Love/hate my time capsule

Can I just tell you all that I have a love/hate relationship with Time Capsule?
I love that it automatically makes backups that I can go back in time to retrieve.
I hate how it grabs so much procecessing power when it is doing it's thing. I use Photoshop, After Effects and Cinema 4D often and time capsule seems to know when I am using those programs and decides THAT is the best time to begin backups. At that point the machine slows to a crawl. Arghhhhh!
End of mini-rant....

Just to be clear.. your love hate is with Time Machine..
That is the software that decided ... ahhh now he is in the middle of important work.. lets do a backup right now and kill it.
Time Capsule is a dumb as a board router with a hard disk in it.
Methinks you need.. a better computer.. C2D won't cut it if you are running mulitple applications.

Similar Messages

I want to set up the Time Machine and I would love to use the Time Capsule but since I already have a wireless router I need suggestions on what other external disks Apple could recommend to use with the Time Machine and how to configure that disk

I want to set up the Time Machine and I would love to use the Time
Capsule but since I already have a wireless router I need suggestions on
what other
external disks Apple could recommend to use with the Time Machine and
how to configure that disk.
A complication that I need to resolve is the fact that I am using Vmware
Fusion to be able to use Windows on my Mac. Now it seems that Time
Machine is not backing up my files
on that virtual Windows without additional configuration and my question
is whether you can advise me here or whether this is only a matter for
the Fusion virtual machine.

If you want to use Time Capsule you can.. you simply bridge it and plug it into the existing router.. wireless can be either turned off or used to reinforce the existing wireless.. eg use 5ghz in the TC which is much faster than your 2.4ghz.
You can also use a NAS.. many brands available but the top brands are synology, qnap and netgear readynas series. These will all do Time Machine backups although how well always depends on Apple sticking to a standard. There are cheaper ones.. I bought a single disk zyxel which was rebadged and sold through my local supermarket. It actually works very well for TM at least on Snow Leopard. Major changes were made in Lion and again ML so do not instantly think it will work on later versions. I haven't tried it yet with those versions.
Any external drive can be plugged into the mac. Use the one with the fastest connection or cheapest price according to your budget. USB2 drives are cheap and plentiful. But no where near as fast as USB3 or FW800. So just pick whichever suits the ports on your Mac. Interesting Apple finally moved to USB3 on their latest computers.
TM should exclude the VM partition file.. it is useless backing it up from Mac OS side.. and will slow TM as it needs to backup that partition everyday for no purpose.. TM cannot see the files inside it to backup just the changes.
You need to backup windows from windows. Use MSbackup to external drive.. if you have pro or ultimate versions you can backup to network drive. But MSbackup is a dog.. at least until the latest version it cannot restore the partition without first loading windows. There are about a zillion backup software versions for windows.. look up reviews and buy one which works for you. I use a free one Macrium Reflect which does full disk backups and is easy to restore.. to do incremental backups though you have to pay for it.

Is my Time Capsule safe for my new kittens. They love to climb right on top and curl up?

We recently adopted two sweet kittens and they both love to curl up on top of my Time Capsule for a snooze. Is this safe for them?

Technically it emits microwave radiation. The level is normally "safe" but is governed by the inverse square law. In other words, you are much safer a small distance away than right next to it and I imagine they don't design it thinking you are going to be putting you head on it for prolonged periods of time. The same topic arises when talking about using a cellphone right next to your head/brain. They have likely determined it is safe for humans to be in the same room, but probably not tested it for tiny kitten brains right on top of the unit for an hour.
The other issue is safety for the TC itself. They are designed to lose heat (which is why the kitten likes it). If they can't lose heat you end up frying the electronics.
If it were me I would discourage the kitten from sleeping on it.

Why does Time Capsule hate older Macs running Tiger??

