Anna, try plugging the drive in another port, see what happens
yes, and here lies a huge problem for me - I used the Intel VMs because I have tons of legacy apps & data - not that my life depends on it, but it is stuff such as IDEs, coding apps, personal information managers, etc.
Not being able to “migrate” that means I have no use for Parallels anymore… I wonder how is that affecting their sales, or even if I am part of a very small user group?
In the case of DT databases, there’s probably a copy of the tag (or other attributes) inside the database itself, i.e. not as an extended attribute only.
Try the same with a normal file.
I actually don’t care about that stuff too much because in rarely use tags etc in the finder. But other people might, so I wanted to mention a possible pitfall with Backblaze.
Yep, I do the same as you (not caring too much / using Finder tags) - and, makes sense, the attributes being in DT’s database (of course! why wouldn’t they be 
Sometimes, more than in disks, the real problem is in the cable. Low quality cables, or even worse with USB-3 (blue) B cable side: I don’t know exactly why, but they don’t fit well in some sockets and even the vibration of the disk disconnects it from the PC/Mac. I use to solve inserting the cable and, once inserted, move back a little, less than 1/10 of millimetre, and then it works… until you touch it. The ones with the two-in-one flat connectors at the side of the disk, have special problems when connecting the B side into a PC/Mac.
There are a lot of factors: internal copper section, connectors pressure between connections (and mud), bad soldering… And that go worse as the cable ages. There is a reason why a USB-C cable costs 50 USD in one Apple Store and 3 USD in a Chinese store. With a little bit of luck, you can buy 10 cheap and get one good or reasonably good.
Apart of test in another port, test other cables.
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I was just going to me ruin that @rfog
That’s actually the first thing I usually suspect. Switching cables is try #1 for me.
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… planning in …
Great tip! (I thought I once read about a way that would make an extra app that changes intervalls unnecessary but can’t provide a link right now).
THIS was so helpful! Tried to make up a backup strategy for some days. Taking a look at each volume separately quickly made clear what’s needed.
Thanks a lot @uimike !!!
My great pleasure!
Good idea. I will try now. Just now TimeMachine gave me another error message, and it is coming from the external drive.
Any thoughts on the screenshot?
My Mac sometimes seems to lose connection to the external drive
It gets restored by rebooting the Mac
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That is a great point. I really think it could be the cable. I just bought the external drive (a week or so ago), and it is already shaky when it is plugged. In addition, the cable has an attachment in order to be able to plug into my laptop. And also, the cable is short, which is great if the laptop sits on the desk, but mine is elevated over a number of books so the camera is high enough. This means that I must bend the cable to 360 degrees. Even if I do not touch the cable, I doubt it is a good idea to keep it bent like that.
Great idea to see if other cables will work. I am not sure if I will have the right one.
How can I tell if the cable is USB-C or another type? Someone mentioned USB 2 and USB 3. I could not figure out how to tell them apart.
All in all, I will have to return this drive.
My wild guess is that this is because of the external drive.
I have been using Samsung for a long time, and I never had that issue. But with the two new WD drives, there are a lot of glitches. It could be that the two I bought were just the two rotten apples in a box, so I need to try my luck again.
Thanks for remembering, @uimike. Yes, I have a folder with videos, and it will continue to grow. So I would like to back them up in case Youtube decides to handle unlisted videos differently in the future.
Actually USB-C is the type of connector. It could be used with more than one protocol, like USB 3 or Thunderbolt 3/4, etc.
That is a good point. I would be absolutely devastated if I lost my main DT3 database and if I lost my main Scrivener file. I have other databases, and I can get over losing them. If I lost the videos I have made, I would also not be thrilled about it because it means a lot of work to do them again. DT3 and the Scrivener files are probably 15 years of labor. So I am trying to cover my bases.
I do not know how to do CCC (carbon clone copy). Do I need another software for this? Is it done with TimeMachine?
CCC is the abbreviation for…
Video: How CCC works
It can do similar things as Time Machine but offers more options and is also much faster in incremental backups. (The first backup in any process is always the longest.)
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Yes. The software is Carbon Copy Cloner. I’m sure your favorite search engine will tell you everything about it.
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Thank you! I will have to see if the storage needs to be local or can be on Dropbox. If it is local, it won’t be a solution for me as I tend to run out of space on my hard drive.
Yes, I do. I also find tech overwhelming even if I like it. So basic questions tend to just be blurted out.
It’s great for backing up to external drives.
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