Erasing time capsule content

Hi, I have two different computers backing up to a single Time Capsule using Time Machine. I am replacing one of the two computers and would like to erase the content of just the one computer that I am replacing. I see that I can erase the time capsule from the Airport Utility. But will this erase the content of just the one or both computers? Is there anyway to erase or delete just the content of one of the computers? Thanks in advance -

Does anyone know if this is the only technique? "Erase" really formats the whole TC?
I have a problem that my .sparsebundle won't go to trash because of the BAND that is being in use. And if I erase it will wipeout the whole disk if I am right and I will lose backups of the other computers as well...
Does anyone have a solution to this?
Message was edited by: MilosM

Similar Messages

Will easing time capsule/machine drive erase time capsule/machine trash

will easing time capsule/machine drive erase time capsule/machine trash which will not delete

Not sure exactly what you are asking here.
If you erase the Time Capsule drive, all previously stored data on the drive will be wiped clean.
The Time Capsule drive will be in the same condition that it was in when it was new, and you had not yet backed up any data to the drive.
Is that what you want to accomplish?

Time Capsule Contents, Insufficient Privileges?

Longtime reader, first-time poster so forgive me if I stray from typical conventions..
I recently setup a 1TB (Dual-band) Time Capsule as both the target of my Time Machine backups and my home network's base station. Anywhere from 4-6 devices (at least two MacBooks, two iPhones) are connected wireless to the network at any given time. The laptops both run Mac OS 10.6.2, the phones are of the 3G variety, and all devices are up to date software-wise. Automatic TM backups are turned OFF.
During the configuration, the wizard asked me to name my Time Capsule disk, so I did. Then, I secured the disk using a password. I then connected my laptop via ethernet and successfully completed my first backup.
Later, I decided I'd rather secure the disk using accounts, so I created three. Then, I tried to run TM and attempt my second backup wirelessly. The disk I initially created was not an option for the target, only 'My User' on 'Time Capsule Disk'. I figured TM or TC would recognize my computer, identify a previous backup of my local HD and only backup the data that had changed since.
Instead, TM notified me that I would be executing a full backup and recommended I connect via ethernet. Again, expecting the products to recognize the situation, I went along with the prompt and performed a wired back-up via ethernet. Afterward, I realized that two full backups were residing on the TC; one under my user's disk/sharepoint folder, the other on the disk/sharepoint folder named in the initial setup.
I decided I did not want the redundancy, so I ran AP Utility > Disks > Time Capsule Disk > Erase (or Delete?) > Default Erase. Once I was notified of a successful delete and verified that the capacity space equaled available space, I decided to again perform a full, wired backup as my user via TM. The backup completed successfully. However, where I expected to see only one disk/sharepoint folder in the finder under my TC, I still see two; my user's and the one created at setup. The old disk/sharepoint folder is empty, except for the hidden files. No .sparsebundle or any other files.
I would like to delete the older, empty disk/sharepoint folder but receive a notice indicating that I do not have sufficient privileges. Anyone have a solution to permanently achieve this without performing a factory restore of my TC?
Thanks, in advance!

Thank you very much for replying! So what you are saying is, that they are actually there, I just won't see the list of pictures? Thanks again. I appreciate it!

Time capsule contents

I have an external harddrive and I'm using Time Capsule to back it up. I looked through the contents and see the applications, but how do I know if all my pictures on iphoto or videos from idvd are there? I can't see them.

Thank you very much for replying! So what you are saying is, that they are actually there, I just won't see the list of pictures? Thanks again. I appreciate it!

Browsing Time Capsule contents

I am running Yosemite 10.10.1 with a 3TB Time Capsule, running firmware 7.7.3.
Network connectivity is what it should be, and backups are happening, according to the Time Machine application.
HOWEVER, when I enter the Time Capsule icon located on my desktop or the same on in FINDER, all I see is one folder that says DATA, and when i enter that folder, I see ONE single icon that looks like a DMG icon. I cannot browse the contents of my backup like I have always been able to do on traditional USB type time machine devices.
what am I doing wrong????
thanks.

