Cannot select Time Capsule as my backup drive

I just purchased Time Capsule 802.11N Wi-Fi Hard Drive 1TB, and I want to use it exclusively as a wireless backup drive and not as a Router. I connected the time capsule power cord and have a yellow light on the time capsule. I then went to system preferences and selected Time machine. Once in time machine I slid the button from off to on and the only option that I have is Bootcamp and underneat it says "reformat required(incompatible filesystem). Can someone tell me why time capsule is not indicated as a possible selection?

rider93 wrote:
I just purchased Time Capsule 802.11N Wi-Fi Hard Drive 1TB, and I want to use it exclusively as a wireless backup drive and not as a Router. I connected the time capsule power cord and have a yellow light on the time capsule. I then went to system preferences and selected Time machine.
You can't use the Time Capsule for wireless backups unless you can integrate it into your LAN, which will require configuring it. Depending on what brand/model of router you're using, that may or may not be easy. Start by setting "Wireless Mode" (in AirPort Utility's AirPort panel, Wireless tab) to "Join a wireless network". If you can't get AIrPort Utility to see the Time Capsule, try connecting to it with an Ethernet cable.

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Can I use my time capsule as a backup drive and a network share drive?

I just got my wife a Macbook Air and I got a Time Capsule 1tb to back it up. Since the Air has limited storage I thought I could store her media files on there. I can see the Time Capsule in Finder and I can browse to it but I cannot drag and drop anything to it. It says the disk cannot be modified.
I understand that the media would not be backed up but that's OK because I actually have it on another computer also. So basically how can I modify the TC disk so I can use it as a share and a TM disk?
In my Macbook Pro 15inch I have a drive I use for both (USB) and it works great.
Thanks in advance,
S

Mixing Time Machine backups and other data on a Time Capsule's internal HD usually leads to trouble. See #Q3 in [Using Time Machine with a Time Capsule|http://web.me.com/pondini/TimeMachine/TimeCapsule.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum) for an explanation and some workarounds.

Using two Time Capsules - 2nd as backup drive without internet

Let me explain the setup first:
I have Motorola SurfBoard SBG6580 <-> to this is connected my NEW Time Capsule 3TB via Ethernet
This new 3TB TC provides internet and Time Machine back ups to my iMac and Macbook.
So far everything is good!
Now, I have my older 500GB TC.
I want to use this TC merely as a wireless harddrive for secondary backup (maybe using Time Machine or maybe just as wireless drive where I can manually move files to and from whenever needed).
What I want to do is quite simple. I want to be able to plug this TC into a power source and connect wirelessly to my iMac and Macbook.
Since It was previously being used on the SB6580, I had though that that I would be able to do this painlessly! Simply remove the ethernet cable from the SB6580 and I would have the new TC 3TB provide internet and TM backups and the older 500GB TC as secondary backup device. But once disconnected from SB6580, I can't "see" this old 500GB TC. What am not doing right?
Help is much appreciated.
Thanks

Temporarily, move the old TC to the same room or close proximity to the new TC
Power up the old TC for a few minutes, then hold in the reset button on the back of the device for 8-10 seconds and release. Allow a full minute for the TC to restart to a slow, blinking amber light
Open up AirPort Utility on the Mac
Click on Other WiFi Devices
Click on Time Capsule
The utility will open up and take a minute to analyze things, then announce that the old TC will be configured to extend the new TC network
Enter a name that you want to use for the old TC.....you can use the same device name that you used before if you wish.....and click Next
The utility will set up everything for you. When you see the message of Setup Complete, click Done
Move the old TC to a location where it can pick up a good quality wireless signal from the new TC.

Can i use time capsule as a backup drive?

i know that sounded stupid...
right now i have external hard drive where i back up my files like my music, jobs, music...because i don't have enough space on my internal drive
is it possible for me to "backup" by dragging them onto TC?
i don't even know if TC has an icon on the desktop...sorry
thanks

ironknee wrote:
i know that sounded stupid...
right now i have external hard drive where i back up my files like my music, jobs, music...because i don't have enough space on my internal drive
That's not a backup. That's extra storage. They are very different things.
A backup is a copy of something important, preferably on different hardware, so if one piece of hardware fails, you don't lose your only copy.
Depending on the sizes, your best bet is probably to put the original copies of things that won't fit on your MacBook on the external HD, and use Apple's +Time Machine+ to back both drives up to a Time Capsule.
Even better would be to get a larger internal HD for your MacBook, so you'd have room for all the originals there, and back it up either to an external HD or a Time Capsule.
The advantage of the Time Capsule is, of course, that you can back up wirelessly and also have a good WIFI router; the disadvantage is, it costs more than just an external HD.
You might want to review these:
What is Time Machine?
Time Machine Tutorial
and perhaps browse the Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum.

