External storage question??

[marc55]

I will be getting a rMBP in the near future and also have a PC.

Both the PC and rMBP have 500GB drives.

I would like to get a 1TB WD My Passport Air to serve as a back up for both.

Is 1TB enough for two 500GB backup? I thought I had read somewhere that Time Machine requires double storage capacity?

So, can the WD be formatted in HFS+ and NTSF? (500GB each), and use Paragon for the rMBP to write to the NTSF Drive.

Also, with the dual partition, will I be able to back up using Time Machine?

Thank you

 

[GGJstudios]

I will be getting a rMBP in the near future and also have a PC.

Both the PC and rMBP have 500GB drives.

I would like to get a 1TB WD My Passport Air to serve as a back up for both.

So, can the WD be formatted in HFS-J and NTSF? (500GB each)

Or should I format to HFS-J and Fat 32? That way the rMBP would be able to read & write to the FAT 32

Also, with the dual partition, will I be able to back up using Time Machine?

Thank you

You can create two partitions on the drive, with a different format for each partition. Also, OS X can be made to read and write to NTFS, just as Windows can be made to read and write to HFS+. Yes, you can use the HFS+ partition for Time Machine backups.

Format A Hard Drive Using Disk Utility (which is in your /Applications/Utilities folder)

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Choose the appropriate format:

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HFS+ (Hierarchical File System, a.k.a. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Don't use case-sensitive)

• Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X
• Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! backups of Mac OS X system files. [*]To Read/Write HFS+ from Windows, Install MacDrive [*]To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer
• Maximum file size: 8EiB
• Maximum volume size: 8EiB
• Mac OS X: Mac OS Extended format (HFS Plus) volume and file limits
• You can use this format if you only use the drive with Mac OS X, or use it for backups of your Mac OS X internal drive, or if you only share it with one Windows PC (with MacDrive installed on the PC)

NTFS (Windows NT File System)

• Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
• Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X [*]To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X, here are some alternatives:
  • For Mac OS X 10.4 or later (32 or 64-bit), install Paragon (approx $20) (Best Choice for Lion and later)
  • For 32-bit Mac OS X, install NTFS-3G for Mac OS X (free) (does not work in 64-bit mode)
  • For 64-bit Snow Leopard, read this: MacFUSE for 64-bit Snow Leopard
  • Some have reported problems using Tuxera (approx $36).
  • Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard and Lion, but is not advisable, due to instability.
• AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS
• Maximum file size: 16 TB
• Maximum volume size: 256TB
• You can use this format if you routinely share a drive with multiple Windows systems.

exFAT (FAT64)

• Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later.
• Not all Windows versions support exFAT. See disadvantages.
• exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
• AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT
• Maximum file size: 16 EiB
• Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB
• You can use this format if it is supported by all computers with which you intend to share the drive. See "disadvantages" for details.

FAT32 (File Allocation Table)

• Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X. [*]Maximum file size: 4GB.
• Maximum volume size: 2TB
• You can use this format if you share the drive between Mac OS X and Windows computers and have no files larger than 4GB.

 

[Weaselboy]

I will be getting a rMBP in the near future and also have a PC.

Both the PC and rMBP have 500GB drives.

I would like to get a 1TB WD My Passport Air to serve as a back up for both.

Is 1TB enough for two 500GB backup? I thought I had read somewhere that Time Machine requires double storage capacity?

So, can the WD be formatted in HFS+ and NTSF? (500GB each), and use Paragon for the rMBP to write to the NTSF Drive.

Also, with the dual partition, will I be able to back up using Time Machine?

Thank you

Yes, you can make two partitions... one HFS+ and one NTFS then use Paragon like you described. You would be able to use that same disk to backup your Mac with Time Machine and Windows.

As far as size it is only indirectly related to drive size. All that really matters is how much actual data you have or expect to have on there. A Time Machine backup drive of 1.5 to 2X the size of the expected amount of data is plenty to allow for saved versions of files.

So for example, if you have a 3TB drive but only ever expect to have 200GB of data on there, a 350GB to 400GB drive for backups would be fine.