How to Use the Mac OS X Leopard Time Machine

Time Machine is one of Mac's newest features with OS X Leopard. With the help of an external hard drive, it will automatically back up every single file you have created, so you'll never have to worry about doing it yourself.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Purchase an external backup hard drive from any store that sells computer equipment. Don't worry about finding one specifically for a Mac, because they all work with both PCs and Macs.

2. Connect the external hard drive to your Leopard-based Mac. Any hard drive with a USB or FireWire connection should work. When it asks you if you want this as your backup drive, answer "Yes."

3. Let Time Machine do the rest of the work for you. It automatically backs up all your current files onto the external hard drive. It will immediately back up any files you create as long as the drive is connected.

4. Shut down the Mac or put it in Sleep mode whenever you want, even if Time Machine is in mid-backup. The program will remember where it was in the process and start up from that point when you reactivate the computer.

5. Choose what files you don't want backed up. Go to the Preferences menu. Click on "Options" and select the files you want Time Machine to ignore.

6. Delete backups by launching Time Machine, selecting the file(s) and choosing "Delete from all backups" in the Finder toolbar action menu.

7. Disconnect the external hard drive to disconnect Time Machine. Whenever you reconnect, it will back up all files created or changed since the disconnect.

Tips & Warnings

• If you choose to back up more than one Mac system on the same hard drive, Time Machine will create a separate subfolder for each system within the single folder it creates on the drive.