Mac Mini back up is full

[Raven]

Several years ago I set up my wife's home Mac Mini with one external HD.
She uses it mostly for home accounting, browsing, storing photos.
Super Duper and Time Machine back up to the same EHD. (is that OK?)
Super Duper now stops as the EHD is full.
Time Machine says Back up disk is full. So, how to handle this?

Q1. Can I empty the EHD and back up to an empty drive to start over?

The EHD shows two folders - "CCC Archives" and "Backup".
Q2. Are those from the 2 back up systems?

The "Backup" folder only has files from 2013-16.
Q3. Why are there no files from 2017 forward?

Mac Mini 2011 - OS10.13.6. 381gb used of 500.
EHD - 499gb of 500.

[jchuzi]

While I can't answer your specific questions, I can offer some advice based on my experience.

If you have only one EHD dedicated to both a clone and Time Machine, you risk losing both backups if the drive fails. Personally, I have four EHDs, one dedicated to TM and the other three as clones (I use Carbon Copy Cloner but that probably doesn't make a difference compared to Super Duper).

My 2 TB TM drive (Hitachi HDD connected via Thunderbolt 2) will become full about every two years. At that point, it becomes so corrupted that even Disk Warrior can't fix it. My only recourse has been to erase the drive, losing all data, and redo it. Because I have three clones, that's not a big deal.

So, my advice is to have separate EHDs and be prepared to lose data eventually. Some people keep the old TM drive in storage (in case of emergency) and simply start a new one.

[jwboyd]

I, too, recommend that you have more than one external backup drive. I have three, all clones. I backup daily on two of them, one via Carbon Copy Cloner and the other via SuperDuper. The third one is my "off-site" backup (not networked and kept in another part of the house), backed up once a week via SuperDuper. I have never used Time Machine nor do I backup to the cloud. Other friends and relatives do it differently. I guess it boils down to "whatever works for you." But I would definitely not be comfortable without redundant backups. In my forty-plus years of computing, I have "started from scratch" twice and finally learned my lesson after the second one.

[Xairbusdriver]

Ditto.

My suggestion is to buy at least one backup drive and assign it to SuperDuper. After it has made it's initial backup to the new drive, you can erase the SD area of the old external drive.

In TM prefs, check that you have Excluded the new SD backup drive and any other external drive you might have connected (if any).

I'm confused my the TM reports the "full disk" problem. Hopefully, after it "realizes" you have erased the old SD area, it will resume normal operations. "Normal operations" means that TM will start deleting the oldest backups to make room for new files. In the TM Prefs->Options, there is a checkbox that allows a Notification when old backups have been deleted.

Perhaps you can make a screen shot of the TM Prefs windows (Main and Options)?

[Raven]

I appreciate your suggestions. Will buy a new HD for her.
And you've raised an interesting point. I have two EHDs for my design business for TM and cloning. That's what I thought I had to do.
What's wrong with just one EHD for cloning only?

[jchuzi]

I would not feel comfortable with only one drive dedicated to cloning. Drives will eventually fail and, in accordance with Murphy's Law, at the worst possible moment. In addition, a big advantage of a clone over a Time Machine volume is that you can boot from the clone and run the computer as if nothing happened. Restoring from TM is time-consuming and may not be the most convenient way to go in case of disaster.

[sluggo]

On my late 2012 Mini I've got a 2TB external drive for use with Carbon Copy Cloner. Another 2TB external for Time Machine.
Every now and then the Time Machine drive will get goofy on me. Yesterday DFA could not finish first aid on it. I erased it and DFA ran fine. I then just let Time Machine start doing it's thing again. That happens once in a while but not that often.
When the Mini started slowing several months ago and seemed to take a while to restart, I took it in and had a solid state drive installed. For relatively little money I gained more years and drastically improved the speed of everything. CCC backups used to take over an hour. Now generally in the 4-5 minute area.

[Xairbusdriver]

I've never run a business, but my wife (and her Sister) are now owners of an inherited farm. That is certainly a dangerous and time-consuming business for them! Similar to itemizing deductions in your personal taxes, I would think any business should/would keep track of any and all capital investments which certainly would include computers and ancillary hardware they need. That's just one of the expenses to deduct from income and thus reduce your business tax. Even if you don't have a professional working on your taxes, a good financial accounting app should have accounts already set up for various 'expenses'. I believe it was Cornelius Vanderbilt who posted the following Tweet: "Any business that depends on a computer absolutely, positively needs multiple bootable backups." That's the very definition of a "capital investment".

[jchuzi]

Sorry, Jim. It wasn't Cornelius Vanderbilt. Ben Franklin actually said it after Al Gore invented the internet. 

[Xairbusdriver]

I hate to admit you might be corekt,

so I won't.

[sluggo]

Even if you don't have a professional working on your taxes, a good financial accounting app should have accounts already set up for various 'expenses'.

I do have a professional do my taxes because they're much more adept at keeping track of equipment depreciation and other fine details along with knowing which schedules to use, etc. He's done my returns since day 1 so has the names and dates for all major equipment on file so I don't have to supply that every year.
But as your comment suggests, I do have accounting software that's relatively simple. It has various categories for expenses and income & payment methods as well as the ability to add customized categories. I just input all expenses, all income and business mileage. I then print off a year end report with all the nets and grosses and the accountant does his thing. Fairly painless for both of us.

[Xairbusdriver]

Wise words, Todd!

[sluggo]

Wise words, Todd!

My business is seamless rain gutter installation, not accounting. He doesn't tell me how to hang gutters, I don't tell him how to do my taxes. 10 years on and we're still friends and I've actually done some work on a couple of his buildings!

[sluggo]

As an addendum to the comment about having accounting software even if you do have your taxes done professionally, I use Tiny Books Pro by Ken Winograd.
Fairly simple to use. And anytime I've had questions or suggestions Ken has always been quick to respond.

[Xairbusdriver]

Thanks, Todd. Always good to have a TS Member review! Tiny Books Pro

Added search terms: accounting, bookkeeping, business, software