Time Machine

[dogsbody]

Hello.
I'm running on Snow Leopard 10.6.6
Would some one be able to answer a question please in detail.
I'm interested in backing up my computer. Am i right in assuming I use the "Time Machine" in conjunction with a external hard drive. Am I right in thinking the Apple version of a Hard Drive is a Time Capsule. There seems to be a great deal of difference in price between an ordinary Hard Drive and Time Capsule.
Would appreciate any help on this one please I'm fairly new to the world of Mac.

[tje210]

haha! that's what draws people in, the thought that by getting a mac you're entering a whole new world. here's some info:

Cost of (Time Capsule) = Cost of (Hard Drive) x 4

counterintuitively to that equation, though...
Time Capsule = Hard Drive

Think about other apple products... they're the same thing as equivalent non-apple products at twice the price (or more). Sure, a time capsule can be wirelessly connected, and maybe a couple other cool things, but that's really unnecessary anyway.

You are correct, time machine is used to back up your mac's information. I use the app "carbon copy cloner" to make bootable clones of my mac... that is, if my mac ever fails (and it has, twice, and apple has replaced the hard drive twice for free) then i can boot from that external hard drive.

[dogsbody]

Pushing your knowledge a bit further. If I get a reasonable hard drive, plug it in, then go to the Time Machine would it be automatically in there or do I have to drag and drop it from somewhere. At the moment when ever I open Time Machine, Boot Camp is in there.

[tje210]

indeed, the reason bootcamp is in there is because it's a different partition (even though it's the same physical disk). if you attached another hard drive, it would indeed show up after you formatted the drive.

[dogsbody]

I am indeed enlightened, Very grateful to you. I will now go out and do some shopping.