Time Capsule has ruined my network and my bloody Saturday!
I have never had this much trouble with an Apple product (at least since OS 8)...and I just waited on hold for over 64 minutes and then got disconnected. Sorry if this is jumbled, but it's been one lousy day!!
I got my Time Capsule, and I was looking forward to setting it up for backup once I got past the "easy" part of the router setup...uh huh...easy...for my new iMac (running 10.5.2) , no prob. For my 2002 Power Mac running 10.4.11 and an original AirPort card, another story. Just as well that my old PowerBook G4 is still at work.
After some struggles, I gave up setting up the more secure WPA password for the G4 and reverted to a far less secure WEP password. At least that way I could get the G4 connected wirelessly.
If I want to access drives connected to my G4 from the iMac, no problems; I can also see the Time Capsule drive from the G4; however I cannot for the life of me get the G4 to successfully mount the iMac (which was no problem before I switched routers).
I was using a dLink router (which I gave away because I thought I wouldn't need it anymore), and getting online wirelessly while connecting my iMac to the old Power Mac G4 via Gigabit Ethernet for file sharing on occasion. When I first set up the Time Capsule, I tried to keep the ethernet cable connected directly between the two machines (as I had successfully with the dlink). While the iMac could mount the G4 readily, the G4, despite seeing the iMac, couldn't. Even in iChat using Bonjour, the G4 could receive messages and send messages back to the iMac (in an established chatroom), but it would always fail if I tried to send a "private" message...
sigh I just tried again...I always just had 169.1.1.2 and 169.1.1.3 as manual IP's for my ethernet connection, while mainintaining wireless connections to router (and internet); never a problem...now, even with that &*?&! time Capsule completely out of the loop, the G4 refuses to connect to the iMac...simply won't do it (even when it sees it!)...now because of the snowstorm in Canada, can't even reach Apple...nice real nice...wish I never heard of Time Capsule...
Does anybody have any way to work around this crap??? This is ridiculous!
Message was edited by: Mark Holoubek

Well I hade so much trouble to change my AP Express and when it arrives, my TC... to put my macs in a subnet. And that's true, I had to create a new network profile. It seems there was a problem with the normal one, but I can't say from where.
The problem I still have is that it cannot memorize one time for all the device order. It's always changing and gives me troubles.

Should I buy Time Capsule?

Hi.
I'm a little lazy when it comes to backing up files, and so I'm seriously considering buying Apple's +Time Capsule+, since it does it all automatically.
But I've read some reviews in Apple Store, and people seem to either hate it or love it.
What's your honest opinion?
Is it worth the money?
-AM*

Whether you should buy a Time Capsule matters on a few things.
* Do you have a laptop that moves around the house a lot or multiple laptops? If yes, then a TC is a good investment. If you have a desktop or just one laptop that usually lives in one spot, then you can use Time Machine with an external hard drive for much cheaper.
* Are you comfortable with or willing to learn about networking? To really put the TC to good use, it helps to have a good baseline of experience setting up home networks. Because it is Apple, it's pretty user friendly for the surface functionality, tho.
* Do you have multiple computers working off of one media collection? If so, run it off of your TC hard drive or an attached hard drive. I love the iTunes synchronization program Syncopation--add music to one iTunes library and the shared drive and it will pop up in the other libraries too without duplicating the file. I also have the Apple TV and the whole ensemble works very well--my friends are quite jealous.
* Do your wireless devices have 802.11 N capabilities? The TC is fast if you have the right cards in your computers and other devices, but if you're still on G and will remain there for awhile, then maybe you should wait.
* How budget conscious are you? How attached are you to Apple? If you're really comfortable with home networking, get a good N router and an NAS drive for cheaper.
* Do you like support boards like this one? My experience has been somewhat iffy with Apple's networking devices -- the firmware updates often seem to knock out a feature or make us come up with a work around. When the whole setup is humming, I'm pretty happy with it.

Safely Reset Time Capsule?

