Time Machine

[AndreaM]

I have been using a ‘My Passport’ external drive for backups but it stopped backing up when I upgraded to Big Sur. I’ve just upgraded to Monterey and the drive isn’t even working at all. When I search for it in Disk Utility, it is there but is unmounted. I can neither erase, restore or mount it, and First Aid fails too. I’m guessing it’s past recovery.

Can anyone please give me advice on what external drive I can buy which should work with Monterey and, hopefully, future upgrades?

Thanks.

 

[TonyAguila]

I have been using a ‘My Passport’ external drive for backups but it stopped backing up when I upgraded to Big Sur. I’ve just upgraded to Monterey and the drive isn’t even working at all. When I search for it in Disk Utility, it is there but is unmounted. I can neither erase, restore or mount it, and First Aid fails too. I’m guessing it’s past recovery.

Can anyone please give me advice on what external drive I can buy which should work with Monterey and, hopefully, future upgrades?

Thanks.

The Western Digital My Passport USB drives are a good choice. I use two 2TB drives for one of my Mac minis. Your data are too valuable to entrust in just one backup drive, let alone a malfunctioning one. If you need more backup storage, if, for example, you have other external drives attached to your Mac, I suggest getting a couple of bigger hard drives for the purpose. I have two 8TB Time Machine drives for my production Mac mini that has four external SSDs and two external hard drives. Cheers!

 

[AndreaM]

The Western Digital My Passport USB drives are a good choice . . . Your data are too valuable to entrust in just one backup drive, let alone a malfunctioning one.

The drive was working fine until I upgraded to Big Sur. It would begin backing up but never complete it. Once I upgraded to Monterey, it was unmounted so I don’t know what happened. I obviously searched for answers and discovered that many people have experienced the same thing with these drives after upgrading so I’m reluctant to buy another My Passport. I also read that it’s due to something in the coding of the drive which is not compatible with the later upgrades but I don’t understand it. What’s the difference with yours that it is working with the latest OS?

 

[TonyAguila]

The drive was working fine until I upgraded to Big Sur. It would begin backing up but never complete it. Once I upgraded to Monterey, it was unmounted so I don’t know what happened. I obviously searched for answers and discovered that many people have experienced the same thing with these drives after upgrading so I’m reluctant to buy another My Passport. I also read that it’s due to something in the coding of the drive which is not compatible with the later upgrades but I don’t understand it. What’s the difference with yours that it is working with the latest OS?

My old My Passport (2TB) was in use from 2016 up to Catalina. When Big Sur came out, it started showing signs of failure. I immediately stopped using it and bought two more of the same kind, one connected to my Mac, the other to my Airport Extreme, both as Time Machine drives. With Monterey and APFS-formatted Time Machine backups, I decided to move the network connected one and connected it directly to my Mac. It wasn’t work reliably over wifi.

These are turned on 24/7 as is my Mac mini. The thing with hard drives is that they have a limited life. I almost never use my hard drives for crucial data more than three years. I replace them and save them for temporary emergency use only. It’s actually a surprise that my first My Passport lasted that long.

It’s a testament to the quality of these WD drives that I stay with the brand. We just have to accept the fact that they do not last forever. External SSDs can be an alternative, but I’m not that rich.

 

[AndreaM]

With Monterey and APFS-formatted Time Machine backups, I decided to move the network connected one and connected it directly to my Mac . . .

These are turned on 24/7 as is my Mac mini. The thing with hard drives is that they have a limited life. I almost never use my hard drives for crucial data more than three years

I’ve never connected them over wifi. I’ve always connected via USB and only backup up once a month so my drive should, surely, have lasted more than three years, which is no longer than I’ve had it.

Is it the APFF-formatting which is causing these drives to stop working with Monterey? If so, how would buying a new one solve the problem? I’m resigned to the fact that I’m going to have to buy a new external drive, and fairly urgently too so as not to lose vital work files, but I need to know that it will definitely work for Monterey and, hopefully, beyond.

 

[oldscribe]

Hi,

I’ve just upgraded to Monterey and the drive isn’t even working at all. When I search for it in Disk Utility, it is there but is unmounted.

Is it possible to have a friend running High Sierra connect this drive and check it?

My TM drive preference is G -Technology G-Drive 4TB

but I need to know that it will definitely work for Monterey and, hopefully, beyond.

The above drives work fine with Monterey Big Sur High Sierra on may systems

​

 

[AndreaM]

Is it possible to have a friend running High Sierra connect this drive and check it?

My TM drive preference is G -Technology G-Drive 4TB

​

I’m afraid I don’t know anyone who is running High Sierra and I live in a very remote place so not many options. I think I may look for the drive you are using successfully and if it doesn’t work for me - I’m coming to get you!

 

[oldscribe]

Hi,

I do not know your Mac spec's, but if it is pre 2015 possibly only go for a 1 or 2TB drive due to speed.

 

[AndreaM]

I do not know your Mac spec's, but if it is pre 2015 possibly only go for a 1 or 2TB drive due to speed.

This is my Mac's specs:

MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
Processor 1.4 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
Memory 8 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3

 

[oldscribe]

Hi,
I would go for a 2TB drive, for my 2010 MacBook & 2018 MBP I use a 2TB drive and for 2021 Mac use a 4TB drive.
Hope this helps.

Spec for 2019 white Mac as screenshot.

 

[AndreaM]

I would go for a 2TB drive, for my 2010 MacBook & 2018 MBP I use a 2TB drive and for 2021 Mac use a 4TB drive.
Hope this helps.

