Backup with Time capsule and external HD

I have a harddrive to backup to but when I choose it, a message comes up saying it is going to remove everything from the HD before backup and is that ok....no...it's not ok...do I need a backup specific harddrive?

If you're using Time Machine, you need to back up to a drive formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled), which includes the one in the Time Capsule.
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Backing up Mac HD with Time Capsule AND an external hard drive

I am sure that this question has been asked one way or another but I can't seem to find the exact answer.
I would like to back up my Mac HD with the Time Capsule AND another hard drive essentially to create two backups. Should one fail, I still have another copy as a precaution. The Time Capsule will be my primary back up because my external hard drive is usually switched off and will only be turned on from time to time to perform "less frequent" backups.
With Time Capsule AND the external hard drive on, will Time Machine just update the backup on the external hard drive without becoming confused with the other copy on Time Capsule? In other words, can Time Machine distinguish between two different Time Machine Backup files and bring them up to date accordingly?
I understand there is an archive function on the Time Capsule, which would also serve the purpose. However, I am wondering if there is another way.
Thanks.

Rheopaipo wrote:
I am sure that this question has been asked one way or another but I can't seem to find the exact answer.
I would like to back up my Mac HD with the Time Capsule AND another hard drive essentially to create two backups. Should one fail, I still have another copy as a precaution. The Time Capsule will be my primary back up because my external hard drive is usually switched off and will only be turned on from time to time to perform "less frequent" backups.
With Time Capsule AND the external hard drive on, will Time Machine just update the backup on the external hard drive without becoming confused with the other copy on Time Capsule? In other words, can Time Machine distinguish between two different Time Machine Backup files and bring them up to date accordingly?
I understand there is an archive function on the Time Capsule, which would also serve the purpose. However, I am wondering if there is another way.
I don't think it's possible to configure Time Machine to back up to two locations without modifying its settings frequently.
You might consider using that external drive to hold a bootable backup. You can create such a thing with either of the utilities SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner. If you pay the registration fee for SuperDuper! (~US$28), there's a mode where it will back up only what has changed, which makes the backup operation run quicker. (Carbon Copy Cloner may offer a similar feature.)

HT3275 Since updating OS to Mountain Lion from leopard, I get the following error message when trying to backup with time machine on external drive. Could not complete backup to media share. The network backup disk does not support the required AFP feat

Since updating OS to Mountain Lion from leopard, I get the following error message when trying to backup with time machine on external drive. "Could not complete backup to media share. The network backup disk does not support the required AFP features." What are AFP features and how do I get Time Machine to backup to my current external backup?

This means that your NAS does not support the required encryption. Update your NAS to the latest firmware or ditch it and buy a Time Capsule (they are the most reliable when using TM).

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.

Initial Time Machine Backup with Time Capsule

Hello,
I just started to back everything up with Time Capsule and Time Machine. The backup is 45 GB so it's going to take a while. Two questions:
1. There is a Volume created on my Desktop called "Backup of [My Computer Name]". Is this supposed to happen?
2. In the actual drive, there is a Sparse file, not the usual backups.backupdb folder that is created when attaching a drive via USB. Is this supposed to be like that as well?
Thanks!

Thank you for the response. I have a couple more questions.
1. Is there a way to manually go through the files? I used to be able to when it was backing up locally through USB.
2. If I change the folder name of the location of the Time Machine backups, do I have to start my backups all over again?
Thanks!

About time capsule and external hard disk

I have got rMBP. I also have got time capsule. External WD hard disk is connected to time capsule.
I have got 3 users in my rMBP:
(1) Admin : Administrator
(2) User A : I normally do all my work from this user.
(3) User B: I recently added this new user.
Here, using Finder tabs, User A can see time capsule and External WD hard disk. But, Admin and User B cannot. I also want User B to have the ability to see WD hard disk (and time capsule). For User B and Admin, time capsule does show up, but it shows as not connected. How can I provide User B the ability to see External WD hard disk (since User B needs to store large different files there)? Any permission issue on hard disk?
(Amazingly backup does take place automatically even if I am connected as User B or Admin).
I will appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

Emma1609 wrote:
Hi,
hi emma, and welcome to discussions
Once the external HD is turned on my Time Capsule is not longer recognized. I can't connect to Time Capsule and make any backups. It is also no longer appearing in the Airport settings.
you could try a power cycle on your devices. turn off modem, TC, and HD for, say, 10 minutes. turn the modem back on for 2 minutes, followed by the HD, followed by the TC.
then go airport utility > manual setup > disks. see if your HD is showing beneath the TC

How to backup from Time Capsule to external HD?