I am a support tech for hundreds of mac clients in my area. Personally, I see the eminent danger in having a hard drive that can fail tied to a router, which can also fail. If either fails, you either have a really heavy router, or a hard drive that cant be connected to anything without being removed from its casing. They are still too new to know how this will be handled in future versions, but let's hope people wont have to take these in to be able to swap out a drive as a home user, which is easily achieved in most external drive situations.
Several clients of mine have purchased Time Capsule already, and I have set many up in an array of configurations that seemed to work well, some for longer than others so far. There are several issues, such as wireless drops, WAN internet drops, and the gambit of normal issues someone could experience with any router.
The problem is this: across the globe, if any home or business user calls their ISP and has no network connectivity, which is a common scenario especially with PPOE, the FIRST thing and ISP will say is to disconnect the power from the router and reset it. I have spoken to every ISP available and this is common practice.
There is no power button on the time capsule, and no eject button on the macs connected to it.... So I am assuming apple was smart enough to build an auto disconnect and safe spin down procedure via a small battery into it somehow specifically for when you pull the power cord from it abruptly to reset it. That is the only option other than going into airport utility, which is NOT what ISPs tell people to do, and there is no clear warning on the Time Capsule itself. LOL. (I really dont think they did plan for this, but I would love to be told they did in this topic, otherwise the designers were really not thinking this out). I would hate to think that almost everyone who has purchased this device will have hard drive failures if they are unknowingly backing up to the drive via time machine on any computer in the network and the ISP asks them to reset it by pulling the power cable!)
I already fried one of my normal external drives when Leopard locked up permanently and there was no option but to hold down the power key on my MacBook. Thank you Leopard!
Can anyone put me at ease and say Time Capsule is not the next big blunder? I have a hard time switching out a good airport extreme, Dlink, linksys, or any other router for a client with something I am afraid of that seems to have a lot of potential problems. Sure it will earn me money when these fail as I will have to go help people recover their lives, and hopefully their memories. But I am a person of integrity and would like to recommend the right option before I plug in any more of these. I couldn't find all the answers easily browsing around so I leave it up to you to answer this for me!

Hei
I see your point, but you sure have another Time Machine backup disc on a safe place outside your home? I looked in the manula which tells you the is a reset button
30 Chapter 4 Tips and Troubleshooting
If Your Time Capsule Isn’t Responding
Try unplugging it and plugging it back in.
If your Time Capsule stops responding completely, you may need to reset it to the
factory default settings.
Important: This erases all of the current settings and resets them to the settings that
came with your Time Capsule.
To return your Time Capsule to the factory settings:
m Use something pointed to press and hold the reset button until the status light flashes
quickly (about 5 seconds).
Your Time Capsule resets with the following settings:
Â Your Time Capsule receives its IP address using DHCP.
Â The network name is reset to Apple Network XXXXXX (where XXXXXX is replaced
with the last six digits of the AirPort ID).
Â The Time Capsule password is reset to public.
If your Time Capsule still isn’t responding, try the following:
1Unplug your Time Capsule.
2Use something pointed to press and hold the reset button while you plug in your Time
Capsule.

Love / Hate Relationship with Photoshop Elements

I am having a love/hate relationship with Photoshop Elements! Love the page design capabilities and hate the lack of capability on the print end. Kodak does not give any choice in the book they will print from Elements. All I can get is a #$%& die cut cover! Is there anyway that I can order other options that I know Kodak has available when creating a book using Elements and their site. I want to be able to choose a custom cover! I have tried Kodak to get answers. I have tried Adobe (impossible, unless maybe you pay). Neither are very helpful! The only answers I get are use the Elements designed pages and place them onto pages that you create in their software. Problem is that one needs a jpeg file to do this. No online program seems to recognize .PSD or .PSE file types. HELP!
Bob, Barbara you both seem to be very knowledgable...any ideas...
Anyone with any help can answer here or [email protected]
Terry

Terry:
Yeah, the photobook print options are limited. (Although, the built in Kodak and Shutterfly books are very nice)
One thing to try differently is to use the Print At Home selection on that first screen after the clicking on the PhotoBook option (assuming you are using PSE8 here) (use Photo Collage with PSE7)
Down that path, you will get a few more choices in page size. It will still create a multi-page document (a .pse) while your building your book, and when done, you can print the pages of the book out as a .pdf. Many book printing services will take in a PDF.
Another option is to do a single page at a time and save them as .jpg's. A little more work in keeping your various files together and ordered properly, but it would give you ultimate flexibility.

