If you don’t fancy selling your old Mac for a decent price, you’ll probably want to repurpose it so that it’s not sitting around doing nothing. If you haven’t yet sorted out some network-attached storage (NAS), you might want to think about using your old Mac as a jumped-up fileserver.
While just about any OS can be used to serve files, media and other services on your local network, OS X is particularly easy to set up, simple to use and above all else stable. You can even use it like a regular Mac at the same time.
So here’s how to turn your old Mac into a NAS drive, torrent box or print server.
1. Sort Out Your Hardware
Data Backup Devices for Small Businesses. You already know you need to back up your small business data regularly, but you may get stuck figuring out the best way to manage the process. Fortunately, you don't need to spend a scary amount of money to buy and set up a reliable data backup system. It allows you to store important documents and digital media files in a central location on a network, accessible from all the computers on the network. WHS can backup up to 10 computers and restore data to them as needed. It acts as your media server, backup solution, data recovery solution, and document management solution.
I recently came into possession of a MacBook Air that’s about three years old. It has no battery inside it, and so it only works when plugged into mains power. It also happens to be the slightly-better-than-base 256GB model, and even uses a solid state drive. This is what I’ll be using for NAS purposes.
Generally speaking, desktops are better if you want a server. Older iMacs, Mac minis and Mac Pros have bigger hard drives that use standard hard disc platters, which means they’re a bit slower but far roomier. They also have better cooling than laptops, so they’re more accustomed to staying on all of the time. Unlike the MacBook Air I’ll be using, desktop machines have more USB ports for adding additional storage, and a network interface connecting directly to your router via Ethernet.
Dec 06, 2013 For more backup drive recommendations, see our list of the best backup drives you can buy right now. To comment on this article and other PCWorld content. Shop for Mac external hard drives at Best Buy. Compare and read customer reviews to purchase the Apple hard drive that fits your needs.
Whatever you’re using, you’ll want to reinstall a completely clean version of OS X before you start. You should check out our tutorial if you’ve never done this beforeHow to Reinstall macOS for a Fast and Squeaky Clean MacHow to Reinstall macOS for a Fast and Squeaky Clean MacNeed to restore your Mac to factory settings? Here's how to install a fresh copy of macOS and erase everything.Read More, but here’s a recap:
- Turn off your machine, then turn it old while holding command+r. This will boot you into the Mac’s recovery partition.
- Using Disk Utility, erase the partition that OS X was previously installed on. A new one will be created automatically.
- Install OS X using the Reinstall OS X option from the startup menu. You’ll probably need to connect to the Internet in order to download the latest version of OS X.
You can also reinstall OS X using a USB stickHow to Install macOS From USBHow to Install macOS From USBWant to install macOS from a USB drive? We'll walk you through this alternative method for installing macOS.Read More if you like — this is perfect for those of you who already have the latest OS X installer downloaded, and would like to save some time.
2. Configure Sharing
Once you’ve configured your fresh install of OS X, you’ll want to turn on file sharing and add a few locations that other users on your local network. To do this, head to System Preferences > Sharing and give your computer a name you’ll remember in the Computer’s Name box. Next click the check-box next to the File Sharing option in the left-hand panel.
Under Shared Folders you can add locations that you’d like to share, including whole volumes (internal and attached external hard drives, even SD cards) if you want. I’d recommend either sharing your user folder, or just the Documents folder as a good start. Of course, it really depends on what you’re going to be using the NAS for, so you may have other ideas.
You can configure user access using the available options, and choose to restrict certain users to Read Only, Write Only or both Read & Write.
If you want to share with Windows users as well as other Macs on your network, make sure you enable Share files and folders using SMB by clicking the Options… button. You may also need to add a password, so check the box next to the account and enter a password of your choosing. When you connect from a Windows PC, the username will be the account name that appears here.
Some other services you might want to enable while you’re here:
Screen Sharing
This allows you to view and control the server using another Mac. You can restrict access to certain users, and require a password for control if you wish. Once enabled and configured, OS X users can control the server using the option in Finder’s sidebar (and both Mac and Windows users can connect to the listed I.P. using a VNC viewer).
Screen sharing is especially handy for performing tasks on your server without requiring physical access to it.
Printer Sharing
If you have an old printer that isn’t network-ready, you can share it with other Mac users using this option. You’ll need to install the printer first, then return to this menu and check the box next to it.
