> Doug Anderson <ethelthelogremovethis@gmail.com> wrote: > > pm@INVALID.com(Phil) writes: > > > > > Hi: > > > > > > Last week the hard drive in my Tivo (Satellite/DVR ) died and had > > > to be replaced. So now I am really concerned about the HD in my > > > computer. > > > > > > This is what I have - > > > > > > Hardware Overview: > > > > > > Machine Model: Power Mac G4 > > > CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (3.3) > > > Number Of CPUs: 1 > > > CPU Speed: 1.25 GHz > > > L2 Cache (per CPU): 256 KB > > > L3 Cache (per CPU): 1 MB > > > Memory: 1.25 GB > > > Bus Speed: 167 MHz > > > Boot ROM Version: 4.4.8f2 > > > > > > What is the easiest/cheapest method to provide a back up? Can I put a > > > second HD inside the machine? I've heard of the external HD's, but I > > > have already maxed out my connection/inputs (USB hub). Where is a good > > > place to shop for the backup? > > > > It would be easy to put a second hard drive in that machine, and it > > just takes a standard PC IDE hard drive. It is easy to buy those > > almost anywhere that sells anything to do with PCs (office supply > > stores, Circuit City type places, online stores, etc.) > > > > And you could back up to that to protect yourself against your current > > hard drive failing. > > > > But if you have it in the same machine, you don't get any protection > > against something catastrophic happening to your machine. You get > > more protection from an external hard drive. > > > > The machine you describe should have firewire too - have you used that > > port? Because you could get an external firewire drive as another > > option. > > > > The question you don't answer, which is important, is what operating > > system you are using. Because once you have a hard drive (or > > something else) to backup to, you still need software to do the > > backups with. > > > > Leopard (OS 10.5) has built in software called Time Machine to do > > exactly this. Depending on what your backup needs are, that may work > > for you. It is easy to use, and it does what it does very well. > > I am running Mac OS X 10.3.9 Checking the backside of my computer I see > that I have 2 open firewire ports. > > I was thinking internal storage because of ez install, lack of general > space, and I assume that an external HD would need to be plugged into the > electric, and I'm already pretty maxed out in that area also.
That's true, with the possible exception of easy install. Certainly it is easier to plug in a firewire hard drive than to buy an internal hard drive, open up your computer, and connect it properly. (Not that this is hard, just harder.)
> Also if I add the second drive do I need to format (?) it?
Yes. Disk Utility, which is part of your OS will format it for you if you ask it to do so!
> Do I need some > program to teach it what to do?
It's a disk drive. It won't do anything except be written to and read from.
> I have done some things inside of my > computer such as memory upgrades, and swapped out the HD in my Tivo, but I > don't know squat about how to do this backup. Advice greatly appreciated.
Once you have another disk drive (of whatever sort) then how you do backups varies a lot.
Some people just copy folders over to their backup drive whenever they remember. Some people have scripts that do this on some regular basis. Some people use third party backup software (there is more than one). Some people upgrade to Leopard and use Time Machine.
