Maximum External HDD Size for Time Capsule?

I recently bought a 3TB Hitachi Touro Desktop external HDD, and was wondering if the TC would be able to recognize it (when properly formatted). My current router (WNR3500L) will not recognize the drive due to the large format, and before I go and buy a TC, I want to make sure it will see the drive.
Any help anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

Nobody has tried to attached a large format drive?

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I have question about hooking up an external hdd to a time capsule and still have my printer hooked up as well. Anyone got any tips for me, how to do it and what brand of harddrive that will work best for me 1 or 2 TB

i have question about hooking up an external hdd to a time capsule and still have my printer hooked up as well. Anyone got any tips for me, how to do it and what brand of harddrive that will work best for me 1 or 2 TB

You just need a powered hub.. if you already use one then fine.
Plug in just about any external hard disk will work fine. Format has to be readable by the TC.. ie fat32.. or much better HFS+.. plug it into a Mac to prepare the drive.
Pick whatever size suits.. nowadays 2TB are most economical.
WD, Seagate have goobled up all the minor players.. so pick one.
Whatever suits your budget and asthetics.
NOTE.. The USB on the TC is fine for printers.. IMHO it is the wrong way to go with USB disks.. use the internal disk of the TC.. USB is less than half the native speed plugged into a Mac.. TC to USB is slow.. far slower than internal drive.. or using external drive as external.

Connecting and backing up external HDD to a Time Capsule

Hi All,
Running a Macbook pro Retina. I would like to do the following things with a Time Capsule:
Physically connect an external HDD to the time capsule, put media on this external HDD and access it wirelessly on my macbook
Use the time capsule to back up (via Time Machine) the data on both my macbook's HDD and the external HDD
I would be grateful for help with the following queries:
Will Time Machine allow me to back up both the internal HDD and external HDD that is connected to the time capsule?
Does the external HDD I attach to the time capsule need its own power source, or will it take its power from the time capsule via USB?
Does the time capsule need to be turned on 24/7? Or can it just be turned on when I need to perform a back up / access the information on the external HDD?
Thanks for your help in advance. I know some of these questions may seem obvious, but having seen contradictory information online I'd like to make sure of my ground.

Physically connect an external HDD to the time capsule, put media on this external HDD and access it wirelessly on my macbook
Technically, you could do this. The question is whether you should do this. The USB 2.0 port on the Time Capsule brings new meaning to word s-l-o-w, so copies and access are going to sluggish at best. The port operates at about half the speed of a USB port on a computer.
As far as locating media on the USB drive, you would not want to locate a "working" library there, as the experts in the iPhoto and Aperture forums strongly recommend against this, as well as Apple in their support documents. An iTunes Library is going to be really slow as well if you are thinking of that, and the library will tend to get lost, so you will wind up pointing iTunes to the library on a regular basis.
I've learned the hard way that it is much better to locate media on a drive that is directly attached to the Mac. Access is much faster and more reliable, and Time Machine can back up both the Mac and the attached hard drive.
Use the time capsule to back up (via Time Machine) the data on both my macbook's HDD and the external HDD
That is not possible, since Time Machine can only back up data on a Mac, or a drive that is connected directly to a Mac.
Will Time Machine allow me to back up both the internal HDD and external HDD that is connected to the time capsule?
No, see answer above.
Does the external HDD I attach to the time capsule need its own power source, or will it take its power from the time capsule via USB?
Use a powered USB hub with the hard drive unless the drive has its own power supply. Sometimes though, you still have to use a powered USB hub with a drive, even when the drive has its own power supply. You won't know if he drive will work until you try it out.
Does the time capsule need to be turned on 24/7? Or can it just be turned on when I need to perform a back up / access the information on the external HDD?
Apple designed the Time Capsule to be "always on" since there is not even an "Off" switch on the device. Network connections will remain a lot more stable if you leave the TC on. With Yosemite, the TC has a hard enough time not losing network connections. Forcing the TC to establish new connections every time that you power it off and back on is bound to create issues.

