Can I use my time capsule to back up or save files from my pc?

My time capsule works great with my 2 Macs. I just got a PC and would like to know if I can use the time capsule to back up or save files from my PC?

You can.. but obviously PC is missing TM.. so you will need to use a backup software.
Saving files to the TC is not really recommended.. but as long as you have lots of space is unlikely to cause problems.. the whole idea of TM though is to keep incremental backups on an hourly basis and will slowly fill the TC.. once space is short.. it can get messy.
Also read Pondini who is positively against using it for other files.
http://pondini.org/TM/TCQ3.html
I suggest you read .. skim at least the FAQ so you actually understand what TM - TC is all about.
A USB drive plugged into the PC makes a better backup
1. It is formatted NTFS, ie native format and readable by any windows computer. A TC is a network device.
2. USB drives are cheap. You can use 2 of them and store one offsite.
3. USB traffic is not on the network.
4. Storing files on the TC is bad as it is a backup target not itself backed up.
5. In a pc you can add drive after drive after drive.. (assuming a desktop since you didn't say laptop). Only a Mac Pro can do that in the Mac world.. internal drives are cheaper than a. USB drives, b. network drives. And they are 10x or more faster.

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HT201250 Can I use one Time Capsule to back up two iMacs?

Can I use one Time Capsule to back up two iMacs using Time Machine? Both are running Mountain Lion.
Fouind the answer in other questions. Don't know how to remove this message. Sorry, Des

Yes, if you use an application like Genie Timeline Pro, which was designed for this type of purpose. Genie Timeline will make a complete copy of your Dell on the first backup. After that, it will only backup the changes that have occurred since the last backup.
Genie Timeline Pro | Overview | Time Machine Backup Software for ...

Can i use my time capsule as back up without hooking it to internet

Can I use my Time Capsule as a back up without hooking it up to the modem?
Can I use the Time Capsule as back up without hookig it up to internet?

Yes, but it is extremely poor setup.
The TC does not have to be the main router.. normally you can plug it into the main router and simply bridge it and leave the wireless off even.. it then sits there as a dumb network drive.
If you setup the TC with no internet connection then the computer that backs up to it, must lose internet connection while doing backups.. In stand alone simple setup the TC as router. and ignore all the issues with disconnected WAN. When you want to backup change over the computer wireless or ethernet to the TC.
It is clunky and you will lose the whole advantage of time machine.. automated backups.
I recommend you simply buy a USB drive. it is faster, more reliable and less costly.

I have 2 different MacBooks (owned by 2 people) connected to my Time Capsule. I want to use the Time Capsule to back up both MacBooks separately from each other. Can one person access the hard drive of the other person, on the same Time Capsule?

I have 2 different MacBooks (owned by 2 people) connected to the same Time Capsule over a wifi network. I want to use the Time Capsule to back up both MacBooks separately from each other. Can one person access the hard drive of the other person, on the same Time Capsule? Is there a way to ensure that the files on the 2 laptops are kept private from each other? Thanks!

If someone really wants to do something, it won't take them long to find out how to do it.
http://pondini.org/TM/17.html
Security on a Time Capsule is a bit like installing a lock on a tent. It will keep the honest folks out, but probably not the others.

Can I use my time capsule for back up only and not as a router?

I have been trying to set up my time capsule as a router but have not been successful, the dsl I am using is not responding. Can I just use my time capsule as a back up device and not as a router? if so how can I do this?

Yes, you can. Simply plug the TC via Ethernet into the current router and set it up in bridge mode.

Can you use two Time Capsules and back up both with Time Machine.

My little iMac hard drive (250GB) is quickly filling up with my iTunes library (180GB). I have a 500GB Time Capsule which I use to back up my system via Time Capsule. I would like to move my iTunes library to an external hard drive. If I add the 1TB Time Capsule and use it as my main system back up and wireless router can I use my 500GB Time Capsule as an external drive to locate my iTunes library? Will I be able to back up both my iMac HD and the 500GB Time Capsule to the 1TB Time Capsule using Time Machine or some other method?
Finally if I can do this can I have both Time Capsules running wireless?
Message was edited by: mwheelerk
Message was edited by: mwheelerk
Message was edited by: mwheelerk

Could I simply make a copy and move it between the two Time Capsule on a routine basis say every two weeks or month?
Yes
I know I will have to "point" or "map" the new location of my iTunes library to the external hard drive/2nd Time Capsule. Once that is done wouldn't Time Machine then just find the location and back it up along with all the data on the iMac hard drive?
Since this Time Capsule would be connected wirelessly or via Ethernet to your Mac, it would appear as a network drive. Time Machine will not back up data FROM a network drive. Therefore Time Machine will not back up data on this other Time Capsule.