Thanks. I can see a 4TB drive of the make you have, which is a reasonable price compared to the others. Would this be suitable for my Mac's specs?

 

[oldscribe]

Hi,

Yes 4TB would be fine for a 2019 model, in fact depending what you use your Mac for and size of backups, it should be plenty of space, before it starts overwriting.

 

[AndreaM]

Hi,

Yes 4TB would be fine for a 2019 model, in fact depending what you use your Mac for and size of backups, it should be plenty of space, before it starts overwriting.

I don't think I really need 4TB. What about this one? It says compatible with OS 10.12+ and I'm now 12.0.1 so I don't want to buy a drive that's about to go out of date:

<p>ArmorATD 5 Terabyte Hard Drive, Most Durable External Hard Drive, USB C</p> | Western Digital

You go through extremes to capture the perfect shot, so make sure your storage is as relentless as you are. With SanDisk Professional’s G-DRIVE ArmorATD drive, you get an all-terrain drive with shock, rain, dust and crush resistance to protect your footage from out in the wild to back in the...

www.westerndigital.com

 

[TonyAguila]

I’ve never connected them over wifi. I’ve always connected via USB and only backup up once a month so my drive should, surely, have lasted more than three years, which is no longer than I’ve had it.

Is it the APFF-formatting which is causing these drives to stop working with Monterey? If so, how would buying a new one solve the problem? I’m resigned to the fact that I’m going to have to buy a new external drive, and fairly urgently too so as not to lose vital work files, but I need to know that it will definitely work for Monterey and, hopefully, beyond.

Do you make a point of ejecting the drive, or shutting down first, before disconnecting it? Disconnecting it while the Mac is up and running and the drive running is one sure way to mess up the drive. And APFS is the best formatting choice for Time Machine drives in Monterey, whether the drive is an SSD or a hard drive.

 

[AndreaM]

Do you make a point of ejecting the drive, or shutting down first, before disconnecting it?

APFS is the best formatting choice for Time Machine drives in Monterey, whether the drive is an SSD or a hard drive.

I do eject the disk each time I’m finished backing up, however, once on Monterey, the drive wasn’t showing for me to eject and the only way I could get rid of it was to shut down the Mac and then disconnect it. However, it was unmounted the very first time I connected it on Monterey. When still on Big Sur, the backup would stop responding and I’d have to eject it and try again but it was always the same.

How do I know if a drive is APFS? What about the one I linked to above?

 

[TonyAguila]

I do eject the disk each time I’m finished backing up, however, once on Monterey, the drive wasn’t showing for me to eject and the only way I could get rid of it was to shut down the Mac and then disconnect it. However, it was unmounted the very first time I connected it on Monterey. When still on Big Sur, the backup would stop responding and I’d have to eject it and try again but it was always the same.

How do I know if a drive is APFS? What about the one I linked to above?

Launch Disk Utility and select the volume in question. Below the drive name on the right pane, it will indicate the format of the drive.

Regarding your question about the G-DRIVE ArmorATD, I have no experience with the brand. I usually shop for peripherals on Amazon even if I plan to actually buy elsewhere. I pay attention to credible reviews and the overall star-rating of the products. I checked and the G-DRIVE ArmorATD is getting lower less favorable reviews compared to the WD My Passport.

 

[oldscribe]

Hi,

I don't think I really need 4TB. What about this one? It says compatible with OS 10.12+ and I'm now 12.0.1 so I don't want to buy a drive that's about to go out of date:

There are a plethora of external drive manufactures out there, many that are good and many that are not so robust, it is a personal choice as to which mark you prefer.

My only other experience was many years ago was with WD and it was not a happy one especially the networking Passport , I may have just been unlucky with the build quality of the two devices I bought.

So again I say it is a personal choice, you can read as many reviews as you like but at the end of the day is is the user experience that is the overwhelming factor, you can ask ten people about a product and they will all differ with as many con's as pro's.

I will just add that the G-DRIVE ArmorATD drives are guaranted shock proof and water resistant, which not many other bands can clam. As added info you can also buy LeCie Mobile drives form Apple as well, which I also rate highly. Just my thoughts.

​

 

[AndreaM]

Is the My Passport drive APFS, and if not, does it really matter?

 

[AndreaM]

Okay, terrified I lose all my work files, I've opted for the LaCie 2TB Drive. I never expected buying a new external drive to be so complicated.

 

[PaBear]

I have been using a ‘My Passport’ external drive for backups but it stopped backing up when I upgraded to Big Sur. I’ve just upgraded to Monterey and the drive isn’t even working at all. When I search for it in Disk Utility, it is there but is unmounted. I can neither erase, restore or mount it, and First Aid fails too. I’m guessing it’s past recovery.

Can anyone please give me advice on what external drive I can buy which should work with Monterey and, hopefully, future upgrades?

Thanks.

I have been complaining about my failing 2Tb Time Capsule (A1470, 2016) on this forum for several months. Things got worse with my 2021 MacBook Pro M1 although older devices on the same network seemed OK. Thus I bought a Western DigitalMy Cloud Home 4Tb unit last month. Price in UK, sold direct, was £stg180.00. A double drive version (2x 2TB and larger) is available.

I have to report complete success. The set up was stalling until, following a YouTube lesson, I selected 'visitor'. This allowed me in and I have registered my 2009 white MacBook as well.

So far, after two weeks, Time Machine v1.3 on the WD drive is working normally. The lack of a wi-fi hub as the original Time Capsule had, is not a problem.