Time Machine from USB to Airport Extreme

I recently bought a airport extreme and would like to move my Time Machine backup to the network so I'm not tied down all the time. However when I moved it to the network it wants to make a full machine backup (like it was starting from new). Is there any way to keep the backups going as they were without having to sacrifice 70GB on my drive or reformatting and losing my 2 years of backup?

Scooter1015 wrote:
I recently bought a airport extreme and would like to move my Time Machine backup to the network so I'm not tied down all the time.
note that TM backups to an USB drive connected to an airport extreme is not supported and may not work. _*Disks that can be used with Time Machine*_.
if you want to try, though, this will help: http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/AEQ2.html
However when I moved it to the network it wants to make a full machine backup (like it was starting from new).
the reason is that TM treats backups to a locally attached drive differently vs. networked drives.
see this: http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/18.html
JGG

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Nas on airport extreme not recognized by time machine. same nas was previously used as time machine backup on different airport extreme. are there any configuration files that i can delete to fix this problem ?

nas on airport extreme not recognized by time machine. same nas was previously used as time machine backup on different airport extreme. are there any configuration files that i can delete to fix this problem ?

Time Machine has been working just fine, but in the last week or two it has given up the ghost. I reset the connections to the drive, and it will basically save a few bytes of data and then hang.
Although Apple originally announced, prior to the release of the first 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Stations (AEBSn), that it would support Time Machine backups to AirPort Disks, they removed that option before they did finally release the base station for sale.
Since then, Apple has posted (as you have noted) that they DO NOT support Time Machine backups to AirPort Disks. As far as I know, they have not changed from that position and those who do these backups find that they become corrupted over time. Sorry, but it sounds like you just confirmed that for yourself.
1) Has one of the recent updates either on the AE (firmware) or OSX disabled this function?
No. Again, this feature has never been supported by Apple for every generation of AEBSn released.
2) Are there any changes I can make to get this working again?
If your data backups are critical to you, then you will want to use a different solution for your Time Machine backup destination drive strategy. I would suggest that you connect your WD My Book directly to your Mac in the mean time.
Your other options would be to either use a Time Capsule (which interestingly does support TM backups to AirPort Disks) or a non-Apple solution like the Drobo FS or HP MediaSmart server.

Problems moving Time Machine drive from USB to Airport Extreme

Greetings compadres.
I'm using a WD external Mac hard drive for my Time Machine backups. I was using a USB hub and directly connecting my MacBook to the hub, thus a seamless connection to the external hard drive.
Now, I want to connect my external drive to my Airport Extreme for wireless back ups. I tried this before and I couldn't figure out a way for the system to recognize the drive to continue my previous back ups. Eventually, I just reformated the drive and started my back ups over.
Is there a way to switch to wireless and continue my old back ups?
Much obliged,
- robert

That's not supported by Apple, but Pondini has some advice on the matter here: http://pondini.org/TM/AEQ2.html

Hard Drive for Time Machine for iMac with AirPort Extreme??

I just switched back to Mac after too many years with a PC. I bought an iMac 24" 2.8GHz with 4GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM and 750GB Serial ATA Drive.
I'm planning on adding an external hard drive for Time Machine to attach to my AirPort Extreme. From reading information posted on the Apple site and my AEBS I understand that it needs to be connected to the USB port on the AirPort Extreme.
While I may be opening up a technological "can of worms," I'd like to know what will be the most dependable drive 1TB, USB 2.0 that I can buy. Noise and bright lights are not a consideration here. I just want a drive that I can depend on to work with Time Machine. The "original" data will be stored elsewhere. I've heard of, read about and experienced so many hard drive failures that I'm getting "gun shy" about this subject. Please feel free to let me know what's good and bad. Thanks.

Here is a quote right from Apple's site today:
Quote:
AirPort Extreme lets you turn your external USB hard drive into a drive you can share with all the >users on your network. It’s called AirPort Disk, and it’s a simple and convenient way to share files >among everyone in your family, office, or class.
I tried to return my AEBS to Apple but I was a few days beyond their 14 day limit on returns (limit is bases on shipping date of the item in question, not when all parts of the shipment are received). Part of my reasoning with the Apple Store CS was the posts like yours saying that this couldn't be done. The Apple Store rep. and the tech. rep. that he claims that he spoke to said it could be done. The only way I could return the AEBS, according to the Apple Store CS rep., and get a new Time Capsule would be if I bought a hard drive and discovered that my AEBS would not work with the hard drive. No, I'm not a happy new customer. So, I want to buy a good, reliable hard drive and want to know which one to get.