Photo and Music storage on External HDD attached to Time Capsule

My MacBook is out of space, and like most people, it is full of music and photos. I have a Time Capsule for backups but I also have a 1TB HDD attached to the USB of the Time Capsule. I would love to make that HDD the source for all photos and music so any of my macs can use this source location.
In essence, I want to use the HDD attached to the Time Capsule to serve as the lone storage source for all my photos and music, and have any of my macs seek these files when iTunes or iPhoto is opened on any machine.
Can I do this? If not, any ideas? I am trying to avoid requiring a HDD plugged into my laptop all the time. It kind of defeats the purpose of "laptop" in my mind. I also switch computers frequently and want to use all the same source files.
Thanks!!

In essence, I want to use the HDD attached to the Time Capsule to serve as the lone storage source for all my photos and music, and have any of my macs seek these files when iTunes or iPhoto is opened on any machine.
Can I do this
Yes, but I guess I'm wondering how you will backup the important data on that drive attached to the Time Capsule. Time Machine cannot do this, so you would have to add yet another drive and manually backup the files or use another commercial application that can backup from a network drive to another network drive.
The better plan might be to add an external USB or FireWire drive attached to a Mac and move all the media there. Then, Time Machine will backup both the Mac and the attached hard drive.
The experts in the iPhoto forum strongly advise against moving your iPhoto library to the Time Capsule or another network drive attached to the USB port on the TIme Capsule.....especially if you are using wireless. Any disruption when iPhoto is writing to the library can create corruption issues that will likely damage the entire library.
Suggest that you post over in the iPhoto support area to ask the same question. But, be prepared for a lecture if iPhoto guru Terence Devlin answers your post.
iPhoto
Instructions for moving the iTunes library are available in the link below. I've tried this and found that access to the files on the network drive is s-l-o-w. Not the ideal solution by any means, unless you like waiting. And, you'll still have to figure out how to backup these files.
iTunes for Windows: Moving your iTunes Media folder

External HDD to 2T Time Capsule?

My 2T TC has 824G available, not enuf to back up my big ol' MacPro. I want to add to the TC the 1.5T external HDD I was using for TM before I added drives to the MacPro. I would prefer not to lose the existing backups on the external HDD. Possible? Spring 2010 issue TC. Guidance appreciated.

If you were using Time Machine to back up to that HDD when it was mounted locally, the problem is that Time Machine organizes local backups differently from network backups. See item 18 in this post for more information. About 2/3rds down that page is a procedure number 3, which described a related process. You won't follow the exact same procedure, as those backups already exist on that disk.

Can I use one 2tb external hard drive for time capsule and file storage?

I would like to use time capsule, but also keep the hard drive on my desktop for file storage. Can I do this?

Apple advises against doing that.
Any data stored on the disk that Time Machine is backing up to can not be backed up.
Plus the data outside of the Time Machine backup database cause problems when Time Machine starts cleaned up old backups to recover space for new backups.
For these reason it is advised that the Time Capsule disk be used for one or the other but not both.
Allan

I just got my first MacBook pro and dedicated an external hard drive for time capsule. I also have a WD 3TB hard drive with all my old files, photos and movies (mostly from a pc). My Mac book pro would not allow me to add or delete any files from this har

This hard drive so I copies all the files (400gb worth) to my time capsule hard drive (WD 3 TB but set up by the Mac book pro). Now I am not sure what I need to do. I wiped the other WD hard drive cleAn on my pc and want to set it up in a way that I can access the files on both a pc and a Mac. If I partition it on my MacBook pro will this work? If I do it do I need to save the file twice on both the pc and Mac partitions or simply by partitioning it the hard drive will ave files in both formats regardless of if it's from a pc or a Mac. X
Thanks

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Maximum supported HDD size for HP Elitebook 8440p runing Windows 7 Pro 64 Bit

