Time Machine Question

[0071284]

I'd like to use an external drive for both Time Machine and (temporary) photo import backups in Lightroom.

Can an external drive be used for Time Machine and something else at the same time? If so, does anything special need to be done?

Thanks for any help.

 

[CoastalOR]

You can use the same external drive, BUT you need to partition the drive. One partition for Time Machine and one partition for your photos. Do not store both on the same partition.
Here is an article that explains the basic process (note the article shows the pre-El Capitan Disk Utility).
Here is another article that explains why it is not a good idea to store both together.

 

[0071284]

Perfect, thanks for the info.

 

[richard2]

You can use the same external drive, BUT you need to partition the drive. One partition for Time Machine and one partition for your photos. Do not store both on the same partition.

larsolson only wishes to store the data temporarily; therefore, it's not necessary to repartition the disc.

Here is another article that explains why it is not a good idea to store both together.

No — it explains why it's unwise to store only a single copy of your data.

 

[0071284]

Thanks richard2. I appreciate the clarification.