With version 10.5 of the
Mac OS X operating system (colloquially named "Leopard"), Apple introduced an incredibly easy way to back up your entire computer automatically. They named their software
Time Machine, and designed it so that it keeps a constant running backup of your computer's files, from everyday documents, to e-mail inboxes, to crucial system files. If your system goes down in flames (figuratively...or literally, for those very unlucky few), your external backup hard drive will save the day. Whether you had to replace the inner storage of your computer or purchase an entirely new machine, you will be able to restore every single one of your files in one fell swoop via your trusty Time Machine.
Of course, in the cases where an entire system restore is not necessary, it's a cinch to pick and choose, whether it be a version of that book chapter that you regretfully hacked to pieces a week ago, or that folder of beloved photos from Cousin Merl's barbecue that your angel of a nephew not-so-innocently trashed yesterday.
When you plug in a new external drive to your Mac, you should be automatically asked whether you want to dedicate that hard drive to Time Machine. Easy enough. But what if you want to back up a Mac that isn't always physically connected to that drive? Like a laptop, for instance? Apple will tell you to purchase
Time Capsule, which is a wireless router and hard drive combination that is designed to backup multiple computers over a home network. However, if you already have a wireless connection and an external hard drive, purchasing Time Capsule may seem a bit frivolous. Fortunately, Apple has built in the capability to use a regular ol' external hard drive for network backups -- they're just not going out of their way to tell you! Continue below to see the steps necessary set it up in almost no time at all...
