Backing up a FAT32 partition with Time Machine

[exkeks]

I have a 3-partitioned MBA (HFS, FAT32, NTFS) to run a dual boot system (Leopard & Vista). For storing all my data I use the FAT32 partition.

I'd like to backup this partition to my Time Capsule using Time Machine, but this partition is in the Excluded List and can't be removed. Searching the net, I only found posts saying TM won't work with FAT32 partitions (as backup source). I can hardly believe that, because I don't see any reason from the technical side.

Is there really no way? If not, why?

Thanks for your help!

 

[sickmacdoc]

Technically speaking why Mac OS does not back up PC format drives I do not know. I just know that the free Mac utility WinClone is designed for backing up PC format drives on a Mac however.

If you have WinClone write the disk image file it creates to a Mac volume that is being backed up by TM, the image will be backed up right along with everything else on the volume.

 

[exkeks]

Thanks for your tip! Sorrowly I do not have enough space for mirroring my data onto the HFS partition. But anyway the technique you suggest would completely underrun the TM strategy of incremental backups, making the use of TM senseless.

 

[mrkgoo]

Thanks for your tip! Sorrowly I do not have enough space for mirroring my data onto the HFS partition. But anyway the technique you suggest would completely underrun the TM strategy of incremental backups, making the use of TM senseless.

I think TM uses special journaling notes and stuff written in folder headers whenever things change by the drive format. Kind of like how spotlight works or something too. I'm talking out of my butt, of course, but it's something like that. Basically, FAT32 doesn't do all the magic doohickeyness that HFS+ does, so TM can't read it.

Furthermore, the PARTITION of the drive that TM writes to must be partitioned as GUID (for Intel chip Macs).

This stuff is serious business!

 

[sickmacdoc]

Thanks for your tip! Sorrowly I do not have enough space for mirroring my data onto the HFS partition. But anyway the technique you suggest would completely underrun the TM strategy of incremental backups, making the use of TM senseless.

Oh don't get me wrong- I agree that TM backups of a disk image are a waste of space, but was just pointing out a method of including the FAT32 stuff in a TM backup in some fashion.