Can't find Time Capsule or Time Machine

I just installed Time Capsule and am using it as a router and a Time Machine. Using Lion.
Install went well and all worked fine. Both my iMac and husband's MBA backed up fine.
However, we are now both having problems seeing the Time Capsule and automatic backup is failing.
We are connected to our wireless network (via Time Capsule), and internet connection is fine.
When I choose "Back Up Now" I get the message "Time Machine could not complete backup. Backup disk not found."
When I choose "Open Time Machine Preferences" and "Select Disk" the Time Capsule does not appear.
When I go into Airport Utility, the Time Capsuel is not showing. When I click Rescan, it is still unable to find the Time Capsule.
Any ideas?
Suellen
p.s. I'm new to Mac to be gentle

I've been encountering the same problem with a USB hard disk attached to an Airport Extreme Base Station.
(This is effectively what a Time Capsule is anyway, so I think we're talking about the same issue.)
What I've noticed is that the Airport unit gets quite hot to the touch, the light goes out (although occasionally
it remains on) and the Airport is no longer visible to the Airport utility.
The cause is also predictable: a long sustained period of Airport disk activity. For example, two or more
simultaneous Time Machine backups (from different machines), or multiple podcast updates to the same
Airport disk. This is not particularly unusual, especially when downloading video podcasts. Apparently,
Apple engineers did not provide protection for this scenario, because the Airport just overheats and crashes.
In case you're wondering, my units are operating at normal room temperature with no obstructions around
their vent openings.
The only way to recover from this is to remove power from the Airport (or Time Capsule) and then plug it
back in. If there are pending backups, just postpone them for awhile until the unit has cooled off.
If you were downloading podcasts, then iTunes probably crashed anyway. At any rate, you'll need to restart
iTunes if you were using it with a remote library on the affected Airport disk.
I first found this on an Airport Extreme generation 2, but then upgraded to a generation 5 in the hopes that
the problem had been fixed. No such luck. I suspect that the problem also applies to all of the Airports and
Time Capsules. I can hardly wait to see what a Thunderbolt disk does to heat things up!
Apple, if you're paying attention, this should hopefully be fixable with a firmware upgrade. In the long term,
a better worst-case thermal analysis is needed for generation 6 Airport devices, please. These products
should NOT be overheating with what I consider to be normal use.
Now, I never had any problems until I hooked a USB disk drive directly to the Airport Extreme. Having
already had one Airport Express actually go up in smoke (literally), I'm not inclined to see the same thing
happen to my more expensive Airport Extremes. Until Apple offers a remedy, then I expect my solution
will require more expensive hardware connected via an ethernet cable to the Airport device. As wireless
devices, the Airport products work just fine, so I will continue to use them for that purpose at least.
In summary, don't overload these devices with too much sustained high traffic. If they fail the way described,
just unplug them and plug them back in. Let them cool off.
Anyway, I hope this helps others that have run into the same problem. And I hope that Apple engineers
take notice and come up with a remedy.
Thanks for reading.

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Can't finde time machine (windows)

I can't finde time machine at the internet to download to my windows computer.
i already installed time capsule, but i could not find the time machine. what should i do?
THX

There is no Time Machine for Windows. You need to use a third-party product capable of backing up to network drives.
(71687)

New MacBook Pro can't find time machine

I just purchased a new MacBook Pro and I want to restore my system from a time machine back up located on a Time Capsule. I am attempting to do this using the Set-Up Assistant. The process is as follows. I select from Time Machine or other disk and click continue. On the Select the Source screen, my Time Capsule shows up. I click continue and on the next screen the new MBP can not find a source as there is nothing listed in the source box. It continues to search but will not find my time capsule. When I click the Back button, I see my Time Capsule appear for an instant before it shifts back to the previous screen. My MBP is connected to my Time Capsule via ethernet cable and there is web access using that cable.
I don't know what to do. Any suggestions will be great. Thanks.