How to set up files backup from Time Capsule to external HD?
Here is configuration: MacBook + MacAir + Time Capsule (which I use as a storage) + 2Tb WD MyPassport (USB connected to TimeCapsule)
I keep files like photos on TimeCapsule to be available by WiFi and I want to set up my Time Machine to backup picture folder from TimeCapsule to MyPassport HD.

Time Machine can't back up a network volume. You'll have to use third-party software. I don't have a specific recommendation. There is no efficient way at all to back up a Time Capsule, which is why it should only be used as a backup destination, not as a general-purpose file server.

My start up disc is full i have a macbook air, i back everuthing up with time capsule and have movies all my music libraries and photos onto that too so as i have free space, but my max still says my startup disc is full with "other"

my start up disc is full i have a macbook air, i back everuthing up with time capsule and have movies all my music libraries and photos onto that too so as i have free space, but my max still says my startup disc is full with "other"

First, empty the Trash if you haven't already done so. Then reboot. That will temporarily free up some space.
According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation. You also need enough space left over to allow for growth of your data. There is little or no performance advantage to having more available space than the minimum Apple recommends. Available storage space that you'll never use is wasted space.
If you're using Time Machine to back up a portable Mac, some of the available space will be used to make local snapshots, which are backup copies of files you've recently deleted. The space occupied by local snapshots is reported as available by the Finder, and should be considered as such. In the Storage display of System Information, local snapshots are shown as "Backups." The snapshots are automatically deleted when they expire or when free space falls below a certain level. You ordinarily don't need to, and should not, delete local snapshots yourself.
To locate large files, you can use Spotlight as described here. That method may not find large folders that contain a lot of small files.
You can also use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper (ODS) to explore your volume and find out what's taking up the space. You can delete files with it, but don't do that unless you're sure that you know what you're deleting and that all data is safely backed up. That means you have multiple backups, not just one.
Proceed further only if the problem hasn't been solved.
ODS can't see the whole filesystem when you run it just by double-clicking; it only sees files that you have permission to read. To see everything, you have to run it as root.
Back up all data now.
Install ODS in the Applications folder as usual.
Triple-click the line of text below to select it, then copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C):sudo /Applications/OmniDiskSweeper.app/Contents/MacOS/OmniDiskSweeper
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V). You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning not to screw up. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
I don't recommend that you make a habit of doing this. Don't delete anything while running ODS as root. If something needs to be deleted, make sure you know what it is and how it got there, and then delete it by other, safer, means.
When you're done with ODS, quit it and also quit Terminal.

[OT] External media drive - Backup with Time Capsule

Hi,
I have a Macbook Pro with 250GB HD and I want to get an external hard drive to store my large video files. I already have a 1TB Time Capsule that I use to backup my laptop. I would like the external drive to be big, either 1TB or 1.5TB, so I don't believe the Time Capsule would be large enough to completely back up the laptop and the external drive. I also would like a drive that would power up/down depending on my laptop's wake/sleep status, so I don't always have to power it manually. I have several options:
1. Buy 750GB firewire external drive and have laptop and drive backup to 1TB Time Capsule. I'm not sure if Time Capsule allows multiple drives to backup to it. My concern though is if my drives get near full, the 1TB still won't be able to fully backup both drives as they cycle large files.
2. Buy 2 external hard drives, connect 1 directly to the laptop and 1 to the USB port on my Time Capsule. I'm wondering whether Time Machine could perform 2 simultaneous backup paths: A. laptop to Time Capsule; B- external drives to each other.
3. Connect a Raid 1 drive setup to USB port on Time Capsule via the Guardian Maximus:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/GM8U27H10G64/
This would be an elegant method that would enable redundancy in one place. Only concern is performance would be bottlenecked by USB 2.0 as I'm used to performance of Firewire 800 or Gigabit ethernet (I do video work)
Also, I've noticed some NAS storage enclosures but I'm hoping the Time Capsule is the best option for my needs.
I think option 3 is my best solution, but was just curious about other peoples' setups. Mac users never cease to amaze me with their creativity and innovation.
Thanks,
Alexander

