Time Capsule backup for multiple users

I have my iMac setup so that each member of my family has their own account. I am the administrator. When I run a time capsule backup is it backing up their files as well or do I need to create a backup for their accounts.
If I create individual backups for their accounts will it backup the shared files like the applications or just files specific to their accounts? Is this something I need to control by selecting what files to exclude in the preferences
Time capsule seems great for simple backups but concerns me if I ever have a HD crash. It seems very difficult to restore a backup to a new mac if I ever have to do that. Does anyone else have this concern? I am considering buying another external drive and use SuperDuper to create full bootable backups at least once every 6 months or so.
Thanks,
Gil

It is much harder to check what Time Machine has backed up.. you can assume that everything currently needed to reproduce the same setup on another computer is there.
To double check you must spend a bit of time understanding both how Time Machine works and how to restore from it.
Read up a bit from Pondini's excellent KnowledgeBase of articles.
http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
Q7-9 are highly relevant.
Also go back to the main page and read the main articles on how TM works.
I must also say at the moment, on Yosemite in particular, I would not fully trust Time Machine.
I encourage people to make a bootable clone using Carbon Copy Cloner for example to a USB drive. You do not need to do it continually but the clone makes for a much easier return to normal.. since you can simply change boot disks. It costs $40 and is excellent value.. there are others you can buy.. and I am not connected to CCC in any way.. other than I use it and been amazed at what a great piece of software it is.

Similar Messages

  • Time Machine backup with multiple user accounts

    How do I backup a machine using a Time Capsule/Time Machine that contains multiple user accounts? Ultimately I'd like to flexibility of using the Restore from Time Machine Backup command to port the user data of one account onto a new Mac. Thanks for any insight.

    If Time Machine is enabled in one account, then when that account is active Time Machine (which is set up in that account) will backup the entire drive unless you exclude something. That backup will contain everything on the drive being backed up. You can restore either account separately, but when logged into one account you will not have access to files belonging to the other account. You can restore individual files and folders from either account, however.

  • Time Capsule support for multiple XBoxes?

    I've read many posts about how to configure Airport Extreme and Time Capsule devices to support XBox Live, but they all focus on configuring network traffic to support a single XBox by forwarding ports to a static or reserved IP address for the XBox.
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  • Does time capsule backup two separate users with their individual passwords or how do you set that up?

    I Have two separate users on my computer and want the backups to reflect that. I don't want one user to have access to my stuff and vice versa.  Does time capsule do this automatically or do you set this up somehow?

    TM does the whole computer.. it is designed for home setup.. where people not that worried about security.
    It is always possible for any user to access any other users account.. given enough time and skill. TM backups make it easier in a way.. I have tested it myself and I can recover TM backups from unknown user in a Time Capsule with an unknown password. It was tricky but anyone with brains can read the net.
    There are solutions.. as I said.. if you are worried you should be using Encryption. Never depend on passwords in a shared computer to prevent access.
    If your files are encrypted then even if a person recovers them they cannot read them without the key.
    It may need for your files to be on a separate partition.
    See Pondini's info on file vault and interaction with Time Machine.
    http://pondini.org/TM/25.html
    Of course for a person to hack in.. they have to want to do it.. in most people's home situation that is not a hassle.
    For a business setup you would be using superior security.. proper active directory server etc.

  • Mavericks kill time capsule backups for office

    It seems that when I upgraded my MacBook Pro from Mountain Lion to Mavericks (using iTunes), then our Time Capsule for the whole office (shared) stopped working for everyone. It is no longer backing up anyone's computers it seems, and this is a big problem. It seems the different operating systems caused a glitch in the time machine & time capsule, and it has stopped backing up anyone's data. It won't let me restore either. The previous version is pink on the right and just shows up as black screens  - so it may be backing up Mavericks versions locally, but the Time Capsul has stopped working? I'm not sure.
    Is there a way for me to:
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    b) is there a bug fix for Time Capsule that could fix this problem?
        - maybe an automatic Maverick partition/fenced-in area for my computer, and separates other Mountain Lion backups,
        - and/or a speedbump/gate/doorway that connects Mountain Lion and Mavericks transition in Time Machine?
    Thank you for your help.

