Airport and Time Machine new user questions

Background: Switched my business from PC to Mac June 07--and loving it! Upgraded to Leopard over the holidays and bought a 500Mb wireless backup drive. Setup was easy (thanks forum) and I backed up both MacBookPro's with this drive. Buffalo popped last week and Mac bias now runs deep and the local AppleStore had the the 1 TB model in stock.
My connection is: Cable modem (T-W Roadrunner service)-->Time Capsule-->Linksys/Vonage modem. (USB connection from TC to HP 6210 computer). All computers are .n wireless access.
I have had things happen in my environment that I don't understand and can't figure out how to address:
1.) Download/Upload speed according to Speakeasy is 7,000 kbpd down and 700 plus up. Very happy with this and this is an improvement over my old Linksys router.
2.)However my Vonage was set on medium bandwidth and calls are now garbled whereas the old router they were clear. I changed the Vonage bandwidth to high and the calls are OK.
3.) Software updater called for an update download and the forecasted download time was 8 hours!!!! Web browsing seems to work fine and if anything faster.
4.) When I send e-mail about~80% of the time the e-mail fails "on the selected server". I can try again or choose my .mac account or another account and it goes. sometimes I choose the same account and it goes.
I don't understand and have played with manual configuration only to mess things up so nothing works at all. My server is a Pop server. Any ideas?
Time Machine:
-Initial backup was extremely fast and at least 2x faster then the initial B/U on the Buffalo. Incrementals are un-noticeable now.
-Our second MacBook required the preferences file to be wiped out (corrupted) and the Genius told me all I had to do was repoint Time Machine back to Time Capsule. It currently see's her old backups but does not generate new backups. I don't understand this. If it can see the drive and restore works (we restored mailboxes after renewing preferences) why won't it backup? If I do repoint to TC do I lose the previous backups?
Everything is working but just not as seamless as I would have expected and re-sending e-mail and slow downloads makes no sense to me. Help me if you can.
Thanks;
Boomerang

Boomerang,
Your email issue could have something to do with DNS settings not being in the TC...
Repointing your MacBook to the TC should not have any impact on the previous backups... i.e. it will not delete them.
I am an Apple Consultant in Austin, TX (member of the Apple Consultants Network). Visit my site and keep my info around if you ever need anything. www.mymacplus.com

Similar Messages

Airport and Time Machine difficulty

Does anyone know of any recent problems with AirPorts, AirPort software, Time Machines, or Time Machine software? I am experiencing problems with both and cannot diagnose the problem.
Airport: I have 3 cameras in my home that I have been able to view form outside the house (and Network) flawlessly for over a year. All of a sudden I cannot view the cameras from outside the house but when I am home and the wireless network is in range they work fine. I checked all of the settings and nothing seems different. I feel it may be a setting in the AirPort that is blocking me but I cannot prove that.
Time Machine: In an attempt to fix the problem above I planned on going back to a "good" point in the Time Machine to correct the issue. Apparently the Time Machine has not saved a backup since May 2013. It always appeared that it was working but I never really checked until now. I called support and was instructed to erase the drive and perform a fresh backup. The process never completes because it either locks up or claims that it will take thousands of days to complete the backup. I've tried this process several times as well as performing a more extensive erasing process. Same results. I just purchased an external drive and I am still having the same extended time problem. Before trying the external drive I was convinced that the Time Machine drive was bad. Now I am starting to think there is a Time Machine software issue.
Any insight or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

HDD = Hard Disk Drive.
I just wanted to make sure what you have. If I understand you correctly you then have a Time Capsule; an AirPort Extreme with a built-in HDD. If this is correct, then of course, it support Time Machine as a backup destination.
I am not aware of any current software issues for Time Machine; however, anything is possible.
At this point I would recommend that you check out Apple Support Communities Time Machine expert Pondini to go through some of his troubleshooting techniques.

I'm having a hard time setting up my external hard from with my AirPort Extreme and Time Machine Backups.

I have been using a Mac Mini with an external hard and Time Machine. I bought an Airport Extreme and have had problem setting up the hard drive using the USB port on the Airport Extreme. I also just recently bought a Mac Book Air and hope to have both computers back up to the external hard drive using Time Machine and Airport Extreme. I have been using the optical drive from the Mac mini to load programs into the Mac Book Air. I think I'm just getting confused in Finder. I am just not seeing the hard drive. I ended up plugging the hard drive back into the Mac Mini and that is work fine again. How do I setting the external hard drive up to the AirPort Extreme and use for both computers? Or at least to start with the Mac mini.