USB isn't going to be the right at all for Video media files.
Time Capsule has no limitations to the number of drives it can back up... just that space limitation...
Most of us don't back up media files unless they are from tapeless formats such as RED, or P2 etc.. then we're looking at a lot more FW drives, or better yet, a tape drive to back up media with. Quantum makes these. If you are shooting from tape though, just backing up your internal HD is all you really have to do... as you can recapture from tape if the media drive goes down.
Jerry

External media drive - Backup with Time Capsule

Hi,
I have a Macbook Pro with 250GB HD and I want to get an external hard drive to store my large video files. I already have a 1TB Time Capsule that I use to backup my laptop. I would like the external drive to be big, either 1TB or 1.5TB, so I don't believe the Time Capsule would be large enough to completely back up the laptop and the external drive. I also would like a drive that would power up/down depending on my laptop's wake/sleep status, so I don't always have to power it manually. I have several options:
1. Buy 750GB firewire external drive and have laptop and drive backup to 1TB Time Capsule. I'm not sure if Time Capsule allows multiple drives to backup to it. My concern though is if my drives get near full, the 1TB still won't be able to fully backup both drives as they cycle large files.
2. Buy 2 external hard drives, connect 1 directly to the laptop and 1 to the USB port on my Time Capsule. I'm wondering whether Time Machine could perform 2 simultaneous backup paths: A. laptop to Time Capsule; B- external drives to each other.
3. Connect a Raid 1 drive setup to USB port on Time Capsule via the Guardian Maximus:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/GM8U27H10G64/
This would be an elegant method that would enable redundancy in one place. Only concern is performance would be bottlenecked by USB 2.0 as I'm used to performance of Firewire 800 or Gigabit ethernet (I do video work)
Also, I've noticed some NAS storage enclosures but I'm hoping the Time Capsule is the best option for my needs.
I think option 3 is my best solution, but was just curious about other peoples' setups. Mac users never cease to amaze me with their creativity and innovation.
Thanks,
Alexander

USB isn't going to be the right at all for Video media files.
Time Capsule has no limitations to the number of drives it can back up... just that space limitation...
Most of us don't back up media files unless they are from tapeless formats such as RED, or P2 etc.. then we're looking at a lot more FW drives, or better yet, a tape drive to back up media with. Quantum makes these. If you are shooting from tape though, just backing up your internal HD is all you really have to do... as you can recapture from tape if the media drive goes down.
Jerry

What is the best configuration with Mac Book air, time capsule and external hard drive?

Hi, I just bought a MacBook Air with the new Time Capsule and I was wondering what is the best set up:
Option 1: use the time capsule as my main drive and back it up onto an external drive plugged at the back of it
or Option 2: use the external drive as the main drive and use the time capsule as the back up? in that case, would the ext drive need to be plugged to the MacBook Air?
Many thanks

Option 2 is far superior.. and actually the only one that works.
That is without killing yourself or having continual issues accessing your files.
You do need to plug the external disk into the MBA.

