How do I move time machine backup on filled time capsule to external disk

TIme machine backups from imac and mbp are currently on 1TB time capsule running out of space.
I want to split the time capsule and move just the imac backups to a new external drive which I want to share with a new macbook air.
The new external drive has been set up with mac OS extended with a GUID partition.
THe instructions on MAC 101: time machine Mac OS X v10.6: How to transfer your backups from your current hard drive to a new hard drive tell me to drag "backups.backupdb" to a new drive but I can't find it. I have just upgraded to Lion thinking I would find it now but it is still not there. Is this becaue I have both imac and mbp backups on the TIme capsule? Here is a screen image of my DATA folder. Desktop seems to be empty. A search for "backups" finds nothing.
EVen if I found backups.backupdb I am not sure whether I should have the external drive connected to the time capsule or the imac to move this file. It will be kept as an external drive connected to the time capsule so I can use it for both the imac and the macbook air.
And I am not sure whether I first need to set up the new drive as the time machine backup drive on the new macbook air or do it after I move the file.
Thanks for any help you can give me.

oops, I just found how to find backups.backupdb by myself, or at least with help from:
Pondini's excellent resource.....Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions
http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html
See #18.
I will come back to this forum and update after I try what I have learned from the fantastic Pondini.

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How to use old Time Capsule als external disk

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Factory reset the old TC.. plug it by ethernet into the network.. straight into the new TC is the obvious place.
The Mac should then be able to find it.. if not I can suggest how to do it manually in full isolation from the network.
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Hey Guys,
I just have query about time capsual , How can i use time capsule as my external drive as i have 2TB with me i can take the Backup as well i can put all my pic and music in time Machine if i can use as External HD ! Can some one Please help me in this will be highly appreceate.
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You need to get an external HD for the "overflow" of stuff that won't fit on your Mac.
Format it for a Mac (see #1 in Using Disk Utility), even if it says it's compatible.
Then copy what you want to the external HD. Most things you can just drag and drop; but for iTunes and iPhotos see: Moving your iTunes Music folder and Moving your iPhoto '11 Library.
Then let your Time Capsule back up both your Mac and the external HD. See Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #32 for info and details.

Transfer from Time Capsule to External Disk

I want to start using an external drive (Lacie) for Time Machine, but need to transfer my Time Capsule backups to this external drive. I have archived the TC backups but that does not seem to be useful for this purpose. The instructions about restoring don't seem relevant either. I simply want to be able to access the older TC backups along with the newer backups on the external drive. In effect: to merge the old TM (made on the TC) with the new TM (made on the external drive).
If this is possible, how can I do it?
Thanks.

thomps2xxx wrote:
This works. I can now use TM to access the sparsebundle version of the backups on the new external drive.
But the new backups to this drive start a new file in a different format.
TM treats backups to locally attached drives differently over networked drives. here is an interesting read.
Is there any way to merge the sparsebundle files into the standard TM backup file?
unfortunately, the answer is no

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You don't need to do anything.. both computers can use the TC and will create separate backups. It is simply designed to work with Time Machine.

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TM does not work like that.
If you want files to use later.. do not use TM.
Or do not use TM to the same location. Plug a USB drive into the computer and use that as the target for the permanent backup.
Read some details of how TM works so you understand what it will do.
http://pondini.org/TM/Works.html
Use a clone or different software for a permanent backup.
http://pondini.org/TM/Clones.html
How to use TC
http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html
This is helpful.. particularly Q3.
Why you don't want to use TM.
Q20 here. http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html

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I keep files like photos on TimeCapsule to be available by WiFi and I want to set up my Time Machine to backup picture folder from TimeCapsule to MyPassport HD.

Time Machine can't back up a network volume. You'll have to use third-party software. I don't have a specific recommendation. There is no efficient way at all to back up a Time Capsule, which is why it should only be used as a backup destination, not as a general-purpose file server.

