Using Time Capsule as external hard drive

Hi.  I have a Mac Book Pro, and external hard drive, and now, a Time Capsule.  Since I don't have a Mac, all photos and music (occasional backups, etc.) have been stored on the one external hard drive.  I got the Time Capsule to replace the external hard drive as primary (keeping it as secondary)–in addition to using the Time Machine.
If I'm understanding correctly, I open finder, open Shared>AirPort>Data–and then drag and drop all the files currently on the external hard drive onto this window?  Is this correct?  Will it COPY, and be accessibe, and not cause problems? 
Will it mean, as I hope it means, that my MacBook and iPad will be able to open and use iTunes and iPhoto through this AirPort?  (Instead of having to plug-in the external drive.)
I'd love to use the Time Machine as well.  But can hold off, continuing to back up only occassionally, since this dual purposing may not to be advised?
Thank you for your guidance.

Will there be a problem running Time Machine in the back ground while using the Time Capsule's internal hard drive manually?
No.
Thus far, instead of using Time Machine in an automated mode, I've turned it on when I want to make a new back-up.  Will it be necessary to run Time Machine in manual mode only or can I use its automated feature?
Or–I may be seeing the light–will running the two in tandem allow me to save each new back-up on both devices simultaneously, keeping both drives up to date?
I would suggest that you consider changing your backup strategy. Time Machine was designed to be an automatic "run and forget" operation that performs incremental backups of your Mac's internal hard drive. It will also backup an external hard drive attached directly to your Mac. Running it manually is not very effecient and you stand the chance of not getting a very recent (they run once an hour) backup when you need it.
For Time Machine I would suggest that you continue to use your external hard drive as is and dedicate your new Time Capsule for Time Machine backups. If you still need more external storage, you can always add additional external USB hard drives to the USB port on the Time Capsule.
Even better you will also want to include a second "full-clone" method to your backup strategy. This method will make a full copy of your Mac's internal disk drive that is bootable. Why do this? In case your Mac has a fatal hard disk crash, you can use the clone backup to boot your Mac back up and continue to use it within seconds. Without the clone backup, you would first need to install a new drive, then load a fresh copy of OS X, and then, perform a restore from Time Machine. This can take a while.
To perform these clone backups, I would recommend that you get another external USB hard drive with a capacity at least twice that of your current internal drive. I use Western Digital My Passport drives for this purpose, but any similar drive should do. To create the clone backup I would suggest using either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner.
I would suggest that you create a new clone backup at least once a month or more often if your data is critical to you. Just connect a dedicated clone drive to any available USB port on your Mac and run the clone software to make the clone backup.

Similar Messages

  • Can i use time capsule as external hard drive for both mac and windows

    I have a mac book pro, ipad and iphone and ipod and a windows pc
    Can i use time capsule as a external hard disk only for all of the above ( including windows ) without the back up activity for mac ?

    You cannot access the TC from iOS devices without a browser. eg filebrowser.
    Can i use time capsule as a external hard disk only for all of the above ( including windows ) without the back up activity for mac ?
    Yes, with the following proviso.. the TC is not able to back itself up.. so if you store files on the TC without backups one day you will discover all your files are gone because of a hard drive failure of the TC. TM also cannot backup TC.. so you will need to buy a proper backup software.
    It is also much slower than a real NAS..
    And windows can be a bit painful.. especially windows 8.. other versions should work if you spend the time getting everything set right.

  • Using Time Capsule as external hard drive on a PC, and beyond...

    I need to achieve two separate things with my new 500GB TC. The first is to send it to a friend on the other side of the country for her to use Time Capsule with her PC as an external hard drive.
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    My question is, is this possible? And if so, what is the easiest process to tell my PC friend in order for her to connect Time Capsule as an external?
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    Well, you just hook the Time Capsule up (either wirelessly or wired via ethernet) and for the PC you will want to install AirPort Utility, run it, and then she will be able to copy files to it. Then when it gets back to you you can run AirPort Utility (it is located in Applications/Utilities) and then access the files she put on your Time Capsule.

