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:
 Your Time Capsule receives its IP address using DHCP.
 The network name is reset to Apple Network XXXXXX (where XXXXXX is replaced
with the last six digits of the AirPort ID).
 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.

Similar Messages

  • HT3728 Reset Time Capsule password.

    Must I reset Time Capsule in order to change my password?  (I have *not* forgotten my password; I simply want to change it.)
    Thanks.

    A) how long the password lenght it is avaiable for this time capsule
    WPA uses either a passphrase (shared secret) that is comprised of 8 to 63 characters or a fixed-length of 64 Hex characters. These can include special characters and spaces.
    B) how to reset the time capsule
    Please review the following Apple Support article for how to reset your Time Capsule.
    C) how to change the ssid
    You would change the SSID, what Apple calls the Wireless Network Name, by using the AirPort Utility, as follows:
    Run the AirPort Utility.
    Select your Time Capsule, and then, select Edit.
    Select the Network tab.
    Enter the desired name (SSID) in the Wireless Network Name field.
    Select Update, and then, allow the Time Capsule to restart.

  • Reset Time Capsule...Way to get back to the way it was?

    I accidently reset time capsule and it was saying there were 2 IP addresses being used and so the internet was not working.  I fixed the internet working by unplugging the ethernet cord and using the speed stream box we have instead, but now the time capsule is not hooked up to our mac. Do I have to completely reset all of our information? Or can I just do an update and will it go back? Thank you!

    Just turn off everything and restart in the correct order.. modem first.. followed by the main router.. if TC then TC.. then the clients.. wait 2min between each startup to allow them to finish booting and so they have the address and dhcp working.

  • I need to reset time capsule. How do I turn it off and restart it? Unplug it?

    I need to reset time capsule. How do I turn it off and restart it? Unplug it?

    Resetting an AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule FAQ
    How to reset Time Capsule

  • Resetting Time Capsule - network is OK, but no longer connects to internet

    I've set up my TC in the past and it's worked fine, but periodic printer or router updates have caused problems and I think I need to completely reset it.
    My setup is an ISP-suppled Orange Livebox Mini router connecting to the internet, an iMac plugged in by ethernet (connects to internet OK) and my TC connected to this router by ethernet. My MacBook Pro then connects wirelessly to the TC network. This setup means I don't need to have two wireless networks, I can disable the Livebox router's wireless network and use only the Time Capsule wireless. However, that's not working. I can create a wireless network with my MacBook Pro but the TC is unable to get an internet connection despite being connected by ethernet to the router. I think I need a total reset but even when I do a manual reset by sticking a pin in the tiny button on the back of the TC, when Airport Utility finds the TC to recreate a wireless network, I find the old settings. I feel this is, or should be, simple stuff as I managed to set it up before, but this time it's just not happening. For a long time I thought this was just a problem with wireless settings on my Lexmark printer and waited for the Apple/Lexmark updates to come through, but now I think my TC settings need to be flushed out. One thing that looks odd to me is the IP address on the TC. It's 169.xxx.xxx.xxx, I thought it should be nearer the range specified by the Livebox router, something more like 192.168.x.x
    thanks.

    Oh joy and happiness, I solved it myself, and I owe it to the community to give some details for the benefit of anyone with the same problem searching on terms like Orange Livebox Mini.
    I solved it by racking my brains till inspiration came - that it was a very very well hidden setting on the router itself that was the problem, nothing to do with Time Capsule. I had called Orange to fix this before, but had forgotten that this little setting needs changing from its default every time you reset the router.
    When you have to reset your Orange Livebox router, they more than likely won't ask about your entire setup, they will get one of your computers working by connecting it by ethernet to the primary ethernet port, numbered '1' on the back and with a red stripe next to it. But there are two, number 2 has a yellow coloured stripe and if your main computer, in my case the (desktop) iMac right next to the router goes into ethernet port 1, you will want to connect your Time Capsule into the second, yellow ethernet port. However, that port is not set to work automatically for anything to connect to, it's set up for digital tv. You need to go into your Orange admin page for the router, found by going to 192.168.1.1 on your browser and logging in (remember 'admin' is the magic and default password to get you in. If you have to do a manual reset because you changed and forgot your password, the magic word gets you back in). Once logged in, select 'services' in the menu on the left, then 'digital tv' and then select the 'disable' button. I know, you'd never have found it and never have guessed that's what you need to do to open up the second ethernet, but you now have two ethernet ports into the router and your TC goes into the second work.
    Also wanted to say that my TC has actually been flawless in its performance. Not always easy for simpletons like me to set up, but the hardware has always worked. Printer updates and, I think, Apple OS updates remain a problem as they can throw the printer off, but I must remember to keep my nerve - TC is basically right on, it's just the various different ways to get at it - Network Diagnostics, Airport Utility that confuse me.

  • Time Capsule backup cannot be seen on new MAC after resetting Time Capsule and changing password.

