Just want to use Time Capsule as a wireless hard drive?

I thought I was computer savvy until now.
I just want to use Time Capsule as a wireless hard drive. I do not want to connect my Internet to it whatsoever. I realize this would involve disconnecting from Time Capsule and reconnecting to my Internet every time.
The settings for Time Capsule are just mind-boggling.
Is there any easy way to set it up as a password-protected wireless hard drive?
I am so lost with all the settings.
Please help! I will provide points!

First, you don't need to use Time Capsule with Time Machine. It can be used as a manual file storage or file exchange drive.
Where do you have the Ethernet cable placed on the Time Capsule. Is it the WAN port or one of the network ports?
If you are attempting to set-up the Time Capsule as your wireless router, it will need to be connected to the wired modem from your service provider through the WAN port for configuration. The Time capsule should then appear as a configurable Airport device.
To start, turn off your cable or DSL modem and the Time Capsule. Turn them both back on with the Time capsule connected to the wired modem via of the WAN port so the modem can grab the TC's MAC address.

Similar Messages

Using Time Capsule As A Wireless Hard Drive ONLY

I already have a wireless network at it works well.
I like the idea of having a wireless hard drive for backup.
Is it possible to set up Time Capsule to function as a wireless hard drive for backups only?
Is it as easy as just not pluging it into the DSL or cable modem or will that show up as a setup error.
Please help with instructions.

The Time Capsule (TC) has the option to "join an existing wireless network." Configured this way, the TC will perform as a wireless client that you will be able to access for backups when connected to your wireless network.
To set up the TC as a "Wireless Client," using the AirPort Utility, either connect to the TC's wireless network or temporarily connect your computer directly (using an Ethernet cable) to an available LAN port of the TC, and then, try these settings:
o AirPort Utility > Manual Setup > AirPort > Wireless tab
o Wireless Mode: Join a wireless network
o Network Name: <type in the network name/SSID of the wireless network that you want to join or select it from the pop-up menu>
o Wireless Security: <Select the appropriate level of security for the existing wireless network>
o Password: <enter your wireless network security password>
o Verify Password: <re-enter the same security password>
o Click Update to write the new settings to the TC.

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

Can u use time capsule as a normal hard drive and don't activate the time capsule in my macs?

can u use time capsule as a normal hard drive and don't activate the time capsule in my macs?

Yes, but it will be slow and expensive compared to just buying an external and plugging it in locally.

Is possible to use Time Capsule as a external hard drive for my MA ?

Hi,
I wondering to know if i can use the time capsule as a external hard drive for my MACBOOK AIR i mean i dont want a backup i just want to be connected when i'm at home and transfer the data to the time capsule or simply uses data from there.
Thanks!

Yes, you can.
(60321)

Using time Capsule to replace new hard drive on MacBook Pro?

I am replacing the internal hard drive on my MacBook pro (early 2008). I have a time capsule that I would like to use to restore the entire back-up on the time capsule to the new hard drive. What is the procedure to do this? Thanks.

First, prep the new drive:
Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
Steps 4-6 are optional but should be used on a drive that has never been formatted before, if the format type is not Mac OS Extended, if the partition scheme has been changed, or if a different operating system (not OS X) has been installed on the drive.
Second, install Snow Leopard on the new drive.
Third, after Snow Leopard starts for the first time you will be in the Setup Assistant. When you complete the registration you will be presented with the options for continuing or restoring from a TM backup or another Mac. Select the TM option and restore your data.

How To Use Time Capsule As An External Hard Drive?

I backup my computer onto the time capsule using time machine.
After that I want to have more space on my computer (becasue my hard drive is almost full) (I still want to have my local snapshots and daily backups) so I want to delete some of my files but I still want them on my time capsule and I know after I back my computer the files will be deleted so I go to finder/my time capsule (under shared)/data/my macbook pro/ then I go to my destop and see; 1: time machine backups 2: data... I go to data and create a new file that will contain everything that I wanted deleted off my macbook so the when the next backup comes, I will still have (in data on time capsule) my time machine backups and my deleted things... will this work? why or why not? I heard people saying that you have to choose the time capsule between a external hard drive or with time machine... but will this attempt work with both>???

It will work but shouldn't be done, as the Time Capsule's internal drive may fail at any time. Anything you want to keep shouldn't be on only one drive.
(80321)

Can i use time capsule as a external hard drive

can i use time capsule as a external hard drive

Not plugged in by USB if that is what you were thinking.
You can store files on the TC but you should NOT.
Store files on the TC.
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.
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. It was and is and ever shall be a backup device for Time Machine.
3. The drive is slow to spin up and quick to spin down.. there is no control. In fact the TC is so lacking in controls for even the router side.. that you cannot do more than the most basic of setups.
The following are controls on the hard disk side.
Reformat it. You can name the share. You can do a full archive of the whole disk. This will go at a speed of aprox. 30-50GB/Hr so calculate how long an archive of a full 2TB will take.
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!!
Even apple btw say don’t do it.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5168 Although mostly about FAT32 it adds network drives.
5. iTunes can constantly lose connection to the library. The disk is 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

Time Capsule as a wireless hard drive - partitioning?