You are confusing backups on a "local" USB or Firewire drive connected directly to a Mac, with backups on a shared "network" drive like the Time Capsule.
Time Machine backs up files differently on a network drive than it does on a local drive.
You can still get into your files on the Time Capsule, but it will take a few extra steps. I'm not recommending that you do this, but it would probably not do any harm if you do nothing but look at the files and make no changes at all.
Double click on Data to mount it on the desktop
Double click on the Data drive icon to open it up
Now you will see a special sparsebundle file with the name of the Mac that has been backed up. If you are backing up more than one Mac, there will be a sparsebundle file for each Mac
Double click again on the sparesbundle file
Another icon.....probably named Time Machine Backups....will appear on the desktop
Open that up to reveal a folder named Backups.backupdp
This is the same folder that you see when you backup to the local drive. You can browse the contents from here.

Erase Time Capsule Hard Drive

I want to restore my time capsule hard drive to factory defaults and erase all of the information. I know how to reset the settings but the hard drive itself is different. What steps do I need to take? Simply delete it all through finder or is there another, better, way?

Hard Drive > Applications > Utilities > Airport Utility
Select "Manual Setup", then click the "Disks" icon at the top of Airport Utility window.
In the next window, make sure that "Disks" is highlighted in the "Disks - File Sharing" box
click "Erase".

Use time capsule content on Apple TV

I have a 3rd generation Apple TV and I am looking at purchasing a Time Capsule to store all my movies, music and photo's on
Would I be able to watch my movies and listen to my music that would be saved to the Time Capsule? Or would I need to leave a computer turned on with iTunes running?
I think this would be a great feature but if iTunes has to be running on a computer this will be a great downfall unless it is something Apple plan to add to an update on the Apple TV, Same goes for my iPad too... I think it would be great if I could access content from the Time Capsule without having to use a computer to go through
If anyone has any thoughts or ideas please get back to me

Can't tell you about Time Capsule but it works with my Airport Extreme so my guess is that it will work with your Time Capsule too. The Apple TV can not access the files directy so you will have to access them with an iPhone or iPad and airplay them to your Apple TV.
The Airport Extreme I use does not support the DLNA standards which most external drives like LaCie Fule or DW My Cloud use. I found out it supports the SMB standard though. So a quick search on the App Store with SMB as the keyword showed up a few file managment apps and the first I tried worked!
It's called FileExplorer Free and can access files on your external drive attached to your Airport Extreme. There were more hits but since the first app I found worked I didn't bother to check out the other apps.
I tried FileExplorer with songs first and it worked. You can listen to your songs with your iPhone or iPad or Airplay them to your Airport Express and listen to them at your home audio system. I couldn't hear any loss of quality.
It also works with yorur movies. Just select the movie and watch it on your iDevice or Airplay it to your Apple TV. Works with HD movies as well with no problems. Only downside was that the Apple TV can only display .mp4 files. Even the movies bought on iTunes won't work with the app and the Apple TV. So I had to convert a few movies using the free converter HandBrake.
FileExplorer works with other types of files like photos or documenst too. Oh and as a bonus: The FileExplorer app can also access your library from the DropBox or Google Drive. Works with NAS drives as well. Looks like you need the paid version though for those extras.
In case your router supports DLNA search for a DLNA app like 8player.
So finally I can move my big movie collection to my external drive and still watch it without the need for the Mac or iTunes to run. Hope this helps you too.

Delete old time capsule content?

I've replaced my old time capsule with a new 802-11AC model and would like to scrub the drive on the old TC.
It is no longer in use or connected to the wireless network.
Thanks for your help

You will have to get the old Time Capsule connected to your Mac.
The easiest way to do this would be to temporarily connect an Ethernet cable from the Mac to one of the LAN <-> ports on the old TC.
Open AirPort Utility, click on the old TC and click Edit
Click the Disks tab at the top of the next window
Click Erase Disk
If you plan to keep the TC, then use the Quick Erase option, which will only take a minute.
If you plan to move the TC to another person, select the Zero Out option, which will likely take 4-5 hours or more.
If you want to erase the old network settings on the old TC, click the Base Station menu at the very top of the screen up near File, Help, etc
Click Restore Default Settings
Now the old TC has factory default settings and the hard drive is blank. Disconnect the Ethernet cable that you used for the operations.

How can I back up my time capsule contents to a different hard drive?

I want to back up my time capsule to a different hard drive so I have that extra layer of safety

There are a few ways to do this but none good.
Airport utility will do an archive of the disk.. just open to the disk tab and click archive. The target is USB drive connected to the machine. But it can only do full backup.. no incremental.
You can backup over network but not using Time Machine.. Carbon Copy Cloner is a $40 software that is well worth it. Super slow though doing this.
I recommend you backup using CCC direct from the computer to the target.. otherwise you can be backing up the same problem.

