MobileMe: Use Backup 3.2 or later if you back up to a FAT32-formatted disk

Products Affected

MobileMe iDisk

Symptoms

If you use the Backup application with a FAT32-formatted disk, Backup 3.2 or later is recommended for all users. The latest version of backup can be downloaded here.

Not sure if your disk is formatted as FAT32? Do this to find out: In the Finder, select the disk's icon, then choose Get Info from the File menu. If the format line includes "MS-DOS," it is a FAT32-formatted disk, and this article applies. If it is not a FAT32 volume you do not need this article. 

Tip: Although you can use many different kinds of storage volumes with Backup, for security, you should consider using a backup device that is hard to lose or that can be secured with a third-party lockable cable.

Resolution

Create a new backup plan after installing Backup 3.2 or later

After you update to the latest version of Backup, you should create a completely new backup archive on your FAT32 disk and remove previous plans:

  1. Open Backup.
  2. Create a new plan, with a new name, to use instead of your existing plan. The new plan can be exactly the same as the one you were using before, or you can make any modifications you want.
  3. From the Plan menu, choose Full Backup to create the new archive.
  4. If you have multiple backup plans, repeat steps 2 and 3 for each of them.

To remove previous back plans and associated files:

  1. Select the plan in Backup
  2. From the Actions pop-up menu (looks like a gear), choose Remove.
  3. Also, remove any associated files from the Backups folder.

Additional Information

Verifying a backup

After you have backed up your data with Backup 3.2 or later, you can verify the restore image by restoring it to a different location (in a new folder on your computer, for example) and checking to make sure the data backed up correctly.


Tip: For best results in Mac OS X, use a Mac OS Extended (HFS+)-formatted disk with Backup, instead of a FAT32-formatted disk. Using Mac OS Extended formatting will improve the speed and compatibility of the disk within Mac OS. Also Mac OS Extended volumes do not require all files to be less than 4 GB in size as FAT32 does. Reformatting a disk erases all data on the disk.

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