I have just got my 1tb time capsule, connected it wirelessly to my wi-fi network and run all the updates on it.
I can now back up to it via time machine, and see it under my shared devices but I want to partition it in two so I can have half as a TM back up and the other half as a wireless drive.
How can I do this?
Thanks, Lucas

Not too sure if I can help you with this because I am trying to do it myself but...
When I purchased my TC I asked the assistant in the Apple store if I could do this they said yes and proceeded to show me. Along the line I got a bit confused and didn't want to ask them to go over the whole thing again.
But they wrote on a business card "NTFS" partition??? I have emailed them to see if they will elaborate on this and I am waiting for an answer. But maybe you can take something for this?
If I get any more info I will post it
L

Can I use time capsule as an external hard drive

I have a MacBook Pro that came loaded with 500Gb storage and I had another 750Gb storage added and the disc drive removed. I have now filled both HD's and want to move the data to an external device. I have a 2TB Time Capsule just sitting here doing nothing at the moment but am wondering if I can just use it as an external HD instead of just backup? Also, I don't want to backup/sore anyone else's info and we are already running a wireless network in the house that I don't want to itnerfear with...

It is possible to use the TC as a file store albeit a very unsafe one..
If you off load files you will not want to use Time Machine. Either just directly copy the files or use another backup utility.
The reason I say the TC is unsafe,, once you copy the files to the TC. and then delete them from your computer.. you have no backup.. the TC is a backup device NOT a file store. It has only the most primitive backup, via USB connected drive, to manually do a full backup of the TC. In terms of reliability.. TC are very prone to failure after 2years.. they are sealed and no parts are made available.. In Apple's understanding it is a consumable.. when it breaks, buy a new one.. it only has backups on it not your only source of files.
Having said all that,, if you are prepared to use a USB drive and setup some sort of backup software on a computer it can be used. It is slow.. it is dumb.. ie it has no servers other than basic network file serving.. and you should not then use it as Time Machine target at all.. as you will have 1.2TB of files sitting on it.

Can you use Time Capsule as an external hard drive?

I want to use it as both a back-up drive and an external hardrive for movies etc that I dont want to keep on my Mac so I can have more free space. I was just wondering if this is possible with this device or if I need a separate portable hard drive/external hard drive to do this.

I have an external HDD that I use for backups once in a while, BUT to be honest with you I last backed up my iTunes stuff (around 30K songs) over a year ago. Maybe it is time for another backup.
In all fairness, the whole time I have been using Mac's (since 2001) I have never had a major crash (knock on wood) so it has not been high on my priority list tbh. This said, how Apple have been acting lately I feel they have become a little too big for them selves and I have started to notice errors here and there, something that was unheard of earlier
Anyway, in most cases it is never the HDD that causes problems and extracting data from these are not a major hinder so I'm good...
EDIT: Oh, maybe I misunderstood the question

Help needed setting up 5th Gen Time Capsule as a wireless hard drive with Windows

I've got hold of a Time Capsule as I managed to snag it for a decent price and, to be honest, it looks better than other options out there, but I'm having some issues setting it up how I want it. My wireless router is downstairs and I connect to it from my desk on the first floor, which is where the Time Capsule will be as well. I basically just want to use it as a wireless hard drive to store movies and the odd document. I really need some guidance on how to go about setting it up, as Apple don't seem to provide any user guides for Windows at all and the Airport Utility is essentially a very broken piece of software - all I've managed to do so far is run into a series of blinking light warnings and errors.

You cannot setup the new Gen5 TC from windows. It is clearly stated in the specs that it requires v6 utility which has not as yet.. and perhaps never will be made available in windows. In other words this is now an Apple device and almost exclusively for apple. Or at least a mixed network. Without Apple clients you will have continual issues.
If you have iphone or ipad or even an ipod with iOS v6 or later.. you can download the iOS version airport utility for setting up the TC. Once setup windows can use it.. with some issues.
I don't know if you can return it.. but if possible I would. You can buy a wireless synology or WD or lots of other brands now. what they might lack in looks they make up for in functionality.. sadly in the end.. functionality is essential whereas good looks are merely that.. good.

Using Time Capsule as an external hard drive with ethernet cable, disabling airport, using wifi from laptop

Okay, first of all, I admit right off the bat that I should have bought an external hard drive. Now I am stuck with a 3TB Time Capsule that I want to tie to my laptop via ethernet cable, without having the Time Capsule disable my laptop's current wifi. So, I want to be able to back up my laptop (using the ethernet cable and Time Machine) to my Time Capsule drive and still be able to be surfing the internet as if I didn't have Time Capsule at all.
My MacBook Pro is OS 10.7.5.
Any thoughts are much appreciated.

