Disadvantages of Time Capsule?

Dudes,
Am thinking about replacing my Airport Express and USB HDD with a Time Capsule (and selling the USB HDD), as I have two Macs I'd like to backup wirelessly and my current range with the AX is poor.
Before I spending any cash though are there any disadvantages to the TC I should be aware of?
My thoughts are:
Speed - I realise it will be slower than a wired USB connection, but will it be painfully slower?
Security - my network is protected by WPA2, assume this is safe for beaming my files across my network securely?
Internet - this might be a silly question, but if I'm using the network to perform a backup, will my wireless internet connection be affected?
*Combo device* - if the TC develops a fault with its Airport connection, will I be able to plug it in via USB to backup until it's fixed? (I realise that it would have to be a totally new backup as TM treats USB and wireless backups differently) Similarly, if the HDD dies, will it still function as an Airport Extreme?
Also, if TC is needing to go in for repairs, then I would be without both wireless and backup! That said, I will be keeping the AX for AirTunes, so could revert back to this for wifi in such a scenario. Not being able to backup would be a pain though.
Power - I don't mind leaving my Airport on when I'm not at home, but I only turn on the HDD when I'm using it/backup up. I keep it turn it off at all other times, as it doesn't seem like a good idea to have a HDD on all the time, especially if no-ones in, and for wear and tear on the HDD. Again, as TC's a combo device, I assume that the HDD section of it would be constantly 'on'? Is this ok?
I have a MacBook Air running Leopard and a white MacBook 1.83 Ghz running Leopard. I'm hoping to upgrade this to one of the new unibody MacBooks shortly, as I know there's a difference between the network capabilities of my current white model to the unibody ones (although not too clear on what....).
Any help and advice appreciated!
Many thanks!
Johnnycakes
Message was edited by: johnnycakes
Added the point about power

VA2020 wrote:
Lots of good questions. I'll try to answer as much as I can.
Thanks As awesome as it looked when SJ unveiled it, a number of these sprung instantly to mind.
johnnycakes wrote:
Am thinking about replacing my Airport Express and USB HDD with a Time Capsule (and selling the USB HDD), as I have two Macs I'd like to backup wirelessly and my current range with the AX is poor.
I am assuming you were not backing up wirelessly via the Express as USB HDD isn't supported on it.
No.
Before I spending any cash though are there any disadvantages to the TC I should be aware of?
Without physically removing the TC HDD, it cannot be partitioned.
Mm didn't know that, but not too relevant in my case.
My thoughts are:
Speed - I realise it will be slower than a wired USB connection, but will it be painfully slower?
Possibly, but it's all relative. If doing an initial TM backup, connect the Mac via ethernet. It'll save lots of time.
True.
Security - my network is protected by WPA2, assume this is safe for beaming my files across my network securely?
WPA/WPA2 is as safe as you can for now with the TC.
Cool. Thought so.
Internet - this might be a silly question, but if I'm using the network to perform a backup, will my wireless internet connection be affected?
Yes, as it uses the same wireless bandwidth. Hopefully the TM incremental backups will not be that large.
Increments are usually fairly minimal, although it still takes longer than I think it should to do its thing (especially in preparing the backup - although I guess this stage requires no bandwidth?)
*Combo device* - if the TC develops a fault with its Airport connection, will I be able to plug it in via USB to backup until it's fixed? (I realise that it would have to be a totally new backup as TM treats USB and wireless backups differently) Similarly, if the HDD dies, will it still function as an Airport Extreme?
The drive cannot be connect by USB, but can be connect via ethernet. The altenative is if you physically remove the HDD and place it into another HDD enclosure.
Ah, ok, I didn't realise that - haven't used ethernet to do this kind of thing before. Assume it's as straightforward as USB or FW hook ups? Also, my MBA doesn't have an ethernet port, so that might be a bit of a disadvantage to the TC. I suppose in this case, I could mount the TC on my MB via ethernet, then use filesharing to point the MBA at it, or something like that.
Power - I don't mind leaving my Airport on when I'm not at home, but I only turn on the HDD when I'm using it/backup up. I keep it turn it off at all other times, as it doesn't seem like a good idea to have a HDD on all the time, especially if no-ones in, and for wear and tear on the HDD. Again, as TC's a combo device, I assume that the HDD section of it would be constantly 'on'? Is this ok?
My TC hasn't been off for 9 months. The HDD spins down when inactive.
Ok cool - that doesn't sound too bad.
I have a MacBook Air running Leopard and a white MacBook 1.83 Ghz running Leopard. I'm hoping to upgrade this to one of the new unibody MacBooks shortly, as I know there's a difference between the network capabilities of my current white model to the unibody ones (although not too clear on what....).
Don't know the network differences, but I think the best is still the 802.11N.
Yes, I think you're right - and I don't think my white MB supports N, which is where I think the unibody would be better, as it does.
Many thanks for all your thoughts on the matter!

