Time Capsule VERY slow ethernet back-up on my iMac

Question

Hi anyone who can help....I'm getting really frustrated with Time machine
It seems quite afew people are experiencing problems with TC....
BUT they all seem to have different issues. Mine is simple.
As a wireless network it works just fine, last weekend i had some friends over and we had 4 laptops going at once - speed was fine
Backing up - My G4 powerbook works FLAWLESSLY, backing up wirelessly.
BUT...My G4 iMac (connected directly via ethernet cable) hasn't been able to do a back-up since got it. It gets stuck on preparing or takes day's (Yep DAY's) to do a few 100 MB.....
Obvoiusly the TC is working, but not the wired connection. I can't try my iMac wirelessly, as it doesn't have an airport card
ANY suggestions? Oh and I don't have any virus software installed

Answer 1

Andrew,
*_Slow Time Capsule Transfer Via Ethernet_*
*Disable Anti-Virus Software*
“Using virus scanning software can make Time Machine backups very slow. If you use Norton Antivirus 10 AutoProtect or a similar product, try turning it off during backups.” [http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/15140.html]
*Create An “Ethernet Only” Location*
While you are physically connected to the Time Capsule via ethernet you may still be experiencing slow data transfer speeds because your Airport network is still active and taking priority.
Connect one end of a Cat-5 Ethernet cable into one of the LAN ports of the TC (<•••>) NOT to the WAN port (wheel icon). Connect the other end to your Macs ethernet port.
Next, go to System Prefs --> Network.
At the top of the window note what “Location” you are currently using, as you will need to return to this setting later.
Now, change “Location” to “Edit Locations”.
Click the “+” button and create a new location named “Ethernet Only”.
Click “Done”.
In the Services Pane on the left, eliminate all other services using the “-” button leaving “Ethernet” only. If you choose to leave other services listed then al the very least move Ethernet to the top of the list using the Action Menu (gear button) at the bottom and "Set Service Order".
Verify that “Configure” says “Using DHCP”.
Click "Apply" in the lower right.
You should be seeing an assigned IP Address and the Status should say “Connected”. The dot beside “Ethernet” should be green.
Now begin your backup or transfer of files.
You should still have internet access during this period.
Once the backup/transfer is complete, remember to change the Network Prefs “Location” back to “Automatic”, or whatever setting it had originally been, to restore Airport connectivity.
*Adjust Ethernet Speed*
Open Network Preferences.
With Built-in Ethernet selected on the left, click "Advanced" in the lower right.
Click "Ethernet" tab on the far right.
What is selected beside "Speed"?
Try changing this setting and see if it makes a difference.
Next launch Airport Utility.
Select the Time Capsule on the left.
Click “Manual Setup”.
Select “Internet” from the toolbar.
Click “Internet Connection” tab.
Near the bottom verify that “Ethernet WAN Port” is not set to a slower speed. Either choose “Automatic” or the fasted speed available.
If you have made any changes, click “Update”.

*Slow Full Backup After Restore*
Try either deleting the “old” backup disk image or copying it to another disk. Then start the “new” full backup again. Some users have experienced improved speed when the “old” disk image was removed from the backup disk.
Let us know if this was helpful.
Cheers!