoryLimit key is not available on this platform.
    4/21/15 2:38:59.000 PM kernel[0]: CoreStorageGroup::completeIORequest - error 0xe00002ca detected for LVG 'Macintosh HD' (D6FA6085-F105-4739-8C98-5794D7B5F901), pv 0759D4F3-CB92-452D-98FD-C34240DB00A7, near LV byte offset = 60459065344.
    4/21/15 2:38:59.000 PM kernel[0]: disk1: I/O error.
    4/21/15 2:38:59.999 PM com.apple.backupd[696]: Error: (-36) SrcErr:YES Copying /Users/david81968/Pictures/iPhoto Library.migratedphotolibrary/Masters/2011/10/08/20111008-103336/SAM_0979.JPG to (null)
    4/21/15 2:40:50.969 PM imagent[281]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7fd518c317e0>: notification observer: com.apple.FaceTime notification: __CFNotification 0x7fd518f10980 {name = _NSDoNotDisturbEnabledNotification}
    4/21/15 2:40:50.970 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a5487f0>: notification observer: com.apple.iChat notification: __CFNotification 0x7f801a41a7a0 {name = _NSDoNotDisturbEnabledNotification}
    4/21/15 2:40:51.010 PM imagent[281]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7fd518c317e0>: NC Disabled: NO
    4/21/15 2:40:51.011 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a5487f0>: NC Disabled: NO
    4/21/15 2:40:51.025 PM imagent[281]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7fd518c317e0>: DND Enabled: YES
    4/21/15 2:40:51.025 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a5487f0>: DND Enabled: YES
    4/21/15 2:40:51.025 PM imagent[281]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7fd518c317e0>: Updating enabled: NO (Topics: (
    4/21/15 2:40:51.025 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a5487f0>: Updating enabled: NO (Topics: (
    4/21/15 2:40:51.025 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a722240>: notification observer: com.apple.iChat notification: __CFNotification 0x7f801a533500 {name = _NSDoNotDisturbEnabledNotification}
    4/21/15 2:40:51.033 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a722240>: NC Disabled: NO
    4/21/15 2:40:51.041 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a722240>: DND Enabled: YES
    4/21/15 2:40:51.041 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a722240>: Updating enabled: NO (Topics: (
    4/21/15 2:40:51.120 PM WindowServer[155]: device_generate_desktop_screenshot: authw 0x7fd09e980ad0(2000), shield 0x7fd099f396d0(2001)
    4/21/15 2:40:51.156 PM WindowServer[155]: device_generate_lock_screen_screenshot: authw 0x7fd09e980ad0(2000)[0, 0, 1440, 900] shield 0x7fd099f396d0(2001), dev [1440,900]
    4/21/15 2:41:03.172 PM loginwindow[90]: CoreAnimation: warning, deleted thread with uncommitted CATransaction; set CA_DEBUG_TRANSACTIONS=1 in environment to log backtraces.
    4/21/15 2:45:23.309 PM com.apple.backupd[696]: Stopping backup.
    4/21/15 2:45:23.310 PM com.apple.backupd[696]: Error: (-43) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/david81968/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/Masters/2011/10/08/20111008-103336/SAM_0979.JPG to /Volumes/My Passport/Backups.backupdb/David’s MacBook Air/2015-04-21-143049.inProgress/442FA756-4F11-4553-B1AD-FD0D08D9DDF3/Macintosh HD/Users/david81968/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/Masters/2011/10/08/20111008-103336
    4/21/15 2:45:23.464 PM com.apple.backupd[696]: Copied 22884 items (437.4 MB) from volume Macintosh HD. Linked 90492.
    4/21/15 2:45:23.546 PM com.apple.backupd[696]: Copy stage failed with error:11
    4/21/15 2:45:23.605 PM com.apple.backupd[696]: Backup failed with error 11: 11
    4/21/15 2:45:23.644 PM com.apple.xpc.launchd[1]: (com.apple.auditd[1026]) Endpoint has been activated through legacy launch(3) APIs. Please switch to XPC or bootstrap_check_in(): com.apple.auditd
