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External harddrive

jimmy1984

jimmy1984

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 10, 2010
76
0
I am a new convert to Mac, and loving every minute. I use a 21.5 iMac and my wife uses a MacBook. I am trying to figure out the best way up set up an external harddrive system that will automatically backup both Macs. But I am also trying to figure out if I can store and access music through iTunes for both Macs. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

:apple:
 
Time Capsule or other NAS solution would probably work best with iTunes as no cables needed. You just move the music there and then add them to iTunes (remove them first if you already have them) but remember to uncheck "Copy files to iTunes Media -folder when added to iTunes"
 
You can edit your thread title to use a more descriptive thread title, but only if you want though.

You can use an external HDD as a Time Machine backup HDD for more than one Mac, it doesn't even need to be partitioned.

You also don't need the external HDD to share your iTunes music, just go to the Preferences of iTunes and select the Sharing section to share your iTunes library over the network you most likely have.
 
sorry...I am still trying to figure this forum thing out. I would make it more descriptive, but I'm confused...:confused:

Is Time Capsule the best option, or is there a less expensive way to get the job done? If I plugged in the external harddrive to my iMac would my wife's MacBook be able to access it? Can I set it up to backup both the iMac and the MacBook?

I'm really sorry if this is in another thread. I have looked around, but I am a true newbie. :eek:
 
You already have Time Machine on your Mac so really all you need is the external HD. I don't think you'll get much cheaper than that.
 
jimmy1984 said:
sorry...I am still trying to figure this forum thing out. I would make it more descriptive, but I'm confused...:confused:

Is Time Capsule the best option, or is there a less expensive way to get the job done? If I plugged in the external harddrive to my iMac would my wife's MacBook be able to access it? Can I set it up to backup both the iMac and the MacBook?

I'm really sorry if this is in another thread. I have looked around, but I am a true newbie. :eek:
Click to expand...

You can buy a normal external HD, then share it over network so that your wife's MacBook can see it and use it for Time Machine

http://lowendmac.com/zisman/08az/time-machine-shared-backup.html
 
thanks so much for the help...I am thinking about going getting an AirPort Extreme and plugging an external hard drive into that.

Would Time Machine be able to work (for both Mac's) over the network to a HD plugged into the AirPort?
 
jimmy1984 said:
thanks so much for the help...I am thinking about going getting an AirPort Extreme and plugging an external hard drive into that.

Would Time Machine be able to work (for both Mac's) over the network to a HD plugged into the AirPort?
Click to expand...

Yes but you don't need AirPort Extreme. You can plug the HD in iMac and then share it to your wife's MacBook and use iMac as router. It will work with Time Machine, if you read the whole article
 
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