It's critical to understand that Time Machine (TM) stores backups differently between local and network drives. That would mean the TM backup on your locally attached USB hard drive will not be directly useable when it is connected to the AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBS). There is a way to copy a local version to a network version, but it is not fool-proof. When you do connect this drive and point TM to it, TM will start a brand new backup, leaving your existing backup as is.
If your current backup is critical to you, you may want to consider getting a second USB drive to attach to the Extreme and use your existing one as a backup ... or use TM's multi-backup process to backup to more than one destination drive alternatively.
So, at this point, you may want to make a decision on how you want to go forward to help provide a solution for you.
To directly answer your question, when you go to select a destination for a Time Machine backup, the drive(s) that show up under "Backup Disks" are those that TM already recognizes and has backed up to. Those listed under "Available Disks" are drives (either local or on the network) that TM can back up to.

Airport Extreme and Time Machine. Despite now being officially supported, does it work?

The subject says it all. After purchasing the new tall Airport Extreme and connecting a WD 2TB drive (as I had with the earlier AE) I have yet to have a backup execute properly. It will be fine for a few days then TM will announce it's done a verification and a new backup is required. Thank goodness I have offsite backup since TM is doing absolutely SFA for me at the moment.

Yuri van Hoof wrote:
Now I connected this USB External Disk to the Airport so I can use it as an network disk. This is working as well. I can get it mounted and read and write on it. Nice...so far.
Now I want TIme Machine to update/compleet my latest back-up, and here the problems start.
I hate to have to tell you this, but backing-up that way is unreliable and not supported by Apple. See: Using Time Machine with an Airport Extreme Air Disk.
But then I got the message; disk is full. Hmm?
Yes, because Time Machine stores backups differently when done over a network, it doesn't see the ones made while directly connected. See the blue box in #17 of Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.
Does anybody now how to get the old 'Backups.backupdb' connected ore recognized as the ONE which TM should compleet?
Realistically, you have two choices:
Knowing the considerable risks, as detailed in the first link, if still you want to back up wirelessly, connect the disk to your Mac and erase it. Then connect it to your Airport and let Time Machine start fresh.
To return to backing-up while directly-connected, delete the <Computer Name>.sparsebundle from the top level of the drive.

Time Machine Restore - User Profile and System on two drives

Hello,
I need some help and I think here's the best place to get it. I need to do a restore from Time Machine to a new system.
My old (2008) Mac Pro as "died" and after having the nice people at the Mac Store look at it, I realized that it would be cheaper to buy a used system than to repair mine. My CPUs are dead (2000$ to get them replaced) and one of my Raid 0 drive is dead too.
Old system:
2008 Mac Pro 2.8 ghz (with Raid Card)
Drive 1: OCZ (SSD drive) ---> System
Drive 2: Raid 0 (wiht Apple Raid card) ---> User profile
New system:
2008 Mac Pro 3.2 ghz (NO raid card)
Drive 1: OCZ (Same from previous)
Drive 2: 500 Gb (which came with the new system)
Now I have done the Time Machine already but it only brought me back to the same point. I have renamed the Drive 2 in the "new" system to "Raid 0" as it was the name it had in the previous system and it allowed me to logging to the system but I do not have any of my data on it.
How could I restore my User Profile to Drive 2 on the New system ?
Hopefully this isn't too confusing.
Thanks for all the help.
Richard

The "full restore" from Time Machine is only for OSX drives.
For data-only drives, use the Time Machine browser (the "Star Wars" display). See Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #15.
Depending on your setup, you may also want to review Transferring Home Folders not on a Startup volume.

Airport extreme and external WD HDD and time machine help plz!

Hi, i have used the AEB with my WD external hard drive perfectly before, but after i moved to a different country, i tried to hook it up again, it does comes some problems now, and i think its because of the new updates.
first of all, i have 2 external HD which are connected to each other via firewire, 1 tb and 500 gb wd hard drives. i hook it to my AEB and it doesnt show on my desktop anymore! so my time machinese couldnt find the HD, next is, i used airport utility, and it detects only 1 of the HD not both, so i tried to hook the usb to my laptop and it shows 2 HD connected with 1 usb connection, so i wonder whats going on here, need help, desperately needs to back up thanks!
i want the old school way, which is the plug and play usb then it shows on my desktop via AEB, it worked i know, cuz i did it before, somehow, now it doesnt, im sure its the update, but at the same time, i cant downgrade as well, im sure there is some solution for this auto mount via AEB and time machine issue in this new 7.2.3 firmware thanks!