    4/21/15 2:45:23.658 PM david81968[1030]: audit warning: allsoft
    4/21/15 2:45:23.658 PM david81968[1031]: audit warning: soft /var/audit
    4/21/15 2:45:23.660 PM david81968[1032]: audit warning: closefile /var/audit/20150421183702.20150421184523
    4/21/15 2:47:24.762 PM SystemUIServer[258]: Attempt to use XPC with a MachService that has HideUntilCheckIn set. This will result in unpredictable behavior: com.apple.backupd.status.xpc
    4/21/15 2:47:24.764 PM com.apple.prefs.backup.remoteservice[683]: Attempt to use XPC with a MachService that has HideUntilCheckIn set. This will result in unpredictable behavior: com.apple.backupd.status.xpc
    4/21/15 2:48:21.585 PM WindowServer[155]: CGXDisplayDidWakeNotification [1669794395052]: posting kCGSDisplayDidWake
    4/21/15 2:48:21.586 PM WindowServer[155]: handle_will_sleep_auth_and_shield_windows: Deferring.
    4/21/15 2:48:21.706 PM imagent[281]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7fd518c317e0>: notification observer: com.apple.FaceTime notification: __CFNotification 0x7fd518c34ab0 {name = _NSDoNotDisturbDisabledNotification}
    4/21/15 2:48:21.706 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a5487f0>: notification observer: com.apple.iChat notification: __CFNotification 0x7f801a531dd0 {name = _NSDoNotDisturbDisabledNotification}
    4/21/15 2:48:21.750 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a5487f0>: NC Disabled: NO
    4/21/15 2:48:21.750 PM imagent[281]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7fd518c317e0>: NC Disabled: NO
    4/21/15 2:48:21.771 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a5487f0>: DND Enabled: NO
    4/21/15 2:48:21.771 PM imagent[281]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7fd518c317e0>: DND Enabled: NO
    4/21/15 2:48:21.771 PM imagent[281]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7fd518c317e0>: Updating enabled: YES (Topics: (
    'com.apple.ess',
    'com.apple.private.ac'
    4/21/15 2:48:21.771 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a5487f0>: Updating enabled: YES (Topics: (
    'com.apple.private.alloy.icloudpairing',
    'com.apple.private.alloy.continuity.encryption',
    'com.apple.private.alloy.continuity.activity',
    'com.apple.private.alloy.idstransfers',
    'com.apple.private.ids',
    'com.apple.private.alloy.phonecontinuity',
    'com.apple.ess',
    'com.apple.madrid',
    'com.apple.private.alloy.continuity.auth',
    'com.apple.private.ac',
    'com.apple.private.alloy.idsremoteurlconnection',
    'com.apple.private.alloy.sms',
    'com.apple.private.alloy.screensharing',
    'com.apple.private.alloy.maps',
    'com.apple.private.alloy.callhistorysync',
    'com.apple.private.alloy.continuity.tethering'
    4/21/15 2:48:21.772 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a722240>: notification observer: com.apple.iChat notification: __CFNotification 0x7f801a41a7a0 {name = _NSDoNotDisturbDisabledNotification}
    4/21/15 2:48:21.782 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a722240>: NC Disabled: NO
    4/21/15 2:48:21.788 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a722240>: DND Enabled: NO
    4/21/15 2:48:21.789 PM identityservicesd[285]: <IMMacNotificationCenterManager: 0x7f801a722240>: Updating enabled: YES (Topics: (
    'com.apple.madrid'
    4/21/15 2:48:26.347 PM com.apple.xpc.launchd[1]: (com.apple.auditd[1095]) Endpoint has been activated through legacy launch(3) APIs. Please switch to XPC or bootstrap_check_in(): com.apple.auditd
    4/21/15 2:48:26.357 PM david81968[1100]: audit warning: soft /var/audit
    4/21/15 2:48:26.357 PM david81968[1099]: audit warning: allsoft
    4/21/15 2:48:26.374 PM david81968[1102]: audit warning: closefile /var/audit/20150421184523.20150421184826

