Time Machine - Transfer files to PC. Possible... ?

Hi. As my MBP has died i am temporarily using a laptop PC.
If i connect the TM external drive to a PC, is there any chance i can recover the files i backed up despite it being non mac ?
thanks..

Before you could even make the attempt, you'd first have to install 3rd party software on the Windows computer to make it read the Mac formatted hard drive. MacDrive is one such program. Having accomplished that, I'm still not sure if the Windows computer could manage it. The TM archive is meant to be read by TM, not by the Finder or Explorer. It might be easier to find a Mac using friend or visit a Mac Genius to get the files copied to a CD or flash drive.

Similar Messages

  • Time Machine AND File Sharing: Partitioning possible?

    Hi everyone,
    I'm thinking about a TC setup where 2 Macs would connect to it and do regular backups using Time Machine. At the same time I'd like to use TC's hard drive for file sharing purposes. I believe that this is possible. What I don't know is:
    Is it possible to partition the drive in order to set a limit to what space is available to Time Machine? If not, is there another way (ratio setting) to limit this?
    Thanks
    Björn

    From what I've seen, the answer is no. (1) you'd have to be able to access the disk in such a manner as to partition. it does not show up in Disk Utility. Perhaps Terminal might have options. (2) As far as I've seen, there is no ratio setting. TC just backs up all Macs on the network using Leopard that have Time Machine backups set to the TC.
    You can actually do what you want without changing anything. The TC HDD shows up as a network drive. Time Machine backs up until full. Files on the drive would take up space. So, until it's full, you can put shareable files on it. once it's full, you have delete backups or make space through some other method.

  • I have a time machine backup file on a USB hard drive.  I bought a time capsule / airport extreme, flat 3TB.  I wish to transfer the backup file from the usb hard drive to the time capsule hard drive.  10.6.8

    I have a time machine backup file on a USB hard drive.  I bought a time capsule / airport extreme, flat 3TB.  I wish to transfer the backup file from the usb hard drive to the time capsule hard drive.  10.6.8

    Unfortunately, Time Machine backups that are stored on a drive that has been connected directly to a Mac are completely different than Time Machine backups that are stored on a Time Capsule.
    Frankly, it is not worth the effort and trouble to try to transfer the old backups to the new Time Capsule.....my opinion....having done this in the past.
    It is possible though, but I would not recommend it due to the complexity and downsides involved with this. To give you an idea of how to do this, check out this support article.
    http://pondini.org/TM/18.html
    Even if you transfer the "old" backups over to the Time Capsule successfully, Time Machine will not simply "add on" to the old backups.
    Time Machine will make a new complete backup of your Mac and then add incremental backups from that point.
    My advice.....start a new backup on the Time Capsule and move forward. Keep the USB hard drive around for a month, maybe 2 or 3 in case you need to go back to an old backup for some reason.  At that time, you will not likely need the old backups at all since you will have a current 2-3 month history of new backups.  At that point, you can erase the USB drive and use it for another purpose.

  • Using external HDD for Time Machine and files in one single partition ?

    Hello everybody.
    I've been searching for some time now and have encountered some contradictory answers, so I turn to you.
    I would like to know if it's possible (one) and safe (two) to use a single partition for both Time Machine and file storage. I've read that this should be ok, since TM is actually only a single folder, which means the rest can easily be used as a standard Finder drive. Some people say however that this is not good to do so, because TM will run out of space quicker. But if the -let's say- 30Gb used for files where used by TM after a month, that would be the same, wouldn't it ? It would simply erase older backups. But is it safe to do so ? Will Time Machine not makes errors when accessing files or doing an entire system backup ? I don't won't to make a new partition really, that's why I'm asking you here, to let me know some arguments about it.
    Thank you very much for your answers.