Welcome to the discussions!
All you probably really need to know is that +Apple does not support Time Machine backups to a drive attached to the USB port on the AirPort Extreme+ due to likely corruption issues. The odd thing about this issue is that problems won't necessarily occur immediately as most users who have had difficulties with this approach (including me) find that backups work OK...for a time.
The best advice we could offer is that if you decide to try this anyway, make sure that you have another backup plan in place for your important files.
Time Machine backups will be supported if you use the Time Capsule, or if you use a drive that is directly attached to the computer that supports Time Machine.
Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

Airport Extreme and Time Machine backups using a USB drive

Hi there,
I checked through the threads/FAQ's for an answer to this but couldn't find anything...
I have an AE set up with a USB drive attached as my Time Machine backup drive. When I start my MBP up and initiate a forced backup, Time Machine will go and find my drive (via the AE), mount it and carry out the backup without a problem. However, if I start my MBP up and wait for the scheduled hourly backup, TM doesn't see the drive (or perform the backup) unless I go and manually mount the drive first.
I realise I can put the drive in my login items to auto mount on boot but I wondered if there was a way to get the scheduled backups to work without doing this (as with the forced backups).
Thanks

mattschenker wrote:
Pondini,
Actually, I wasn't thinking about theft. I was just thinking that for security in a possible data-loss "event," it was better to have the backup drive physically separated from the main computer. But maybe that's not necessary.
That's unlikely. A power surge could take out both your Mac and connected external HD. You do have your Macs on good surge protectors or, better yet, U.P.S. systems, right? If not, see [Using a U.P.S. System with a Mac|http://web.me.com/pondini/AppleTips/UPS.html].
But wherever the external HD is, unless it's on a surge protector or U.P.S., it's still exposed.
Other things causing data loss are even less likely to affect your Time Machine drive (especially if there's no other data on it).
Yes, I could hook something up to my Mac Mini. Good point! And that would really keep it separated, since it would be in an entirely different floor. But then again, Time Machine backups done wirelessly would probably take forever.
The first one, yes. But if you have a good WIFI connection, subsequent ones shouldn't take too long or be too obtrusive, except when you've updated a lot of data (like installing an OSX update).
See #22 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum), for setup instructions.
But this just shows that there are a lot of options.
Yes.
I do wish Apple would solve the problem of Time Machine working via the Airport Extreme. That would be my favorite option.
Not likely. Time Machine's been out since Leopard, about 3 years, and backups via an Extreme have never been reliable or supported. Just why they work well on a Time Capsule, or even a USB drive connected to a TC, but not an Airport, is a mystery, but that's the way it is.
But it's always a good idea to keep secondary backups. See #27 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum), for some suggestions.

"No configured AirPort base stations have been found." I can see the content of the TimeCapsule's drive in finder and Time Machine but it no longer is making backups. Ideas?

Bought new TimeCapsule March 2013. Worked fine. Now get "No configured AirPort base stations have been found." I can see the content of the TimeCapsule's drive in finder and Time Machine but it no longer is making backups. Ideas?

Make sure that you have AirPort Utility 6.3.1 installed on your Mac.
AirPort Utility 6.3.1 for Mac - Support - Apple
Then, power off the entire network...all devices...in any order that you want
Wait a minute, then start the modem first and let it run a full minute
Start the next device connected to the modem, which may be your Time Capsule and let it run a minute
Keep starting devices one at a time the same way until the entire network is back up
See if AirPort Utility can "see" the Time Capsule now.
If yes, try another backup. If you encounter an error message, post back with the exact message.

Here's a very basic question about 2 TB external drives and Time Machine.

Here's a very basic question about 2 TB external drives and Time Machine.
Ihave a Mac Pro with a .75 TB and 1 TB drive. It also has a 1 TB 2ndinternal drive. My current external drive is too small so I'll begetting a 1.5 TB or 2 TB drive.
Obviouslythe new larger 2 TB drive will backup everything on the Mac Prointernal drive with Time Machine. But there will be 1 TB of space leftover going to waste.
ShouldI partition the external drive so that the TM portion will be 1 TB andthe use the remaining extra partition for additional file backups withCarbon Copy?
Thanks for any insights.
I tried searching around on the new Apple discussion forum, but I find it much harder to use than the old forum I used to use.

The problem with terabyte drives is that that a 3 TB is about as big as you can get without going into RAID territory. Ideally, a Time Machine drive should be 3 times as large as all the drives you are backing up. So, if you have 2.75 TB of internal storage, you should have 8 TB of Time Machine space.
Of course, that is "should". If your TB drives are mostly empty, then you can get away with something 3 times the size of your used disk space. Just remember that you are pushing it. Linc is right about Time Machine needing space to work.
It is unlikely that you have regular churn on 2.75 TB of disk. I suggest identifying which drives and folders have the most activity and excluding those drives and directories that don't change much. It would be better to archive the data that doesn't change often and keep it out of Time Machine. Then you may be able to get away with a 2 TB Time Machine drive.

Question about 2 TB external drives and Time Machine.