  • Want to use Time Capsule as external hard drive / Time Capsule als externe Festplatte

    Can somebody tell me what steps I have to take to use my TC as an external hard drive? Thanks! / Kann mir jemand einmal genau erklären, wie ich meine Time Capsule als externe Festplatte für meine Fotos etc. nutzen kann? Mein 128 GB Mac Book Air kommt nämlich an seine Grenzen:) Brauche ich dafür eine weitere externe Festplatte oder kann ich den Speicherplatz nutzen, den die TC hat und auf dem im Moment immer die automatischen Bachups über Time Machine gespeichert werden? Danke!

    There might be a big improvement in the new photo app.
    The OS X Yosemite v10.10.3 update includes the new Photos app and improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac.
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    Access your photos and videos stored in iCloud Photo Library from your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iCloud.com with your web browser
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    Purchase prints in new square and panoramic sizes
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    About to go full Mac, looking for seemless integration and organization of music and photos. Can a pairing of Airbook with Time Capsule work not just as backup by as an external hard drive to acces all of my things? Adding an external HD to the Time Capsule seems excessive.  Hearing that iphoto doesn't really like to be anywhere by on local drive in OS. I'm not very Mac litereate yet so any heavfy kung-fu manipulation might be more than I can bargain for at this time.
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    Well, you just hook the Time Capsule up (either wirelessly or wired via ethernet) and for the PC you will want to install AirPort Utility, run it, and then she will be able to copy files to it. Then when it gets back to you you can run AirPort Utility (it is located in Applications/Utilities) and then access the files she put on your Time Capsule.

  • Use time capsule as external hard drive

    Hi, I'd like to know if can I use my time capsule as an external wi-fi hard drive, I just want to copy selected files to it, and call them when I need it, thanks!

    OK.. I am going to do battle on this one.
    The OP asked..
    I'd like to know if can I use my time capsule as an external wi-fi hard drive, I just want to copy selected files to it, and call them when I need it, thanks!
    I took the JUST seriously.. he just wants to use it for external wifi hard drive.. so how does he get internet and how is the TC connected into the mixture..
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  • HT3728 Is it possible to use Time Capsule as external hard drive instead of back-up?

    I wonder if it's possible.

    Possible, but if you place the only copy of the data that you have on the Time Capsule, you then have to figure out how to back up that data to another drive.
    Things may be simpler...with faster performance....if you add a USB or FireWire to your Mac, and then use the Time Machine to back up both the Mac and the hard drive to the Time Capsule.

  • Can I use Time Capsule as external hard drive?

    I've been getting "your startup disk is almost full" message, so I bought myself a Time Capsule on the advice of a friend.  My question is...can I store stuff on my Time Capsule instead of my laptop?  And if so, can my computer access the info in the Time Capsule?  Specifically....if I don't have my music library stored on my computer, will iTunes still be able to access my library if I want to play some music, AND would my Sonos system be able to access it?
    If I've just wasted 400 bucks on something I didn't really want....what SHOULD I get to store stuff on but that I can still access via iTunes, or my Apple TV, etc?
    Thanks for any help, everybody!

    1. You can, but are better off putting it on a regular external drive and using the Time Capsule for backups and as a router.
    2. Yes.
    3. Launch iTunes with the Option key held down and choose a library on it.
    4. Noting #1, a regular external drive. You can generally use any USB one, but ones not specifically intended for Macs will need to be reformatted first.
    (112894)

  • Help using Time Capsule as external hard drive.