    I have backed up my MAC to Time Capsule with Time Machine, erased HDD and clean installed OX Yosemite. After installation I have to reconfigure Wi Fi, so I reset my Time Capsule changed password. Now I cannot see my previous back up on reinstalled MAC. Neither on TM nor on the Manual search. In finder appeared new disk. I am pretty sure that old files are still there. Can anybody suggest how to retrieve them.

    This sounds like classic Yosemite.
    What you did is fine.. there is no way to delete the backups via the reset button.
    What I would suggest is a new clean setup of the TC again.. use a full factory reset.
    Factory reset universal
    Power off the TC.. ie pull the power cord or power off at the wall.. wait 10sec.. hold in the reset button.. be gentle.. power on again still holding in reset.. and keep holding it in for another 10sec. You may need some help as it is hard to both hold in reset and apply power. It will show success by rapidly blinking the front led. Release the reset.. and wait a couple of min for the TC to reset and come back with factory settings. If the front LED doesn’t blink rapidly you missed it and simply try again. The reset is fairly fragile in these.. press it so you feel it just click and no more.. I have seen people bend the lever or even break it. I use a toothpick as tool.
    N.B. None of your files on the hard disk of the TC are deleted.. this simply clears out the router settings of the TC.
    Redo the setup from the airport utility in the Yosemite computer..
    Do not use the recommend names.. use really short names.. no spaces and pure alphanumeric.
    eg TCgenx and TCwifi for basestation and wireless names.
    You can also setup wireless password as before but I strongly recommend 8-20 character pure alphanumeric mixed case and numbers.. no characters outside of that.
    Then mount the TC manually in finder.
    Go, Connect to server.
    Type in the TC IP address if at all possible.. it is more likely to be reliable than using name.
    SMB://10.0.1.1 (replace with your IP but it should be static.. that is default)
    Or
    SMB://TCgenx.local (use whatever name you have given it.. plus the domain which is always local)
    when asked for the disk password supply it and save in the keychain. Then open the disk in finder and you should see your sparsebundle in there.. from migrate assistant you should now be able to see your backup.

  • How to reset Time Capsule Hard Drive?

    Upgraded to Mountain Lion.
    Have Airport Utility 6.x
    Have a 2 TB Time Capsule, partioned to 1 TB disk and 1TB Time Machine Backup when I originally set it up.
    Removed all files from te 1TB disk and cannot re-partion the disk to use the entier 2TB.  Cannot even see the 1TB back up with Disk Utility.
    Thoughts on how to reset?

    So, the disk utility only shows the 1TB partition....bizarre.

  • Why do i get an error after resetting Time Capsule?

    Hi *,
    I recently reset (and also factory reset) my Time Capsule. It showed up in AirPort Utility.
    Then after 10 mins (or less), when i open up the AirPort utility again, i get this error:
    "Time Capsule was previously part of your network. Check that it is still in range of your network and is plugged into a power outlet. Click forget to remove this base station from this network."
    The light on the TC is green and steady and it is absolutely in the range of my netwrok. I also have the LAN cable plugged in. Please let me know what am i doing wrong.
    Regards,
    Arindam.

    Remove at least one of the networks.. so use ethernet.. turn wireless right off.
    If you still have issues.. tell us.

  • Resetting Time Capsule password remotely

    JUst got my MacBook Pro back from Apple repair & it's been reset to factory settings. Trying to transfer my info back onto it from Time Machine  says I need to enter my password for the Time Capsule server. The password I have isn't working and all the info I can find on retrieving/resetting the password says to soft reset the Time Machine, but that doesn't help me since I need my laptop to then change its settings (which I can't usesince it hasn't been set up yet). Argh. Any way I can change the password from my iPad while it's in soft reset Mode? I'I'm kind of stuck otherwise.Thanks!

    Download the AirPort Utility App to your iPad and try that.

  • Reset time capsule password

    OK, have just had a new hard drive put in my IMAC 27. Am now trying to retreive the data that is stored on my Time Capsule. But, have forgotten password.I have done the soft reset but have not been given any chance to enter the defualt password. How do I that and then creat a new password for the Time Capsule? OS is the latest Mavericks.

