Time Machine - New Hard Disk

My Time Machine is 1TB and is now saying that it has run out of space for backups of the older files. I mean that my iMac is using only 0.5TB but the Time Machine (TM) when it stores older version is running out at 1TB. Can I swap out the current TM hard disk (HDD) by a new larger 2TB hard disk? How can I do that? Would it preserve the versions on the older TM HDD? Do I need to even preserve the older versions?

Thanks as always for great support.

Time machine will automatically delete oldest backups to make room for new. It may warn you if you have set the options to show that message. No need to do anything.

If you don't want TM to do that automatic deletion, you can always get a larger drive. Here's Apple's information: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202380

Should I worry about older versions of files? How important it is to have them?

ssppss said:

Should I worry about older versions of files? How important it is to have them?

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Only you can answer that, but if you have some older versions that you wish to keep in the longer term (or files that you no longer want on your hard drive but nevertheless do not want to lose entirely) you could copy these to a DVD or memory stick.

That's up to you. Do you need older files? Have you ever had to reach back to restore a previous file, either deleted or amended by accident? If not, and if you don't really care, those older files are of little value. On the other hand, if you think you need that one document from three years ago (example, not fact) then you need to keep the history. It's a personal, not technical, decision.

Sawday beat me to it!

ssppss said:

Should I worry about older versions of files? How important it is to have them?

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Sawday and Jake are just too fast… and not much to add if anything…




Patrick
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MacInWin said:

Sawday beat me to it!

Click to expand...

Right place, right time.

Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.

Time Machine - Why "Backup Failed" Error?

I get this error often, "Backup Failed". How do I figure out what is causing this error and how I can resolve it.

Well for starters you do not create a new link.

Threads merged. Similar topics, same member.

Thanks,

- Nick

ssppss said:

I get this error often, "Backup Failed". How do I figure out what is causing this error and how I can resolve it.

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Could be related to the other thread you started...which mentioned that your Time Machine hard drive was full (which is one reason why the threads were combined)...keep the whole story in one place.

Depending on your Time Machine app settings...could be why you're getting this message.

- Nick

I didn't realize the error could be related to the TM HDD being full. Thanks for merging the thread.

However, I suspect that is still a hypothesis, how do I get it confirmed?

Get a new drive. If TM works on that drive, confirmed, if TM still fails on the new, empty drive, not confirmed.

ssppss said:

I didn't realize the error could be related to the TM HDD being full. Thanks for merging the thread.

However, I suspect that is still a hypothesis, how do I get it confirmed?

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Try:
https://www.google.ca/search?client...&oe=UTF-8&gfe_rd=cr&ei=-_smWdOoDcfM8gfRmb3gBA

and maybe:
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201250

Note the comment:
"The oldest backups are deleted when your backup drive is full."
but that doesn't tell you how full it is!!!





- Patrick
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pm-r said:

but that doesn't tell you how full it is!!!

Click to expand...

Finder will tell you that