Brian

You answered your own question in the next sentence: At a cost per GB, it's cheaper in the long run to spend an extra $110-ish dollars to increase the capacity from 4TB to 12TB. If you think about it, you are buying an extra 8TB of an Enterprise-Grade HD for only $110 more. It's like buying a iPhone at 64GB or spending the $50 more (or whatever) and getting the 128GB model. Of course, do you need a 12TB HD? Probably not, since you are just starting out. That being said, today's entry-level cameras usually start at 24MP. Which means much larger RAW file sizes as compared to a 12MP camera. When you shoot professionally, you want to make sure your ass is covered so you will end-up taking MORE photographs than you realize. Not to mention, Photographers tend to get lazy. Why bother creating 100 adjustment layers to edit a photo when you can use a bought PS Action from Cutesy Name Photography? Just click Amazeballz Color-Pop #5, Vintage-Hazy Thing #2 and Super-Duper Sharpening for FB and you are done!! You have to remember, each time one of those actions duplicates a pixel layer (i.e. Background / Main Layer) and then flattens, it doubles the file-size. So all of a sudden, you go from a 20MB RAW file to a 326MB .psd file. Times that by 100 edited photos from the Smith Family Session at the Park, and then...space becomes a commodity. So of course you could spend $320 and be fine, only to turn around in a year and spend another $320. Or you could have spend the extra $110 and be done with it. In the end, you spend more money for only 8TB! (If you purchased another 4TB drive.) $420 for 12TB vs $640+ for 8TB. I'm a HUGE PROPONENT of the "Buy it Right...Buy it Once" philosophy. I hate-hate-hate wasting money on this sh*t. So while 12TB might be overkill, and it probably is for your situation, it's more future-proof. This really depends on your budget, and the amount of data that you have on your HD. While you might have a 12TB G-Drive, and only use say--3TB of data, you could get away with getting a smaller EHD, something in the 6TB or 8TB Range. Since the EHD will be stored off site, and not be used other than a off-site backup, your requirements are lower. Yes, a Tandberg RDX System is meant for being portable / off-site storage, those cartridges contain little HDs in them and they AREN'T Cheap. Here is a 2TB RDX Cartridge for $270. So that 12TB G-Drive for a few hundred more doesn't look that expensive. But why recommend a RDX system? Because those cartridges are designed for going from Point A to Point B, as they have plastic durable cases and the cartridge itself is more durable. (That said, you don't want to go throwing them around either.) The nice part about a RDX system is the flexibility. If you need a larger storage capacity, you don't have to re-invent the wheel, just purchase a larger RDX Cartridge. The docking unit is the same for either. In reality, a RDX unit is meant for a Server that is currently using a Tape Drive to produce backups. When you want to increase the capacity of the tapes, chances are you are replacing the Tape Drive itself and buying more tapes. So while $270 may seem like a lot, it's better than spending $1500-$5000 (or more) on a Tape Drive and then forking out a few hundred for each Tape Cartridge. And you will want 10 tapes at a minimum, for a "A Week" and a "B Week." Then have a Monthly Backup, plus a cleaning Tape and a few spares on hand. In the end, Server-Grade Components add up very quickly. The last Server I installed for a Pediatrician's Office had a Tape Drive and Cartidges and it cost around $7000 when it was all said and done, plus $15,000 for the Server itself and then the licensing fees for the software. Believe me, you have no idea on how the Professional Grade computer stuff costs. $420 is "Cheap." But you aren't in that world. I'm just trying to give you a perspective. My rule of thumb is to have a Time Machine Drive that is at least double in storage capacity of your Main HD. So a 2TB would work, or a 3TB would be fine as well. I personally have a 4TB TM Drive (left-over from my old iMac) that is USB 3.0. Why? More backups that last a lot longer, more peace-of-mind that I won't run out of storage as quickly, etc. Especially for folders like the Downloads