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This is crude but if you need a work around, just plug the USB drive directly into the iMac.. copy the files to it.. then plug it into the TC.
You also do not need to use the TC as an intermediary between your iMac and MBP.. just turn on sharing in the computer.. so you can directly copy files from one to the other.. Macs have public access directory preconfigured for each user account.
As far as mounting the TC..
In finder use Go, Connect to server.. and type.
AFP://TCname or TCipaddress
Where TCname is the actual name of the TC.. I strongly recommend you follow SMB network rules.. ie if your TC has a name like
Fred Blog's Time Capsule 2445566.
It is too long.. it has spaces and it has non-alphanumeric characters.
Shorten it to FredTC
No spaces no characters that are NOT alphanumeric.
TCIPaddress is simply the standard IP.
You can also use CIFS://TCname which according to the article forces the connection back to SMB1 rather than SMB2 which as usual is broken.
But I would definitely use AFP if possible. I cannot understand the decision to move to SMB as standard.

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Time machine backup fails in my seagate 3tb external drive

Without any specifics it's impossible to assist you, however the best tool for debugging TM failures is using Pondini's Time Machine Troubleshooting guide.
Good luck.

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See the info here about sharing or using the TC for data.
Q3 http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html
It is extremely important you realise.. the Time Capsule was never designed for this.
It is a backup target for Time Machine.. that is the software on the computer that does backups.. it has no direct connection to the Time Capsule.
It has no ability to back itself up.. unlike all other NAS in the market. It is therefore likely one day you will lose all your files unless you seriously work out how to backup.
The TC is slow to spin up the hard disk and fast to spin down. iTunes and iPhoto will continually lose connection to their respective libraries.
iPhoto in particular is easy to corrupt when you move photos over wireless into the library.. once corrupted all is corrupt. A single photo will ruin it all.. so backup is utterly essential.
Time Machine cannot do backups of network drives. ie the TC. You will need a different backup software like CCC. You will then need another target to backup to..

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See the info here about sharing or using the TC for data.
Q3 http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html
It is extremely important you realise.. the Time Capsule was never designed for this.
It is a backup target for Time Machine.. that is the software on the computer that does backups.. it has no direct connection to the Time Capsule.
It has no ability to back itself up.. unlike all other NAS in the market. It is therefore likely one day you will lose all your files unless you seriously work out how to backup.
The TC is slow to spin up the hard disk and fast to spin down. iTunes and iPhoto will continually lose connection to their respective libraries.
iPhoto in particular is easy to corrupt when you move photos over wireless into the library.. once corrupted all is corrupt. A single photo will ruin it all.. so backup is utterly essential.
Time Machine cannot do backups of network drives. ie the TC. You will need a different backup software like CCC. You will then need another target to backup to..

Time Capsule as external hard-drive, as back-up drive with Time Machine

Two questions today:
I understand that I can use the Time Capsule as an external hard-drive while using it as my back-up location, using Time Machine. It has been suggested that to do this, it is best to partition the Time Capsule to prevent the TM program from confusing the files it manages, the data files from the backed-up files. (I hope I got that right.) I believe I read in this forum that one can partition the TC after the fact, and not destroy any data on it. Is this possible? A clerk at the Apple Store in San Francisco told me that I would want to partition, but that it would require that I erase the TC. Which to believe?
Secondly, how does TM create the back-ups? I have used SuperDuper and appreciated the difference in how (and what) it backs up. My example: my first back-up involved having an 80gb external drive attached to my computer and TM backed up both my HD and the External Drive. I then turned off the TM. Today I turned it on and allowed it to back-up every hour as it is designed to do, but without the 80gb External drive attached. When I checked the newer back-ups, they all showed the original configuration of HD and 80gb external drive.
So for it's incremental back-ups, does TM back up new files and updated files without deleting missing files? Is it an additive process? Or does it at some point delete missing files from it's most recent back-up? Or since it recognized that it was backing-up two different drives, it will always keep them separate, maintaining one (80gb External drive), even as it backs-up and changes the other (the HD)?
O.K. a third request. Has anyone published a manual on TM and/or TC with this level of understanding so we can make the most of it's 1 TB storage capacity?
Thanks in advance, LeRoy