Can I use the Time Capsule as a backup drive and wired network switch? I do not want to use the wireless part as I already have an ADSL 2 Wireless Router for that. Thanks.

Hi
I just went from PC to MAC. Have a MAC Mini and wanted to get a time capsule for backups. I would like to use it as a wired device instead of wireless. Would me connecting it to my router do the trick? Can I then use the LAN ports in the back of the capsule like I would a network switch? Can I just disable the wireless router part of the capsule as I already have an ADSL2+ Wireless Router.
Thanks

I wanted to run a cable upstairs from the switch downstairs so the Time capsule becomes my upstairs switch (as I only have Wireless upstairs at the moment. That will work right?
Cheers.
Yes, that is also fine.. ethernet being the cable you run.. !!
You still don't have to use a TC.. which is still a rather expensive box for the job.. an Airport Extreme would offer the same exactly minus hard disk for cheaper price and more than likely better lifespan.. TC with internal power supply run too hot.

Can I use Time Capsule as a backup drive on an existing network?

Sorry of this is an obvious question - but I have a WiFi network here (based on a Netgear Router) and want to be able to back up to a hard drive that's kept in another room.
(That way - if burglars steal my computer - they won't also steal all my backed-up files sitting on a hard drive next to my computer!)
1: Can I put a Time Capsule in the next room - get it to show up on my netwlrk - and back up to it?
2: Or is there a better / cheaper way to do this? Are there other hard drives you can hook up to a network? (I tried this a few years ago and the options weren't good...0
Thanks a lot,
- Greg

Just tried turning on the wireless in my TC - couldn't get it to connect to my router's wireless network. Status stays amber.
There have been several posts recently about people trying to get Airports/TCs to talk wirelessly to non-apple base stations and having problems.
You could always try turning off the wireless on your router and creating a new wireless network using the TC as the wireless base station. You'd have to connect the router to the TC with ethernet. Maybe you could move the router to the bedroom (or anywhere else that has a phone line, assuming that you've got an ADSL modem/router.
router > (ethernet) > TC > (wireless) > computers

HT201250 How to backup the Time Capsule to an external drive using Time Machine?

Most of my data is on my Time Capsule since the hard drive on my iMac is too small for my music/movies/pictures and also so multiple devices can wirelessly access the data. I want to back up the files from my iMac and the Time Capsule on an external hard drive using the Time Machine. However, it seems that the Time Machine ignores the Time Capsule as a data source. How can I get this to work?

No, I don't believe this solves your problem.
TIme Machine can be used with a Time Capsule as a backup solution from connected macs and their drives but not from network drives, NAS or Time Capsules.
Thus, if you store files for LAN access on a TC internal drive, and want to back them to the USB/external drive attached to that TC, you cannot use Time Machine to do so.
Time Machine has not way of backing up ANY Time Capsule or NAS or WInPC or other networked drive, as far as I can tell. You will have to use some other backup software.
This is exactly what I bought the TC for myself (tried to use the internal drive on the TC as a NAS for my LAN, storing my music and photos and documents and bought a LaCie 2TB USB3 extneral drive to connect to the TC and hoped to be able to use Time Machine to backup the internal drive to the LaCie drive....but this does not work, as TM cannot backup from a network drive or TC 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.

Cannot see Time Capsule for backup but internet perfect A

I've seen other posts about time capsule problems and most talk about wireless dropout and loss of internet connectivity. My situation is almost the reverse:
Full airport strength in menu bar. Full access to internet sites on at least one computer. Cannot see Time Capsule via Airport Utility or in Finder on any computer. Time Machine backups fail (marked as Delayed in menu bar item).
If I reboot (via unplugging) the Time Capsule, it shows up again in Airport Utility and backups are successful. This has happened three times now. I think the first time was prior to upgrading the firmware. The second two times were after the Time Capsule firmware upgrade. In the second two instances, it looks like the backups run for about 12-13 hours, every hour. No problems. Then, they drop out. Yesterday, it ran from 8:30 AM until 9 PM.
I've got two Macs (a Powerbook G4 and a MacBook Pro), each running latest software updates (security, 10.5.2, etc.).
Unplugging (rebooting) my Time Capsule each day is not an option. That's partly why I moved from an ancient LinkSys router that always needed to be rebooted since we lost local and internet access. Any help is much appreciated!
Cheers,
Drew

