time machine backup
What is the correct way to disconnect your external hard drive when using time machine? I have a laptop, so it's obviously not convenient to leave the external drive connected all the time. I switched time machine to "off" in the preferences and then ejected the drive, but when i reconnected a couple of days later it appears to be doing the "deep scan" you mention (not very many files have changed in those few days). Will i have to go through this every time I reconnect? What happens when you just want to shut off your computer? Sorry, I'm new to the mac, and i didn't find much detail in Help about how to stop/restart when using the time machine.