Similar Messages

ITunes Library on External Hard Drive via Time Capsule and plugged in directly to laptop when away from home

To save space on my macbook pro I would like to export my iTunes library onto an external usb hard drive. So that I don't have to have the hard drive plugged in to my laptop all the time when I am at home I would like to plug it into a Time Capsule and access it over my wireless network. This is the simple part that I am confident about setting up.
The tricky part is as follows. When I take my laptop out of the house when I am traveling I would like to still be able to access my iTunes library by plugging the external usb hard drive directly into my laptop as I will not be able to access my home network anymore.
I know this will potentially break all of the tracks in my iTunes library as the file paths will change as it will be plugged directly into my laptop rathern than via the Time Capsule. Does anybody know of a way to quickly fix all of the broken tracks in the library or a way I could achieve the above?
I hope someone can help me

I have nothing wireless in the house and no experience with Time Capsules. However, as long as the drive appears on the desktop in both scenarios there should be no problem. If there is, hold down the option key while starting iTunes and guide it to the library.itl file on the external drive.
Do not confuse moving your library with moving your media, as many people do. Your library is your whole iTunes folder. You move it by copying the whole folder to the other drive and starting iTunes with the option key as above. If you want to move only media you do so through preferences settings in iTunes,making sure you organize (consolidate) your media so it actually copies it to the other drive. There are advantages and disadvantages to either situation, but generally unless you are going to have media on one several drives, or you plan on sharing media but not library listings with other users, you are best off moving teh whole library. Moving the whole library also has less potential for resulting in broken links since your library is all in one package and not split across drives.

Data on time capsule seems to be erased after installing it as a server (?)

In have always used my Time Capsule as an external hard disk drive, connected via a LAN cable. I saved all my photo's and music on it and personal data. This is of course very valuable for me.
After purchasing a system to wirelessly play MP3 music, via the system setting I selected file sharing. However, the files on the Time Capsule were still not accessable. Via the airport Utility I selected file sharing.
Still the files could not be selected wireless on my music system.
After that I accessed the Time Capsule via Finder > Go > Connect to server. I filled in the IP address of the Time Capsule and I could see two partitions of the Time Capsule now. I had never intentionally installed partitions on it, but now 2 partitions are available:
1. Eteam1
2. EteamTimeCapsule
I think EteamTimeCapsule was the root directory all my files were saved in. Now it seems to be empty (except for a .sparcebundle file of the TimeMachine backup.)
I am a bit desparate, as I fear all my data is lost. Who has a solution for this? Would it be possible to recover any data?
Thank you very much for any help.
Everard.