    Marekova wrote:
    Yet, overlooking that, you say "safe: mostly", why is that ? where's the "danger" or, what where you thinking when you said that ? Aren't these simple folder's ? Do you mean that, because during a full backup, these "stranger" files could be a problem ? It would be great if that was clarified, since I've found no indication about it elsewhere, has anyone tryed it ?
    Oh, yes folks have tried it. That's why I (and many others) recommended against it.
    Here's a similar thread from just the other day: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1926893 Note the responses from the top 2 "gurus" on this forum.
    I probably should have asked you what you mean by "safe." If you mean, will TM delete other files on it's partition, no, it won't. If you mean, can there be problems, then yes, there can be conflicts and difficulties, as mentioned.
    As to whether TM backups are simple folders, no, they aren't. They look like normal files and folders, but they actually contain what are variously called "hard links," "multi-links," and (my own personal favorite term) "ghost clones." Think of them as very fancy aliases. So they're not to be fooled with directly, by us mere mortals.
    If you want more on this: http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2007/10/mac-os-x-10-5.ars/14
    and/or: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/10/12/roadto_mac_os_x_leopard_timemachine.html
    and, if you haven't seen it yet: http://www.apple.com/findouthow/mac/#tutorial=leopardtimemachine
    You should also know that, for some reason, TM stores it's backups differently when it does them wirelessly. In that case, they're in a "SparseBundle," very different from the structure used for directly-attached backups.
    All the more reason to put each Mac's backups in a separate partition, and if you want to store other data there also, a 3rd partition for that.
    I've been using Mac since many years now, but I have no idea about backups, so excuse me if the statements appear a little childish.
    Nope. Even those of us who are "older than dirt" and have used many flavors and varieties of backup systems for decades are in a whole new world with Time Machine.
    And most of the folks on this forum who found themselves in deep trouble got there because they assumed things or didn't ask.

  • MAC OS 10.7 Trying to Delete from TRASH Time Machine FOLDER (file)

    Trying to delete time machine Folder(files) from TRASH. even used secure option, goes through ok. but will not delete from TRASH. files delete from
    Time Machine Drive ok, deletion gives you more space on TM DRIVE Time Machine runs ok, How to Delete the Folder (Files) From TRASH?

    Hello Mtaff,
    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
    For more information, take a look at:
    You can't empty the Trash or move a file to the Trash
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1526
    press Shift-Option or Option key combination while emptying the Trash
    Have a nice day,
    Mario

  • Hi, Question about secure empty trash. I moved some Time Machine backup files to the trash from an external hard drive. Now I can't secure empty trash. It starts, finds 74,003 files, and does nothing. The external hard drive shows it's empty, but it isn't

    I moved some time machine backup files from an external USB hard drive to the trash. Tried secure empty trash. It counts 74,003 items, then just sits there. The external hard drive window shows it's empty, but the info pane says it only has 50G of memory left. I left the secure empty trash on over night. It did nothing. Ideas?
    Thanks,
    Ron

    Relaunch the Finder, then from the Finder menu bar, select
    Finder ▹ Preferences ▹ Advanced
    and uncheck the box marked Empty Trash securely. Try again to empty the Trash.

  • Time Machine backup file corrupted and locked

    This morning when I switch on my Mac there was a dialogue box telling me that my Time Machine backup file was corrupted and that Time Machine would have to create a new backup file.
    I am backing up my Macs to a disk connected to my Airport Extreme. It's been working for months without any problems. Other than this morning. Time Machine buddy had the following message:
    +Starting standard backup+
    +Attempting to mount network destination using URL: afp://[email protected]/MyBookHome+
    +Mounted network destination using URL: afp://[email protected]/MyBookHome+
    +QUICKCHECK ONLY; FILESYSTEM DIRTY+
    +Runtime corruption detected on /Volumes/MyBookHome/iMac27.sparsebundle (fsck_hfs -q termination status: 3)+
    +Attempting to mount network destination using URL: afp://[email protected]/MyBookHome+
    +Mounted network destination using URL: afp://[email protected]/MyBookHome+
    +Backup verification failed for image /Volumes/MyBookHome-2/iMac27.sparsebundle!+
    +Moved previous backup image to /Volumes/MyBookHome-2/iMac27_2010-11-01-032949.sparsebundle+
    +Recovery backup declined by user.+
    +Backup canceled.+
    +Ejected Time Machine network volume.+
    Has anybody seen something like this before?
    I now have a locked and renamed sparsebundle on my disk and backups are not working anymore.