Time Machine over WiFi with Airport Extreme

I have had an iMac for 5 years with a WD 500 gb drive hardwired (Firewire 400) into the machine for use with Time Machine. I just got a new Macbook Pro 15". When I opened the machine, I migrated everything over from my old iMac using the Time Machine Backups drive. Everything was working fine and TM recognized all of my old backups.
A couple days later, I wanted to up the portability of the laptop so I plugged my drive in USB to my Airport Extreme. The Macbook immediately recognized the shared drive and every put a little "Time Machine Backups" icon mounted on the desktop. I went into the Time Machine preferences and designated the network drive as my backup drive. It seemed to be working but the first time it went to backup, it created a new .sparsebundle file, even though I still have the Backups folder full of the old backups. It then tried to create another .sparsebundle file with the same name as my computer but with a 1 at the end.
I went to my local Genius bar and the guy plainly said "Time Machine does not work wirelessly unless its a time capsule. (Sarcastically) The only people who can answer that question are the software engineers who designed Time Machine".
The fact that Time Machine and the MBP immediately recognized the wireless drive as a backup disk tells me that its possible to do it. Is there anyway to tell Time Machine to include all of the backups on the drive and not to start from scratch??
Thanks.

iliv4apl wrote:
But I was not using a new backup drive, it was the same drive, just different connection. How do I tell it to incorporate the backup files on the drive into the time machine program?
You can't. Time Machine stores it's backups differently when they're done over a network, and you can't switch between the two.
You might be able to copy the "local" backups to be used over the network. See #18 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
And you need to know that backing up with Time Machine to a USB drive connected to an Airport Extreme is "iffy" and +*not supported by Apple.+* See Using Time Machine with an Airport Extreme Air Disk (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).

Time Machine in combination with Airport Extreme and an external disk

I have a MacBook upgraded from Tiger 10.4 to *Snow Leopard OS X 10.6.1.* I'm now using *Time Machine* to make back-ups on a *MiniMax external drive* through an USB connection. However, I wish to make wireless back-ups by connecting the external drive to my *Airport Extreme*. I learned that this wasn't possible until the recent release by Apple of the software update "*About Time Machine and AirPort Updates v1.0*". The minimum system requirement for this software update is OS X 10.5.2. I should think this requirement is met because I have upgraded to 10.6.1. But when I try to install the software I get the message that the system requirement is at least 10.5.2. and as a result *I can't continue installing*. Apparently my OS update is not recognized by the software. Is there a solution for this problem? Many thanks.

GJinAmsterdam wrote:
I have a MacBook upgraded from Tiger 10.4 to *Snow Leopard OS X 10.6.1.* I'm now using *Time Machine* to make back-ups on a *MiniMax external drive* through an USB connection. However, I wish to make wireless back-ups by connecting the external drive to my *Airport Extreme*. I learned that this wasn't possible until the recent release by Apple of the software update "*About Time Machine and AirPort Updates v1.0*".
this has been possible for a long time, since about February 2008 when those updates came out.
The minimum system requirement for this software update is OS X 10.5.2. I should think this requirement is met because I have upgraded to 10.6.1. But when I try to install the software I get the message that the system requirement is at least 10.5.2. and as a result *I can't continue installing*. Apparently my OS update is not recognized by the software. Is there a solution for this problem? Many thanks.
you don't need to install those updates. they are for leopard, not snow leopard. you should be fine as is. do keep in mind that TM backups to air disks are not "officially" supported but they have worked for a long time. also, keep in midn that you'll need to start a new backup sequence once you move the drive to AEBS as remote backups are stored differently from directly attached ones.

How do I use time machine back up with airport extreme

I want to use my airport extreme to back up with time machine, I am not that good with computers, so could some one please explain to me how to do this.
Thanks
Ben

Unfortunately, Apple does not support Time Machine backups to a hard drive at the USB port of the AirPort Extreme due to corruption issues.
Despite this, some users who have tried this have success with this, some limited success and some no success.
Our recommendation would be to connect the hard drive directly to your computer and use Time Machine that way.
To do this, you would need to make sure that the hard drive is formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled), or buy a hard drive that has been pre-formatted for Mac. Then connect the drive to the USB port on the Mac.
After that, you would open System Preferences (gear icon on the dock), then open Time Machine to turn it ON, click Select Disk to select your hard drive and then click Use For Backup. That will get Time Machine backups going.

Switching from USB to Airport extreme

I have been backing up via time machine to my usb hard drive, connected directly to the computer, for many months. I now want to back up wirelessly using using the same usb disk via airport extreme but I don't want to loose my backups. What can I do to keep my old backups intergraded with the new ones once I start backing up wirelessly?

Skemez,
You can't. Time Machine stores "network" backups in a completely different way. When you switch, it must start with a new full backup.
If there's some compelling reason to keep the old backup, you can use Disk Utility to "clone" your Time Machine backup volume to another drive, thereby "archiving" it for later retrieval.
Scott

Printing problem from usb on airport extreme

Hi guys,
Anyone come up against this problem whch is sending me up the wall.
I've just purchased Airport extreme and my ibook works great wirelessly and I've used a lan connection to my windows pc which also works fine.
Using the usb port on extreme I've connected my epson cx3200 printer. The ibook prints fine wireless, but when printing from the pc it prints one line and stops..
Eventually the error window on the pc say "failed to print the document etc".
I've searched all the trouble shooting but nothing seems to work.
Any ideas
Many thanks
Gord ggg

Yes, it is in installed and I've used the Bonjour wizard and only once have I had a oage print successfully.
Cheers

How can I get Time Machine to back up an external hard drive (iPhotos) that is attached to airport extreme base station. Note: Time machine is usb to macbook pro and external drive with iphotos is usb to airport extreme base station. Help please. Thanks!