folder, which tend to get out of hand very quickly without you realizing it. I'd rather TM have space to hold onto an important folder, then to delete that folder to make room for the crap that I just downloaded and is now occupying space on my main HD. Yes. They only time that they are onsite is when you are transferring data. Either to Backup your Main Storage Drive or Restore it due to some file loss / corruption. As far as the amount of drives, if you have one drive that stays off-site, you are ahead of 98% of the people in here. Having a "A Month" and a "B Month" or an "A Week" / "B Week" would be best, at least to start out with. Just be sure to put a physical label on each drive so you can keep them straight. Get a Calendar, and on each Sunday, alternate / mark A or B. This way you will know which drive to target first to recover stuff from. It just helps streamline things and if you do it at the beginning, it will become part of your routine. While backing up is essential to any business, let's keep things in perspective. COVID19 has killed all of my friend's Photography Businesses, which are genuine and on-the-books-pay-their-taxes-businesses...many are permanently going out of business, since as a small business owner, you don't qualify for un-employment. Of course, you could apply for a small business loan, but since that money available has run out in a few days, that's an issue as well. But that's a topic for a whole other post. What I'm really getting at is: Photography calls many... ...but chooses few. Don't think for a second that once you open your Business, that people are going to be breaking down your door for photographs. You have to Hustle. You have to Network. You have to Market & Pimp yourself out. You must be pumping out content on almost a daily basis. So before you go blowing lots of money on hardware, stick with the basics. Let's get you a REALLY GOOD Main Backup Drive, preferably a Thunderbolt Version G-Drive and a decent Time Machine Drive. Start there. The off-site backup stuff can wait. Personally, I feel that it's better to get a File-System / Folder Structure in place before blowing money on six hard drives. Heck, take a look at what lenses you are using. I'd rather you upgrade your main lens, get some clients, exceed their expectations, which gets you more clients / money...then to blow it on a bunch of hard drives for images that you don't have. Yet. Believe me, I personally fell into the trap of, "If I only had this....I could do this." Translation: "If I only had this lens, or this light, or this camera body, or this modifier, or this _____, I could do ___________." I am guilty as charged. The only thing now is I have a lot of fancy gear that produces the same crappy photos because I need to evolve as a Photographer. So don't fall into the trap of trying to buy your way through things. It never works and only puts you into debt. OK, I'm really digressing here. Houston, we have a problem... You have two Thunderbolt 2 ports. All the current-model Thunderbolt Drives, at least the G-Drive line, is Thunderbolt 3...which is a USB-C Style port. Thunderbolt 3 ports on a Mac can accept Thunderbolt 2 Drives, but not the other way around. Meaning you can't have a Thunderbolt 3 Drive going to a Thunderbolt 2 Port on a Mac. It won't work. BUT!! I was able to find a Thunderbolt 2 G-Drive. So guess what? You don't have a choice. Buy this 10TB Drive! All of the current model Thunderbolt G-Drives are TB3 / have the USB-C connector. There isn't an adapter cable that you can use with your computer. I had to really search to find that drive and it's in stock. Plus, like I said, you have limited choices. The good news is you can use this TB 2 drive on a new iMac in the future as TB3 (or the soon-to-be-released Thunderbolt 4) is backward compatible with TB2. To put it another way, Big can go to Small, but Small can't go to Big. Make sense? For the Time Machine Drive: I'd get this one and use a USB 3.0 port. G-Technology 4TB G-DRIVE USB G1 USB 3.0 Hard Drive. The cool part with G-Drives is they come Mac-Formatted and have all the necessary cables included in the box. I did find another drive for the TM drive and it's a 3TB drive for like $25-ish less, but I'd spend the extra $25 and get a 4TB drive.