    aschmid wrote:
    Yes you are right, I know it isn't supported - as so many other things but they work!
    This one is notorious for working for a while, then . . . not.
    In addition to the problems above I got a pop-up from Time Machine saying the backup file is broken and it needs to create a new one. I told it to go ahead and what happened is that it actually proceeded to DELETE the old backup file before creating a new one - there goes my several months of backup history!
    Yes, just as it says in the message. See #C13 in [Time Machine - Troubleshooting|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Troubleshooting.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
    All I can say do now is connect my drive directly to my iMac and figure out a way how I can backup my other iMac and the MacBook I have. On the AE this just worked remotely.
    Yeah. Until it didn't.
    Really not much options here to backup a home with 3 Macs!?!
    Sure there is. Back the others up to the same drive, over your network, via sharing. See #22 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum), for details and setup instructions.

  • My mac 10.8 does no have the file, com.apple.desktop. plist   I wentto lIbrary, preference and look  for it and it is not where in my mac.  I also launch time machine and file is no where on my Mac.  How do I get this file back?

    My mac 10.8 does no have the file, com.apple.desktop. plist   I wentto lIbrary, preference and look  for it and it is not where in my mac.  I also launch time machine and file is no where on my Mac.  How do I get this file back?
    thanks

    System files are hidden by default in Finder now, search for what you want then click the little + button on the top right of the bar that appears when you do a search. A new bar comes up and click the first box (that says "Kind"), change it to "System Files". Then change the box that says "aren't included" to "are included" and your file should show up.
    http://osxdaily.com/2009/02/25/show-hidden-files-in-os-x/

  • HT201250 Does Time Machine delete files in back-ups that are deleted on my Mac?

    Does Time Machine delete files in back-ups that are deleted on my Mac?  IOW....if I need to restore a whole back-up, I don't want to restore previously deleted files.

    Does Time Machine delete files in back-ups that are deleted on my Mac?
    Not immediately. When space starts to get tight, Time Machine will start to delete the oldest file(s) to make more room, but this won't occur for some time.
    if I need to restore a whole back-up, I don't want to restore previously deleted files.
    You won't if you choose to restore from a backup that occurred after the date that you deleted the file.
    If you absolutely do not want to keep the file in your Time Machine backups at all, you do have the option to go into Time Machine, find the file, and manually delete all versions of the file from past dates.

  • Time Machine Copied Files

    I'm trying to restore time machine backup files that I copied from one hard drive to another. After reading some posts it looks like I might have made a mistake in thinking I could just drag and drop the files. I have the files all starting with cpbfxxxxxxxxxxx. I would like to put them back into time machine but that doesn't seem to work. Any ideas?
    Thanks

    Hi, and welcome to the forums.
    If you copied files from one disk to another, they should still exist on the first disk, unless you deleted them.
    Please clarify what you did or want to do: did you copy from your backups to a different disk? Or from one disk to another?
    What is your setup: what drives are being backed-up to where?

  • Will Time Machine delete files on external hard drive?

    I have all my itunes music and videos on my external hard drive. Will Time Machine delete these files. The hard drive is already formatted for mac.

    Note from Time Machine Help files:
    Time Machine works best if you use your backup disk only for Time Machine backups. If you keep files on your backup disk, Time Machine won’t back up those files, and the space available for Time Machine backups will be reduced.
    So it will not overwrite the files but it also will not back them up.

  • Determining the Size of a Time Machine Backup File

    When I highlight a Time Machine backup file and then click on Get Info under File to determine the size of the backup file, the disk drive works its heart out, but the Get Info window never arrives at a determination of the file size being seemingly stuck in the "calculating size" state.
    Anybody have an idea of what's going on?
    JohnnyS