Making a backup of my Time Capsule

Bonjour,
Sorry if this has already been asked; I could not find what I was looking for.
I have a Time Capsule (500 GB) which connects to a MacBook Pro, an XP desktop and a Vista laptop. I make backups of my PCs each week (ish) and store them on an external drive in a vault. (yes, I have been scorched)
In the two months since I bought it, I notice that it has started filling up alarmingly. My Mac backup directory is roughly 356 Go, whereas I know that I am only using about 75 Go on my hard drive.
Is there a way of copying my Time Machine's backup to an external drive? On my PCs, I simply backup direct to external drive. I would love to be able to:
1 - from my PCs, backup direct to the Time Capsule
2 - copy this and my latest Mac backup to an external drive.
Is it possible? Why is the MAc backup so huge?
Thanks for your time,
Rick

RickIsTrying wrote:
if I have 385Go of info on my TC but only 75 on my hard drive, would it make an archive equivalent to the 75G?
The amount that will be backed up will be the 385 GB.
For the PC backup, it was not too bad; I select a destination for the backup files and I just point to the network disk, the TC.
Will that really work? I wouldn't expect Windows to understand a disk formatted to satisfy Time Machine.
It's annoying about the TC behaviour. I would like to backup photos and songs from the various computers in the house, but from what I gather, eventually all the space will be used up by the TM software.
It's understandable why it works that way. It's trying to preserve as much backed-up data as it can.
You can reserve space on the Time Capsule disk by creating a "disk image" (.dmg file) and copying it to the Time Capsule disk. Don't make it a "sparse disk image"; you need to allocate all the space you want to begin with. To use the disk image you'll have to first "mount" it. That technique won't work with a Windows computer, as it won't know anything about a Mac OS X disk image.
Is there a way of purging older versions (there's a blast from my VMS days...)?
That happens automatically as the Time Machine disk fills up. You could try mounting the Time Machine "sparsebundle" file, but (1) I'm not sure how easy it would be to delete anything in it, (2) it would be easy to mess up all your Time Machine backups, and (3) doing that wouldn't necessarily free up any space unless you could perform some sort of "compress" operation on the "sparsebundle" file. (I worked on VMS as recently as 2004.)

Unable to delete files from Time Capsule disk

A while back I copied my user folder from my iMac on to my Time Capsule disk, which is mounted as a drive on my iMac's desktop. I now want to delete that copy. After some struggling with locked files I have managed to get it so that all I have left is a small hierarchy of folders containing no files. When I try to delete any of these folders, though, I get the error message: "The operation cannot be completed because you do not have sufficient privileges for some of the items." Info says that I have read & write privileges to every folder in the hierachy.
Can anyone suggest a way that I can get rid of these few remaining folders? They are really bugging me!

Some of you are going to love this!!
Ok, after talking with someone at Apple, I was reminded of a simple Unix Command to do the job, even on Time Capsule. Here's what worked for me:
Time Capsule is connected to my Mac, via an Ethernet cable-- I don't know if this matters or not, maybe it will work over the wireless connection too, let me know!
You'll need to pull up Terminal in Applications > Utilities. It's a dangerous tool that Unix and Linux people use with skill all the time, but you have to be careful, cause it will cause permanent changes-- that is what I want here, of course. Just be extremely careful, ok? You have been warned.
type "cd /Volumes"
press Return
Now you're in the "Volumes" folder
type "ls" (as in the letter L)
press Return
You should see your Time Capsule folder (whatever you named it)-- type "cd " and that particular name
Navigate till you can type "ls" and you can see the folder you are trying to delete.
Then, the command that worked for me is this:
(Please double check that "myFolderToDelete" is indeed the one that you want to delete!)
sudo rm -rfd myFolderIWantToDelete
After a few seconds for the hard drive in the time capsule to spin up, it worked! Yea!
In fact, to be safe, if I were you, I would even go into Finder first and try to rename that folder, call it "myFolderToDelete" !!!
Why didn't I try this before? I've used Terminal, I should have thought of it before! bad nerd!
But the important thing is, problem solved .
A few things to note is that I was trying to delete a folder full of "Locked" files. If I wanted to delete several locked files that are not currently in a folder, I could make a new folder, and drag those files into it... now you have a folder you can delete. Just rename it "toBeDeleted" or something like that.
Finally, note that I am not currently using Time Machine (the automated backup program) with this Time Capsule, so I don't know if it will delete the Time Machine backup -- haven't tried that yet.
Good Luck!