No program. The Hard Drive is probably going bad. It could also be a heat problem / failing component on the motherboard, in which case it’s not worth fixing. But I’m leaning towards the Hard Drive. What is the Make/Model of the laptop? Can you create the recovery media or has that been done already? Also, how fast is your internet and what version of OS are you running?

In case. you are wondering... What Macintosh Desktop Computer does Brian Recommend. Whatever you do, SKIP the current 21.5" iMac. The 2009-2011 21.5" models were "fine." They just had smaller screens, but similar components to their larger counterparts. IT IS NO LONGER THAT WAY. The current 21.5" iMacs are severely crippled and are a complete waste of money. Please give my article a read before buying ANYTHING.

What I like about that drive, is it’s a 7200RPM drive. Eco-friendly / cheap drives are usually 5400RPM. So not only is it faster, it’s a HD that is tougher because it’s faster and it’s meant for gaming. More than likely, it’s a WD Caviar Black Drive, which is the kind that I have owned for the last 30 or so years and the ones I buy.

We will need to repartition and format this drive for use with a computer, and that will take about 5 or so minutes to do. Here is a drive I would buy for what you are looking for: WD Black 12TB D10 Game Drive for Xbox One External Hard Drive 7200 RPM WDBA5E0120HBKNESN (WDBA5E0120HBK-NESN) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XV8JN31/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dDIKEbN38VMJ0

Oh yeah, a new computer is in your future. Especially if you have a newer camera. The more MP you have, the harder your computer has to work. So while a 12MP camera worked will with your 2011 iMac, it’s a different story if your camera is now 20-24MP. That being said, the biggest things that kill a Mac are a full HD (which is what you have) and tons of files & folders stored on your Mac Desktop. In reality, you want to never go above 80% full on any HD. So with a 2TB Drive, you are gonna need to free up about 500-700GB. Or more. 106GB might sound like a lot, but it isn’t. Today’s GB is yesterday’s MB. For example, if this was the late 1990’s or early 2000’s, you have a 2GB HD with 106MB free. Yep, it’s that bad. If you haven’t purchased CleanMyMac X from Macpaw.com, it’s the best $40-ish you will spend. It really helps clearing out gunk that accumulates with normal computer use. I run CleanMyMac weekly Oh, be sure to check your downloads folder. You would be surprised on just how much junk is in that folder. Be ruthless. Cull-Cull-Cull. Those 75 photos of your lunch from 5 years ago? Delete them. Those blurry shots that have no use or will never see the light of day? Delete them. like I said, your target should be 700GB free on your main HD.

That should work just fine. Web Cams are so universal now, practically any will do. For $50, it doesn’t break the bank. Now if you are doing stuff that will end up on YouTube or some sort of video podcast, that’s different and a little more expensive.

Ok, so I can see where it says “Installed”l into the video card.” Interesting. I’ve only calibrated my Mac. So do your test prints match your screen? Also, it’s possible that any video card utility software gets in the way of the profile.

A monitor profile does not "LOAD" on a graphics card. It's just a profile that Windows loads & uses. For clarification, if a profile truly "loaded" on a graphics card, you could take that card out of your computer and install it into another one and that profile would still be intact. This doesn't happen; it does not work that way. The profile that the calibration software creates is stored on your hard drive and when Windows boots up, it's supposed to load that calibration profile. So if it's not, we need to figure out why Windows isn't loading the profile and not why it's not being "stored on the video card" because it won't. @Damien Symonds: Calibration is more your thing. Could you help out?

After the calibration routine, the color profile is created and saved on your HD. So Windows isn’t loading the profile when it boots? Also, the Spyder4 series is quite old by technological standards, and it a good idea to make sure you are using the latest version of the calibration software. Also, which Operating System are you running? Could you fill this out for us? Details about your Computer’s Health

Here is a link to PS CC for $9.99 a month: https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/compare-plans.html Make sure you sign up for the 9.99 plan and not the 19.99 plan. How is it different? You download the full version of PS CC to your computer to work locally. The ONLY difference is a Adobe Module that consistently “Phones Home” to the Adobe Mothership. If your subscription is current, Photoshop starts. If it isn’t or you aren’t logged in, PS doesn’t open. Hopefully, you have decent internet because PS CC is quite large to download. It will take a look at your CS5 and import all of your Actions and such. I will warn you, there are parts of the latest version of PS that have changed, so an Action or two might error out; this is usually due to things being in a different spot than they used to be in older versions of PS. Oh! One more thing...32-bit plug-ins won’t work with Catalina, so if you do use plug-ins, they might need to be upgraded as well.

