Time machine backup question.

Kawolski · 4 Feb 2010 at 23:02

Currently connected to my Imac I have a 1TB WD drive that i use for Time Machine backups.
What I would like to know is, if it it possible to partition the drive and still retain the data on it and use the remaining space so I can periodically plug my MBP in to back that up as well.
Hope that makes sense.

Any other suggestions are appreciated.

Edit: *Waits patiently for Feek*

Further Edit:
Just seen this is that what I need to do?

artaxerxes · 5 Feb 2010 at 11:13

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/23512

Never used it - but dynamically resizing partitions is what you are trying to do. Shrink first ask questions later.

JediFragger · 5 Feb 2010 at 12:35

Does Time Machine take over the entire external drive? I already have data on mine you see & was planning to use it soonish

DeadMan · 5 Feb 2010 at 12:47

Yes it did in my case.

artaxerxes · 5 Feb 2010 at 12:49

Yeah you can have multiple machine backup to one partition,

http://www.macworld.com/article/131841/2008/01/multiplebackup.html

One approach is to simply attach a drive to one Mac, let Time Machine run, and then disconnect the drive and attach it to another Mac. Time Machine stores backups for each computer in a separate folder, so you needn’t worry about one computer’s backups overwriting, or otherwise getting confused with, the other’s.

Before disconnecting a drive, click on the eject icon next to its name in the Finder sidebar. You don’t have to turn off Time Machine, however; it will patiently wait until you reconnect the drive is reconnected to before it runs again.

Moving a drive from one computer to another has the advantage of speed: backups will proceed much more quickly than they would over a network. However, it goes without saying that each computer can add files to its backup only with the drive attached to it.

Vonhelmet · 5 Feb 2010 at 12:56

artaxerxes said:
Yeah you can have multiple machine backup to one partition,

http://www.macworld.com/article/131841/2008/01/multiplebackup.html

One approach is to simply attach a drive to one Mac, let Time Machine run, and then disconnect the drive and attach it to another Mac. Time Machine stores backups for each computer in a separate folder, so you needn’t worry about one computer’s backups overwriting, or otherwise getting confused with, the other’s.

Before disconnecting a drive, click on the eject icon next to its name in the Finder sidebar. You don’t have to turn off Time Machine, however; it will patiently wait until you reconnect the drive is reconnected to before it runs again.

Moving a drive from one computer to another has the advantage of speed: backups will proceed much more quickly than they would over a network. However, it goes without saying that each computer can add files to its backup only with the drive attached to it.

That's what I was going to say.

Well, in less words.