The TC is designed to backup several laptops in a household. (yes its original intent was laptops since it is basically a wireless router with a hard disk inside) It is for incremental backups so each computer may use 2x or 3x the normal disk capacity. That means 2TB can be quickly consumed. The backup software needs a fair amount of free space on the drive to work. Let me assure you plenty of people fill up their drives. The backup is continually taking snapshots of the drive and saving all the files you are working on.. the idea is to go back historically to locate an earlier version if something goes wrong.
Now as to storing files.
Forgive me using a standard answer here.. this is being asked all the time.
Store files on the TC.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/24380694#24380694
This is asked several times a day.. obviously people are struggling with their latest SSD being too small.
The TC is not suitable for network file server.. but many people having no choice press it into service as such.
It cannot be partitioned. It was and is and ever shall be a backup device for Time Machine.
Major issues.
1. No backup.. no way Time Machine can backup a network drive. No place to backup to.. So all your files will be at risk. And you will need to buy a third party like CCC to do backup.
2. The TC cannot be partitioned and mixing TM backups and data is not great.
3. The drive is slow to spin up and quick to spin down.. there are no controls.
4. iPhoto in particular can easily corrupt its entire library with wireless networking causing a disconnection to one photo. Even if you do this;;; do not move your photo library... you have been warned!!
5. iTunes will constantly lose connection to the library. The disk is too slow to respond.. itunes on the computer will constantly spit out errors. Even in the midst of streaming the TC can spin down the disk due to caching.
6. Do not use any live files on the TC no matter what else you do.. if you edit files in whatever program the file must be on the local hard disk.
7. The only suitable location for most libraries is a computer. You can plug in an external hard disk.
Read pondini for some work arounds.
Q3 here. http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html
Would a NASS or a simple external hdd be betten then? I think it would have the same disadvantages right?
A true NAS has the following..
1. Raid for data integrity.
2. Backup for saving data in the event of total failure.
3. Disk access to replace a faulty disk.
4. Power supply access to replace a faulty power supply.
5. Controls.. disk controls, file store controls, access controls.
TC has none of those. It is a sealed unit.. designed for one simple function.. TM backup of laptops.
For Desktop computers an external drive.. even USB2 is faster, cheaper and much more reliable. With new computers and now USB3 that is far more the case.
External hard disk is always the first choice to overcome internal disks that are too small. To the point where I recommend people do not use laptops to do desktop work eg movie editing if it requires more disk space than is available.. or get the internal disk replaced for a larger one.
Or pay for thunderbolt.. but actually thunderbolt is still so expensive it is cheaper to replace the internal drive.
I do not expect everyone will agree.. But I do repair TC.. and I have seen people in your situation enough times to know.. storing files on the TC is a bad idea.

How to allocate x-GB amount of disk from Time Capsule to back up two Mac?

I have a 1TB Time Capsule, and two Mac - iMac with 320GB, and MacBook with 160GB. How can I allocate 600GB of the 1TB Time Capsule to back up my iMac, and 300GB of the 1TB Time Capsule to back up my MacBook? And leave the rest (around 100GB) just sitting around to act as a drop box.
Kenneth

Hello kennethium. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
The sure way is to temporarily remove the Time Capsule's (TC) internal drive (voiding your warranty), and then, repartition it to three separate partitions of the sizes you desire. Finally, of course, reinstall the drive.
The other way that maybe partially possible is to create a disk image on the TC, using the Disk Utility for a size your require as the "drop box." I don't believe you can use disk images in this manner for Time Machine backups. Time Machine, in turn, should leave this disk image alone. The disadvantage of disk images is they are not accessible by Windows or Linux clients.

Working position of the Time Capsule, Vertical or horizontal

Positioning of the Time Capsule. (500 GB)
I use the Time Capsule in a vertical position right from the start (green light above). Now after two weeks using, at the time of a back up the HD makes a terrible noise. When putting the Time Capsule horizontal the noise disappears. Is it not possible to use the TC in a vertical position?

Another disadvantage in the upright position is that you are going to loss one of three antennas. There are three antennas position on each side of the TC except the back. The side is facing down on the table, that antenna is pretty useless in that position.
Hard drive is designed to be used in either orientations. The hard disk's head to platter gap is maintain by the speeds the rotating platter and the air flow on the platter makes the head hover above it. And when the platter is not moving, tension of the head arm will cause the head to press against platter. And it's has nothing to do with gravity.
About the noise, are you sure it's not the fan?

Time Machine consuming all of Time Capsule

So, I use my Time Capsule for more than just Time Machine Backups, and now that TIme Machine has filled the sucker up, I can't put any other files onto it. Does anyone have any ideas on how to leave a certain percentage of the Time Capsule available for normal disk use?

You basically only have two options:
1. Temporarily remove the TC's internal hard drive; repartition it, and then, reinstall it, or
2. Create a Disk Image of a desired size for file storage on the TC's internal drive. Time Machine is supposed to "honor" this image and not try to write over it.
Both options have their respective disadvantages. Warranty & inconvenience on the first and Windows clients will not be able to use the disk image for the second.
As you can tell, the TC was primarily designed as a target for TM backups.