Time Capsule and External Drive Options

I wanted to inquire if I can use my Time Capsule as an external drive. Reading some of the questions submitted I am still a little unclear. Here is my issue, I have a macbook pro and I am reaching my maximum capacity on my hard drive space. Most of the data is iMovie, Photos, and iTunes. Now I do not need all this data all the time, it just sits on my macbook pro as if it is being stored. I would like to move this to a external drive and I assumed the Time Capsule functions as a external drive. But reading all the posts in the communities it seems like that the Time Capsule can hold some space as an external drive but then if the TC starts to reach its maximum capacity it would delete the stored data. I am interested in doing the following, please guide me if this is possible:
1) The videos/music/pictures that I do not need anymore but would like to archive it, can I store it on the Time Capsule and treat it like an external drive?
2) I got a 2TB TC which I know only 250GB space would be utilized maximum by my MacBook Pro and the remaining space would be utilized for nothing. Unless for instance my Macbook backs up everyday to the TC and it stores 250GB each day then it would reach its maximum capacity on the TC really quickly and will delete the latest version of back up automatically. Is that true? Or does the TC only creates another back up of the changes found. I am just trying to figure out if I can somehow utilize the space on the TC for storage especially if I know that I probably wont have enough data for 2TB.
3) What are my options if I want to store the data and want to retrieve it at my disposal. I just want to make more space on my MacBook Pro.
4) What is the return policy on the TC if opened?
Thank you

But reading all the posts in the communities it seems like that the Time Capsule can hold some space as an external drive but then if the TC starts to reach its maximum capacity it would delete the stored data.
When space is tight on the drive, Time Machine will automatically start to delete the oldest Time Machine backups to make room for newer backups.
But, Time Machine will leave any regular files or folders that you might have stored on the drive untouched. Those files will never be deleted unless you delete them yourself.
1) The videos/music/pictures that I do not need anymore but would like to archive it, can I store it on the Time Capsule and treat it like an external drive?
If you move any files from your Mac, then the only copy of those files that you will have will be on the Time Capsule drive. You have no backups for these files, so you might want to think about this a bit. If your attitude is such that if the files are lost due to a Time Capsule drive problem, and it is of no great concern, that's one thing.
If losing thes files would cause you grief, you would want to think about having a backup plan in place for the "original" files that you move to the Time Capsule drive. For some reason, users seem to forget that if they move a file from their Mac to another drive, they only have one copy of that file....unless they create backups manually.
Unless for instance my Macbook backs up everyday to the TC and it stores 250GB each day then it would reach its maximum capacity on the TC really quickly and will delete the latest version of back up automatically. Is that true?
Sounds like you are confused about how Time Machine works. The Time Machine application will back up everything on your Mac on the first backup. After that, it only backups up any changes that you make to the Mac.
If you do not anticipate making a a lot of changes or adding a lot of new data, your backups will remain very small. If on the other hand you regularly add a number of new large images from your camera, or new movies, Time Machine will be backing up each new set of images or movies that you add.
3) What are my options if I want to store the data and want to retrieve it at my disposal. I just want to make more space on my MacBook Pro.
You can move files from your Mac to the Time Capsule if you want to, as long as you remember that when you do this, you are moving the "original" files to the Time Capsule disk. You will have no backups in the evernt of a problem with the Time Capsule.
It sounds a bit harsh....but the truth remains that all drives will fail. If your Time Capsule fails , you lose the Time Machine backups, but you still have the "original" files on your Mac.
If you move an "original" file off of your Mac to the Time Capsule and the Time Capsule fails....you have no backups of these files.
The whole idea about a good backup plan is that you have "originals" on one drive and "backups" on another.....in case one drive fails, you still have a copy of everything. Make sense?
4) What is the return policy on the TC if opened?
Best to ask the store that you buy from about their return policies in advance. We can't speak for any stores, or for Apple here.

Question on Time Capsule and external USB HDD

Hello everyone,
I have a 500GB Time Capsule that is working wonderfully. I recently have been downloading a number of large .iso image files that are taking up a lot of space on my internal drive on my Macbook Pro. I do not back these files up on the Time Capsule as it is getting full and i want it to backup other more important things.
I do however wish to backup these files. My current desk is rather full and really will not allow me to purchase a large 3.5" HDD and plug it in USB.
Is it possible to plug an external drive into the back of the Time Capsule and have it be used as a wireless disk as well?
I would prefer to have that drive not be part of the Time Capsule disks, i just want to be able to access it wireless over my network.
I would be grateful if anyone can help me out. If this solution will not work, is there some sort of NAS disk solution i can get to work with my TC?
Thanks

All you need is an external USB HDD. It needs to be formatted HFS+ (Mac OS Extended - Journaled), if you plan on a future Time Machine Disk on this drive, or FAT/FAT32. You could get a NAS, but you don't need to if you already have TC. Can I assume the USB port is free or do you have a USB printer hooked up to it?