  • So I have a mid 2012 macbook pro without the new mavericks thing on it, and a wd passport for mac 2tb thats 6 months old. The passport has worked fine until suddenly it has stopped backing up time machine. Everytime i plug it in and start the back up it gets through 200mb max before stopping and showing this message - TimeMachine couldn't complete the backup to My Passport for Mac An error occurred while copying files. The problem may be temporary. If the problem persists, use Disk Utility to repair your backup disk.
    The disk utility doesnt appear to find anything wrong with it at all. Has anybody else had this problem? Or know how it can be fixed?

    I suggest you start with:
    See User Tips for Time Machine for help with TM problems. Also you can select Mac Help from the Finder's Help menu and search for 'time machine' to locate articles on how to use TM. See also Mac 101- Time Machine.
    See also, A whole lot about Time Machine
    Mac 101- Time Machine
    And, select Mac Help from the Finder's Help menu and search for 'time machine.' There should be numerous help articles including how to restore files from a TM backup.

  • I have erased the passport for Mac and started all over. When there is ~15 minutes left in the initial backup of the mac mini hard drive (234 GB total), it gets weird and time machine states that it it calculating the time remaining. 24 hours later, it is still backing up but shows that <200 GB of 2 TB are available and it quits backing up stating that there is not enough room. HELP! The WD My Passport for Mac and the Mac mini are less than a year old.

    These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.
    Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
    ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.
    The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select
    SYSTEM LOG QUERIES ▹ All Messages
    from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select
    View ▹ Show Log List
    from the menu bar at the top of the screen.
    In the top right corner of the Console window, there's a search box labeled Filter. Initially the words 'String Matching' are shown in that box. Enter the word 'Starting' (without the quotes.) You should now see log messages with the words 'Starting * backup,' where * represents any of the words 'automatic,' 'manual,' or 'standard.'
    Each message in the log begins with the date and time when it was entered. Note the timestamp of the last 'Starting' message that corresponds to the beginning of an an abnormal backup. Now
    CLEAR THE WORD 'Starting' FROM THE TEXT FIELD
    so that all messages are showing, and scroll back in the log to the time you noted. Select the messages timestamped from then until the end of the backup, or the end of the log if that's not clear. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.
    ☞ If all you see are messages that contain the word 'Starting,' you didn't clear the text field.
    If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Don't post many repetitions of the same message.
    ☞ The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of which is irrelevant to solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.
    Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
    ☞ Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

  • I am on 10.10.3 and am trying to backup up this particular machine for the first time. I had a 1TB WD My Passport for Mac that worked fine on my older Macbook Pro (which has not been updated to 10.10.3) and have been slow in getting around to backing up this new machine. I tried the 1TB after clearing space and it wasn't working. Figured it must be something with that drive, so I bought a new one (needed more space anyway) and just received a new 2TB WD My Passport for Mac. Tried the update again via Time Machine and it went through the entire process only to tell me it couldn't complete. The drive has something on it now because it doesn't have the full 2TB free and in finder the file says 'in progress' at the end of the file name under backup. Please help. I need to backup this machine and now think it is Apple related and not drive related.

    These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.
    Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
    ☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.
    The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select
    SYSTEM LOG QUERIES ▹ All Messages
    from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select
    View ▹ Show Log List
    from the menu bar at the top of the screen.
    In the top right corner of the Console window, there's a search box labeled Filter. Initially the words 'String Matching' are shown in that box. Enter the word 'Starting' (without the quotes.) You should now see log messages with the words 'Starting * backup,' where * represents any of the words 'automatic,' 'manual,' or 'standard.'
    Each message in the log begins with the date and time when it was entered. Note the timestamp of the last 'Starting' message that corresponds to the beginning of an abnormal backup. Now
    CLEAR THE WORD 'Starting' FROM THE TEXT FIELD
    so that all messages are showing, and scroll back in the log to the time you noted. Select the messages timestamped from then until the end of the backup, or the end of the log if that's not clear. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.
    ☞ If all you see are messages that contain the word 'Starting,' you didn't clear the text field.
    ☞ The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of which is irrelevant to solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.
    Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
    Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.
    ☞ Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

  • Having trouble with disc space on my 120G mac air. I back up to a separate ' my passport for mac' disc , but my mac is also holding approx 40G of back ups as well when ive checked what is using space. Why is this?
    Ive started running iphoto from the separate passport to save space,
    and put all my music into the itunes match to save space as well
    but it is still saying it is almost full because of the back ups!
    I should of bought a bigger mac, but i need to make do at the moment, but it is hard when it constantly has only 10G or less space left.

    When you use TimeMachine to back up a Mac notebook the local backups feature is automatically enabled. The local backup is just like a TimeMachine backup but it is done to the internal drive rather than an external. The important thing about local backups is that the feature is smart - as you need more drive space for your own data and applications, TimeMachine automatically culls the local backup to give you that needed space. So yes, it will look like you have very little drive space left and that the backup is 'robbing' you of needed GBs. But it really isn't.