This is not difficult.
You need to work out one issue beforehand..
What IP address range does the computer get from the wifi router.. ?
If you get 10.0.x.x then you will need to adjust the settings on the TC to a different IP range.. eg 192.168.1.1 for the TC.
Tell me what IP you get on wireless. I will assume for now you are getting 192.168.x.x
In the ethernet setup on the laptop, choose configure IPv4 Manually.
Give the computer an IP address say 10.0.1.10 with 255.255.255.0 subnet. Do not fill in router or dns values.
You can now find the ethernet linked TC and get internet via the airport.
On the TC itself, just leave it in router mode.. and ignore all the errors.. turn off the wireless.

Using Time Capsule as a common hard drive for 8 macs.

Can anyone help? We are currently using Dropbox's expensive 1,000 GB annual service at our English school, in order to maintain common materials, development, etc folders that remain in sync.
Too expen but not bad. We really just need to maintain one key folder(with multiple sub-folders) that is available to all macs that access our wi-fi network.
Our existing set up is the old airport extreme, no central physical HD. Folder kept in syn via Dropbox. Works well apart from when a full folder gets shifted, then all macs can be set a spinning.
We don't need a backup facility. Will do nightly file backups to portable HD from one of the synced machines.
Were thinking of using a mac mini as a server, but set up looks beyond our capabilities. OTT for a simple shared folder. No shared applications.
Thanks

The Time Capsule (TC) has the option to "join an existing wireless network." Configured this way, the TC will perform as a wireless client that you will be able to access for backups when connected to your wireless network.
To set up the TC as a "Wireless Client," using the AirPort Utility, either connect to the TC's wireless network or temporarily connect your computer directly (using an Ethernet cable) to an available LAN port of the TC, and then, try these settings:
o AirPort Utility > Manual Setup > AirPort > Wireless tab
o Wireless Mode: Join a wireless network
o Network Name: <type in the network name/SSID of the wireless network that you want to join or select it from the pop-up menu>
o Wireless Security: <Select the appropriate level of security for the existing wireless network>
o Password: <enter your wireless network security password>
o Verify Password: <re-enter the same security password>
o Click Update to write the new settings to the TC.

Using Time Capsule as a wired hard drive

Its come to this. I bought two time capsules, and after a month of trying to use them with various up to date macs, they are good for absolutely nothing. Apple refuse to take them back, although to my mind they are clearly not fit for purpose. Folk, my advice is NOT to go near the time capsule. I won't bore you with the details here.
Anyhow, I would like to salvage the situation somewhat and use them as plain old external hard disks, hooked up by ethernet cable. I try to set it up, but it keeps barfing when it complains that the block does not have an IP address. I don't want it to function as a router. I just want access to the terabyte of real estate.
Does anybody have any idea how to get around this one? Advice gratefully received.

Nope. There's no mention of the word "bridge" in the manual. I never got asked whether I wanted to put anything in bridge mode. My TC doesn't know anything about bridges. In that respect, we are alike.
I reset everything for the umpteenth time. I'll do it again, and note the choices I make. Perhaps some kind soul can figure out how to make this stupid thing work.
[1] TC is plugged in. Ethernet cable from laptop to WAN port
[2] Hold the reset button for 5 secs, until the light flashes rapidly.
[3] Have airport utility discover the slab. This is not straightforward, though the TC is beside the laptop. After 30 sec or so, it finds it this time. It reports an IP address and Version 7.3.1. <continue>
[4] Rename TC to "LumpenDing" and provide password. <continue>
[5] Now the critical choice: Here are 3 options.
(A) I have a wireless network and want to add TC or replace an existing device on my network (<grumble> that is so convoluted and ambiguous it is unreal</grumble>)
(B) I don't have a wireless network and I want to create one
(C) I want to connect TC to my computer or network using Ethernet.
I've tried each multiple times. OFr now, I'll take (C). Is this what was meant by a "bridge"?
[6] There are three more choices, two of which again are of the form I want to do X or Y. That ought to be illegal! It is not a fair option if it is of that form. Anyhow, here they are:
(A) ....replace an existing base station or wireless router...
(B) ....wirelessly join my current network
(C) ... connect TC to my network using Ethernet (... or create a 2nd network)
Although my ambitions certainly do not extend to creating a second network, I assume C is the right choice here, no?
[7] Now I get to select the "device or network TC will connect to..".
I select my home network. Now it gives me two options:
Either the TC should be plugged into my router using ethernet, or I should connect a 2nd network. Gah, I just want the **** thing to be a disk. Its connected to my computer. I vainly try the first option, but of course it all goes pear shaped. I feel like throwing the **** thing against the wall. I've had a month of this carry on.
Oh heck. Does anyone know how to make the TC act just like a regular old external disk??? please???? I hate my TC.

Just want to use Time Capsule as a wireless hard drive?

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