There is good news and bad news. First the bad news... Your CS5 won’t ever work again. Not even CS6. You are aware of this. Now for the good news... It’s not as bad as one might imagine. The latest version of Adobe Photoshop CC 2020 works with Catalina, and most of the bugs have been worked out, with each update making it better and more compatible. Fortunately, the Adobe PS CC plan is just $9.99 /month, plus applicable tax. For example, with my PA State Sales Tax, my subscription is $10.59 a month, which is on-par with other subscription services / media. Now at this point, people will complain that they do not like the idea of not “owning” Photoshop, they don’t want to spend the money, it’s too expensive, blah-blah-blah. You can thank two groups of people for this: 1. Software Pirates — I was curious one day and investigated just how many copies of PS were being downloaded illegally and by my personal opinion, the monetary loss was anywhere from 1 Million to 3 million per day, perhaps more. 2. People that refuse to upgrade on a normal basis. In order for a company to remain viable, it needs a consistent source of income. People who held onto their older copies of PS did not help this fact. “...but Brian! I bought Photoshop CS5 for $700 back in 2011, it’s really expensive and I can’t afford to upgrade!!“ Yes, it’s been almost 10 years since Photoshop CS5 was released. April 12, 2010 was the original release date. Since Apple decided to change the programming language at the last minute which the MacOS used in order for software to work, this delayed the Mac version by a year or so. Well, Steve Jobs was pissed at Adobe, which helped this happen but that’s a story for another thread. So let’s get back to the cost. I’m picking $700 because it was around $699 or so way-back-when. Adobe would release a major update every 2-3 years or so, for a smaller price of $299. So they wanted you to purchase PS for $699 and in about 2 years or so, upgrade it for $299. So over the course of 5 years, you’d spend about $1000. Then the cycle would repeat with the next major release, CS6. Then CS7, etc. The problem is, people didn’t upgrade. Spending $300 after paying $700 just a few years earlier didn’t make sense to the average person. So they held onto their copies of CS5 for years. Or CS4, CS3, etc. People forget, Photoshop is Professional-Grade software. It’s intent was to be used by Professionals and upgrade fees are just the “Costs of doing Business.” The “Consumer” version, Photoshop Elements, usually was less than $100, but it didn’t have all the features of the full version-so most people used Photoshop. Now cue all of the Cutesy Name Photography Businesses or Samantha Jane Photography’s who started to sell Actions & Plugins in the early 2000’s. Elements didn’t support Actions easily back then, so most people just used the full version of PS. The problem is, Photoshop is Professional Grade software, with a price-tag to match. It is expensive. Not everyone could afford that cost, so they turned to Pirating and installing illegal copies. So Adobe lost out on all that revenue. It got to a point where they had to make a decision; either increase the price for legit copies, close up-shop or switch to a subscription model to make things easily affordable for the masses. They chose the last option, which is now known as Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud. How is it affordable? A period of 5 years was the model that Adobe based their models on. (Well, this is my guess and it makes for easy Math.) Take 5 years, that’s 60 Months. So if you buy the main version of PS for $700 and then upgrade it for $300 in 2-3 years, that’s $1000. So $1000 divided by 60 is... ::: Drumroll Please ::: $17 a month. Well, I’m rounding up, it’s $16.66 on a calculator. So in reality, Photoshop costs LESS today than if you “owned” a copy AND you get Lightroom along with your subscription. So in reality, $9.99 a month isn’t that bad.

