My friend bought an iMac that has only Thunderbolt and USB2 connections for an external backup up drive. I'm supposed to

[GeneL]

…but I don't have a clue as to what I'm looking for.

I've always used FW, since none of our computers have USB3.

The Thunderbolt external drives that I've seen online so far, seem very pricey.

What do you suggest as the best solution for the least amount of money?

What about this:

OWC Mercury
On-The-Go® Pro
1.0TB Portable External Drive $169 from OWC?



I don't think that she would need more than 1TB and this drive would give her a way to grab it and go, if she needed to. (earthquake, fire???) Also, not needing another "brick" would be a plus.


Also, is there an inexpensive adapter that would let her boot to a computer with USB3 or FireWire?

[sekker]

I'd get her a TB hub. That makes her machine modern.

Then add a USB 3 drive.

[Chakravartin]

GeneL wrote:
What do you suggest as the best solution for the least amount of money?

Just buy a cheap 1TB USB 3.0 drive from the local Staples/Office Depot/Best Buy. USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 Macs.

The cheap drive will probably die in a couple of years, but you should be able to find one for around $60 or less and replacing it in 2 years will be even cheaper.

GeneL wrote:
Also, is there an inexpensive adapter that would let her boot to a computer with USB3 or FireWire?

USB 3.0 drives will work with USB 2.0 Macs without an adapter. One end of the cable will be the familiar flat USB connector.

You can get a Thunderbolt->FireWire 800 adapter. They cost $29 from the Apple Store and are available from 3rd parties such as Amazon.

[PeterW]

There are NO iMacs that have only Thunderbolt and USB 2.0 ports. NONE.

If she has a TB port, then the USB ports on that machine are 3.0

Buy her a USB 3.0 drive in whatever size she needs - a 1 TB drive shouldn't cost more than half of that OWC unit in your post.

[Chakravartin]

PeterW wrote:
There are NO iMacs that have only Thunderbolt and USB 2.0 ports. NONE.

A mid-2011 iMac with a dead FireWire 800 port would fit the description.

[GeneL]

PeterW wrote:
There are NO iMacs that have only Thunderbolt and USB 2.0 ports. NONE.

If she has a TB port, then the USB ports on that machine are 3.0

Not according to the system profile report. I'll double check, but as far as I could see, Thunderbolt and USB2.

[Black]

PeterW wrote:
There are NO iMacs that have only Thunderbolt and USB 2.0 ports. NONE.

If she has a TB port, then the USB ports on that machine are 3.0

I'm sorry, PeterW, but this is very wrong, Example:
http://support.apple.com/kb/SP623

Gene, there surely is one FW 800 port on the machine in question, but for a backup drive USB 2 is fine.
Listen to Chak above on this one.

[GeneL]

I'll have to wait until I can get over to look at her computer again but after all these years, I should know if there was a FW port on the back of her iMac.

I didn't see one, but I will check again, if I can wake up during the day.

[Black]

GeneL wrote:
I'll have to wait until I can get over to look at her computer again but after all these years, I should know if there was a FW port on the back of her iMac.

I didn't see one, but I will check again, if I can wake up during the day.

Don't bother. FW is a needless added expense and limitation when looking for a current backup drive.
Get any USB drive that's on sale, preferably one with a 'hard' power button.

[Ken Sp.]

As a backup drive, USB 2 is fine. The first initial Time Machine backup will take quite a while, but after that the incremental backups will be fine.