    Hello.
    I am a long time mac user however I just purchased a new MacBook Pro with a Time Capsule. I was able to get it set up for automatic backup for Time Machine. It works great. However, I'm looking to give away my old PowerMac G5 but wanted to save my 30 GB of Music Files, but I didn't want to transfer it directly to my laptop. I tried moving files directly to the TimeCapsule icon but it gives an error message, not allowing it to transfer over. How can I enable this to happen so I can use the Time Capsule hard drive easier? Thank you!
    Andrew Trippi
    [email protected]

    Bob --
    Thank you so much. That explains why it will not transfer because, yes, I was transferring it into the shared icon. However, you wrote about click the icon -- I'm not sure which icon you are referring to. I'm trying to click the icon under the shared menu and nothing happens. Is this icon representing the time capsule somewhere else?
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  • Please Help - Time Capsule and External hard drive Issues

    Recently, I switched from Comcast to AT&T uverse as my internet provider and I started experiencing problems.
    (1) I have a 4th generation Apple Time Capsule which I am using as my router.
    (2) Connected to the Apple Time Capsule - USB - is an external hard drive (not for backup with Time Machine.)
    (3) I have a 2011 Macbook pro which I use to access my file on my time capsule and external hard drive.
    (4) I had been using my AT&T portable Hotspot from my cell phone to get internet access on my MacBook pro from remote locations to gain access to my external hard drive which is attached to the time capsule.
    (5) On August 2, 2014, I switched from Comcast to AT&T and had the AT&T turn off the router function. (I have been using the router from my apple time capsule)
    (6) Under Network I switched to bridge mode.
    (7) And since August 2, 2014 my time capsule has not been backup.
    THE PROBLEM - I need to be able to use the hotspot function from my cell phone to gain access on the external hard drive using my MacBook Pro which I was able to do before. Now it is showing time capsule under finder but unable to connect.
    Do I need to reset my Time Capsule since I have a new service provider. Everything else works fine - meaning able to get internet signal but unable to access my external hard drive and backup my time capsule. Please HELP.

    (5) On August 2, 2014, I switched from Comcast to AT&T and had the AT&T turn off the router function. (I have been using the router from my apple time capsule)
    (6) Under Network I switched to bridge mode.
    (7) And since August 2, 2014 my time capsule has not been backup.
    If you got ATT to turn off router function in their modem..
    Then 6. is wrong.. You cannot have the Network switched to bridge mode..
    You must have it set to dhcp and nat.
    That is also why you cannot backup.. the TC is off the network.
    Please change back to router mode in the TC.
    Ensure the internet tab shows dhcp and you create a wireless network.
    Then power down the TC... power down the ATT modem.. wait about 20min (you can try 5min.. but it might not be long enough).
    Power up the ATT modem.. wait 2min for things to flash lights in de right blinkin order.. then start the TC.
    Open the airport utility and make sure your TC captured the public IP and is now working as the router.
    That should fix that end of it.. the hotspot end??
    Tell us what happens.

  • Can i use time capsule for external h drive and also for time machine?

    Can i use time capsule for external h drive and also for time machine?

    Hello, vascocaco.
    If I understand correctly, you're wondering if you can use your Time Capsule's internal hard disk both for Time Machine backups and as an ordinary drive. Is this your question?
    You can, but Time Machine backups may take longer.
    To do it, you should partition your Time Capsule's hard disk to create one volume for the backups and one for other files.

  • Can i use time capsule as another hard drive?

    Can I use time capsule as another hard drive?

    You can, but it was not really designed for that purpose. Access to files will be quite a bit slower than a drive that is directly attached to your computer.
    The Time Capsule's main function is as a back up device using the Time Machine application.
    If you are using it already for Time Machine, it is generally not a good idea to mix Time Machine backups and regular files on the same drive as there will be struggle for space when the drive starts to fill up.

