Using Airdisk for Time Machine backup

I've been using Time Machine to make backups to an external drive for sometime now and would like to change to using my Airport Extreme to make wireless backups. When connecting the hard drive to the airport I am able to detect and mount the hard drive and time machine can select the drive for backups, unfortunately time machine doesn't realize that I already have backups made on that drive and instead tries to make a new full backup. Does any one know of way to tell Time Machine to use the preexisting backups? Thanks.

First of all, Apple doesn't support using Time Machine to back up to external drives connected to an AirPort Extreme Base Station. See:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2038
But that doesn't mean that it won't work—a least for awhile—but it will need to start a new full backup.

Similar Messages

  • Verbatim disk drive historically used only for time machine backups. Recently i added some other media files to use some of available space without partitioning, the disc now refuses to mount in finder despite appearing in disk utility. Repair fails. HELP

    Sorry to elaborate a bit more.
    I have used time machine since owning my mac book pro with no issues. i keep the timemachine backups on an external hard drive made by Verbatim. This has not external power source.
    Recently i decided to use up some of the available space on the external verbatim disk drive to store some movie files which were sitting on my macbook pro.
    Therefore i created a new folder outside of the time machine backup folder and stored the movie files in there.
    From then on Time machine failed... and a few days later i noticed it was not mounting in 'finder'
    Therefore i used disk utility to see if it was recognising it. Which i was. However when i try to repair it the repair process fails.
    In disk utility i am presented with 1 TB Samsung HN M10 which has a child called Verbatim HD.
    The 1TB Samsung hardware appears fine, but the verbatim disk i am unable to fully verify and fix.
    Does this mean i have lost all my back ups?
    Have I lost all the media that i put on there?
    Is there any way to fix this?
    Any help would be appreciated.
    didier07...

    To summarize: You used an external Verbatim HD for your TM backups. Then, you stored some movie files on the "spare" space on the Verbatim drive. Now, Disk Utility isn't being recognized, and repair is disabled. Your home Samsung drive is working fine, but the Verbatim cannot be verified.
    The problem, I believe, is that the external Verbatim drive wasn't partitioned. There should be two partitions: one for TM backups, the other for video. That way, you can perform backups, and still retain some space for video or somesuch.
    Frankly, I don't know how to fix this except through the following. (1) Erase the Verbatim drive, (2) Create a new blank space and format it, (3) Make two partitions - one for backup, the other for video. (4) Run TM through one partition, but switch to the other for your videos.  The better solution might be to have one dedicated drive (perhaps the Verbatim) for backups, and another dedicated drive for video backups; that way, you'll have plenty of space for expansion.
    I hope someone will correct me if I'm incorrect, but I believe you've essentially lost your backups and media. I don't know how you can retrieve that clump of the now-undifferentiated data on the Verbatim drive. To retrieve any lost data, you're going to require another external drive that's larger in capacity, as well as data recovery software; don't expect encouraging results. If you're desperate, there are firms like Drive Savers that can offer a more comprehensive solution - at a cost.
    Post if you have questions, or additional concerns!

  • Partition external HD to use it for time machine backup and nas storage

    i have a macbook pro with retina display with 500gb of ssd storage runing yosemite and a airport extreme latest model.
    what i want to do is to use an external drive (1TB) and use it to hold all my files of my macbook, and i want to make time machine backups for each drive over airport extreme.
    so i have made in my mind a backup plan and im not sure if it will work.
    im planning to buy a 4TB external HDD and make 3 partitions, one for my macbook of 500gb, another for my external drive of 1TB and a third to use it as a NAS.
    im not an expert in storage but i have read a lot from internet.
    Thanks.

    so i have made in my mind a backup plan and im not sure if it will work.
    It won't work with TM..
    TM will either backup the internal disk plus external or internal only.. it cannot backup external only. So there is no point using 3 partitions.. just two will work fine.
    You can buy Carbon Copy Cloner and it will work fine doing backups of internal and external as separate items.. but it is better over network to backup as sparsebundles.. much faster than direct copying.. but it does work.
    As a NAS.. an Airport Extreme plus USB drive.. is slow.. might be ok over wireless.. because the wireless is even slower.. but it is not ok over ethernet. A Time Capsule or a cheap single disk nas will work a lot better.
    So your plan can be made to work.. just need some adjustments.
    BTW be very careful what USB drive you buy. Not all work on the USB of the Airport routers.
    USB drive compatibility with Airport Routers. Help make database.

  • Can you use the same external hard drive for Time Machine backups and as an additional storage drive?

    I have an external HD that I've been using exclusively for Time Machine backups. I need to clear space on my hard drive, so I was thinking to move music & photos to an external drive.  Wondering if I can use the same one I have (which I'll aslo keep using for Time Machine) or if I need to get another drive. 