How can I get Time Machine to back up an external hard drive (iPhotos) that is attached to airport extreme base station. Note: Time machine is usb to macbook pro and external drive with iphotos is usb to airport extreme base station. Help please. Thanks!

Once you have the drive connected to your Mac, click System Preferences (gear icon) on the dock
Click Time Machine
Click Options
Be default, the hard drive will be Excluded from backups. Click the drive to highlight it, then click the "-" (minus) button at the bottom of the list to remove the drive from Excluded items.
The drive will be backed up on the next Time Machine pass
Everything above assumes that the hard drive has been formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as Time Machine will only backup drives in that format.

Used Time Machine (USB) to Airport Extreme

Hi,
Last year, I set up a 1TB external hard-drive as my Time Machine... It all worked perfectly. Currently it has over 600GB worth of stuff on it. My macbook has a hard-drive of 320gb.
I recently bought a used Airport Extreme (A1354) and want to connect my existing 'Time Machined' external hard-drive but it won't allow me to...? It is recognised- I just cant seem to back up or access files at all.
In an article I read it said that the pathway when connected directly to my macbook via USB is different to a pathway when connected via wireless connection.
So my questions are:
• Can I rename the pathway?
• Or do I need to buy a new external harddrive and start afresh?• If I do have to start a fresh, is there a way to merge my old time machine files to the new time machine files - - - so I can keep both my 'time Machines" in the one place (Instead of having one lot of time machine from August 2011 to August 2012 and another time machine from September 2012 to x date)
I can't even restore all my time machined files to my macbook- then reformat my External Hard drive, because I only have 320 GB
I hope I am making sense. I am not too high tech so . . . my apologies =)
P.S. Sorry if this has already been answered-- I have read countless articles and can't seem to find an answer.

Hi,
Yeah I got an answer to connecting my existing time machine to my airport extreme
The airport extreme will not let you connect any 'time machine' - new or existant - as it acts as a drag and drop type of saving.... so i.e. if I want to save a file - i will need to go to shared>airport extreme and then drag and drop my file there to save it- it will not do it automatically like time machine. This is so if you wanted the automatic wireless backup, you would have to go out and buy a time capsule.
hope that makes sense.

Will Time Machine work with an external hard drive connected (via usb) to Airport Extreme?

Will Time Machine work with an external hard drive connected (via usb) to Airport Extreme?

Sorry, but this article is about 4 years old, and was printed based on preliminary information at the time.
The bottom line here is that Apple does not officially support Time Machine backups to a drive at the USB port of the AirPort Extreme.
If it works for you, great.
You might want to review the Apple Support documents below, which are far more recent than the article you reference:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/15139.html
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2038
It is supported.....
This is NOT correct. Please do not post false information on the forums.

How do I connect a 1 T time capsule to a new airport extreme so I can use it with time machine?

How do I connect a 1 T time capsule to a new airport extreme so I can use it with time machine?

Bridge the TC.. plug it into the AEBS with ethernet.

How do i set up time capsule to work with airport extreme base to extend wireless network?

i have a airport extreme base, how do i set up a time machine to extend the wireless network i have with airport extreme? i have also 3 airport express's connected to the same network to extend my wifi all over my house. thanks in advance.

Much better graphics, thanks.
You can leave the Time Capsule connected by Ethernet from the Linksys and configure for a "roaming" network as mentioned previously.
To do this, open AirPort Utility - Manual Setup
Click the Wireless tab below the icons
Wireless Mode = Create a wireless network
Wireless Network Name = Same name as the AirPort Extreme
No check mark needed next to Allow this network to be extended
Radio Mode = Same setting as the AirPort Extreme
Channel = Automatic
Wireless Security = Same setting as the AirPort Extreme
Wireless Password = Same password as the AirPort Extreme
Confirm Password
Click the Internet icon, then the Internet Connection tab
Connect Using = Ethernet
Connection Sharing = Off (Bridge Mode)
Update to save settings and allow the Time Capsue to restart
Then power down the entire network
Wait a minute or two
Start the modem first and let it run a full minute
Start the AirPort Extreme the same way
Power up the switch
Power up the Time Capsule for a minute
Keep starting devices one at a time about a minute apart
Now, your computer will automatically pick up a wireless signal from either the AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule, whichever device is closer and providing the stronger signal.

Any tricks to swapping out my old time capsule with a new airport extreme I am also using airport expresses

Any tricks to swapping out my old time capsule with a new airport extreme I am also using airport expresses? The hard drive on the TC quit working.

I do plan on using an external USB HDD for time machine backups. I have both 802.11g and 802.11n used for playing music via stereos.
I would recommend against it. Apple does not support Time Machine backups to AirPort Disks (USB HDD attached to the AirPort Extreme). Although folks have done so, we get a number of them here asking for help with their corrupted backups. If your backups are critical to you, please use another means (like connecting the USB HDD directly to your Mac) to do so.

Time Machine from USB to Airport Extreme

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