    JohnnyS wrote:
    Regarding your statement: "If you Enter Time Machine (the "Star Wars" interface), from a Finder window with a "size" column, then browse your backups, you should be able to see the sizes easily." - what do you mean by the "Star Wars" interface?
    Ah, you are new to Time Machine. Sorry, that's how you view and restore from your backups. Hold your mouse down on the TM icon in your Menubar and select +*Enter Time Machine,+* or click the TM icon in your Dock, or the +*Time Machine+* app in your Applications folder.
    If I look at the pull-down menu under Finder, I do not see Enter Time Machine. Am I looking in the wrong place? Obviously, since I couldn't get by the first step, I never got to a "size" column, and to be honest, I don't know that I have ever seen a Finder window with a "size" column.
    You can add one, by selecting View > as List, then View > Show View Options in a Finder window's menubar, and select or de-select whatever columns you want.
    I'm a little embarrassed by my lack of knowledge, but if I don't acknowledge my shortcomings, I'll never get the question answered. Thanks for taking your time to try to help me.
    Don't be. We all started at zero at one time or another.
    I'm not sure just what you were looking for in your first post. The size of all your TM backups is just the amount used on your external disk, unless you have other data in the same partition (which isn't a good idea). Because of the way TM works, you can't really determine the size of an individual backup, and it really wouldn't mean much.
    Perhaps if you clarified just what you want to know, we can help answer it.
    For more info on Time Machine, you might want to review these:
    Time Machine Tutorial
    Time Machine 101
    How to back up and restore your files
    Time Machine Features
    Apple - Support - Mac OSX v10.5 Leopard Time Machine
    and perhaps browse the Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
    If you have a problem setting-up or using Time Machine, start with the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip* at the top of this forum. It will show you how to locate the message(s) that describe the problem, then help you fix it.

  • Can anyone access time machine backup files by connecting to time capsule by ethernet cable?

    I operate an imac connected to a time capsule. It works great. My internet is connected to the time capsule with an ethernet cable and I access the internet on my imac using an ethernet cable connected to the time capsule. I can also connect to the time capsule using wireless.
    A colleague of mine wants to connect to the internet and because of location issues the only convenient way is to let him connect to my time capsule using an ethernet cable. He can access the internet fine and he uses a windows PC. Now my question is, will he be able to access my time machine backup files if he connects to my time capsule using an ethernet cable? I have not given him my password.
    Any help will be appreciated. I want to help him get online but I want to make sure he cannot access my time machine backup files.
    Thanks

    There are actually 3 passwords on the Time Capsule - assuming it has the same setup as my Airport Extreme Base Station.
    One password for the WiFi connection.
    One password to access setup of the device
    One password for access to the storage drive - most people leave the check-box to just use the base-station setup password again.
    And, as I said before, you also have the option to encrypt your TM backups.  So even if somebody runs off with the device and breaks in to the disk, it will all be garbage without the TM password.
    This is the screen as it is on my computer:
    As you can see, to access my drive I have it set to use the device setup password.
    Here is a screen shot of the other options:

  • Selective File Restoration during Time Machine Transfer?

    Hello all
    I have a question regarding the ability to transfer files from a time machine backup. I know you are given the chance during the set-up process after the initial installation is complete but what I would like to know is whether it is possible to restore particular files or folders within the time machine backup rather than restoring the entire home folder?
    Thank you.
    Derek

    you can restore apps if they are self contained packages installed by drag and drop. but if an app is installed using an installer then it puts stuff all over the place and unless you know exactly what it put where you won't be able to restore it fully.

  • Time Machine and File Transfer to a new hard drive -- Permissions

    24May2011
    Apple Discussions:
            I have a 2 TByte external hard drive that I use to back up a 1TB internal hard drive.  I use time machine.
            I got a serious warning that my 2 TB drive is going bad and i need to reformat the disk AFTER I store the files on the drive.
            I bought a new 3TByte external hard drive.  I copied some important non-Backup files from the defective 2TB drive, but I can not move the backup folders.  I do not have permissions to copy the backup directory.
            I want to transfer ALL the data from the 2 TB drive to the new 3 TB drive.  Then re-format the 2TB and use that for file storage.  I want to use the copied back up folder on the 3TB and use teh 3TB to for time machine backups.
            I tried to change the permission on the Backup Directory on the 2TB.  It has been two days and I have no indication that anything other than the horizonal barber pole is happening.
            How do I copy the back up folder to the new 3TB so I don't loose any old files Ihad backed up on the defective 2TB.
            Thank you for your help.

    Sure that's pretty simple to do. Follow this link for the step by step instructions.
    I used it about a year ago and it worked like a charm.
    Regards,
    Roger

Maybe you are looking for