Can I use my time capsule for back ups once in a while and bacicly keep it unpluged

I want to keep my time capsule unpluged and just use it for back ups once in awhile
Wil this be possible to do?

I want to keep my time capsule unpluged and just use it for back ups once in awhile
Wil this be possible to do?

Can I use the Time Capsule as a place to store files only?

I don't want my files backed up. For example, I want to be able to copy/paste things into the Time Capsule.
I would like to store all of my movie files in the Time Capsule and remove them from my Mac because it is taking too much space.
Sorry! I'm new to this and I don't really understand all the tech-lingo.

I would like to store all of my movie files in the Time Capsule and remove them from my Mac because it is taking too much space.
Before you do this, are you really willing to have no backup for your iTunes Media Folder containing all your movies, music, etc?
When....not if...the Time Capsule has a problem, you lose everything if you do not have a backup.
Only the most foolhardy of users would consider doing this.
Apple's instructions to move the iTunes Media Folder are here:
iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder

Can I use two Time Capsules? one as an extension of my laptop (for music and video storage) and the other one to back up everything from the laptop and Time Capsule (for music and videos)

Can I use two Time Capsules? one as an extension of my laptop (for music and video storage) and the other one to back up everything from the laptop and Time Capsule (for music and videos)

Not via Time Machine. It cannot back up from a network location.
The 3rd-party apps CarbonCopyCloner and ChronoSync may be workable alternatives.
EDIT: And, if you're going to do that, you could back up from the Time Capsule to a USB drive connected to the TC's USB port. Second TC not required.
Message was edited by: Pondini

I have a Time Capsule with 2tb of storage, and an I-Mac with 500Gb. (which is at capacity) Can I use the Time Capsule to store data in addition to backing up the hard drive?

I have a Time Capsule with 2tb of storage, and an I-Mac with 500Gb. (which is at capacity) Can I use the Time Capsule to store data from my hard drive that I want to access later in addition to backing up the hard drive?

Can I use the Time Capsule to store data from my hard drive that I want to access later in addition to backing up the hard drive?
Yes, but if you move the "original" data on your iMac to the Time Capsule....then the "original" data is now on the Time Capsule disk.
When...not if...the Time Capsule disk has a problem, you have no backups for this data.
Perhaps a much safer plan might be to add an external hard drive attached directly to your iMac. Then, move the data to that drive from the iMac.
Now, Time Machine will back up both your iMac and the external hard drive so you have "originals" on one drive and backups on another. Would that plan work for you?

Can i use the time capsule as just an external hard drive for music or does it have to be used soley as a backe up?? im thinking for music and photos

Can I use the time capsule as just an external hard drive for music or does it have to be used soley as a back up? I'm thinking for music and photos

Nickles96 wrote:
Hello friends.. I have a similar question, in that I would like to purchase the 2TB TC for use as a NAS device, in addition to taking advantage of the Air Port extreme.. Then I could dump my Linksys router.
I was originally looking at a Synology NAS solution, but the TC seems like it can meet my needs.
I have a Synology NAS as well as the Time Capsule. If you look at the 3.2 beta program, the Synology actually attempts to replicate TC functionality in that you can use it with Time Machine on your Mac.
I must say, Airport on the TC is definitely a nice feature!
Nickles96 wrote:
In addition to the obvious feature of the backup, can I indeed also use the TC as a NAS drive to access from remote locations (example from the office)?
I'm surprised more people aren't using the TC as a dedicated NAS deviced.. I've searched high and low on forums around the web, and don't seem to see many people trying to use it as I've outlined.
I can't see why this wouldn't fufill my needs, and take the place of a separate NAS solution (like the Synology, or iOmega, Seagate, etc....)
Has anyone used this TC as such?
Yes, you can do this and it's something I've been trying to do, but I'm currently having issues. I have another thread stating I consistently get "connection failed" messages. I'm basically storing my music/photo/video files on the TC and keeping my Mac hard drive fairly lean. In terms of NAS functionality, the TC is very basic. Synology/QNAP and others have a lot more features so don't rule them out.