You don't want to do that by copying.
Your best bet, by far, is to use Setup Assistant. If your Mac is running Snow Leopard, see Using Setup Assistant on Snow Leopard or Leopard.
If it came with Lion, it's a bit different: Using Setup Assistant on Lion

Can't find Time Machine backups

I just started using Time Machine three days ago, and it seemed to be working. Every hour the tool bar icon spins, a disk image appears on the desktop, and in Preferences it'll give me the last back up (currently 2:25 PM. When I enter Time Machine to look at my backup, I only see "Today" and only one pane. There are no versions of a file I've worked on and saved several times.
I'm using an OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro hooked up to an Airport Extreme. Now, when I initially set it on wifi, it was taking forever (only 10GB in 12 hours--it would've taken over six days to back up my modest 150GB drive). So I hooked the drive directly to my MacBook Pro via FireWIre 800, then switched back to wireless. I've searched he the site here and see that that may be the problem, but I'm not sure why, and can't find a way to fix it.
If I have to use only wireless or only FireWire, is there a way to speed up the initial transfer? Even 24 hours would be ok. If I can't speed it up. Can I interrupt the initial transfer to put it to sleep and move it to another part of the house?
Thanks in advance for any help!

jsvatek wrote:
Thanks, but I did try that. It does bring up another "disk" but still all I see are "Today" with no previous versions.
I select a specific and only the last one is there. Maybe I'm misunderstanding how Time Machine works, but shouldn't I be seeing three days (the amount of time since I started it) worth of backups?
As I said, I'm not very familiar with wireless backups; you may have to mount the sparse bundle, perhaps by dragging it into the sidebar of Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder).
I just looked at the hard drive in the FInder, and there is only something with a "sparsebundle" extension and a Shared folder with nothing in it. Both of which have a date modified of three days ago. Should there be something modified with the time of the last back-up?
That's odd. Assuming you have sufficient privileges, there should also be a "Backups.backupdb" folder from when you were doing the backups while directly connected.
Again, Time Machine Prefs tells me the last backup (to the disk I designated as the backup disk) was at 3:13 PM (ET)
One other possibility: check your System Name via System Preferences > Sharing. It it's blank, that's likely the problem. If it's over 26 characters long, trim it. If it has any unusual characters, try removing them. (An earlier version of Leopard wouldn't work with the name OSX assigns when you first set up, +<your name>'s Computer+ because of the quotation mark!)
If nothing else works, I'd suggest erasing the drive yet again and starting over. You might want to try the procedure of starting wirelessly, then connecting via the Ethernet cable, and/or take a look in the Airport and Time Capsule forums, hiding in the Digital Life section, at: http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=140

Can't find Time Machine backup for restore

Hard drive died for my MacBook, now I'm trying to restore from the Time Machine file. I have a Linux server set up for Time Machine backup. I've mounted the server to /Volumes/Time Machine, which seems to be working fine, I can see the files there. Problem is the Time Machine restore tool cannot find that drive
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Oliver Jobson wrote:
My MBP is plugged into my lan, my time machine is on another mac on my network, but after inserting the install disc in the MBP (I have upgraded to a bigger drive on my MBP) I try to restore from the time machine, but it isn't finding the TM! Does it have to be over wifi as per the on screen instructions?
No. Connect the drive directly to your Mac. See #14 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
Save that hair!

Where can I find Time Machine error codes?

Hi, My time machine backup keeps failing with error code 11. I can't find documentation explaining error codes, can anybody point me in the right direction?
thx!

At this point TM error codes are best known by the Apple Tech support people or at least they will have access to the software engineers who will have this knowledge. As fas as I know there's no definitive list of TM error code available to users/customers.
You can always send Apple feedback on this issue.

Can't find time machine restored mailbox

I changed one of my imap gmail accounts to a group account and create myself a new one to receive forwards from group. I went to mail settings and changed the settings of the account and now i realized that actualy I deleted the old one (with over 1000 mails) and setup a new one. I went to time machine, found the old account and restored it. I find the email on the search but can't find where they are. I can see they are in INBOX-3. I would like to upload all these old mails to the account/server. I could even manage to copy the folder com.apple.Mail.Backup.mbox where the INBOX folders are to my desktop but still can't import them to my new account. How do I do it ?