Keeping iTunes library on a time capsule

I want to be able to keep my music library on my time capsule instead of my iMac, both for purposes of not using up all my hard drive space and also to allow other computers to access it thru the network. However, itunes Does Not Want to do this. I've changed the location of the library thru Prefs>Advanced>itunes media folder location several times but it keeps reverting to the default of users/myname/music.
Basically it seems to hold the change as long as I keep the computer on, but once it restarts/is shut off, it reverts back.
Is there some way to make changes to the default 'stick'? There are other programs too that don't seem to want to keep my changes--for example I have safari and chrome set to reopen w/ previous tabs, but unless I close them out using the Option key they reopen w/ 1 tab at the default home page.
Thanks!

Don't do it that way.
Read these. If you're going to start doing this you need to know how iTunes works. This can get messy fast.
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
You have two options.
1) Share the whole library. Disadvantages: a) Somebody makes changes you don't like then there's no way to undo it easily. b) The library file can only be open on one computer at a time.
2) Share just media. Each user has their own library file but share media files. Multiple people can run iTunes at the same time. Gets slightly tricky making sure each computer is up to date on new media added.
To do 1) you should have:
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music [library] to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527 - a somewhat bewildering and not always easily understandable set of options.
Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the iTunes Library.itl file in the moved iTunes folder.
For the record there's this reference for iTunes 11 but it really doesn't strike me as having the specifics you need. iTunes 11 for Mac: Move your library to another computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12168
To do 2 we can provide other instructions.
Finally, don't do this with Time Capsule. When your TC drive dies you lose not only your original library but the backup at the same time. Unless you have two TCs, one for a file server and the other as backup.

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.

Airport Time Capsule - wich network

Hi,
I just installed my Airport Time Capsule, and so created a new network. So now I have two available networks (both protected): one that I had before I installed the Time Capsule and an additional one after installation of the TC. The question is what is the exact difference between the two networks?
Can I fully use the Time Capsule as I use my first network?
And there is a loss of speed or other disadvantage as I now always connect to the new network (since installation TC)?
Thanks for your reply!
Bart

You're right, the TC is in bridge mode! So if I understand you correctly, these setting provides a network that is simular to my 'basic' network? (but despite this bridge mode, it seems I can still create a secure guest network)
Seems like it can.. but it really doesn't.. that is one confusion.. whilst the setup is there for guest in bridge it doesn't actually work.. Apple is just tricking you..
I can switch the bridge mode only to 'DHCP and NAT', but i'm not that technical to understand what it means or what I've to do. When i try this setting, the Airport-configuration reports a 'double use of NAT'. What can I do to avoid this? (see printscreens)
Don't use the TC in router mode.. which is what DHCP and NAT means.. that is wrong.. you are using bridge which is right.. if you want to use the TC in router mode, then you should change the cable modem to bridge mode. You will need to contact the ISP for info about this.. some modems are locked and others are restricted .. so you might have no choice.
Double NAT causes many issues and should be avoided. It simply means you have two routers one after the other.. each router has a NAT.. this is network address translation.. one is bad but required.. two is terrible.
I've a 60 Mbps broadband internet connection.
My modem is a Wireless modem 3.0 (DOCSIS) (type: Motorola_SVG6540E).
Connect to the TC by ethernet.. are you having speed issues..
If so use a crossover cable between the modem and the TC or use 10/100 switch.. cheapest 5 port you can buy will be fine.. Apple routers are having some issues on the WAN port.
If it measures fine by ethernet and you have wireless problems.. then set the channels manually for 2.4ghz.. on AC you cannot change 5ghz..
You may not be able to get full speed via the wireless.. that is a problem that should be fixed as firmware is updated.

AirPort utility cant find Time Capsule

I have trouble connecting to my TC. I've got the newest version of airport utility. I've connected the ethernet cable to the Wan port and plugged in the TC. The strange thing is that I'm now connected to internet but the AirPort utility cant find the Time Capsule (and the light flashes amber).