Here's a very basic question about 2 TB external drives and Time Machine.
I have a Mac Pro with a .75 TB and 1 TB drive. It also has a 1 TB 2nd internal drive. My current external drive is too small so I'll be getting a 1.5 TB or 2 TB drive.
Obviously the new larger 2 TB drive will backup everything on the Mac Pro internal drive with Time Machine. But there will be 1 TB of space left over going to waste.
Should I partition the external drive so that the TM portion will be 1 TB and the use the remaining extra partition for additional file backups with Carbon Copy?
Thanks for any insights.
I tried searching around on the new Apple discussion forum, but I find it much harder to use than the old forum I used to use.

John,
I'm not sure why you posted in the iMac forum so I'm going to attempt to get you to the correct spot. I would recommend reposting in the Time Machine Forum, this is part of the OS X forums (Leopard or Snow Leopard) because you are using Snow Leopard (your profile indicates you are) please click Apple Support Communities and type Snow Leopard. Then you can narrow the search down by clicking Refine this List.
Roger

All of a sudden my itunes wont come up when i hit the desktop icon. un and re installed many times, tried new users, it finally gave me "you need to reinstall sqmapi.dll " im a noob and i have know idea what that is or where i can get it. i cant open any

all of a sudden my itunes wont come up when i hit the desktop icon. un and re installed many times, tried new users, it finally gave me "you need to reinstall sqmapi.dll " im a noob and i have know idea what that is or where i can get it. i cant open any file or library that has anything to do with itunes except safari and quicktime are fine. im about to pull out whats left of my hair.

Okay, that's got one thing ruled out at least.
Can you check something for me, big? I'd like to see if iTunes launches with the Bonjour Service disabled.
In your Start menu, right-click Computer and select "Manage".
Expand "Services & Applications".
Open "Services". (Perhaps maximise the screen to better see what's going on.)
Right-click the Bonjour Service and select "Properties".
In the General tab, set the Startup type to "Disabled":
... and click OK.
Restart the PC and try launching iTunes. Does it open this time?

My external hard drive for backup and Time Machine is full. I bought a new HD. Can I just begin using it, or must I transfer old BkUp and TM to the new HD?

My external hard drive for Back Up and Time Machine is full. I bought a new HD. Can I just begin using it and rely on the old HD for past Time Machine versions, or must I transfer the old Back Up and Time Machine files to the new HD?

It is your choice.
If you don't want to be able to far back into the time slots covered by the old disk then just start using the new disk.
If you want to retain the ability to go back into those time slots then copy it.
Allan

"About This Mac" Storage Screen and Time Machine Question

Hello,
I've been poking around in Lion a bit, and noticed something odd...
When you go to About This Mac >> More info >> Storage, my external hard drive that only has my Time Machine backup on it is displayed entirely as "other" in the file-type breakdown. Thusly, all utilized space is shown as yellow, as opposed to the purple that would designate it as "backup" information.
Is there something wrong with my Time Machine backup, or are other people experiencing this as well? It just seems strange that the results of the built-in backup application are not recognized as a backup by Lion.
Thoughts?
Thanks,
-Kevin

spartykjc wrote:
Hello,
When you go to About This Mac >> More info >> Storage, my external hard drive that only has my Time Machine backup on it is displayed entirely as "other" in the file-type breakdown.
Yes. The purple Backups refers to (some of ) the storage used for Local snapshots (on laptops, see #30 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions), and, apparently, Versions.
There are many other misleading and inaccurate things there, too.

Using airport extreme, an external HD and time machine for wireless backups

Hey All,
The whole reason I bought my airport extreme was to plug an external HD into and use it for backups. Then came time machine and Leopard, and now time capsule!!!
Does anyone know if you can use your airport extreme with an external HD attached and time machine in the same way as time capsule for wireless backups!??? The guy in the Apple store I spoke to says you should be able to if you mount the HD (a little cumbersome); I used to be able to mount the HD in Tiger, but cant in Leopard!!
Thanks!
Message was edited by: Fleery

Fleery wrote:
Does anyone know if you can use your airport extreme with an external HD attached and time machine in the same way as time capsule for wireless backups!???
No. Time Machine is supported in 3 configurations:
1. a directly attached HD
2. Time Capsule
3. A HD connected to a Mac with OS X 1.5 Server
I tried both 1 & 3 and they work perfectly.
The guy in the Apple store I spoke to says you should be able to if you mount the HD (a little cumbersome); I used to be able to mount the HD in Tiger, but cant in Leopard!!
Bogus. That is NOT a supported configuration. It will work for a while and you will eventually start to get errors when Time machine backs up, and they are not recoverable.

Snow Leopard and Time Machine question

Running on snow leopard, trying back up files in order to upgrade OS using an external hard drive and time machine. Previously said "don't use" on accident with this hard drive; any way to reverse this?

Hello cinstar,
The following article provides steps for setting up Time Machine. The process of choosing a drive should not omit any drives that have been previously 'ignored' when first connected.
Mac OS X 10.6: Setting up and adjusting Time Machine
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH6299
Cheers,
Allen

Airport and Time Machine new user questions

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