Time capsule backups and transfer confusion

I recently got my new MacBook Pro and I decided to try and transfer all my files from my old MacBook Pro's backup on my time capsule, however, instead of transfering all the info in the beginning, I waited to do it after creating a new account. All the files transfered but they did not transfer as expected. I thought that the backup would transfer my entire backup into my new account but it didn't do that. I now have two accounts, the new one and the old one, my old one works fine but now I have this new one with only some stuff. I want to merge the two so I can have one. I planned on going through to restore my MacBook as if it was first booting but now I have two backups and i cant access either of them to restore the MacBook with. I have no idea what to do.

Yes, that's why it's best, by far, to use Setup Assistant when the new Mac first starts up. (We've asked Apple to change the wording on that window many times, to no avail ).
In theory, you can delete the new account and just use the transferred one. But that account most likely won't have permission to the older backups.
Your best bet is probably to start over, using one of the workarounds (probably #4) in the green box of Problems after using Migration Assistant. The pink box there will explain the permissions issue.
Alternatively, you might be able to copy the new items to the transferred account, per Transferring files from one User Account to another, but that won't fix the permissions problem.

Similar Messages

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

Attempting to use Migration Assistant to restore a Time Capsule backup to a mounted partitioned drive?

Had a power surge and my Mac Pro did not fare well. Was able to boot from one of the drives in read only mode, so I did a Time Capsule backup of everything on the drive. Reinstalled Mountain Lion. Booted the computer up and am trying to use Migration Assistant to take the Time Capsule backup and restore it to the 1TB drive. When I use Migration Assistant, it says that there is not enough space on the drive to do the restore. I looked in Disk Utility and saw that the start up disk is another one of the 1TB drives with about 600GB used, therefore not enough space to do the restore. I want to restore to the original drive, but it says it is a "Mounted Partitioned Drive". Can I use Migration Assistant to restore a Time Capsule backup to this mounted partitioned drive?
Thanks in advance for any help - greatly appreciated.

I am not sure, never had to go there, I have multiple bootable clones of the system online and off, and a couple 1500VA/900W UPS units powering everything.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427
http://www.recovermymac.co.uk/data-recovery/time-capsule-data-recovery/
This is a great article:
http://pondini.org/OSX/SetupLion.html
Most questions about TimeCapsule and TimeMachine are under Mac OS X forum as in -
https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os/os_x_mountain_lion#/?tagSet=1468

How to connect my new MacBook Air to a LaCie hard disk with TIme Capsule backup from my old Imac? LaCie has USB 2.0, FireWire and eSata ports.

How can I connect my new MacBook Air to a LaCie hard disk with TIme Capsule backup from my old Imac? LaCie has USB 2.0, FireWire and eSata ports.

You can direct connect your MBA to the LaCie via USB 2 cable. If you have an Apple Airport Router you can USB connect the LaCie drive to the router and then use Airport Utility to configure it. Time Machine can access it either way.

HT201250 my time capsule is taking too much time indexing backup and then taking longer time to back up ( 207 days ) or longer !!! what shall i do ?

my time capsule is taking too much time indexing backup and then taking longer time to back up ( 207 days ) or longer !!! what shall i do ?

Try 10.7.5 supplemental update.
This update seems to have solved this problem for many.
Best.

Time capsule as time machine backup and NAS?

I've read the TC section of the website and notice a blurb about computers able to connect to it as a HDD.
I realize the device has yet to be released but was wondering about this. I have a handfull of macs and a handfull of xp machines on my network (wired and wireless)
1 of my XP machine is just used as a file server. (1.5TB NTFS formated holding all video/audio/docs as well as having iTunes running to download HD podcast) All computers (Mac/XP) can access this. Five of my XP computers are MCE2005 which are configured to record SD and HD shows directly to this box.
I have yet to have a HFS formated drive to actually do time machine backups and I would like to start. I understand that going with TC I will loose some abilities I currently have by running a dedicated computer/file server but I like the fact that it is small and self contained.
I just want to make sure I understand the specifiations correctly. Can I make a various folders on TC and then map it to my Mac/XP machines via windows naming convention (ie \\TimeMachine\RecordedTV\)
I am in the process of upgrading my file server so this would be a perfect time to think about going this route. Should TC not meet my needs I will continue with my build of a Raid 5 server.

