My external hard drive is almost full; can I delete a few Time Machine backups? File-Get info says the backups folder contains 3.64TB, which is pretty good for a 1TB drive.
Time Machine will do it for you and tidy up all the links to the different versions so it still works. TM Preferences tells you the oldest backups will be deleted when the disc becomes full.
Hi MIck, I realise that the backup system will look after itself but I'd like to reduce it's size so I can use that space for something else. Is that possible?
You stand a good chance of upsetting the database. However, you could re-partition the drive (destroying all the historical data) and start again with TM on one partition and your extra data on the other.
I have to agree with Mick. Another reason for not doing this is general advice not to put any other data on a Time Machine drive even if you do have space for it.
The ideal is to partition your drive before you start, using one partition for TM (a partition looks just like a separate drive to TM) and another for your user data. To do this now you'd need a... time machine! The best approach from where you are is to put aside your backup drive, partition a new drive (one for TM, one for you) and use it for a good few months. When you're happy that your old backups are no longer required, recycle the old drive by partitioning it and use it as an alternate TM drive.
For completeness, you can delete old backups using the tmutil command from Terminal (or using the TM interface) but I wouldn't advise it. See this link for example but you still shouldn't reuse the space for anything else.
Thanks Tony,
I suspected it might come to this. All the ™ backups come from my trusty old G5, which is still useable if I don't mind messing about a bit with cables and waiting six minutes for it to fire up. I'm afraid I was very naughty with it's replacement MacPro, which now, alas, has gone the way of all flesh, never getting around to setting up Time Machine. Having said that, the LaCie still contains an awful lot of things I want to keep so I still need something to copy them to. I'll just have to bite the bullet and buy another external drive.
I've ordered a new 2TB drive from LaCie which should arrive next week, so now is obviously the time to solicit all your opinions as to how I should set it up. I'm thinking of three partitions; one for Time Machine backups, but restricted in size so I can keep 'em under control, one for the G5 running Leopard, and one for the Mini running Mountain Lion. On the latter two I shall want the operating systems; I presume I shall need Carbon Copy Cloner?
Once the partitions are in place and each is being used will I be able to change the size of each one?
My suggestion would be to have as much space as possible for Time Machine. To achieve this I would suggest you look at how much data you have currently used (not the hard drive size) on each of the two machines that you wish to clone. If you then allow around 30% more than this for each of those two partitions it should allow you space for the clone to grow as you continue using the machines. Time Machine can then use the rest of the space on the drive.
To produce a clone you need to use Carbon Copy Cloner or its rival SuperDuper.
I've been considering for several days now and I don't think that would best fit my needs. Once I've backed up everything on the G5 I shall only use it on those rare occasions when I can't make Pages do what I want so I have to use inDesign 2.
I've been staring at it and thinking hard for hours now; truly, a thing of beauty is a joy forever! Size: on the Mini the Apps, Library and System folders come to less that 20GB, Users comes to 180GB, of which I don't intend to keep 75GB on the machine but transfer it to the LaCie. I will check it first of course but I don't think the G5 contains as much as that. So assuming the actual space used to be about 120/130GB I intend to create two partitions each of 200GB onto each of which I'll clone one machine. A third partition of 100GB in case I ever wish to download Apple's latest freebie, OSX Jellystone, and the remaining 1.5TB I can just muck about with.
Eric Jervis 