Hello, I've just purchased an HP Elitebook 8440p "Off Lease" from Tigerdirect and am looking to upgrade both memory (from 4 GB to 8 GB) and put in the largest allowable HDD I can. Either a 512 GB SSD or a 1TB WD Hybrid WD BLACK2 (1 TB HDD / 120 GB SSD Combo drive in One Package!). I would appreciate knowing the Largest Addressable HDD using Windows 7 Pro 64 Bit OS since I don't seem to able to find that info on the web. HP only offers only a 256 GB SSD in its Specs. but I wasn't sure if that was do to BIOS limitations or availability at time of production, same for HDD at 512 GB.
Also, I would like to know if the Drive Bay's 9.5mm compliant which it needs to be for the WD drive. Can't find that either and while the new laptop has yet to arrive, not everyone measures precisely the same way as to what will work and what just can't be "cheated".
Thank you for taking the time to read this and ANY information along these lines would be Greatl Appreciated!
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi,
You can install 1TB HDD or SSD (even more), no problem. Many SDD's now are thinner than standard 9.5mm but they normally come with with plastic or even metal part(s) to raise up to 9.5mm standard. FYI: few days ago, I installed a Crucial 960GB M500 SSD to one of my laptops to test Windows 10, it has a metal frame which allows it to fit nicely on a normal laptop HDD bay,
Regards.
BH
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Maximum External Display Size for GT70 Dominator Pro 889?

Hey all, new to the forums. I tried googling the subject question but cant seem to find anything. Just got my GT70 Dominator Pro 889, it has the 17.3 inch display, GTX 880 8 GB, 16 GB RAM, i7-4810, and a TB HD with a 128 GB SSD. I figured I'd test it out on my Samsung 60 inch LED TV. It has a refresh rate of 120 HZ and is full HD 1920x1080. I assumed the laptop could handle it but this would be the first time I tried something like this, I always used to use desktops that I build for gaming till now. I ran Max Payne 3 all graphics to the max. Now on just the laptop screen I get insanely solid frame rates, no question about that. I tried using my big screen and the game chugs and struggles with FPS under 20. My question is is my TV wayyyy too big to handle gaming from the laptop or is there something I'm missing? I know this is meant to have an additional 3 screens running at once but I figured why not with the TV but I'm aware 60 inches is a lot of ground to cover.

Hi,
What I think is that it's mainly because it's @120Hz, rather than standard 60. 1920x1080 should be easily handled, as even with my low end notebook (nvidia gt315, i3) I was using my TV @1920x1080 with 60Hz and the only fps drop was around 5 in game like Modern Warfare 2.
Also: it is capable of 3 screens, but not really for such heavy gaming. Even highest end GPU won't handle game at highest settings and with 3 screens; lower video settings a bit from highest and see how it goes. Also make sure that NB's screen is not going to be used while you use TV.

Do I need to keep my external hard drive connected at all times for time capsule?

Do I need to keep my external hard drive connected at all times for time capsule?

Hi,
I have a similar question. I have backed up my external hard drive through my computer, onto my TC. When I go into TM, it doesn't show the external hard drive unless it is connected to the computer. Can I access the info from the external hard drive that is on the TC if I don't have the hard drive plugged in? If so, how can I do that?
Thanks,
Bernadette

Use external drive for Time Capsule backups AND file storage?

I have an external drive formatted by my MBP. I'm using it to store my iTunes music library and iPhoto pics. Can I use the drive for Time Capsule backups as well?

Yes, but that is not recommended. Storage and backup should be kept separate to reduce the chances of a disk failure. This is especially important because you cannot even partition a Time Capsule drive. Go get a separate drive for your storage needs. Get another drive for a second backup and use a different method of backup than Time Machine

Time Capsule, External HDD as NAS, Time Machine Backup the NAS

Can I attach an external HDD to Time Capsule to use as a NAS? Then can I use Time Machine on my Macbook to backup both my Macbook and the NAS drive to the HDD in the Time Capsule?

Can I attach an external HDD to Time Capsule to use as a NAS?
Yes. Although it will not exactly be a NAS with its own "brains".
Then can I use Time Machine on my Macbook to backup both my Macbook and the NAS drive to the HDD in the Time Capsule?
No. In order to back up the hard drive using Time Machine, the drive must be connected to your Mac, not the Time Capsule.

Can I connect an external hard drive to Time Capsule for off site back up?