Thank you, that solved this problem for me:
Problem:
I factory reset two 3T time capsules. Now airport utility can't fid them. "No configured AirPort base stations have been found." I've performed all of the following:
Power cycled the time capsules
Restarted the Mac Mini they are attached too
Reperformed the factory reset
Configured the IPv6 in the network settings to "Link-local only"
Designated a router address manually for the ethernet port these time capsules are connected to.
FYI: I have two 3T time capsules daisy chained to a mac mini server on a company LAN. Connected by a USB-ethernet connection.
Solution:
Tuned MacMini Server's WiFi "ON"
Verified network setting IPv6 was set to "Link-Local only"
Disadvantage:
I had the MacMini Server set up as a wifi hot spot so guests could use the internet through it and access our shared server to move files. We no longer have that ability since the MacMini now has to be logged into the company wireless.

Use Time Capsule with Verizon ActionTech AGT784WNV

I have recently begun using verizon DSL with an ActionTech AGT784WNV (supplied by verizon.) If I just connected the two devices I got a double NAT error. Initially I tried setting the ActionTech to bridge mode, but could never find clear instructions for that. As I began following other instructions I found a way to set the Time Capsule to bridge only. First disconnect the WAN cable, then open Airport utility and select the time capsule and choose edit. Then under the network tab there is a dropdown box that allows the time capsule to be configured in bridge only mode. Select that and after the time capsule reboots, connect the ethernet from the ActionTech modem.
So far that seems to provide the wireless network I wanted to maintain.
I am not sure there are any disadvantages.
If I discover some problems I will add to this thread, and I am interested if there are other suggestions.

That is the correct method.
If the ActionTech has wireless.. from the model number it does.. WNV .. I am guessing is voip and N wireless but I haven't looked it up.
It is wise to set the TC and Actiontech wireless to mesh correctly. Or turn off the ActionTech and only use the TC.. if you want to use both which is a good plan I would physically space them a few feet apart.. so use say a 10' ethernet patch cord. (even better would be to place the TC in another part of the house with poor wireless but connected back by ethernet).
Set roaming network.. basically the same as the Apple instructions.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4260
But in your case.. actiontech is one of the units.
Set same SSID=Wireless Name in TC.
Set same Security.. WPA2 AES = WPA2 Personal
Set same password.. 10-20 characters mix of upper and lower case alphanumerics. (unless you are paranoid)
But they should be on different wireless channels.. if both are set to auto.. it can be confusing .. set one to 11.. the TC say.. and one to 6 or 1.. these are the only non-overlapping channels for 2.4ghz.

Anyone use Time Capsule?

I was under the impression that for me to use Time Machine, I had to use it in conjunction with Time Capsule, but from reading the forums, which I should have done BEFORE I bought the Time Capsule, it looks like I only need a regular external HDD. Is this true???
My other question is, if I connect an external HDD to the Time Capsule, will Time Machine recognize the external HDD as part of Time Capsule?
Thanks

I wanted to know the answer to that very same question but unlike most Mac users, I have access to lots of equipment (and 'volunteers') to let me find out the answer. I started with the knowledge that TimeMachine would make a complete backup of the hard drive and then back up the changes that were made to the hard drive once every backup session - a backup session occurring for every one hour of use.
We have four variables: 1) how much of the space is your drive currently using? 2) how frequently do you make changes to your computer? This includes updating programs and the operating system and editing old data files. 3) how much more 'stuff' will you be adding to your computer? This includes new programs, new data files, music and other media. 4) how much time is your computer being used each day? (more use during the day means more backup sessions. A fifth variable is your use, if any, of virtual drives for Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion, or large archival or disk image files that you frequently update. The virtual drives should definitely be excluded from TM backups and if the archive or disk image files are large or frequently changed they should be as well. Also, if you frequently put new stuff on your computer and then delete it later (editing video, for example), TM will keep it in its backup even though you've deleted it from your computer. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage.
The bottom line is this: for the average user, take the total drive space in use and double it. That is the minimum size for your TM drive and I'd suggest that you consider tripling it. At double the size, depending on the 4 variables above, you should be able to have TM backups for at least a month before TM will need to erase anything.

Can I use Time Capsule only as a WiFi backup disk w/out having to configure it as my main router?

I already have an Airport Extreme that works great. Can I use Time Capsule ONLY as a WiFi backup disk w/out having to configure it as my main router with my Internet modem?