Time Capsule/Time Machine

For something supposedly so simple to set up, I am having all sorts of problems with Time Capsule meshing with Time Machine.
First though, I need an explanation as to why Time Capsule is showing (in Airport Utility/Disk) that I have 465.8 GB available but Time Machine says I have 498 GB available (I purchased a 500 GB Airport Extreme).
I have Secured Erased (7 passes) Time Capsule, and it is still showing the discrepancy.
Also, Time Machine is quickly running out of Space, even though I have a total of only 70 GB in use on a 160 GB MacBook Aluminum hard drive. Because it was filling up so quickly I decided to Erase Time Capsule in an attempt to resolve the issue. I would have thought that after doing that erasure that Time Capsule would show the exact same amount of space available as Time Machine shows. Very unnerving. I am quickly losing confidence in the Time Machine back up procedure, and am wondering what is causing these problems.
I realize these may be extremely naive questions, or suggest evidence of someone who has not studied the Support documents. I have. But I am getting nowhere.....
Any advise/links would be greatly appreciated.

SunFish wrote:
The thing that puzzles me about Time Machine is that it seems designed to fill up the hard drive on Time Capsule regardless of the size of the hard drive,
So my 500 GB fills up quickly with these hourly backups, and yet the hard drive on my MacBook retains its free space, only sacrificing free space for additions to files, downloads, etc. Why can't TM be as equally selective?
Yes, exactly. Time Machine manages it's space and backups for you, automatically, so it can keep copies of things you've changed or deleted for as long as possible. If that's not what you want, then Time Machine is not the app for you.
As I understand Time Machine, it serves to restore a system.
That is one if it's major functions; and if you let it do it's hourly backups, you'll never lose more than an hour's work. Here are two more:
If you change or delete something in error, or it gets corrupted, there's an excellent chance you can recover a previous version (or versions) quickly and easily.
You can restore your entire system to the exact state it was in at the time of any remaining backup, in one step, even if that's a different version of OSX.
You might want to review this: Time Machine Tutorial
and perhaps browse the Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
And perhaps these:
http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Clones.html
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/10/12/roadto_mac_os_x_leopard_timemachine.html
http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2007/10/mac-os-x-10-5.ars/14

Clone a Time Capsule

Hey guys.
I recently bought an iMac to go along with my old Macmini. I decided to put my extensive iTunes library on the capsule and have the two Macs sharing the media (essentially used as a media drive).
Because of this I've found myself with an external disk to spare which I have plugged into the Time Capsule as a network drive.
From what research I've done, if I now back up my two Macs using Time machine, my media on the Time Capsule won't be backed up. Since this is really what I want to be backed up, is there a way I can routinely clone the Time Capsule content onto the plugged in network drive?

Owenvii wrote:
Since this is really what I want to be backed up?
best way would be to move your iTunes library to the external, plug that into your computer, and have TM include the drive for backups.
however, maybe ChronoSync can do what you want.
good luck !
JGG

Accessing my time capsule using mobile me.... can I access from my iphone?

I just bought a new 1TB time capsule and I followed the instructions to setup my mobile me account.... but how does it work? If I am on my MAC away from home how do i access my time capsule?
Also, is it possible to access my time capsule contents from my iphone?

I just bought a new 1TB time capsule and I followed the instructions to setup my mobile me account.... but how does it work? If I am on my MAC away from home how do i access my time capsule?
Also, is it possible to access my time capsule contents from my iphone?

Setting up Time Capsule as an archive for a time capsule?

Hello,
I have a Time Capsule that I use as an external drive where I save and share photos/videos files across multiple Macs. It's great for moving files off of the Macs since we have thousands of photos/files and they are not small files. I'm on MacBook Pro with Mountain Lion OS X 10.8.5.
Since the primary Time Capsule (1.9 TB) has data I don't want to lose, I want to archive the Time Capsule content to another Time Capsule (2TB).
I have AirPort Utility Version 6.3.1. I've connected the archive Time Capsule to the primary Time Capsule via a USB connector, which is per the AirPort instructions.
In AirPort Utility, I go into the primary Time Capsule and select Edit. I select Disks within the Editor. I then click on the Archive Disks… button. "Destination", however, says "No AirPort disks available." So, I'm not able to select the secondary Time Capsule as the archive drive. I've read some pages about disk formatting and the disk needing to be unencrypted, but I connected the secondary Time Capsule to my Mac and did not find a way to identify or change the disk format or encryption option.
What do I need to do to get the second Time Capsule set up to be the archive drive for the primary Time Capsule that has the photos and other files?
Thanks for your assistance.