How to manage a MacBook Pro + Time Capsule + Apple TV combo?

Hi, everyone. I'm a new user to Mac techonology and I have a few doubts I'd like to clear before I acquire some new stuff and avoid a useless expense.
I just bought a 500 GB 15" MacBook Pro, and I've always used several external USB hard drives for backup (one HDD) and releasing space from my computer (two HDD). So you can imagine how much I have to juggle with since I'm an avid iTunes store customer for TV shows, movies and music, on a weekly basis. So, you can imagine also a 500GB internal HDD will fill up eventually with all the rest of the data I have.
I'm thinking about buying a 2TB Time Capsule to get rid of all the cables, countless copy/drags/syncs, and reduce the number of external HDD's. And I just got a new Apple TV as a birthday gift (don't have it yet with me) so I can enjoy all my media in the living room.
So, would Time Capsule be the best option? To backup my MacBook AND use it as a data storage external HDD for files that fill up the MacBook (movies and tv episodes)? Also, can both options be accessed remotely for sharing purposes and for Apple TV playing?
I hope I'm making myself clear enough. Does anyone have an accurate idea if what I'm trying to go for is possible? I'd hate to spend 500 bucks on a Time Capsule and not defeat my current "management" of data.
Please help.
Best regards,
Martin V.F.

martinvfraga wrote:
I'm a new user to Mac technology
Welcome to Apple's discussion groups.
So, would Time Capsule be the best option? To backup my MacBook AND use it as a data storage external HDD for files that fill up the MacBook (movies and tv episodes)?
You don't want to mix Time Machine backups and other types of files on the Time Capsule disk. By design Time Machine will eventually fill up the Time Capsule disk, making it hard to manage your other files. Instead, connect a USB disk drive to the Time Capsule and put those other files there. Size the Time Capsule disk strictly for Time Machine backups. Since Time Machine won't back up the files on that external Time Capsule drive, you'll have to arrange for that some other way.
Also, can both options be accessed remotely for sharing purposes and for Apple TV playing?
If you want to share the Time Machine backups, why?? If iTunes can find the files on the Time Capsule external drive, then the AppleTV should be able to access them.

Now that I have backed up, can I delete items from my desktop? One of the reasons I got the time capsule was so that I could free up some space on my computer. I am confused about whether the backup will one day remove my photos/video

I purchased a 2TB time capsule yesterday. I set it up as a router and did the backup no problem. I then navigated the backup folder and found that all my photos/video that I am nervous about losing are on there. So far so good.
Taking a step back, the reason I bought the time capsule was 1.) I needed a router 2.) I have a mac and 3.) I am running out of disk space on that mac (I shoot and cut a lot of video and have years of high quality pictures on my mac hard drive)
Can I now delete them from my mac computer to free space? I have used standard external disk drives in the past, but the whole "Back Up" piece of things has me confused. I love the idea of backing up my computer so I want to keep that functionality, but will the drive still function as a static external hard drive? Or do I need to move that material in seperately as a folder outside of the backup folder?
I am nervous that if the backup overwrites information as the disk space becomes limited that in 10 years when I fill this drive up, that I will lose all of my photos that are part of the backups that I am running now.....
Or worse, I am nervous that if I remove things from my mac right now, that the next time that a back up is performed that it will lose this data as it is not currently on the device I am backing up? How does this work?
I apologize, the back up is a very new concept to me and I want to make sure I do not goof anything up.