I like having a copy of everything at another site in case of a house fire. Can I connect an external hard drive to Time Capsule to make a duplicate of what is on Time Capsule? I would store that hard drive at work and bring it home monthly or something to back up Time Capsule. Thanks!

Can I connect an external hard drive to Time Capsule to make a duplicate of what is on Time Capsule?
That is exactly what the Archive function on the Time Capsule is for. Connect a USB drive and click Archive, and a mirror image of your Time Capsule will be copied over to the USB drive. It's a slow process that will take 4-8 hours depending on how much data is on the Time Capsule, so best to start things late at night and let them run overnight.
Another option would be to use a commercial application like Carbon Copy Cloner to keep your backup. The advantage to this approach is that once the first "master" backup is done, the application will only back up the changes on the Time Capsule that have occurred since the last backup. So, subsequent backups will be much faster, probably only taking about 10-15 minutes.

Why can't I use iDisk for a back-up disk for Time Capsule?

G'Day All,
I am new to apple and mostly am loving it! Being new to this product has me asking some basic questions, like ... why can't I use iDisk for a back-up disk for Time Capsule?
Here I have something like 20 gb disk space available, but it seems I need to buy an external hard drive (or an airport) in order to use, what I believe is one of apples greatest inventions, the Time Machine...
Can anyone correct my flawed understanding or, better yet, teach me how to do it properly?
Cheers
Gabriel

Gabr1el wrote:
Thank you Pondini.
Speed makes sense, but I thought I had plenty of size available ... never mind! Looking over some of the other posts, it looks as though I'd be better off with an external Hard drive than the Apple Time Capsule (if I want more than 12-18months service).
That was true of some of the ones made a couple of years ago (many of which Apple replaced way beyond the warranty period, and even some beyond the 3-year AppleCare period). Presumably Apple has fixed the power supply problem in the newer units, so they'll last longer.
If you don't have AppleCare for your Mac, I'd strongly suggest buying it. If you do, and buy a TimeCapsule, Airport, or other accessory within 2 years, it's covered, too.
But unless you need a wireless router, yes, paying for one in a Time Capsule doesn't make sense. A good external HD is a much better buy.
thank you for the links - I am still getting used to the way Apples work ...
If you haven't found these yet, you may find some handy tips here: http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/
here: http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/
and some of the other videos listed on the Time Machine Tutorial page.

Best practices with external drives connected to Time Capsule?

I'm enjoying my new MBP but the storage limitations are a challenge with twenty+ years of data. I know it's not technically sanctioned by Apple but in another forum I found a discussion about successfully connecting an external drive to the Time Capsule. I tried this for a few months and had some problems, so I wonder if anyone here might have some insight into which of my drives would be best to use in this way and what, if anything, I must do to bless it for the task.
The drive most highly recommended in the forums at the time is the WD My Book. After buying it I learned that is Windows users install a package and update the driver for use with Time Machine, which Mac users are not able to do. The driver is available on the web but it's said to cause problems with Mountain Lion, which I can confirm. It's USB 3.0 and powered, though, which my two alternatives are not. It's also 2 TB and presently in two partitions. I also have a Seagate Free Agent GoFlex 500 which gets extremely hot with any use and an Iomega eGo Helium 500 I've been using for backups. Both are USB 2.0.
My goal is to put my iTunes Library and Time Capsule on the net (running 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz, averages 50Mbs). When I did this for a few months with the WD both its shares frequently dropped off my Desktop, as if powered down or something. Also there were the issues with Time Machine many others are having. Right now our video collection sits on the Time Capsule. Would it make sense to move our video to the WD and run iTunes and Time Machine on it? If so, do you have any tips for formatting, petitioning, or drivers (or anything else) to help this run smoothly? The WD works fine when hard-wired and the TC, too is fine without the WD at the party.
With apologies for the tome.

kevlee64 wrote:
Thanks, but the drive is connected directly to the back of the Time Capsule by an ethernet cable.
Ah, that's a different colored horse.
You have a NAS (Network Attached Storage) drive, not a USB external drive connected to the USB port.
Many of those need software/firmware updates to work with Lion. Check with Iomega.

Maximum External HDD Size for Time Capsule?

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