Kathy,
I am going to try to answer some of the HD questions that you have. The
Adobe issues will have to be answered by someone much more aware of that
then I am.
I have used numerous external HD¹s with my mac, they do work very well
most of the time. Everything but a Seagate unfortunately. I do not know
about the 10.4.8 minimum requirement but it is not for Time Machine, that
arrived with 10.5 to my knowledge. Some external HD¹s require the Intel CPU
to be able to draw enough power once they are plugged in, keep that in mind.
You can format a pc hard drive as a mac format using Disk Utility but if
you have a choice I would not purchase a hd that does not list the Mac OS as
one of it¹s requirements unless you don¹t mind taking it back to the store
if there is an issue.
The most important thing you can do is get something to backup on right
now even if it¹s just a flash drive or cheap one and you pickup a different
one later. Most computers are a power hiccup or an oops away from data
disaster. Backup onto something today if you have not done so previously
and put it into your regular activities however you decide to do it. You
can use TM later after you have done your update.
Glenn
On 5/31/10 12:09 PM, "Kathy K" <[email protected]> wrote:
> I'm trying to do my homework before making a purchase, and I'm just ending up
> befuddled, and wondering if some kind folks on this list can clear things up
> for me.
>
> I am running 10.4.11
> 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
> 2 GB Memory
> Hard Drive Capacity: 232.57 GB, Available: 116.82 GB
>
> I use this computer for graphic design/illustration, family photos, and
> internet-based games (social facebook kind of games).
>
> I would like to get an external drive to back up all my graphics work and
> photos. I've been looking at the Seagate FreeAgent drives (1TB-2TB) but I'm
> seeing in the specs that 10.4.8 is the minimum OS needed. Is this just for the
> purpose of using TimeMachine? Or do I need 10.4.8 just to dump files on the
> drive?
>
> Also, it seems any external drive will work with a Mac, it's just a matter of
> reformatting if it's a PC drive‹correct? But do I really have to by a Mac
> drive to make use of TimeMachine? Will TimeMachine not recognize other
> Mac-formatted drives?
>
> I was mainly looking at Seagate because of the 5yr warranty, decent reviews,
> and Mac compatibility. What other drives should I consider?
>
> I would like to upgrade to 10.5 Leopard and perhaps later 10.6 Snow Leopard.
> Couldn't I get one of these drives now, manually back up files to it by
> drag/drop, then upgrade to 10.5 and begin using TimeMachine then? Because a
> lot of my stuff is not backed up anywhere, I do want to back everything up
> before doing an OS upgrade.
>
> Along with the OS upgrade, I'd also like to add 2 GB Memory, as this computer
> can be pretty sluggish. I currently have 1 GB in each of the two banks‹so that
> means buying 2 new 2 GBs to replace the 2 1 GB.
>
> I have also considered upgrading the external drive (faster and larger) but
> don't know what to do there.
>
> I don't have loads of $ to spend, and also need to know that my graphics
> software is going to be compatible with the OS upgrade. (Adobe CS3, and
> InDesign CS2, Quark 7, Freehand MXa‹yes, the suite needs upgrading and yes I'm
> still attached to Freehand.)
>
> If you've read all the way through‹I thank you. If you're considering a
> reply‹I thank you doubly!
>
> Kathy K
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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