Until we get more information, at the present time the only certain thing we know about Time Capsule is that it will support TimeMachine backups.
What we don't know:
1. whether TimeMachine backups to network drives other than Time Capsule will ever be supported
2. whether the Time Capsule internal drive can be used for general file storage, or only Time Machine backups. Current information on Apple's web site could be interpreted either way. I suspect it can be used for general file storage - but that is just my opinion.
If it is not essential that you make a purchasing decision before Time Capsule ships within the next month (and more detailed information becomes available) I suggest you wait. My two cents worth of opinion - if it is general file storage that you want, and Time Machine automated backups are not a priority on the "wish list", then I think you would be far better off setting up your own network file server rather than using Time Capsule for this purpose.

I just installed a larger hard drive, and used my Time Machine Backup to transfer my info back to the new hard drive. When I open Iphoto, my thumnails are there, but they aren't linked back to the actual photos.I see the photos in my HD. What should I do

I just installed a larger hard drive, and used my Time Machine Backup to transfer my files back to the new hard drive. When I open Iphoto, my thumbnails are there, but they aren't linked back to the actual photos. I see the original photo files in my HD. Is there a way to link the Iphoto thumbnails back to the original files?

Use the Firewire cable and t boot the old Mac's hard drive to the new Mac's desktop and transfer your entire iPhoto folder.
Use Disk Utiliy to erase'format HFS+ Journaled your TimeMachine drive and use the free Carbon Copy Cloner and clone your new boot drive to the external, it's hold option bootable.

Using a Time Capsule for Time Machine backups and as a data drive

Hi There....can I use my Apple Time Capsule for my Time Machine backups and as a drive I can put data on?

Yes, you can use your time capsule as a drive for data. If you create a disk image, you reserve a certain amount of space for that image. Time Machine will respect that space and leave the disk image alone even if there is a large amount of unused space on the image.
If you create a folder, it starts with zero space until you add data to it. The folder can be as large as you would like as long as the space is available on the TC.
So, each has an advantage. The disk image will reserve the space until you fill it up and the folder will not. But, the folder can be as large as you would like as long as the TC has space available.
Your next question might be can you change the size of a disk image after it has been created? I haven't tried this, but think you probably could.
For most users, I think the folder concept is probably simpler for them to use and easier to understand. But more advanced users may favor the disk image concept if they feel that space will be at a premium on the disk.

I got an error message saying "an error occurred while creating the backup folder". I have tried deleting the plist and am using the latest time capsule software and using OS Lion Any ideas what to do please?

got an error message saying "an error occurred while creating the backup folder". I have tried deleting the plist and am using the latest time capsule software and using OS Lion Any ideas what to do please?

See #C10 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.

Can the time capsule be used as both a time machine backup and NAS storage

Can the time capsule be used as both a time machine backup and NAS storage? I want to use the drive as external, wireless storage for all of my files so all my PCs, MACs and iOS devices can access the files. Plus, I want to use the drive for backing up my iMac via time machine. Can the time capsule device be used for both these purposes simultaneously? If not, are the other suggestions on how I can do this?

Can the time capsule device be used for both these purposes simultaneously?
It can, but is really not recommended. Sooner or later there will be a fight for space on the drive between Time Machine and the other files.
If you have plenty of free space on the drive, you can do this......but.....have you thought about how you will back up the "other" files that are stored on the Time Capsule?

My Time Capsule backups disappeared (blank black screens) and in trying to set it up again I now find that when TC is plugged in and on (green light) it cancels out wifi reception from my router. I am only using TC as a backup not for wifi. Help!

My Time Capsule backups disappeared (blank black screens) and in trying to set it up again I now find that when TC is plugged in and on (green light) it cancels out wifi reception from my router. I am only using TC as a backup not for wifi. Can anybody help?