Can I use Time Capsule ONLY as a WiFi backup disk w/out having to configure it as my main router with my Internet modem?
Yes, you have two options here, each with advantages and disadvantages.
Option 1...connect the Time Capsule to your AirPort Extreme using an Ethernet cable connection. Turn off the wireless on the Time Capsule since your AirPort Extreme is already providing wireless.
Advantages...easy to configure, you can backup either over wireless or plug directly into one of the Ethernet ports to backup large files 3-5 times faster than wireless.
Disadvantages...none, except it requires a wired Ethernet connection to the AirPort Extreme.
Option 2....configure the Time Capsule as a wireless only hard drive.
Advantage.....you can locate the Time Capsule anywhere you want as long as it can receive a good wireless signal from the AirPort Extreme.
Disadvantages....harder to configure, backups will occur only over wireless.

Airport can no longer read or write the configuration of Time Capsule

I have a MacBook Pro running OSX 10.8.3 and maintained with all available patches. I have also a Time Capsule with version 7.6.3 of the firmware. I use AirPort 6.2. So everything seems to be updated with the latest versions.
This has really been a good setup for nearly a year now, but earlier this month Time Machine suddenly stopped to work and could no longer do backups to the Time Capsule. I have tried to factory reset the Time Capsule several times, but I still get problems when writing the configuration to the Time Capsule. I get an error message saying "An error occurred while updating the configuration".
Airport is furthermore not able to detect the Time Capsule correctly anymore, so I have to configure it by entering the IP address. But after setting up WLAN, disks, etc. and enhanching the security, I just receive the error message when I try to write the config. The Internet connection works perfectly anyway, both via cable and wireless.
Anyone got any tips?

Do the setup by ethernet in full isolation from the network.
Start from a full factory reset.
I would recommend you take the firmware back to 7.6.1 or even earlier if the TC is older than 12months. 7.5.2 was very reliable. All these bugs started with 7.6 and the change to Lion.
I would also recommend installing 5.6 utility.
How to load 5.6 into ML.
1. Download 5.6 for Lion.
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1482
Click to open the dmg but do not attempt to install the pkg.. it won't work anyway.
2. Download and install unpkg.
http://www.timdoug.com/unpkg/
Run unpkg on the desktop.. it is very simple.. drag the AirPortUtility56.pkg file over to unpkg.. and it will create a new directory of the same name on the desktop.. drill down.. applications utilities .. there lo and behold is Airport utility 5.6 .. drag it to your main utilities directory or just run it from current location.
You cannot uninstall 6.1 (now 6.2 if you updated) so don't try.. and you cannot or should not run them both at the same time.. so just ignore the toyland version.. the plastic hammer.. and start using 5.6.. a real tool.
For screen shots see this post.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4668746?tstart=0

In order to create space on my MBA I just bumped iTunes media to G drive linked through Time Capsule. Now pointed iTunes at new iTunes libary on G drive and, even though all music files are there, iTunes can only 'see' 10 albums. Any help appreciated.

Bit more detail...
Mac Book Air has been struggling for space for a while so I bough at time capsule a) for back up and b) to host my itunes folder remotely. This didnt' work. I took it into the Genius bar and the genius there told me that time capsule is not designed for anything other than back up. Instead I have to connect a G drive through the time capsule's wireless router to my MBA.
I followed his instructions - moved my files from the Time Capsule and MBA directly onto the G Drive - which took a heartening 2 hrs so something must have been happening - and the held down 'Alt' when starting iTunes and selected the new itunes folder as the location of my itunes libarary which I wanted iTunes to 'point at'. When I opened iTunes only 10 albums are visible now.
In ITunes advanced preferences it says it is pointing at the correct folder. The files are all cleary there when I open the G Drive folder to take a look. But I cannot get iTunes to find them.
Any suggestions?
Secondary challenge - in spite of deleting the original itunes folder on my MBA I still get messages pop up telling me my start up disk is out of space and I need to clear some - I expected to stop getting this message now I had done this exercise above. I have emptied Trash. Again - any pointers appreciated. I am new to this world of 'intuitive' macbooks.
Cheers

After admittedly only a quick read the one thing you don't say is how you are trying to make this move. Most people with moving library issues do it the wrong way. Plenty of web sites tell you how to do it the wrong way.
If the iTunes application is started before the drive with the library is fully mounted and awake iTunes will revert back to the internal drive.

Disadvantages of Time Capsule?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for