I have 2 macs and 2 PC laptops in my home wireless network.  Can I use the Airport/Time Capsule hard drive to back up all 4 machines?  I know that I will have to use different back up software on the PCs, but is it possible over the wireless network?

I have 2 macs and 2 PC (Windows 7) laptops in my home wireless network. (The iMac is hardwired via ethernet to the Airport/Time Capsule; the others are wireless connections using Airport).  I want to use the hard disk drive in the Time Capsule as a network backup drive for all 4 computers.  Is this possible?  Could someone help me by telling me how to configure it?  I know I will have to use different backup software in the 2 Windows 7 Laptops?  Do I need to use the Windows backup software, or can I use a third party program like Acronis True Image?  Thanks in advance for the help

It is your fault, pondini.. all your fault.
I read of all the things that go wrong restoring Time Machine backups.. particularly stupid things like mail, photo libraries don't go back.. etc. And looking through the incredible number of issues people have here, when their Mac finally takes a dive how hard it is to restore.
I restored a test hard disk from a TC.. and it takes ages and ages to even make up its mind to start.
I worked in computer support for ages, but not Macs.. so my experience is ghost.. ghost images.. on large commercial server setups, can stream restore to multiple computers at once.. even doing it computer by computer the image is simple as network boot to restore. But ghost went the way of Symantec.. sigh!! And was destroyed.
A product like clonezilla, Free linux boot cd.
http://lifehacker.com/5078397/clonezilla-backs-up-and-restores-your-disks
Can backup a Hard disk in just about any format.. yet to try it on a Mac to a TC.. but I will. Boot from CD.. instead of your lost Lion partition which no longer exists (because the hard drive had to be replaced) and the DVD they no longer give you, and restore the entire hard disk in a couple of hours .. to the exact image at the point you made the clone.. in any format, with any partitions.
My bet is that it will kill TM .. but you could be right.
It is just the prospect of all those permission changes, photos and mail libraries etc that worry me.

Similar Messages

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  • How stream music from Time-Capsules hard drive via iPhone and AirPlay without any computer turned on?

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  • Time Capsule Hard Drive - Disk Repair and NAT

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  • Time capsule hard drive - maintenance and repair/

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  • How do i back up my windows partition to my time capsule hard drive

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  • Can I move Time Capsule hard drive to an external enclosure for faster restore (or initial back-up)?

    I upgraded my Time Capsule with a 4TB hard drive.  I just backed up 500GB of data from a MacBook Pro with Time Machine and it took almost an entire day over a wired gigabit connection.  The next MacBook Pro I need to back up has more than 2TB of data, so I'm anticipating that the process will take nearly four days.  The slow speed of the Time Capsule leaves me with two questions...
    1. If I ever need to restore my entire system from the Time Capsule, can I remove the drive from the Time Capsule, install it in an external hard drive enclosure and restore from that as it will be a much faster USB 3.0 connection than through the Time Capsule itself?
    2. To save the time of waiting four days for the initial Time Machine back-up, can I remove the drive from the Time Capsule, install it in an external enclosure to do the first back-up and then put it back in the Time Capsule for future back-ups?
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    2. To save the time of waiting four days for the initial Time Machine back-up, can I remove the drive from the Time Capsule, install it in an external enclosure to do the first back-up and then put it back in the Time Capsule for future back-ups?
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  • Will Time Capsule hard drive fit in MacBook?

    My used 500gb Time Capsule finally bit the dust due to what im pretty sure was a bad power supply. I took to Genius Bar and they confirmed.  It was holding a steady red light and matches the model batch number starting with A that Apple quit replacing over a year ago. I should have just purchased a new power supply for around $70 and tried to fix the other but I went ahead and bought a new 2TB model.  The 500GB was half full and i needed the extra space anyway.  The hard drive is still good with about 250GB of space left.  My old 2007 13in White Macbook 120GB hard drive is running really hot and space is maxed out.  It is running Lion well but hard drive gets so hot it almost burns your legs.  Can I take the hard drive from the Time capsule and put it into the Macbook?  Are they the same size? Is this a good idea and easy to do?  I also want to add more RAM to increase my speed.  If this works, I will backup, replace, and then wipe the old 120GB and put in a case.   Thanks

    No and no.. the Laptop will use 2.5" drive.. these are cheap and readily available.
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  • Use Time Capsule Hard Drive as USB

    I have a 4th generation Time Capsule that died. I can get a new one through AppleCare, but I first need to get my data off my old one. No problem I figured, I would just open the old Time Capsule, remove the hard drive and plug it into my Mac via a USB SATA dock that I have. I did that, but it's now showing up anywhere. Finder, Disk Utility, Time Machine. Nothing. Any ideas?
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    What size drive was in the TC?? How old is the USB dock? Most older USB have a 2TB size limit.. if your TC had a 3TB drive it won't work. You need a much more recent and likely USB3 type dock.
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  • Why does my Time Capsule hard drive keep powering on and off?

    I just noticed that my Time Capsule's hard drive never seems to turn off.
    It used to nicely power down if no Time Machine backups were running...but now, I can hear it click as it tries to power down...only to immediately spin back up again.
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    Thanks LaPastenague, but interestingly, the issue turned out to be rather esoteric.
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    Hope this helps someone else down the line...
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  • AirPort Time Capsule? Should I back up my files?

    I'm updating to Mavricks and my laptop came with (Adobe Dreamweaver, Photoshop, ID, FC, FL, BR, FW, AI/ Mirosoft P,
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