3. Finishing Touches
Depending on your hardware, you’ll want to do a few last things to make sure your Mac is always available when you want it. The first is to prevent it from automatically going to sleep.
You can change the way your Mac behaves under System Preferences > Energy Saver. If you have a desktop Mac, simply dragging the sliders to “Never” and disabling hard disk sleeping is usually enough to ensure your Mac is always on.
If you’re using a MacBook you may want to close the lid, and OS X doesn’t have an option to keep your Mac awake when the lid is closed. Luckily you can install one of two free apps to rectify this: InsomniaX or NoSleep. Heat dispersion won’t be optimal with the lid closed, but your server shouldn’t get too hot anyway.
If you don’t want your server running all of the time, use the Schedule… button within the Energy Saver menu to set wake and sleep times.
4. Connecting to Your Server
It’s finally time to connect your server from your other machines, and this is probably the easiest bit. Most Mac users will see the server in their Finder sidebar — simply click on it to connect, and the volume will be mounted. You can also launch Finder and hit Go > Connect to Server and typing the address your server reports in the File Sharing menu under System Preferences > Sharing. Windows users should find SMB shares under Network.
In order to mount the volume automatically on startup, head to System Preferences > Users & Groups and click Login Items. Navigate to the server and add one of the folders to the list using the plus “+” button. You’ll also want to tick the checkbox next to the entry to stop Finder from opening every time you start your machine. Windows users can use the Map Network Drive tool for this.
Once mounted you’ll find your various shared directories available alongside your other volumes — in OS X, you can use Go > Go to Folder… and type /volumes/.
Other Uses for Your Server
Aside from connecting all of your spare external drives and creating a mountain of reliable, easy to manage network storage using your old Mac, you might also be interested in some of the following:
- Streaming Media — Why not share your videos, music and pictures too? iTunes HomeSharing works for this, but so do other free network streamers. Personally I use PS3 Media Server for streaming and transcoding content to local devicesStream & Transcode Media To Any Device With PS3 Media ServerStream & Transcode Media To Any Device With PS3 Media ServerIf you've setup and tested one media server, it probably feels like you've tried them all. That's why I'm kicking myself for not trying out PS3 Media Server sooner.Read More, but you might find that your old Mac is one of the best devices to use as a Plex media serverThe Best Devices to Use as a Plex Media ServerThe Best Devices to Use as a Plex Media ServerWhat are the best devices to use as a Plex media server? Here are the pros and cons of various options.Read More.
- Running BitTorrent — Particularly useful if you’re going to be streaming media from the same machine, Transmission is a great native OS X BitTorrent client with a fantastic web UI that you can access from your smartphone, tablet or any other web browser (just paste in your magnet link and go).
- TimeMachine Backups — Justin showed us how to use a network share for TimeMachine backupsTurn Your NAS Or Windows Share Into A Time Machine BackupTurn Your NAS Or Windows Share Into A Time Machine BackupUse your NAS, or any network share, for backing up your Mac with Time Machine.Read More last year, and the same technique will work using your new Mac fileserver too.
Wondering which type of Mac makes the best serverWhich Mac Makes the Best Server?Which Mac Makes the Best Server?Thinking about using a Mac for your server? Find out which Mac model makes the best server based on several important categories.Read More? Check out our helpful guide.
Explore more about: MacBook, MacBook Air, Media Server, NAS, OS X El Capitan.
- Hi. This is a very useful article as I am planning to use an old black macbook as a network server. Many thanks.
- I moved my Mac Pro across the country to essentially be a server for my images but also as a Plex server. As it's a 1,1, it won't take OSX later than 10.6 (10.7 at a push) but Plex requires 10.9.I managed to get an old version of Plex server up and running on it but it won't connect to my LG tv, the only place I watch.Now I have a very heavy and mostly useless Mac Pro and wish I could have a Plex solution.
- Can this sharing work over the internet or only when on the same local network?
- Does this work over the internet? Or only when on the same local network?
- I ran through every step on my 2009 MacPro and it's not appearing on the network for any of my windows computers. What might I be missing?
- Can this NAS drive be accessed by an iOS device? If so, how?
- Great article, but didn't I just read a MakeUseOf article warning about Transmission bringing ransomware to Macs?