applefool wrote:
Taking a step back, the reason I bought the time capsule was . . . 3.) I am running out of disk space on that mac
That's an entirely different thing from backups. A backup is an extra copy, in case the original is lost or damaged.   Additional space is just that -- more space for originals.
While it's possible to use the same disk (such as the TC's internal HD) for both things, it's dangerous -- when (not if) something happens to the TC, you risk losing the originals that are on it.   To be safe, you need (at least) two copies of everything important, in (at least) two different places.
Many (including me) recommend at least three copies (originals plus 2 backups). While it's not common for the Mac's hard drive to fail about the same time as the backup drive, it does happen. There are several threads here where it did, and very expensive data recovery was needed, but in some cases everything was lost.
So as the others recommend, getting an external HD for the stuff there isn't room for on your Mac is one solution for not having enough space. But you might explore getting a larger internal HD.   If possible, that might be bettter.
Then, also get another external, for "secondary" backups, so you're doubly protected. If you get a portable model, you can take it offsite for even better protection. See #27 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions for details and some suggestions.
Can I now delete them from my mac computer to free space? I have used standard external disk drives in the past, but the whole "Back Up" piece of things has me confused.
You're not the first or only one.
There are different types of backup apps, so there are different answers for the different types.
As the others have posted, Time Machine will, sooner or later, delete it's backup copies of things that are no longer on your system. Depending on how long the original was there and when backups were run, that can be in as little as 24 hours, or as long as there's room.   So no, don't take the chance with data that's important!
Is there helpful information on how to add an external drive to your backup set up?
See the green box in #2 of the FAQ article. All you have to do is format it for a Mac and remove it from the exclusion list.
           Once I set it up, will I need to leave the hard drive plugged into my mac in order for the data to be backed up?
It can only be backed-up while it's connected.
           If I do, and a back up is performed without the hard drive attached to my computer, will it remove the backup of what was on the hard drive
No (unless you leave it disconnected until Time Machine starts deleting old backups).
It will back up the external when it's connected, and not complain if it isn't.

Help, I need to use my Time Capsule and iCloud more efficiently for memory!!

I have an early 2011 Macbook Pro. It is running low on memory. I finally broke down and purchased an Aiprort Time Capsule yesterday. I was able to back up and everything ran smoothly. Now that I have done this, I am hoping someone can help me figure out how to remove some items from my laptop to free up some memory. I had 6 movies in my itunes that I deleted (saved on an external hard drive a few days ago) and yet I still seem to have a large percentage of movie memory taken up. Although, maybe it is some tv shows I have in itunes. Along with the Time Capsule I also have 15 GB of iCloud memory which I am using almost 10 GB. I have 98.87GB free of 319.21 GB on my laptop. I know it isnt terrible, but I would really like to open up some space as I tend to add a lot of pics and music to my computer. We have an iPad, 2 iphones and an itouch and appletv that are all using space and I seem to be running out of space on my ipad and iphone as well. So, I would love to be able to put my music and tv shows and pics on my time capsule or something...Not sure. If anyone has any ideas that would be great on my computer or for that matter my ipad since I just keep removing items! Thanks!!

The best thing for you to do, in my opinion, is to:
Buy a larger internal drive - I recommend the Hitachi Travelstar 7K1000 - 1 terabyte, 7200 rpm & SATA III negotiated speeds for your model, and;
invest in some more external storage. 1 terabyte drives are common and cheap. You may want to get a larger drive (I use two LaCie 2big Thunderbolt drives - one 4 terabytes, the other 8 terabytes. I also have four HGST Travelstar 7K1000 1 terabyte drives that I use for cloning my internal drive).
Buying the larger internal drive should be your first step. Adding additional external storage can come later.
Good luck,
Clinton

HT3728 After upgrading to mountain lion, my Mac no longer sees the Time Capsule. What am I doing wrong?

After I upgraded to Mountain Lion, my Mac cannot access the data disk on the Time Capsule. Who else is having this problem and have you been able to solve it?

Bonjour PanicRev16
   I use Grapher 2D 3D on my early 2006 iMac, but I tried it on my wife's Macbook Pro with Lion then Mountain Lion : no problem with Grapher 2.1 3D gcx files, Grapher 2.3 loves them !
   You can try the 3D Grapher 2.1 files from the website http://y.barois.free.fr/grapher/ and see the result on your Mac Mountain Lion.
   I updated Grapher documentation and bugs of this website on 15th december 2012 (Lion, then Mountain Lion).
Au revoir,
YB24

I have just got an Airport time Capsule for back up how do I do it? Do I put the ethernet cable into the back of my sky hub because when I do that the amber light on my Time Capsule flashes amber. Please talk in simple terms as I am a

I have just got an Apple Airport time capsule to back up my one year old iMac......how do I do it? I have tried putting an ethernet cable into the time capsule and to my sky hub, all I get is a flashing amber light, can anyone help I am a silver surfer not used to Apple products, but love them, plus I don't understand half of the jargon....HELP please

