4 TB external clone drive out of space?

[rsherid]

Can someone please explain the “clone” system of backup hard drives, specifically if I have a 1 TB Mac that backs up to a 4 TB external HD, shouldn’t my backups only take up 1 tb on that 4 tb drive?

I do nightly backups of my important Logic project sessions, but after 2 years the drive is filling up (less space). I thought a clone drive wiped itself and replaced with most recent clone of your drive when you do the backup with Super Duper? Thanks!


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[MacInWin]

What version of macOS are you running? I ask because newer versions use sparse files on the internal storage, but those sparse files have to be expanded if moved to external drives with a format not compatible with sparse format, or through an app that doesn't support sparse.

No need to pursue that rabbit until we know what version of macOS you ar running, and what Mac. Your profile shows a 13" MBP, is that the Mac? What model is it?

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Can someone please explain the “clone” system of backup hard drives, specifically if I have a 1 TB Mac that backs up to a 4 TB external HD, shouldn’t my backups only take up 1 tb on that 4 tb drive?

That is correct, assuming that you are actually using cloning software and not, as it sounds, software that does a versioned backup, such as Time Machine.

What backup software are you using?

I do nightly backups of my important Logic project sessions, but after 2 years the drive is filling up (less space). I thought a clone drive wiped itself and replaced with most recent clone of your drive when you do the backup with Super Duper?

No, that's not what SuperDuper! does. (It is, however, what Time Machine does when it creates a versioned backup.)

SuperDuper! is indeed cloning backup software. If you are using the free version it will create a new complete clone backup of your drive every time that you run it.

If you are using the registered commercial version of SuperDuper! it will do a smart backup of your clone, only replacing the things that have changed since the last time that you ran it.