- Last week there was an update of Transmission which removed the ransomware.
Backing up your important files, or perhaps your entire hard drive is one of the most valuable maintenance tasks you could possibly do on your computer. With your data backed up, a hard drive crash or accidental deletion won't be nearly as painful.
Computer backup software makes backing up your data automatic—a must-have feature of any successful backup plan. Here is a list of some of the most popular commercial backup software titles available:
Be sure to look at this free backup software list before paying for any of the backup tools listed below. Better yet, check out this online backup services list for cloud backup solutions, an arguably better way to back up your important data.
We use the term commercial to indicate that the backup program costs something, not that it's necessarily a better choice than free backup programs in a business setting.
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Acronis True Image 2020
What We Like
- Lightning fast syncing and backup.
- Excellent support for mobile devices.
What We Don't Like
- Navigating the interface can be cumbersome.
- Consumes a lot of system resources.
Acronis True Image 2020, like the other popular backup software programs profiled here, is a complete backup solution for your home computer.
You're able to back up the files of your choice or make a complete image backup of your whole PC, saving it to places like an FTP server or external hard drive. Download mu online for mac.
With its dual protection feature, your local backups can be saved online automatically, too. To protect from overage charges, you can specify which Wi-Fi network to run backups on.
There are three ways to get Acronis True Image 2020. One is with a one-time purchase and the other two are with a one-year subscription. A few features are the same for each plan but the more expensive ones, of course, include some additional options.
You can get Acronis True Image 2020 Standard for a one-time price of $49.99 USD, which includes full image backup, active disk cloning, quick recovery, ransomware protection, and cryptomining blocking.
Best video players for mac. Another option is the Advanced plan which is valid for a year at $49.99 /year USD and has the same features as Standard but also cloud backup, end-to-end encryption, and Office 365 backup. You get 250 GB of online backup as part of that price or you can upgrade to 500 GB for another $20.
The final option is Acronis True Image 2020 Premium for $99.99 /year USD with the same features as the other two options, but also with 1 TB of online space, blockchain certification of files, and electronic signatures of files.
Discounts, such as 50 percent off, are available often, so be sure to check the Acronis website.
This backup software is available for all major Windows versions, including Windows 10 and Windows 8, as well as macOS.
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AOMEI Backupper Professional
What We Like
- Highly customizable.
- Reasonably priced for what you get.
What We Don't Like
- No option for cloud backup from AOMEI.
- Only works with Windows.
- For home use only.
AOMEI Backupper Professional is a full-featured backup program that can back up various types of data. Simple file/folder backup is supported as well as disk cloning, partition backup, and whole disk backup.
An easy restore wizard is included in AOMEI Backupper Professional, in addition to the ability to compress a backup, split a backup into smaller pieces, and even back up files that are currently being used, among other features.
At the time of writing, AOMEI Backupper Professional is priced at $39.95 and is compatible with Windows 10 down to Windows XP. One license code works on one PC. For free lifetime upgrades, the cost goes up $10. https://dealerskiey.weebly.com/podcast-app-for-mac-air.html.
If you need to use AOMEI Backupper Professional with more than one computer, you have to pay for separate licenses.
There's also a free version of this software called AOMEI Backupper Standard, though it lacks some of the features of the professional version.
AOMEI Backupper Professional is for home use only. If you want to use the software for a business, try the workstation version.
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Best Mac Backup Options
EaseUS Todo Backup Home
What We Like
- Excellent integration with Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive.
- Intuitive interface.
What We Don't Like
- No local help files included.
- Lacks basic file backup and syncing features.
EaseUS Todo Backup Home is a nice choice for a backup program. It not only backs up files and folders, like documents and mail, but also entire disks, partitions, and even Android devices.
It's easy to use because of the built-in wizard that walks you through the steps of creating a backup job. It also supports standard features like compression and email notifications, among others, which aren't included in the free version.
EaseUS Todo Backup Home is also great for migrating your OS to a new hard drive and cloning data between disks that use different sector sizes.
At the time of writing, EaseUS Todo Backup Home is priced at $29.00 /year USD for one computer and works with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. Free lifetime upgrades are available for another $30.00, or you can grab the two-year option for $39.95.
The backup software for Mac is a similar price of $29.95 but it includes free lifetime upgrades. It runs on macOS 10.13 down through 10.9.