Time Capsule and external Hard Disc

Hi,
I have a problem with my Time Capsule (1 TB) and External Hard Disc (1 TB). The external HD is connected via USB. The idea is to have use the device as a shared HD in my network. First it worked perfect. After upgrading to Snow Leopard i have following problem.
Once the external HD is turned on my Time Capsule is not longer recognized. I can't connect to Time Capsule and make any backups. It is also no longer appearing in the Airport settings.
Can anybody help?
Thank you.

Emma1609 wrote:
Hi,
hi emma, and welcome to discussions
Once the external HD is turned on my Time Capsule is not longer recognized. I can't connect to Time Capsule and make any backups. It is also no longer appearing in the Airport settings.
you could try a power cycle on your devices. turn off modem, TC, and HD for, say, 10 minutes. turn the modem back on for 2 minutes, followed by the HD, followed by the TC.
then go airport utility > manual setup > disks. see if your HD is showing beneath the TC

Integrating new ext HD with Time Capsule and MacBook pro

I just purchased a 4 TB Seagate Backup Plus that I’m looking to integrate with my mid-2009 MacBook Pro and 2 TB Time Capsule that I’m currently using to store my iTunes library (I know, bad move, one of the reasons for the new Seagate) and run my Time Machine backups. If I can use the TC only as an external HD and backup with Time Machine to the new Seagate I’m willing to do that. If I can’t, I understand the limitations of the larger capacity Seagate with the smaller TC. Probably won’t top 2 TB for a while so I’ll cross that > 2 TB of info bridge when I get to it and need a larger drive for Time Machine backups
The current plan is to move the iTunes library to the Seagate along with the new, and ever growing Aperture library (currently on the MB) while backing up both the MacBook and Seagate to the Time Capsule; unless I can switch them and use the TC as an ext HD and the Seagate for backups. How do I go about doing this? How do I answer the “Do you want to use this new drive with Time Machine” prompt being that I’m currently not planning on backing up to the Seagate but want to backup the Seagate up to the TC? Do I need to reformat the Seagate disc? Still figuring out how I want to configure the Aperture (which I’m still learning) library but I’d like to keep the mobility advantage of the laptop and use the internal HD for a working library and move the post-processed images to the Seagate for archival. I’ll be checking on the Aperture forum.
Thanks for any help to this incredibly newbie type question. There’s usually a similar, but not exact, answer to my questions on forums or the threads are a few years old, so figured it would be faster and more accurate to just ask.

I just purchased a 4 TB Seagate Backup Plus... If I can use the TC only as an external HD and backup with Time Machine to the new Seagate I’m willing to do that.
The Seagate Backup Plus portable drives are Time Machine compatible so you shouldn't have any issues backing up your MacBook Pro to this drive. You also shouldn't have any issues using the TC as an "external HD" if you actually meant "network" drive. That is, it will still be available on the network as a storage device.
The current plan is to move the iTunes library to the Seagate along with the new, and ever growing Aperture library (currently on the MB)...
That shouldn't be a problem.
...while backing up both the MacBook and Seagate to the Time Capsule
Backing up the MacBook Pro using Time Machine will not be an issue, but you will not be able to use Time Machine to back up the Time Capsule to the Seagate. It may still be possible to use some other back up solution for this.
How do I answer the “Do you want to use this new drive with Time Machine” prompt being that I’m currently not planning on backing up to the Seagate but want to backup the Seagate up to the TC?
At this point, just answer "No." You can always choose the Seagate as a Time Machine destination later via the Time Machine interface. Again, you CANNOT back up the Time Capsule to the Seagate with Time Machine.
Do I need to reformat the Seagate disc?
If you got the Mac version of this Seagate drive it is already properly formatted. However, if you got the PC version, you will need to reformat it for HFS+ in order for the TC to share it out properly. That means you will need to temporarily connect it to your Mac, via USB, and then, use the Disk Utility to format it.

Backup with Time capsule and external HD

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