Have you set up the TC with user accounts??
Most people just use the TC password..
I have done very little with user accounts on the TC.. it seems fundamentally wrong headed to me.. If you have a domain controller with everyone using accounts to login that is fine.. and the TC would then exist in connection to the domain controller.. but it is a home device and there is no function to all that.
What will happen if you change over to standard security or even turn on the guest account I am too scared to suggest as you may not easily get connection back again.. The TC certainly displays a warning going to accounts.. I am not sure of warnings going away from accounts.
If you didn't setup the TC, do you have admin access to it??
Perhaps I am assuming too much before you tell me everything. But I may suggest things you don't want to try.. unfortunately I cannot say this will work.. the issue is widespread across the Mountain Lion TC combo and I have yet to see Apple suggest a solution or even fess up there is a problem. Daily reboots are just simply now a part of the scene for all windows and Mac users.
Is the TC the main router for the network.. 1 hour is not default lease in the TC and very few people even know how to change it.. standard is 1day. I would consider 1hr adequately short for all arp tables to be kept up to date.. the computer should be seeking new lease at 30min.. ie half lease time.
If the TC is bridged an not controlling the network.. that can contribute to the issue.
Setting a static IP on the TC if it is bridged my help.

Is there way to store my movies on my Time Capsule instead of laptop drive? I will then run an external drive to backup Time Capsule.

Is there way to store and run my iMovies on my Time Capsule instead of laptop drive? I will then run an external drive to backup Time Capsule as my backup. I want to dothis because my hard drive is full and I still have many movies to import form camcorder.

I do not know about iMovie, but the experts in the iPhoto and Aperture support areas strongly advise against trying to install your "working" image library on the Time Capsule.
You might want to ask about this in the iMovie support area.
iMovie for Mac
It would be much easier and much better if you use the external drive to connect to your Mac via USB or FireWire and then store the movies there.
Then, Time Machine will back up both your Mac and the external hard drive automatically once you tell it to do so.

HT3728 My Time Machine tells me it cannot complete the backup to my Time Capsule because the backup disk image sparsebundle is already in use.

The 2GB hard drive on my iMac failed and has just been replaced under warranty.
When I got it back I restored my Time Capsule and started back ups of the iMac and the MacBook Pro.
Now 2 days later it is telling me that Time Machine couldnt complete the back up to my Time Capsule as the backup disc image sparsebundle is already in use. It is saying this for both machines which presumably means a problem within the Time Capsule.
What does this mean and what should I do about it?

See # C12 in Time Machine --- Troubleshooting
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

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.

Using AirPort Time Capsule as an external drive with access to files by guest account

Is it possible to use my AirPort Time Capsule as an external drive with access to files by a guest account?
I would like to store a large number of folders containg photographs on my AirPort Time Capsule and allow anyone with a password to access the photographs - at the time of viewing the Time Capsule would be connected to the internet but I wouldn't want users to actually access anything other than the files on the Time Capsule - is this possible? if so any help in configuring it would be really helpful.

No it is not possible.. Guest is just that.. a guest that is allowed permission to access the internet but none of the local files.
To give a person access to the TC they must have password to access your normal network..
From there it is up to you how you do this.. people cannot actually access files on your computers unless you give them share and password permissions for that.. you can even setup accounts on the TC although I recommend against it.. if you want shared photos anyway. All security on a TC is illusion.. merely pressing the reset and it is all blown away.. so if you are concerned about security don't put stuff on the TC people should not access.. or like your TM backups ensure they are encrypted.
A person can then access you TC and the photos.. but what else on the network??

How do i use a time capsule as a shared drive and back it up to another time capsule using time machine ??

how do i use a time capsule as a shared drive and back it up to another time capsule using time machine ??

You cannot backup network drives with Time Machine.
You can simply setup the TC in the network.. it is a shared drive.

I have a MacBook Pro and it cannot locate my Western Digital External Backup Drive.

I have a MacBook Pro and it cannot locate my Western Digital External Backup Drive. It used to work prior to Maverick but now it doesnt. Do I need a different cord or what can I do so I can use Time Machine with this drive?

Your problem is really with "Time Machine", backup software included with OS X since version 10.5, not with your Time Capsule router. For more information on Time Machine, check these Web pages:
Time Machine FAQs
Time Machine Troubleshooting

Cannot select Time Capsule as my backup drive

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