    Steve Holton 
    A backup plan should never rely on a single backup device nor a single piece of backup software.
    Eh.........., I know,....... I wrote the ARTICLE on that topic,  lol 
    very funny on that one
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6031
    Methodology to protect your data. Backups vs. Archives. Long-term data protection
    #1. Time Machine / Time Capsule
    Drawbacks:
    1. Time Machine is not bootable, if your internal drive fails, you cannot access files or boot from TM directly from the dead computer.
    2. Time machine is controlled by complex software, and while you can delve into the TM backup database for specific file(s) extraction, this is not ideal or desirable.
    3. Time machine can and does have the potential for many error codes in which data corruption can occur and your important backup files may not be saved correctly, at all, or even damaged. This extra link of failure in placing software between your data and its recovery is a point of risk and failure. A HD clone is not subject to these errors.
    4. Time machine mirrors your internal HD, in which cases of data corruption, this corruption can immediately spread to the backup as the two are linked. TM is perpetually connected (or often) to your computer, and corruption spread to corruption, without isolation, which TM lacks (usually), migrating errors or corruption is either automatic or extremely easy to unwittingly do.
    5. Time Machine does not keep endless copies of changed or deleted data, and you are often not notified when it deletes them; likewise you may accidently delete files off your computer and this accident is mirrored on TM.
    6. Restoring from TM is quite time intensive.
    7. TM is a backup and not a data archive, and therefore by definition a low-level security of vital/important data.
    8. TM working premise is a “black box” backup of OS, APPS, settings, and vital data that nearly 100% of users never verify until an emergency hits or their computers internal SSD or HD that is corrupt or dead and this is an extremely bad working premise on vital data.
    9. Given that data created and stored is growing exponentially, the fact that TM operates as a “store-it-all” backup nexus makes TM inherently incapable to easily backup massive amounts of data, nor is doing so a good idea.
    10. TM working premise is a backup of a users system and active working data, and NOT massive amounts of static data, yet most users never take this into consideration, making TM a high-risk locus of data “bloat”.
    11. TM like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
    12. *Level-1 security of your vital data.
    Advantages:
    1. TM is very easy to use either in automatic mode or in 1-click backups.
    2. TM is a perfect novice level simplex backup single-layer security save against internal HD failure or corruption.
    3. TM can easily provide a seamless no-gap policy of active data that is often not easily capable in HD clones or HD archives (only if the user is lazy is making data saves).
    #2. HD archives
    Drawbacks:
    1. Like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
    2. Unless the user ritually copies working active data to HD external archives, then there is a time-gap of potential missing data; as such users must be proactive in archiving data that is being worked on or recently saved or created.
    Advantages:
    1. Fills the gap left in a week or 2-week-old HD clone, as an example.
    2. Simplex no-software data storage that is isolated and autonomous from the computer (in most cases).
    3. HD archives are the best idealized storage source for storing huge and multi-terabytes of data.
    4. Best-idealized 1st platform redundancy for data protection.
    5. *Perfect primary tier and level-2 security of your vital data.
    #3. HD clones (see below for full advantages / drawbacks)
    Drawbacks:
    1. HD clones can be incrementally updated to hourly or daily, however this is time consuming and HD clones are, often, a week or more old, in which case data between today and the most fresh HD clone can and would be lost (however this gap is filled by use of HD archives listed above or by a TM backup).
    2. Like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
    Advantages:
    1. HD clones are the best, quickest way to get back to 100% full operation in mere seconds.
    2. Once a HD clone is created, the creation software (Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper) is no longer needed whatsoever, and unlike TM, which requires complex software for its operational transference of data, a HD clone is its own bootable entity.
    3. HD clones are unconnected and isolated from recent corruption.
    4. HD clones allow a “portable copy” of your computer that you can likewise connect to another same Mac and have all your APPS and data at hand, which is extremely useful.
    5. Rather than, as many users do, thinking of a HD clone as a “complimentary backup” to the use of TM, a HD clone is superior to TM both in ease of returning to 100% quickly, and its autonomous nature; while each has its place, TM can and does fill the gap in, say, a 2 week old clone. As an analogy, the HD clone itself is the brick wall of protection, whereas TM can be thought of as the mortar, which will fill any cracks in data on a week, 2-week, or 1-month old HD clone.
    6. Best-idealized 2nd platform redundancy for data protection, and 1st level for system restore of your computers internal HD. (Time machine being 2nd level for system restore of the computer’s internal HD).
    7. *Level-2 security of your vital data.
    #4. Online archives
    Drawbacks:
    1. Subject to server failure or due to non-payment of your hosting account, it can be suspended.
    2. Subject, due to lack of security on your part, to being attacked and hacked/erased.
    Advantages:
    1. In case of house fire, etc. your data is safe.
    2. In travels, and propagating files to friends and likewise, a mere link by email is all that is needed and no large media needs to be sent across the net.
    3. Online archives are the perfect and best-idealized 3rd platform redundancy for data protection.
    4. Supremely useful in data isolation from backups and local archives in being online and offsite for long-distance security in isolation.
    5. *Level-1.5 security of your vital data.
    #5. DVD professional archival media
    Drawbacks:
    1. DVD single-layer disks are limited to 4.7Gigabytes of data.
    2. DVD media are, given rough handling, prone to scratches and light-degradation if not stored correctly.
    Advantages:
    1. Archival DVD professional blank media is rated for in excess of 100+ years.
    2. DVD is not subject to mechanical breakdown.
    3. DVD archival media is not subject to ferromagnetic degradation.
    4. DVD archival media correctly sleeved and stored is currently a supreme storage method of archiving vital data.
    5. DVD media is once written and therefore free of data corruption if the write is correct.
    6. DVD media is the perfect ideal for “freezing” and isolating old copies of data for reference in case newer generations of data become corrupted and an older copy is needed to revert to.
    7. Best-idealized 4th platform redundancy for data protection.
    8. *Level-3 (highest) security of your vital data. 
    [*Level-4 data security under development as once-written metallic plates and synthetic sapphire and likewise ultra-long-term data storage]
    #6. Cloud based storage
    Drawbacks:
    1. Cloud storage can only be quasi-possessed.
    2. No genuine true security and privacy of data.
    3. Should never be considered for vital data storage or especially long-term.
    4. *Level-0 security of your vital data. 
    Advantages:
    1. Quick, easy and cheap storage location for simplex files for transfer to keep on hand and yet off the computer.
    2. Easy source for small-file data sharing.

