Time Machine - Partition Hard Drive?

[whathesaid]

Hi

I have recently purchased a new 27" imac, i am looking to use time machine to back things up.

I already had a 1TB hard drive, but when i tried to use it, it mentioned that it needed to be formatted before I could create the backup.

Can I partition the existing hard drive and use the new partition as the backup? is this possible, if so whats the best way....or would it just be best to get a new hard drive to use specifically for time machine?

Thanks

 

[tersono]

Yes, you can use TM on a single partition

 

[old-wiz]

For an external HD, I think it's better to partition it if you want to use it for both time machine and extra data or a clone. time machine can share the drive, but it will evetually fill up the drive, leaving you no space for anything else. I have an external that is half time machine and half a clone backup, each in a separate partition.

 

[whathesaid]

thanks, whats the best way to partition it, is there the option to do it within Time Machine?

I've only ever done it on a windows machine!

 

[dXTC]

thanks, whats the best way to partition it, is there the option to do it within Time Machine?

I've only ever done it on a windows machine!

Partitioning is done using Disk Utility, in the Utilities folder of your Applications. There are help screens for this function; I'd consult those for step-by-step instructions. (I'm not in front of my iMac at home, so I can't be more helpful than that, unfortunately. Others can feel free to fill in the details.)

 

[whathesaid]

excellent, i figured it out in the disk utility help, thanks