  • What do I do if the time machine does not delete the oldest files on my passport for mac. I get the message backup failed not enough disc space available

    See Pondini's TM FAQs, for starters.

  • I have a Western Digital 1TB My Passport for Mac which regularly backs up my iMac. It is creating a backup file apparently every day. I decided to remove all but the most recent 3 backup files and moved them to trash, but am unable to empty the trash. How do I empty the trash now?

    Time Machine back ups in the trash are not a good combination. You may find this link helpfull ...
    Solving Trash Problems
    and you should also look at Pondini's document ...
    http://pondini.org/TM/ Troubleshooting.html Section E6 in particular.

  • IIMac doing upgrade of Elements 10 to Elementys 12. Did full backup of 10 on my external hard drive 'MY Passport'. Rec'd message backup successful. Did restore on 12 and rec'd message 'The disk in drive My Passport for Mac does not contain a valid backup'. Any help suggestions?

    The funniest part of the whole situation, Apple Care explained it to me as some kind of feature. The told me how to adjust the time when my computer sleeps and recommend I don't shut it down, let it sleep and 'instant wake'. I would bet if you called them about your Macbook, they would suggest you just close the lid and let it sleep rather than shutting it down.
    Basically shutdown and restart have a problem and the solution is to not shutdown is how they explained it to me. They kept saying buzz words like 'instant on' and 'fast wakeup'. My computer already could sleep and wakeup fast, but now shutdown and restart don't work right. I called them 3 times about it, but since they use these buzzwords, sounds like Lion is meant for a Macbook Air or a Mac with an SSD. If you have a normal hard disk, some of the saving/versions/resume features take too long to be written to the disk on shutdown. And when you start again, it takes a long time to reload the system to it's previous point.
    Even if I uncheck the box to reopen windows on next start, it reopens them anyways.
    If they can't give me a better explaination or some kind of fix, I will have to go back to Snow Leopard. I use my Mac in a production environment and depend on stability. They assured me before I upgraded that it would be stable and all the new saving and versions features could help my productivity. So far it's not helping me and downright annoying. You need to close all your windows before you close the program... if you have 5 windows open in terminal or textedit... every time you launch, they will launch all those windows. I just really want versions, not resume it seems.
    But I can deal with it opening a million windows, just can't take it getting stuck on booting or not shutting down properly. This is a 'feature' that should be fixed. LOL

  • I have the new macbook pro with retina and I am trying to back it up, with wd passport for mac and is telling me it is going to take 7days. Any Ideas? Im afraid that means there is something wrong with my hard drive. I have verified the disk and it says everthing is ok.

    It seems to be a common problem that those drives don't perform well, at least not with Time Machine.
    If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.
    Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
    ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.
    Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left.
    Enter the word 'Starting' (without the quotes) in the String Matching text field. You should now see log messages with the words 'Starting * backup,' where * represents any of the words 'automatic,' 'manual,' or 'standard.' Note the timestamp of the last such message. Clear the text field and scroll back in the log to that time. Post the messages timestamped from then until the end of the backup, or the end of the log if that's not clear.
    Post the log text, please, not a screenshot. If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Don't post many repetitions of the same message.
    When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.
    Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into a message.
    Some personal information, such as the names of your files, may be included — edit that out, too, but don’t remove the context.

  • I have a customer who uses a Macbook air (a year old), running Maverick. She uses timemachine and has a new 'My passport for MAC' for her backup. When she shuts down her laptop with the passport plugged in to her USB slot (but the passport has been ejected via finder) she finds when she returns to the laptop her battery has been drained. The light on the passport continues to flash even when ejected. Could you explain what is happening and why it drains the battery?
    Thanks
    Jane Askew

    thanks for your reply. it is USB powered. What confuses me is if it has been ejected and the laptop is off, what is the passport actualy doing to need power or keep its charge?

  • I recently had to purchase a new MacBook Pro, and when I tried to get files off of my Passport for Mac external hard drive. I get an error stating 'The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer.' And when I try to initalize, and verify disk, I get this message 'Partition map check failed because no slices were found.'. I have already updated firmware for the external hard drive. One site I found stated that it could be that the USB port is not strong enough, and I would need a 2.0 Booster cable. Does anyone know if this would work?