Sorry, you have lost me since it appears that you have two completely separate issues here.
All that I can suggest is you start over and try to set up the Time Capsule again first...and then, once that is done and the Time Capsule is working correctly on the network....then, try to troubleshoot the separate Time Machine issue.
If you decide that you want to do this, we'll need some basic information:
Make and model number of your modem?
You are using OS X Mavericks (10.9.3), correct?

Restoring an existing Time Capsule backup to a new HD

The hard drive on my 6 month old MacBook Pro failed inexplicably several days ago. After wasting half a day trying to repair the disk, I caved in and made an appointment at the dreaded "Genius" Bar.
They verified my suspicions; complete failure. They kept the laptop, ordered a new drive and two days later informed me it was fixed. I sat down and connected it to my Time Capsule with an ethernet cable. When I turned it on, it played through that now insufferable multicultural "welcome"-in-twenty-languages jam and I followed Apple's instructions +Restoring an existing Time Capsule backup to a new Mac+:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1177?viewlocale=en_US
My favorite step is #12: +Your Mac will check the Time Machine backup for a period of time.+ When that period was clearly going to be a while, I went on a run, came back 40 minutes later and...it had returned me to the initial post-willkommen-bienvenido-etc. screen where I get to choose a language. Okay, my bad for leaving it unattended. I started over at #2, and this time it only took about half an hour. It showed the folders on the Time Capsule, I selected all of them, and clicked Transfer.
Almost immediately, it dove back into the welcome song! Now, for the third time, I'm at step #12. It's been over half an hour, and still no sign of hope. Just the progress bar checking for backups.
Would they have installed Snow Leopard on my Leopard machine? I definitely told them what I had been running, but it seems like a plausible reason for the hang-ups.
Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks!

Amenity wrote:
Almost immediately, it dove back into the welcome song! Now, for the third time, I'm at step #12. It's been over half an hour, and still no sign of hope. Just the progress bar checking for backups.
Connect to your Time Capsule via Ethernet if at all possible.
After booting from your Leopard Install disc and selecting Utilities, select +Disk Utility+ and see if it can find the +sparse bundle+ containing your backups on your Time Capsule. You may have to join the network, etc., via the Airport icon in the menubar. If you can get the sparse bundle to appear in Disk Utility's sidebar, select it and do a +*Repair Disk+* (not permissions) on it.
Would they have installed Snow Leopard on my Leopard machine? I definitely told them what I had been running, but it seems like a plausible reason for the hang-ups.
That's fairly likely; it happens a lot, probably because most folks have upgraded and installing SL has become a habit. But it shouldn't matter -- as long as you're using your Leopard Install disc, it should work fine. Once the restore actually starts, the first thing that happens is your internal HD is erased, and everything is restored from your backups.
It's also possible that whatever was going wrong on your internal HD corrupted something critical in your installation of OSX, and the corrupted stuff was backed-up, and that's what's giving TM a problem. If nothing else seems to help, try restoring from a previous backup.

Can't Connect to My Time Capsule Backups, Please Help!!!

I have been using Time Machine/Time Capsule to back my data up for over a year. I bought a new MacBook Pro this morning. I did not want to use Migration Assistant to transfer everything over because there were many bugs and corruptions on my old disk and was scared that would all be transferred to my new machine. It was time for a fresh start.
I set up my new computer and transferred most of the files I needed via a flash drive. I am now trying to set up my MacBook Pro to connect to my Time Capsule backup disk via Time Machine, but once I enter Time Machine it does not allow me to go "back in time" to see all of my previous backups and restore points. There are some really important files I am trying to get to, but this computer isnt connecting to the Time Capsule backups. The old computer has already been completely reformatted, but it is still able to access the Time Capsule backups.
I have done some internet research and learned that Time Machine uses a computer's ethernet MAC address to allow access. There are some codes posted on various websites that allow to alter what Time Machine thinks you MAC address is so that you can access your backups with a new computer/different logic board. None of these Terminal workarounds worked for me. The Genius Bar and Apple Care couldn't help either.
I am hoping somebody can help me out. I understand I can use my old computer to get into Time Machine and retrieve what I need then transfer those to the new machine. But there must be a way to allow a new computer to fully access Time Capsule backups, but curiously, I can't find it. I rather have my new computer have full access because I am selling the old laptop and so I wont be able to use it to access my backups any longer.
Sorry for the long explanation, but I hope that gives someone all the facts required to both understand what I am saying and help me fix the problem.
-Amir