    Ok, because it is not connected by wireless to the TC direct, it is not finding it.. this nonsense came in with recent updates..
    Try mounting the TC manually.
    First of all discover it.
    I have been trying to work out how to easily do this but the best so far is to open Network Utility.
    Go to the netstat tab and run a scan.
    Look down the list and find the TC.. mine is named TCgen4 which I have done deliberately to aid network.. Apple long names with spaces and apostrophe are not legal so it will actually appear differently.
    Note also that the name has domain, and this has proven important to Mavericks .. whereas other versions had no problems or less problems at least.
    Firstly find its IP address. Open a terminal and type in the name as per netstat.. I just tried it and had to use the domain.
    miniray:~ Ray$ ping tcgen4
    ping: cannot resolve tcgen4: Unknown host
    miniray:~ Ray$ ping tcgen4.local
    PING tcgen4.local (192.168.2.201): 56 data bytes
    64 bytes from 192.168.2.201: icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=2.673 ms
    64 bytes from 192.168.2.201: icmp_seq=1 ttl=255 time=3.728 ms
    64 bytes from 192.168.2.201: icmp_seq=2 ttl=255 time=1.053 ms
    64 bytes from 192.168.2.201: icmp_seq=3 ttl=255 time=1.775 ms
    64 bytes from 192.168.2.201: icmp_seq=4 ttl=255 time=3.742 ms
    64 bytes from 192.168.2.201: icmp_seq=5 ttl=255 time=1.230 ms
    64 bytes from 192.168.2.201: icmp_seq=6 ttl=255 time=3.886 ms
    64 bytes from 192.168.2.201: icmp_seq=7 ttl=255 time=3.576 ms
    ^C
    --- tcgen4.local ping statistics ---
    8 packets transmitted, 8 packets received, 0.0% packet loss
    round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 1.053/2.708/3.886/1.121 ms
    In finder use Go, Connect to Server..
    Type in the TC name. Or just the IP address as shown above. 
    AFP://TCname.local (exactly as shown in netstat) Or AFP://TCIPaddress so in my case it is 192.168.2.201
    The computer should then be able to discover it.
    Let me suggest though, that if you are trying to recover a large amount of material.. move the TC to the iMac, plug it in by ethernet and do the restore in isolation to the network.

  • Error Message Resetting Time Capsule

    I have been trying to reset my time capsule and keep getting the following message after I do a factory reset. "an unexpected error occurred. Try again." I am using Mac OS X Lion 10.7.5  and airport utility version  6.3. I have tried a soft reset, a hard seset and both factory resets. I keep getting the same error message. It finds the time capsule, finds the wireless router, but then I get the above error message. Any suggestions?

    Ok, got you..
    This is a poor setup since you have no ethernet connection. And setting up join a wireless network can be a pain in the latest version of the utility.
    What computer are you using.. it is possible to do a dual network setup.. where the computer gets internet via wireless but backs up over ethernet. This is easy on a desktop and perhaps also ok if you have a laptop with an ethernet port.. unlike some of the new ones.. and don't carry it around much.
    Or you need to join the TC to the existing wireless network.. this will give super slow response to the TC and backups going through the whole system so that it exposes the TC to the whole network. Not really a good idea.
    To set that up though you can do it using the v5.6 utility.
    Download and install it into your Lion computer.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1482
    Go to manual setup.
    Go to the airport and wireless page.
    Hold down the option key when you select wireless.
    This will reveal other modes that are hidden including "join a wireless network"
    It can be done also in the 6.3 utility.. but it is rather less clear what you are doing.
    You need to reset the TC.. and then wait until it show up in the wireless listing under airport icon.. you can then select it and it will open airport utility.. and it should offer you to join the existing wireless network.

  • If i reset time capsule, how about data on disk?

    hi everyone..
    i have time capsule 2TB, if i reset by press little button on back of unit, how about my backup data on time capsule? isn't format?
    thank you

    The reset button will only reset the network settings on the Time Capsule.
    A reset has absolutely nothing to do with the data on the Time Capsule hard drive. The only way that you would lose that would be to perform a completely separate Erase Disk operation, then confirm again that you do really do want to Erase Disk.

  • How to reset time capsule password

    How can I reset my computers password as well as my time capsules. I cannot remember either

    Well the TC is easy.. press the reset for 1-2sec and it will set all passwords to default for 5min to give you a chance to fix them.
    If you have forgotten your computer password you might be in bigger trouble. Look that up for your computer or OS.

  • When you reset Time Capsule does it start from scratch again?

    After some problems with my Time Capsule, I decided to reset it and start again.  The first back up took forever and the next 10 or so also took a long time. I noticed that it was backing up a lot of data. It now seems to have settled down and is only backing up small amounts each hour ( I presume these are things I have created or altered since the last back up ).
    So am I correct in thinking that a reset makes it compare and back up everything that is already on the TC before the reset?   The TC is a mysterious machine!

    rowanyarn wrote:
    The TC is a mysterious machine!
    the TC is just a wi-fi router with a built-in hard drive. the magic (mystery) lies within time machine, the backup software that's backing up your Mac to the TC.
    rowanyarn wrote:
    So am I correct in thinking that a reset makes it compare and back up everything that is already on the TC before the reset?
    no. have a look here.

  • Will resetting time capsule erase my backups?

    I can no longer so backups on my time capsule.  If I reset it will I lose my backups on it?

    Thanks for your efforts.  Let me add, I mentioned the dates only because I don't know it Apple came out with an update which may have contributed about that date. 
    But here is something else that may be much more important.  Messing around one night with my MacBook Pro and trying to make it so I could share files back and forth with my wife's MacBook Pro, I went into the permissions settings on my root directory and changed them.  It made my system unuseable at the time and I had to reinstall my Operating System, Snow Lepord.  After that install is when I found out I could no longer back up to my Time Capsule.
    Seeing my wife's MacBook Pro gets the same message as mine, could it be that somehow it changed things on my Time Capsule?  What's odd is I have full access to the Time Capsule over the network, just can't use the Time Machine.

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