  • How to backup MacBook Pro without AirPort Time Capsule or External hard drive

    How to backup MacBook Pro without AirPort Time Capsule or External hard drive

    This is crude but if you need a work around, just plug the USB drive directly into the iMac.. copy the files to it.. then plug it into the TC.
    You also do not need to use the TC as an intermediary between your iMac and MBP.. just turn on sharing in the computer.. so you can directly copy files from one to the other.. Macs have public access directory preconfigured for each user account.
    As far as mounting the TC..
    In finder use Go, Connect to server.. and type.
    AFP://TCname or TCipaddress
    Where TCname is the actual name of the TC.. I strongly recommend you follow SMB network rules.. ie if your TC has a name like
    Fred Blog's Time Capsule 2445566.
    It is too long.. it has spaces and it has non-alphanumeric characters.
    Shorten it to FredTC
    No spaces no characters that are NOT alphanumeric.
    TCIPaddress is simply the standard IP.
    You can also use CIFS://TCname which according to the article forces the connection back to SMB1 rather than SMB2 which as usual is broken.
    But I would definitely use AFP if possible. I cannot understand the decision to move to SMB as standard.

  • Can you use time capsule as a hard drive

    Can i use timecapsule as a external hard drive to store pictures and access them but not as a back up

    Yes it can be mounted as an external HDD in finder and you can drag and drop on and off.

  • Time Capsule as external hard-drive, as back-up drive with Time Machine

    Two questions today:
    I understand that I can use the Time Capsule as an external hard-drive while using it as my back-up location, using Time Machine. It has been suggested that to do this, it is best to partition the Time Capsule to prevent the TM program from confusing the files it manages, the data files from the backed-up files. (I hope I got that right.) I believe I read in this forum that one can partition the TC after the fact, and not destroy any data on it. Is this possible? A clerk at the Apple Store in San Francisco told me that I would want to partition, but that it would require that I erase the TC. Which to believe?
    Secondly, how does TM create the back-ups? I have used SuperDuper and appreciated the difference in how (and what) it backs up. My example: my first back-up involved having an 80gb external drive attached to my computer and TM backed up both my HD and the External Drive. I then turned off the TM. Today I turned it on and allowed it to back-up every hour as it is designed to do, but without the 80gb External drive attached. When I checked the newer back-ups, they all showed the original configuration of HD and 80gb external drive.
    So for it's incremental back-ups, does TM back up new files and updated files without deleting missing files? Is it an additive process? Or does it at some point delete missing files from it's most recent back-up? Or since it recognized that it was backing-up two different drives, it will always keep them separate, maintaining one (80gb External drive), even as it backs-up and changes the other (the HD)?
    O.K. a third request. Has anyone published a manual on TM and/or TC with this level of understanding so we can make the most of it's 1 TB storage capacity?
    Thanks in advance, LeRoy

    LeroyHoward wrote: So, does this mean that TM never deletes a file?
    It will when it starts to run out of space and it should likely be the oldest deleted files first.
    As I understand it, as long as I have a multi-linked file icon on the TM, I have the original data. And everytime the TM backs-up, it recreates every multi-linked file icon on the previous back-up. Right? So, if you delete a file by mistake, you can go back and find it. But I see a contradiction here. If you delete it on your desktop, shouldn't it be deleted from the back-up of that desktop? We expect it to be on earlier back-ups, but not the most recent one right? So, eventually as the TM fills up and begins deleting earlier back-ups, that data will be lost.
    The newest timeline will not point/display the deleted file(s), but it still exists on the backup until the backup drive fills up and needs to erase deleted data.
    I'm trying to understand this aspect of the TC and TM, because we want to use it as both an external HD and as one of our back-ups. Any light you can shed on this will be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks, LeRoy
    Read Glenn's response to dedicating TC to TM backup and the difficulty in partitioning the TC HDD.
    Glenn Carter wrote:
    However, this is not an option for Time Capsule users as there is not an easy way of partitioning the Time Capsules’ internal had disk without elaborate effort. In this case, use the Time Capsule hard disk solely for Time Machine backups. Then attach an additional hard disk to the Time Capsules USB port and store additional files there. This added disk will still be available to all Macs that can access the Time Capsule.
    This works to share the files on the USB HDD attached to TC, but if you want this drive backed up by TM (and this drive is formatted HFS+), then it needs to remain plugged into the Mac directly for TM to back it up.

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