How to mount external drive as fixed drive on Mac mini for backup?

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Level 1

18 points

How to mount external drive as fixed drive on Mac mini for backup?

Hi,

I have a customer who uses a Mac Mini with MacOS Monterey as their file server.

They have contacted me to set up a cloud backup to their server and I use a service called Cove by the company N-Able.

The customer's data is on an external hard drive that is connected to the Mac Mini, in order for the program to be able to find the source disc and make a backup, the external drive must be mounted as a fixed drive, is that possible?

Here is the message I received from N-Able:

"Files and folders on USB drives or sticks cannot

be backed up, as drives recognized as removable media by the operating system are not detected for backup. The software will only recognize USB drives that are mounted as fixed drives."

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Jan 16, 2025 12:35 AM

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Answer 1

varjak paw

Level 10

182,602 points

Jan 16, 2025 08:24 AM in response to Bebbzor

From what I can find, the Mac will always recognize that drive as removable unless the firmware in the external drive allows the Removable Media Bit setting to be changed. Even then I'm not sure if that would work. Perhaps someone else here will have more certain knowledge.

Regards.

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Answer 2

varjak paw

Level 10

182,602 points

Jan 16, 2025 09:23 AM in response to Phil0124

Sorry, Phil, but I think it's you who are misinterpreting. Unless I'm the one who has, the OP wants to use the software and service mentioned and set up his/her client to have that external drive backed up to the cloud, and the N-Able system won't back up a removable drive. So Bebbzor is looking for a way to have the Mac see the external drive as if it were a fixed - that is, non-removable - drive so that the N-Able system will back it up.

Bebbzor, if I have indeed misunderstood, please clarify.

Regards.

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Answer 3

Phil0124

Level 10

214,489 points

Jan 16, 2025 09:44 AM in response to varjak paw

varjak paw wrote:

Sorry, Phil, but I think it's you who are misinterpreting. Unless I'm the one who has, the OP wants to use the software and service mentioned and set up his/her client to have that external drive backed up to the cloud, and the N-Able system won't back up a removable drive. So Bebbzor is looking for a way to have the Mac see the external drive as if it were a fixed - that is, non-removable - drive so that the N-Able system will back it up.

Bebbzor, if I have indeed misunderstood, please clarify.

Regards.

Re-reading the OP, I think you may be right and I misread the post. Sorry. ☺️

With that said, outside of some obscure terminal commands that I don't know about and have not been able to find, I don't believe it's possible to mark a removable drive as fixed.

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