The "Recovered Messages" folders contain the messages restored from TM. If they appear to be empty, please do as follows.
Quit Mail. Force quit if necessary.
Back up all data. That means you know you can restore the Mail database, no matter what happens.
Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:
~/Library/Mail/V2/MailData/Envelope Index
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C). In the Finder, select
Go ▹ Go to Folder
from the menu bar. Paste into the box that opens (command-V), then press return.
A Finder window will open with a file selected. Move the selected file to the Desktop, leaving the window open. Other files in the folder may have names that begin with "Envelope Index". Move those files, if any, to the Trash.
Log out and log back in. Relaunch Mail. It should prompt you to re-import your messages. You may get a warning that the index is damaged and that Mail has to quit. Click OK.
Test. If Mail now works as expected, you can delete the file you moved to the Desktop. Otherwise, post your results.

Can't get Time Machine to work at all..

I am very new to Mac, and have a Macbook running OS X 10.4.11 I have the 500 gb Time Capsule, but I can't find Time Machine anywhere.. do I need to upgrade my operating system? Sorry to be such a noob, but I am a recent convert, and it's a whole new world for me. thanks.

Hi jayjay22
Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Yes Time Machine is only available in 10.5, to upgrade you will need to purchase a retail copy of Leopard.
Click > [Here|http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC094Z/A/Mac-OSX-Leopard?fnode=MTY1NDAz OA&mco=MzgxMDAzMg] <
Dennis

Why can't i find Time Machine Back Up Device in Hard Drive

Why can't i find Time Machine Device in Hard Drive when i have plugged it already. White light just keeps on blinking.

Understanding and resolving a blinking status light
Here are the reasons that the status light may blink:
Your Time Capsule has detected that the internal hard drive has reported a SMART error
The base station has not yet been configured
The base station has been reset.
A new firmware update is available for the base station.
No IP address is available for the base station.
A Wi-Fi base station in Extended Mode is out-of-network Wi-Fi range of a primary Wi-Fi base station.
The WAN Ethernet cable is unplugged from the Wi-Fi base station.
The Wi-Fi base station lacks a path to the Internet (or local router).
Internet access may be temporarily unavailable from your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
A persistent, blinking, amber status light indicates that your base station may require your attention.
How to resolve a blinking amber status light alert
Launch AirPort Utility to determine why your base station status light is blinking amber.
AirPort Utility opens automatically if your Wi-Fi base station requires your attention. You may also choose to launch AirPort Utility at any time.
In the AirPort Utility window, locate your Wi-Fi base station and double-click on it to open the Summary window. Note: If you have more than one Wi-Fi base station, double-click on the icon for the Wi-Fi base station that has the amber circle next to it.
When the Summary window appears, double-click the amber circle to the right of Wi-Fi base station Status to open the Status window.
The Status window lists any conditions that require your attention. Respond to each item until there are no more items listed.
Eliminating the blinking, amber status light may require making changes to a specific setting, or putting a checkmark in the "Ignore" checkbox beside any option you don't wish to change. A checkmark simply tells the AirPort that you are aware of the issue and you have chosen to ignore it. For example, you may wish to leave your AirPort open without a password so that anyone can join your wireless network.
Click Update to apply your changes (the base station will restart).
After the base station has restarted, the status light should be green and not blinking. If the status light stays amber in color and blinks after the Wi-Fi base station restarts, you may repeat the steps above.

Can we use Time Machine to back up data on Time Capsule from the outside of network?

I have Time Capsule at home. Can I use Time Machine to back up data of portable nootebook when I am working at office?

If you mean over the internet, you can but it will be so slow and more than likely so unreliable it is a poor method to use. Remember all internet is limited to upload speed.
Lion does a temporary backup onto local hard disk.. which is useless of course if the hard drive is damaged.. but helps if you delete an important file. Then when you go back home and it discovers the TC is available it will then backup again from where it left off.
I think it is only a major issue if you are away from home for major lengths of time, weeks or months.

I am trying to update my time machine backup on time capsule, but time machine keeps trying to create an entirely new backup (evidenced by the 200GB backup size). How can I get time machine to modify my old backup rather than create a new one?

I am trying to update my time machine backup on time capsule, but time machine keeps trying to create an entirely new backup (evidenced by the 200GB backup size). How can I get time machine to modify my old backup rather than create a new one?

It must have found the old backup corrupt.. so you will more than likely have little choice. You can archive off the old backup if it is still useful.
You can also verify it. See A5 http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
He also has some info on this problem. eg C13.