Much like most of the other backup software from this list, a single EaseUS Todo Backup Home license only works to back up one computer. You have to pay for separate licenses to back up additional computers.
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Genie Backup Manager Home 9
What We Like
- Exceptional data compression results in smaller backup files.
- Very accessible to novices.
What We Don't Like
- No cloud integration or support for differential backups.
- Mediocre performance.
Genie Backup Manager Home 9 is yet another excellent choice for your home backup needs. Like other backup programs, you can back up your entire system, certain files, and folders, or even certain types of files like music, pictures, etc. - whatever is important to you.
Backup and restore wizards make it easy to keep your data safe and restore it after an emergency. Compression capabilities, email notifications, online backup options, and preconfigured backup sets make Genie Backup Manager Home 9.0 an excellent value-priced choice for advanced users.
At the time of writing, Genie Backup Manager Home 9.0 is priced at $49.95 USD and works with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Discounts are available if you buy more than one license at once, which permits backups from more than one computer. For example, if you purchase 10, the per-item cost comes down to $30.
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O&O DiskImage 14 Professional
What We Like
- Easy to turn an external hard drive into an emergency boot medium.
- Very streamlined workflow.
What We Don't Like
- No way to restore partitions within Windows.
- Not very beginner-friendly.
Best hp 64 bit printer scanner for mac os 10.13. O&O DiskImage 14 Professional makes it easy to back up everything from single files to whole hard drives, even the one that Windows is installed on.
Among other features is support for encryption, the ability to restore data to hardware that differs from the source, a rescue boot medium for emergencies, and an easy to use wizard that compacts the O&O DiskImage 14 Professional program window to allow for extremely simple backup and restore functions.
O&O DiskImage 14 Professional costs $49.95 USD and can be installed to Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista.
The price goes up to $79.95 if you need to back up two or three computers, and $99.95 for five. However, at the 5-device option, the price per computer comes down to $20, which is a great deal compared to buying five separate one-PC licenses.
You can also buy O&O PowerPack for $59.95 to get not only DiskImage but also their defrag program, file shredder, and data synchronization software.
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NovaBACKUP PC
What We Like
- Comprehensive security features.
- Limitless file versions retention.
What We Don't Like
- No integration with File Explorer.
- Cluttered user interface.
Like some of these other backup programs, NovaBACKUP PC can serve as disaster recovery software and backup hard drives, system partitions, and specific files and folders like movies and music.
A simple wizard is used to encrypt backups and choose the source/destination folder.
In addition to other features, NovaBACKUP PC can enable virus scanning, send email notifications, and restore backup images to dissimilar hardware types and drive sizes.
NovaBACKUP PC is priced, per year, at $49.95 USD for backup from one computer. It works with all versions of Windows, from Windows 10 to XP.
There's also an option to buy discounted versions of NovaBACKUP PC that can be used on three or five computers. For example, the five-computer option is $99.95 /year, which comes out to around $20 /computer /year (more than half of the one-device option).
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Ashampoo Backup Pro 12
What We Like
- Easy to set up and schedule automatic backups.
- Supplies detailed backup reports with in-depth statistics.
What We Don't Like
- Includes advertisements for other software.
- User interface could be better labeled.
Ashampoo Backup Pro 12 (previously called Ocster Backup Pro) walks you through a simple wizard to back up an entire hard drive, single files, and folders, email, or bookmarks to and from any local or network folder.
Among other features, file versioning and custom compression are supported, as well as encryption, email reports, restoring single files and folders, and automatic pausing if too many system resources are being taken up.
The price for Ashampoo Backup Pro 12 is $31.00 USD. It works with Windows 10, 8, and 7.
A physical disc purchase and premium support can be had for several more dollars.
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Veritas System Recovery
What We Like
- Impressive restoration speed.
- Exceptional customer support.
What We Don't Like
- Confusing licensing plans.
- Unclear cryptic error messages.
Veritas System Recovery is a business-class disaster recovery tool but the price is competitive enough with other home-focused backup programs to be a solid choice.
If you want the complete backup package in one easy to use the program, Veritas System Recovery is an excellent choice. Hp c4580 driver mac os.
Backup Programs For Mac
Common features are supported, like AES encryption and offsite backup; and more advanced abilities are allowed as well, like restoring to dissimilar hardware and creating a backup image of an entire computer.