  • How to delete Time Capsule backups for old discs?

    Does anyone know how I can delete a no longer needed backup for my old Powerbook and reclaim the disc space it's taking up? 1TB Time Capsule getting low on space, but I don't want to erase the whole drive, just the Powerbook backup.
    I can't see it from the Time Machine interface, just the one for the MacBook I now use, but I can see it as a sparseimage in the FInder. The problem is that deleting the sparseimage from the Finder just doesn't work. Dialogue box states "Deleting…" and "0 items to be deleted" but stays open forever and the file never gets deleted.
    Any help would be much appreciated as I'm driving myself nuts with this...

    ee601 wrote:
    Ok, it's 4 hours now since deleting the sparsebundle with the TC connected directly, and the Trash dialogue window says "The operation can’t be completed because the item “bands” is in use." Does that give any clues?
    unfortunately not.
    how comfy would you be to erase your TC's HD ? I mean, would you be willing to completely start over ? via airport utility, you have the option to erase your TC's HD, which of course would mean also to erase all other sparsebundles on it.
    generally, TM backups to a TC should be only *one part* of an overall backup strategy. besides using TM to backup my machines to my TC, i make bootable clones of both regularly.
    anyways, post back if you decide to +start over+ - the necessary steps can be provided ...

  • Time Capsule backup for external libraries

    I am currently keeping my itunes and iphoto libraries on a permanently connected external drive. Question, will time machine backup these libraries to time capsule? Or do they need to be on the same drive as the OS.

    Question, will time machine backup these libraries to time capsule?
    Time Machine will backup the entire drive.....IF...
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    2) The drive is formatted for Mac in Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
    3) The drive has not been excluded from Time Machine backups. By default, surprisingly it is excluded, so you must go into Time Machine Preferences and change the setting for the drive so that it will be backed up.

  • Problem with Time Machine backup for multiple drives

    Time Machine has the ability to exclude drives attached to the system via usb, firewire, etc. I have an external USB drive attached directly to my MacBook (not via a hub). I want to include this in my backup, so I removed it from the exclusions list under Option in the Time Machine preferences. Since I have done this, my backup to my 1TB Time Capsule stops at 128K. When I put this drive on the exclusions list or eject the drive, the backup is successful. I have tried backups over both Ethernet and Wi-Fi, and get the same results.
    The files on the USB drive are important to me and I really need to be able to include them in my Time Machine backups. I would prefer not to have to get a second external drive to copy my files to as a backup. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
    Thank you
    JDBTek

    If the HFS+ USB HDD is connected directly to the MacBook, TM should be able to back it up. Sorry, I don't have any other suggestions.

  • Time Capsule backup for a PC

    I have a 1 TB Time Capsule set up as a bridge on my network. It is able to backup my twp MacBooks wirelessly without problems. I have two wired PC's that are able to see the TC. How do perform a backup to the TC with the PC? Can I use the windows b/u software to do this? How do I direct it to it?

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  • How do i set up my time capsule wifi for many users

    hello ..
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    1) to our wifi is connected printer, so everybody can print...
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    You often see this limit of 10 clients in wireless hotspots but I have yet to see it in an adsl modem.. most strange way to pay for a service that is really irrelevant how many clients you use.
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  • Purge all Time Machine backups for a single user

    On my iMac I have my regular user account and a separate "admin" account that I use when things get goofy and I need to back completly out of my system and make sure nothing is in the way when doing admin related tasks.
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    I don't recommend deleting Time Machine snapshots. If you have multiple backup volumes, which you should have, and you need to repurpose one of them, you should just erase it. But if you want to try it anyway, and if you're running OS X 10.8 or later (not any older version), see below.
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  • Reinstalling data from Time Capsule, but for only one user

    Hello!
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    Anna Scott wrote:
    Hello!
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