Can i just use the time capsule as back up storage

Can I use the Time Capsule as just back up storage? I am a little bit confused on why I should set up another wireless network and was wondering if this would interfere with my current wireless network? I am not very computer savvy.

You can.. but should you??
Not everything you can do you should do!!
I just posted the same thing here.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5051446?tstart=0
Do not setup another wireless network.. whatever you do. If you buy a TC for storage.. or already have one.. then it should still be part of the existing network.
Describe your network and we can tell you how to fit the TC in.
Certainly the TC can be used as a second wireless Acess Point (AP).. this is totally different to second wireless network. And you maybe confusing the terms. A network for wireless can have multiple access points but a single network. And for large file transfer over wireless keeping the TC as AP is a good idea.

How do I use my Time Capsule to back up my wife's MacBook Pro running 10.4.

I just installed a Time Capsule. I've extended the range with two Airport Expresses. I've connected my MacBook running 10.6.3 to the wireless network. I've connected my wife's MacBook Pro running 10.4.11 to it. I've connected my wife's 3G iPhone to it and my first gen iPhone to it and our Apple TV to it. All devices can connect to the internet. I've connected the Time Capsule to the printer and printed wirelessly from both computers.
I've backed up my MacBook and seen that the Time Machine is backing up my MacBook as it should.
How do use the Time Capsule to back up my wife's MacBook Pro running 10.4.11? I've tried connecting them via ethernet cable and via USB cable. In both cases the Time Capsule failed to show up as an external drive and wasn't seen by the 10.4.11 back up utility.
How do people do this? (Other than convincing their wives to let them upgrade their MacBook Pro to 10.6.3?)

James Elliott1 wrote:
How do people do this? (Other than convincing their wives to let them upgrade their MacBook Pro to 10.6.3?)
That really is your best option. Sooner or later, you're going to have a problem with the "other" data on your Time Capsule, since the backups of your Mac will, eventually, fill up all the available empty space. That will, of course, limit the space available for the other backups.
There's a very cumbersome workaround in the blue box of #Q3 of the Using TIME MACHINE with a TIME CAPSULE *User Tip,* also at the top of this forum.
Another is to connect a USB drive to the Time Capsule, partition it if desired, and back up one Mac to it and the other to the TC's internal drive.

Can I use my Time Capsule to set up multiple networks, or just one?

Can I use my Time Capsule to set up multiple networks, or just one? We'd like to offer the internet to clients who are at our studio, but don't want them able to access all our computers, so a second network for them would be useful.

Two big IFs here.
Not all versions of the Time Capsule have Guest Networking capability, so it might be a good idea to verify that first. Can you provide the model number of your Time Capsule. it's on the bottom of the device.....starts with an "A" followed by four numbers.
Next, assuming that the Time Capsule has Guest Network capability, the next requirement would be to verify that your modem is compatible with the Time Capsule for that feature.
Basically, you need a simple modem.....not a modem/router or gateway device that is often furnished by Internet Service Providers. If you are not sure what you have, post back with the make and model number of your "modem" and we'll see if we can find some details ont he device.

Can i use my time capsule to wirelessly backup my macbook and its external hard drive, which up until now was it's time machine and storage? How?

Can i use my time capsule to wirelessly backup my macbook and its external hard drive, which up until now was it's time machine and storage? How?

The external drive must be connected to the Mac using either USB or FireWire
You must remove the external hard drive from the list of items that are "excluded" from backups in Time Machine Preferences.
Here's how:
Open System Preferences (gear icon on the dock)
Open Time Machine
Click Options
Look for the name of the hard drive in the list of "excluded" items and click on it to highlight it
Click the -- (minus) button at the bottom of the list to remove the hard drive from the list of "excluded" items....so it will now be backed up
Strongly recommend that you do the first backup using Ethenret from your computer to the Time Capsule since the entire contents of the external drive will be copied on the first pass. Ethernet will be 3-5 faster than wireless.
Once you have the first backup done, you can use wireless for subsequent backups since they will nornally be much smaller....unless you add large files to the external drive.

Can I use my time capsule to back up or save files from my pc?

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