I have AirPort Utility Version 6.3.1. I've connected the archive Time Capsule to the primary Time Capsule via a USB connector, which is per the AirPort instructions.
Sorry but no.. the airport instructions are for a USB drive.. the TC is not now or ever accessible over USB.. it is a network drive.. you can plug a plain USB drive into it.. nothing more.
What do I need to do to get the second Time Capsule set up to be the archive drive for the primary Time Capsule that has the photos and other files?
You cannot change anything in the drive of a TC.. it is a network drive.. it is fully controlled by the firmware of the TC.
The only way you backup the TC is to use a software on the computer.. eg Carbon Copy Cloner will do it..
Have everything plugged in by ethernet.. mount both TC and you can make a backup from one TC to the other.
Archive will not work. that is only for a USB directly plugged into the TC.

I have a new time capsule (replace my old time capsule). I want to erase my old one. My computer does not see the old one anymore, how do I connect it (the old TC is not connected to modem)

I have a new time capsule (replace my old time capsule). I want to erase my old one. My computer does not see the old one anymore, how do I connect it (the old TC is not connected to modem). I want to erase it and then use it as either a second hard drive (sired/sirelesly?) or as a hard drive/bridge. So,
1. why doesn't my cmputer see the old TC
2 once i have solved that, how do I erase the old one
3. Can I use the old one as a supplemental hard drive
     a. wired?
     b. wirelessly?
4. Can I use the old one as a range extender?
I know .. a lot of questions but I would appreciate any help.
Thanks

sgetraer wrote:
I have a new time capsule (replace my old time capsule). I want to erase my old one. My computer does not see the old one anymore, how do I connect it (the old TC is not connected to modem). I want to erase it and then use it as either a second hard drive (sired/sirelesly?) or as a hard drive/bridge. So,
1. why doesn't my cmputer see the old TC
2 once i have solved that, how do I erase the old one
3. Can I use the old one as a supplemental hard drive
     a. wired?
     b. wirelessly?
4. Can I use the old one as a range extender?
I know .. a lot of questions but I would appreciate any help.
Thanks
1. Because it is either the same IP as the new one or hidden by being plugged in as a second router.
To access it, isolate one computer from the existing network and plug it directly by ethernet to a lan port of the TC. Use the erase function in the TC to remove all the content of the hard disk.
Then go to the internet tab, connection sharing and select off bridged. You can then reconnect the TC to the network.. and the computer as well. The TC will act as bridged device.. getting IP from the main router and should then appear correctly in Airport utility.
2. I covered in 1. But you just go in airport utility manual setup. disk, and you will see the erase function. You can also set it to bridge and leave the erase until you put it back in the network.. but be careful you erase the right one.
3. You can use the old TC via wired or wireless.. although I would always stick to wired connection if possible. Speed on wireless is 10x worse than wired.
Also note the reliability goes down dramatically after 2 years.. a series 1 3 years old or more is ebay fodder unless you want to repair it. Do not trust vital data to it.. when it dies you will have issues recovering it.
4. Yes, all apple routers will function as wireless extenders. when you do that the ethernet ports turn off so it becomes a purely wireless device.. strange apple decision on what you want to use your TC for.

Erasing a dead Time Capsule

My Time Capsule died last week due to a power outage or surge at my home. Fortunately I was covered under warranty, and got a replacement sent very quickly. I now need to return the old one.
Does anyone know how to erase any contents of the old one for security/identity/privacy's sake before I send it back? It is totally dead, no lights, nada.
Thanks!

Your only option would be to physically remove the drive, place it in an enclosure, and erase it that way (assuming the drive works well enough). Removing the drive voids the warranty; whether Apple will accept it as a returned item in that condition, you'd have to ask them.
I don't think I'd be particularly worried, though, about just returning it "as is". Apple certainly has a reputation to maintain, and allowing their techs to copy sensitive data off returned TC's is something they're surely pretty careful to avoid.
Give them a call, express your concerns, and see what they have to say.

Erasing time capsule content

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