    What did you old Macbook die from? Likely the HD in it is still ok, yes?
    You can remove the HD inside your old dead Mac and put it into a $20 HD enclosure or HD dock, and remove the photos that way, very easy.........IF your old Macbook died from something other than ALSO a bad HD.
    You said----my OLD Macbook pro which recently lost video
    What happened with your old 'dead' macbook? Still have it?

  • I have a Mac Book Pro that I use iphoto 6 for my pictures. However, I noticed my hard drive was filling up too rapidly so I purchased a WD My Passport for Mac 500GB. I select photos(the number does not matter), click File>export, and select the location(and yes, I specify the size of picture's maximum, and the file extension, and I click Export and the export initializes and then stops. Telling me that it is unable to create the volumes ont the My Passport. There is plenty of space on the hard drive. I don't know what I am doing wrong. It seems like the process should be very simple to MOVE, COPY, EXPORT photos. Why is this so difficult? What am I doing wrong?

    My photo library cumulative is maybe 1.3 GB tops, however I back it up to the external drive every upload. I don't think the issue is converting calculations because as I said in my previous post, sometimes when I stop transfer to the SD flash drive and restart the copying process it will complete the library of 60-80 photos in about 2 minutes like it should. The issue is that it will not proceed to copy most of the time, and the copying status bar says preparing for a long time

Maybe you are looking for

  • Hello, This is my HW and SW configuration: LabView 2013 SP1 1x cRIO 9076 4x NI 9853 CAN Modules CAN0 - 1000 kbps, Input Timeout=0, OutputTimeOut=10000, Module Clock: 20MHz CAN1 - 500 kbps, Input Timeout=0, OutputTimeOut=10000, Module Clock: 20MHz I h

  • First, I must say I am highly dissapponted in Adobe's decision to stop developing Encore. I know that streaming and cloud access to video projects is the fture, but DVD and BluRay is still the standard for a majority. I film events, weddings, trainin

  • I'm thinking of getting a used Mac mini but it must have two video outputs, not mirrored. When were the first ones made? And what sort of processor did they have?

  • I have Acrobat 9 Pro Extended and Windows 7. Trying to create an editable form. I use the Wizard, save it, close editing, distribute form as a hard copy for later emailing. It errors with no error code. Please help. Thank you so much.

  • Hi All, I am looking for any opinions on the WebAssist Web Developer suite. Any comparisons to the interAkt MX_Kollection or the Adobe DDT would be great. Thanks. Chris


Migration Assistant copies all of your files from your old Mac to your new Mac so that you don't have to copy them manually.

  • If your files are currently on a PC, follow the PC migration steps instead.
  • If you're moving content from a Time Machine backup, follow the steps to restore your Mac from a backup instead.

How To Backup Macbook Pro To My Passport For Mac

For

Get ready

  1. Install all available software updates on both computers. If your old Mac isn't using OS X Lion or later, and your new Mac isn't using OS X Mavericks or later, follow the Mountain Lion migration steps instead.
  2. If both computers are using macOS Sierra or later, place them near each other with Wi-Fi turned on. If either one is using OS X El Capitan or earlier, make sure that both are on the same network.
  3. On your old Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Sharing. Make sure that a name appears in the Computer Name field.

Use Migration Assistant

You're now ready to use Migration Assistant to move your files from the old Mac to the new one.

On your new Mac

  1. Open Migration Assistant, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder. Then click Continue.
  2. When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk. Then click Continue.

How To Backup Mac Onto My Passport For Mac Catalina

On your old Mac

  1. Open Migration Assistant, then click Continue.
  2. When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer to another Mac. Then click Continue.

On your new Mac

When asked to select a Mac, Time Machine backup, or other startup disk, select the other Mac. Then click Continue.

On your old Mac

If you see a security code, make sure that it's the same code shown on your new Mac. Then click Continue.

How To Backup Mac Onto My Passport For Mac Windows 7

On your new Mac

  1. Select the information to transfer.
    In this example, John Appleseed is a macOS user account. If it has the same name as an account already on your new Mac, you're prompted to either rename the old account or replace the one on your new Mac. If you rename, the old account will appear as a separate user on your new Mac, with a separate home folder and login. If you replace, the old account will delete and then replace the account on your new Mac, including everything in its home folder.
  2. Click Continue to start the transfer. Large transfers might need several hours to complete.
  3. After Migration Assistant is done, log in to the migrated account on your new Mac to see its files.

How To Backup Mac Onto My Passport For Mac Osx

If you're not keeping your old Mac, learn what to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your old Mac.