LeroyHoward wrote: So, does this mean that TM never deletes a file?
It will when it starts to run out of space and it should likely be the oldest deleted files first.
As I understand it, as long as I have a multi-linked file icon on the TM, I have the original data. And everytime the TM backs-up, it recreates every multi-linked file icon on the previous back-up. Right? So, if you delete a file by mistake, you can go back and find it. But I see a contradiction here. If you delete it on your desktop, shouldn't it be deleted from the back-up of that desktop? We expect it to be on earlier back-ups, but not the most recent one right? So, eventually as the TM fills up and begins deleting earlier back-ups, that data will be lost.
The newest timeline will not point/display the deleted file(s), but it still exists on the backup until the backup drive fills up and needs to erase deleted data.
I'm trying to understand this aspect of the TC and TM, because we want to use it as both an external HD and as one of our back-ups. Any light you can shed on this will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, LeRoy
Read Glenn's response to dedicating TC to TM backup and the difficulty in partitioning the TC HDD.
Glenn Carter wrote:
However, this is not an option for Time Capsule users as there is not an easy way of partitioning the Time Capsules’ internal had disk without elaborate effort. In this case, use the Time Capsule hard disk solely for Time Machine backups. Then attach an additional hard disk to the Time Capsules USB port and store additional files there. This added disk will still be available to all Macs that can access the Time Capsule.
This works to share the files on the USB HDD attached to TC, but if you want this drive backed up by TM (and this drive is formatted HFS+), then it needs to remain plugged into the Mac directly for TM to back it up.

How do I use Time Capsule as an external hard drive?

How do I use Time Capsule as an external hard drive? I want to remove photos & music from my laptop and store them in Time Capsule only.

lyperez wrote:
How do I use Time Capsule as an external hard drive? I want to remove photos & music from my laptop and store them in Time Capsule only.
Apple has specific instructions on moving libraries.
eg itunes.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
You simply follow those instructions..
TC is a network drive.. nothing more.
To move individual files, just copy and paste to a new directory.. not inside a TM sparsebundle please.
BUT.. TC only worries me.. deeply.
It is relatively easy to corrupt a library when you copy to it.. library as a whole is then corrupted and will need to be restored from backup.. wops.. no backup. You are putting at risk all your files.. don't do it.. make sure you backup..
And here is the rub.. TC cannot back itself up.. TM cannot backup network drives.
And where are you going to backup.. to... an external drive on the computer.. in that case, that is where the library should be and the TC used as normal.. ie backup target for TM.
Please read Pondini on how to do it properly though.
Q3 http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html

How to health check time capsule disk

how to health check time capsule disk?
when doing time machine backuping and copying files into time capsule, it would take ages and very long time.. is the disk going to die soon?
is there anyway i can check the disk?
my time capsule is 2TB current model.
please help.
thank you.

Time Machine automatically checks the backups on the disk. It does a quick check (a few seconds) before every backup, and periodically (every month, I think) does a much more thorough check.
You can do that yourself, by holding the Alt/Option key while selecting the TM icon in your menubar, and selecting Verify Backups. That may take quite a while, if you have a lot of data. I'd recommend connecting via Ethernet, as it will still be slow, but 2-3 times faster than WIFI.

HT1175 How do you back up additional hard disks to time capsule? Which disks etc. to you choose?

How do you back up additional hard disks to time capsule? Which disks etc. to you choose?

I can read your question a number of ways.
If you mean a disk plugged into your computer you wish to include in Time Machine backup.. just make sure it is HFS+ formatted and remove it from the exclusion list in the TM preferences.
If you mean a disk plugged into your TC for backup,
You can plug a USB disk into a Time Capsule as long as it is compatible.. and the disk is formatted HFS+, ie Mac OS extended Journaled.
You need a USB powered hub if you want to use multiple hard disks and even one might still need a hub.
Not all external drives are recogised but for example the Touro Deskpro works fine.
You can buy them up to 4TB.. how much added space do you want.
Also notice that USB 2 on a TC or AE is slow.. I mean half the speed of the same disk plugged into your computer so consider if speed is relevant to you.
You cannot use TM to backup network disks.. again I am not 100% sure what the question means.

How do I move time machine backup on filled time capsule to external disk

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