Can use time capsule wifi but can't find time capsule in finder.

I have a 3TB time capsule that I bought about a month ago. I can use the WIFI but all of a sudden I can't find time capsule in finder. How do I locate it?
Thanks in advance for the help.

It is the Mavericks OS usually.
Try a simple reboot of the TC.. that is often enough. No luck..
Try a full network restart in correct order.. ie modem.. wait 2min.. TC .. wait 2min.. clients.
No luck..
Manually mount the TC using Go, Connect to Server in Finder.
Type in AFP://TCname.local or AFP://TCIPaddress
where you use the actual network name in place of the TCname.. ie not the name on the TC.. unless it is short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric.. which I do strongly advise. But its network name which is without spaces and no illegal characters which apple recommends you use.. eg apostrophe.
So Fred Blog's Airport Time Capsule is not the real network name.
It will become fred_blogs_airport_time_capsule which is a bad name still.
Easier use the IP, eg 10.0.1.1 for TCIPaddress.

How can I make Time Machine use the ethernet cable to Time Capsule instead of the wireless connection? Wireless is too slow; has been taking 40 hours to create an initial 142 GB backup.

How can I make Time Machine use the ethernet cable to Time Capsule instead of the wireless connection? Wireless is too slow; has been taking 40 hours to create an initial 142 GB backup.

Plug in ethernet .. in the computer.. turn off wireless.

Can I use Time Machine/Capsule more simply?

Every month, I plug in my external backup hard drive, delete all files from the last time I did a backup, and then copy my {user name} folder from my Mac to the hard drive. It takes awhile but serves my needs.
I would use Time Machine/Capsule if could be configured to be simple.
1) I don't need all the program files off my laptop, just my data (I can always re-install apps).
2) I don't need incremental backups (i.e. see the state of a file 3 months ago vs 2 months ago); I just need the last one I backed up.
Can I configure Time Machine/Capsule to do just this simply? I'm all about using Apple programs but would need it to be simple.
Thanks.

rcook349 wrote:
That makes no sense to me. I just want to back up my data folder
Why? Why not let Time Machine back up your entire system? That's what it was designed to do, and will protect you best that way. Yes, the first backup will copy everything, so it will take a long time (connect your Mac to the TC via an Ethernet cable if at all possible for this).
But thereafter, TM's hourly backups of only what's new or changed should be very quick.
Then when your internal HD fails, one simple step will recover your entire system to the exact condition it was in at the time of any backup (see #14 in the FAQ Tip below).
And the configuration is a one-time process, and quite simple.
You might want to review these:
Time Machine Tutorial
Time Machine 101
How to back up and restore your files
Time Machine Features
Apple - Support - Mac OSX v10.5 Leopard Time Machine
and perhaps browse the Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum.

My mac can't find time capsule, my mac can't find time capsule

my mac can't find time capsule, my mac can't find time capsule

I listed the commands.. that is how you manually mount the disk.. follow exactly the commands I gave you.
In finder use top menu, go, connect to server.
Type in the following.
AFP://TCname or AFP://TCIpaddress (obviously you replace with the actual name or the actual IP address).
If that fails..
try
SMB://TCname
Here is the screenshot.
tardis4 being the name of my TC.
It should then ask you for your credentials.
And it should remember them in the keychain and be able to then get TM to connect.

Can't enter time machine if switched off

I have been using TimeMachineEditor for years to get only backup a day. But, after finally moving my previous backup to my new time capsule, I find that I can't enter time machine unless it is turned on in system preferences. This never happened before and I'm wondering if anyone knows why. The editor only works (although it isn't working at all at the moment) if time machine is turned off.

Thanks for the reply and I'm thinking that you are right that Time Machine is just buggy. I do have the latest version of the editor and I don't think the editor is at fault. I just did a backup, I think, but when I enter Time Machine it goes into waiting mode which means it can't find the backup even though the Time Capsule is mounted on my desktop. When I try double clicking on the file in the finder, it tells me that Disk Image can't find the resource. Later it will likely work again.
I bought the Time Capsule because I was wary of using a third party networked drive any longer since it erased all my backups a month ago and started over. But it looks like Time Capsule is no better and may even be worse at the moment.

Can't find Time Capsule or Time Machine

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