MacBook® Portable Genius, 2nd Edition

Chapter 13. How Do I Store and Maintain My Data?

There are two primary reasons to add more data storage space to your MacBook, and both of them are important. One is to back up the data on your MacBook; one of the easiest ways to do this is to use Time Machine, which requires that you use an external hard drive. The other is that over time, you end up with a lot of data, especially if you create iMovie projects or you download movies or other video. Your MacBook's hard drive is only so big; adding more storage space enables you to work with more information. Also, you may want to carry some data with you even when you don't have your MacBook; a flash drive or iPod is a great choice for this purpose.

Using External Hard Drives

Maintaining Hard Drives

Using an iPod as an External Drive

Working with Flash Drives

Using External Hard Drives

Adding an external hard drive to your MacBook system is an easy and relatively inexpensive way of making more storage space available; it is also a requirement if you want to use Time Machine for backing up your MacBook. In this section, you learn how to add more space to your MacBook by adding, configuring, and using an external hard drive.

When it comes to choosing a hard drive to add to your MacBook, consider the following factors:

• Which interface will you use to connect the drive to your MacBook? External drives use FireWire, FireWire 800, or USB 2 to connect ...