Apple's Setup Guide for the Time Capsule is pretty simple and clear for most users, and you don't indicate at what point or step that you are getting stuck.
So, please go to page 8 in your Setup Guide to review the topic of Plugging In Your AirPort Time Capsule.
The Sky hub will likely have 4 Ethernet <--> ports on the back of the device. Pick any one that you want and connect one end of the Ethernet cable to the port that you choose.
Then, connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to the WAN (circle of dots) port as shown in the Setup Guide.
Continuing with the instructions on page 8 of the Setup Guide, power up the Time Capsule by connecting the power cord from the back of the Time Capsule to a wall AC jack.
Note that the instructions indicate that the indicator light will be solid amber during startup, and it will change to blinking amber during the setup. The light will remain blinking amber until you have configured the Time Capsule at which time the light will turn green.
Next, go to page 12 of the Setup Guide to see the information to Use your Mac or iOS device to set up your AirPort Time Capsule.
You indicated in your tag line that you were using OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3), and since that will exceed the minimum requirement of a Mac using OS X (10.7.5) as noted in the guide, you can use your Mac to set up the Time Capsule.
Continuing with the instructions on page 12 of the Setup Guide......
1. Open AirPort Utility on your Mac. It is located as follows: Finder (the smiley face on the dock) > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility
2. Select your AirPort Time Capsule and click Continue. You won't be able to do this, but read further......If you do not see the AirPort Time Capsule that you want to configure, choose it from the WiFi status menu in the menu bar, at the top of the screen.
So, clicking on the WiFi icon will yield a small window that looks like this:
The example below shows an AirPort Extreme. You will see Time Capsule on your screen. Click on Time Capsule.
When you click on Time Capsule, that will get the setup wizard going. it will take a minute to analyze the network, then display a screen that looks similar to the illustration below, except that you will see a picture of a Time Capsule on your screen
3. Continuing with the Setup Guide.......Follow the onscreen prompts to create a new network
Network Name...........Type in a simple name that you want to call your network. Do not use the suggested name.
Base Station Name....Type in a simple name that you want to call the Time Capsule. Mine is TC, for example.
Password...................Type in a password that will be used for both the network and the Time Capsule. Write that down.
Verify..........................Type in the password again to Verify
Click Next
The setup wizard will configure everything for you. When you see the message of Setup Complete, click Done.
The Time Capsule is now set up and it will display a green light.

Help using multiple Time Capsules

I'm new to the Time Capsule and it's features, but my sister had one, then two and now three - all purchased to be dedicated to three different computers. She had to purchase more then one because she needed more capacity than one would hold. She is also taking advantage of the ability of the Time Capsule to extend and make her wi-fi around her house stronger. She is now having issues with the Time Capsules completing backups. Is it complicated to do the task of telling each of the wireless backup disks to only address one of the computers on the wi-fi network? My backup system is old-school: a external hard drive plugged into my computer, so the setup is simple. The Time Capsule that I've been trying to figure out is a Time Capsule 802.11n (1st Gen) and she's got an iMac that she wants to dedicate to it. I've been reading the manual for it but I'm still not completely clear on many details.
This may take a call to Apple Support, but I thought I try here first and get any feedback or suggestions...

Yes, absolutely. Everything in their entire house is on the wi-fi...all computers for internet, their two iPhones to impove their usage as cell service is a bit dicey, the laptop which is used at the front of the house which isn't connect to anything esxcept the charger when needed and of course the three Time Capsules and an additional AirPort they installed in one area because the wi-fi was poor...all wireless. The only exception is the computer I have been trying to troubleshoot. On that only computer the Time Capsule has been plugged into the iMac via a Cat-5 to do backups which I'm unclear why. I'm pretty certain that Time Capsule was one of the first ones. The third one installed in the front of the house has significatly larger capacity and they love the improvement of the wi-fi by it.
Any feedback on the issues and complexity of this setup would be appreciated. As I said previously - I haven't been exposed to this particular Apple product, how it works exactly and the details, etc. There's a lot going on in the setup so I expect there are elements which are completely new to me.

Love/hate my time capsule

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