Personally, I do not like Seagate Drives. I've had more failures with Seagate than any other brand. I've even had one "Smoke" on me. Man, I really need to write that "The Hard Drive Article." I DO NOT recommend the "$79 Special" from Best Buy or the "This looks like a good one on Amazon..." Hard Drives Which is what you are linking to. I personally do not cheap-out when it comes to a hard drive, especially if it's going to be a main source for all of your backups. For that, I like something called "Enterprise Grade" Hard Drives. Warning, these drives are usually on the expensive side, but they are meant to last. For my iMac, I have two G-Drives. One 12TB for my Photos and Files, and a 2nd that is 4TB that is used for Time Machine ONLY. Since you have a Mac, chances are you are using or have a Thunderbolt port. If that's the case, I'd recommend getting this 10TB Drive. The cool part is they come Mac Formatted and include all cables in the box.

Some thoughts... Hmm...it might be the motherboard, specifically the capacitors on the motherboard. Those are the things that look like water towers in a city. You might have to pop open the cover and with a flash light, go looking for them. I know, at this point you are wondering why you are doing this and WHAT are you looking for. Basically, you need to see if there are any "Poofy" Capacitors or ones with goo coming out the top. You want these cylinders or things that look like batteries to be straight on all sides. If any are budging or are "Poofy" or have the Electrolyte Material coming out of them, that's your issue. This web page has a really good photo of what I'm talking about. The four Capacitors on the left have the "Goo" coming out of them, and the ones on the right are "Poofy." They really need to be dead straight on all sides and have a flat top. Here is another good photo of a bad Capacitor with it being "Poofy" and not leaking all the way. Basically, it looks like a marshmallow instead of a metal cylinder / Coke can. Now, if this is the case, do not touch the capacitors or the goo. Just leave them be. If you do have something like this going on, I would backup-backup-backup ALL of your important files, all of your actions, your e-mails, receipts login info for various things, etc.,etc...while you still can. In fact, I think you should do that now, regardless. If you do have bad caps, you are looking at replacing the motherboard, or buying a new computer. While it's true that the motherboard can be repaired, most local places do not do component-level repairs. It is possible that your Power Supply could be under-powered since you are driving two monitors, and the graphics card has to work a little harder. Does things stay on with just one monitor plugged in? It also could be just a bad power supply. You could also have a crap ton of dust blocking the cooling vents and you have an over-heating issue. This is especially true if anyone smokes around the computer, it's in a high-traffic area that has lots of dust or have pets. Over the years, I've seen all sorts of crap in computers. In fact, I just resurrected an OLD UNIX Server a few weeks ago and it had about and inch of dust inside; I had to take it out side to get rid of the dust, and yes...I did create a Mushroom Cloud. I've also had dead mice in computers and have found a bunch of other stuff over the 27 years I've been a Tech. Even if you think you are a "Clean Person," you'd be surprised on just how much dust / crap gets sucked into a computer. Especially if it's buried under the desk. Oh! One more thing. This is also related to a heat issue. Are all of the fans spinning and you have good airflow? Speaking of an heating issue, your thermal paste that is between the cooling block / fan and CPU could be completely dried out and the CPU is overheating. That is totally repairable, but I'd have a tech-savvy person do this (or one who builds computers) as too much thermal compound is just as bad as too little. Final thought: It might be your surge protector. How old is it? More than 5 years? What happens when you plug your computer directly into the wall or use another outlet/circuit in your home? Better? Same? Check your Power Settings in your Control Panel. Is your computer going to sleep and just not coming out of it? The whirrling noise has me leaning towards a hardware issue at this point. Basically, we need to trouble shoot. I don't think this is something like a bad Windows Update screwing things up, but something is wrong with the hardware. Again, if you haven't backed up, now is the time to do so. Just in-case things really go "Ka-Plooey" and you can't retrieve your data.

Some process could have just been hung up. It happens. Also, be sure to run Windows Updates. Yes, even though it says there are no updates, click the "Check for Updates" button anyway. Windows Updates always lies and says there are no updates, which fools people.

Can you unplug it and then remove the battery?