Right now it is just empty because I have unmounted and disconnected my Time Capsule. I'm trying a low-tech work around to see if this works, but much rather do it the "right way."
What I am doing is this:
(1) Use Migration Assistant to copy everything from the Time Capsule to the new machine (this is exactly what I was trying to avoid initially). Migration Assistant has been copying files for about 5 hours now (still not sure what is going to happen).
(2) Create a full backup on Time Capsule with my MacBook Pro now that it has everything from the Time Capsule on it.
(3) Do a fresh install of Snow Leopard.
(4) Hopefully, have the fresh start on my machine I wanted, but still have access to at least one archived copy of my old computer and files/folders.
Does this make sense? Basically, the new machine does not allow me to access the old backups. So I am handicapping the machine now by reverting to my old settings via Migration Assistant, will back that up, then start all over from scratch again but hopefully have the peace of mind that my files are not gone because I will at least have that one copy of all my old copies in a Time Capsule backup that the new machine can access.

Filled Time Capsule Backups

I have filled a Time Capsule back up, added another terabyte and now that is almost full. If I buy a 4tb can I move the other ones over to that one?

Do you really need all the old backups going back many months, if not years?
If not, erase the Time Capsule drive and start over with Time Machine backups there. You will still likely have a 6-12 month backup history or more on the other hard drive.
When the Time Capsule starts to fill up, erase the other drive and then continue backing up there. In other words, rotate the drives, so you will always have at least a 6-12 month backup history at any given time.
Few users ever need to go back more than a month or two to pick up a document that might have been deleted by mistake. And, if you buy a new Mac, and want to transfer data over from your old Mac to the new Mac to make the new Mac look just like your old Mac, the setup software will only go as far back as the most recent Time Machine backup when you set up the new Mac using Setup Assistant.
Sure, it is possible to transfer the old backups onto a 4 TB drive, but this is usually not worth the time and effort required to do this....and.....Time Machine will start over again with a new complete back up of your Mac again anyway, taking up quite a bit of space right off the bat with that and the other backups that you have moved over.

Okay so I set up my Time Capsule already and is now backing up 2 of my iMacs. Works great. What I want to know is how to use the TC to directly store files? I want to do this to delete some files but still have them on the TC for future reference..

Okay so I set up my Time Capsule already and is now backing up 2 of my iMacs. Works great. What I want to know is how to use the TC to directly store files? I want to do this to delete some files on iMac 20inch but still have them on the TC for future reference..eg some movies on iTunes. I want to directly save them on the drive so I can delete them from iTunes and gain some storage. (Ps on iMac 20 inch (it's almost full - 320 GB) when I enter time machine, a tab comes up on finder which reads "Time Machine backups" it's able to be ejected like a disc or a connected device. On the iMac 20 inch, I dragged some files onto there as if using it like a hard drive. Is this the correct method? Then I went to my 27inch iMac and saw the "Time Machine Backups" hoping to see the files I dragged from the 20inch iMac. But the files were not there except a folder that said "Backups.backupdb". Can someone help me?

It's not a good idea to use a network disk for both Time Machine backups and other things. By design Time Machine will eventually consume all the space on its output disk, which will then cause problem for your other files. I'd store those other files on an external disk connected to the Time Capsule. The problem with that is that Time Machine will only back up files that are local to your Mac. That means that you'll only have one copy of the files on or attached to your Time Capsule.
By the way, you've been misled by poor field labeling on this forum into typing a large part of your message into the field intended for the subject. In the future just type a short summary of your post into that field and type the whole message into the field below that.

Time capsule backups and transfer confusion

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