HP Laptop Drivers are such a Pain in the Ass to deal with. The more I mess with them for my clients, especially the newer ones, the less I like them. You MUST PURCHASE A IPS BASED DISPLAY if you are editing photos. I don't care how big or small it is, IPS is the key. What IPS does is ensure that the colors, contrast, brightness is consistent from edge to edge...which is kinda important if you are editing photos. I'd still mess around with that external display's settings and re-calibrate. You can always set things back.

32" inches is quite large, don't compare it to a Flat-screen TV size. You aren't going to be sitting 6-8 away like you would with a TV. In fact, most folks can get away with a 27" model just fine. Heck a Dual 24" setup is also one to consider, but not with a laptop...unless it has a high-powered video card. Also, 32" sounds great, until you fork out $1300 to get one. What I would do is purchase a Dell 27" IPS Monitor for editing, such as this one and a SpyderX Elite, which has the best chance of calibrating two displays, especially when it comes to laptops. You could *Try* and keep using your ColorMunki, but I think you will have much better results with a SpyderX Elite. (I also own a ColorMunki and will get a SpyderX Pro for myself next.) In addition, there might be some sort of mode you can change within the External Monitor's Settings, it might be something called "Picture Mode" or something along those lines. I'd try something like "Movie," which really warms up the picture, or just anything different really and then re-calibrate. Oh, you definitely want to keep using the HDMI cable for your external for the best results.

Welp, full disclosure... I had to upgrade to Catalina yesterday to fix my iPhone 6s, which got corrupted during the latest update. So now I'm stuck with Catalina as well. The good news is, the world did not end. The latest version of PS CC seems to have the majority of bugs worked out, so if you do take the plunge and get PS CC, things should work out for you.

Here is a 14TB Thunderbolt G-Drive: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1480233-REG The cool part with G-Drives, is they include cables...which they should for that amount of money.

Yep! You are good! You did purchase a good drive! I did the same thing! When I got my new fancy iMac, I just used my older 4TB USB G-Drive for a “TM Only Drive” and bought a larger 12TB Thunderbolt 3 Drive for use as a Data EHD for my new Mac. Keep in mind, some of the larger TB3 G-Drives are quite expensive, like around $600-$700, so budget for that. Yes, it is worth it.

As for the Thunderbolt 3, you don't have that option for your EHD, so please disregard what I mentioned above. You will know when you have a Thunderbolt Version because you will have a Thunderbolt Logo on the front of the Drive: In the future, if you do purchase another G-Drive, be sure to get a Thunderbolt 3 version. Once you experience the speed of TB3, it will be tough to go back to USB3.0.

If you are using this drive as a Data Drive, TELL IT NO...AS IN NO I DO NOT WANT TO USE THIS DRIVE FOR TIME MACHINE. Keep your Time Machine separate from your Data Drive. What happens is if you do use the drive for Time Machine, it will attempt to backup to itself, and that is very bad. We want this drive excluded from Time Machine. For that, head into Time Machine's preferences and put the new G-Drive on the exclude list. Time Machine's Preferences are pretty straightforward, and I'm sur you can find the exclude list if you poke around.

One more important thing! If your Mac has a Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 3 port, make sure you use that cable and not the USB Cable. I know everyone is so used to using a USB Cable, but if you have a newer Mac, and a Thunderbolt 3 port, plus a G-Drive that contains a Thunderbolt 3 connector, it is so much faster than using a USB Cable. So much that I work directly off my EHD, which Damien disagrees with. My reasoning, is that Thunderbolt 3 is so fast, that it's almost the same speeds as working with my internal HD. Now if all I had was a USB drive to work with, I would be importing my current gigs to the Main HD, while keeping a similar file / folder tree. This way I can drag and drop each file / folder from the Main HD to the EHD, the only difference is physically they are stored. I can find them using the same searching methods, regardless of drive. Most importantly, when it's all said and done, create a File Hierarchy AND STICK WITH IT. It is so easy to get sloppy and I'm guilty as charged. I have a bunch of crap in my personal folder that is all over the place. The business & client stuff though, is where its supposed to be.