    Hi Jossydtaylor,
    Time Machine can use either an entire external disk or a partition of that disk:
    OS X Mountain Lion: Disks you can use with Time Machine
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11171
    You can use Time Machine with a Time Capsule, and with USB, FireWire, and Thunderbolt disks. The backup disk can be directly connected to your computer or be on a network. If the backup disk has been divided into partitions, you can use one of the partitions.
    If the disk is partitioned using the Master Boot Record (MBR) partition type, some partitions may not be available for use with Time Machine. The GUID Partition Table (GPT) partition type is recommended.
    For more info on partitioning, see this article:
    Disk Utility 12.x: Partition a disk
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5845
    Cheers!
    - Ari

  • Use TC 2TB for Time Machine Backup and Storage simultaneously?

    Hi
    I am planning to buy a TC 2TB.
    I would like to know if the TC can be used as a Time Machine backup device and for storage simultaneously?
    for example:
    Can I use 1TB for Time Machine backups and 1TB for storage.
    Please let me know if this is possible?
    Thank you

    I tried for ages to seek a relatively easy way to do this.. i.e. partition it, it's a huge pain! You can, but i'm pretty savvy and got bored and confused! What I did do was switch the TM back-ups to manual so they don't end up filling the disk. Trust me it's the easiest and best option!

  • I am trying to install Mavericks on my McbookAir, but it won't install, saying that my hd is used for time machine backups. I have an external HD connected to my mbAir that I'm using for time machine.

    2012 Macbk air, with OSX 10.8.5. See my question above. Mavericks won't install on my Air's HD, says that both the HD - AND - the external HD (which has a different name from the laptop HD) are used for time machine backups. I've deleted my time machine plists, restarted, repaired permissions, turned time machine off, repeatedly selected the external drive in time machine preferences. HELP. (Install went perfectly on my desktop Mac, which also has an external HD for time machine).

    I need to add that the only place I have the "Backups.backupdb" folder is on my backup external disk, and it's not on my HD    :-(    . If it were, I'd delete it!

  • Can use old macbook for Time Machine Backup?

    Have an old macbook running snow leopard.  Can I use it for Time Machine Back-up for my current macbook pro?

    Boot your old into Target Disk mode, then plug a FireWire cable from your old to your pro.  Presto!  Your old's internal HD will appear in your pro's Finder as a disk on your pro.  Time machine running on your pro can use it for backup.  Time machine won't disturb its contents, except to add a potentially huge folder there, which will grow to fill the disk with copies of your backups. (Backing up, then) partitioning (and then restoring from backup) your old's internal hard drive will keep your pro's Time Machine from consuming all free space.

  • Can I use my 2TB Time Capsule ONLY as an external hard drive for Time Machine backups?

    Hi...wondering if somebody could help me out there.
    I currently have an older Apple 2TB Time Capsule (previous generation) which I'm using as both my WiFi access point, as well as my Time Machine backup location for both my iMac and my MacBook Pro.
    We've been having slow WiFi issues in our home, and seeing as how this Time Capsule is a number of years old, were thinking of upgrading to the faster WiFi routers with 802.11ac capability.  I'll be honest when I say we were considering other options, beyond the newest Time Capsule.
    My question is, can we somehow use the 2TB of storage on our current Time Capsule for the purpose of backing up our computers with Time Machine, but NOT use the WiFi functionality of the Time Capsule itself? 
    I'm assuming if I manually plugged either my iMac or MacBook Pro (wired ethernet) into the Time Capsule, I could likely get that computer to recognize and use it for Time Machine purposes, but I'd like to use it to backup both computers, ideally wirelessly on the MacBook Pro.
    Any help would be great. 
    Right now I'm running a DSL line into a DSL modem, which then runs ethernet into my Time Capsule.  From there, I have a 4 port switch connected for wired devices (we wired our home with ethernet jacks in almost every room).  We also have an Airport Express to extend the range of the network.
    Thanks,
    Jason

    You can bridge the TC and plug it into whatever wireless router you buy.
    There is no need to turn off the wireless in the TC.. but you can set it up as a secondary wireless network. That is totally up to you. I find the Gen4 TC very fast on 5ghz.. but you need it to be close to the computers.. in your case that should be dead easy.. simply plug it in by ethernet in the same room as the iMac say.. and set it up with bridge and the imac plugged into it by ethernet.. one computer then can access the internet and backup via ethernet with huge speed improvements.. the laptop can then use whatever your new router wireless network.. or the TC one if it is close enough..
    So there are plenty of variations and your setup is easy to handle with the large amount of ethernet you have.
    Just post again if you need specifics.. but I need specifics to give them!!

  • Can two macs use same disk for Time Machine backup with Airport Extreme?

    Hi
    I use a Western Digital disk as a wireless Time Machine backup connected to the USB port on my Airport Extreme and it works great. My question is: can my girlfriend use that same disk for Time Machine backup from HER computer too? (I don't mind formatting the disk if needed.)
    If she can't, is it then possible to connect a USB hub and have two disks hooked up to the Airport Extreme?
    Thanks for helping. I am constantly in awe of all the help people like you give people like me. Thanks!!!
    Jakob

    I've gone through the manual setup and the assisted setup and can't seem to get my MacBook to use the Time Machine. Any thoughts or help would be greatly appreciated.
    Well, as the Jolly Giant points out....+this type of configuration is not supported by Apple+, so it's difficult, if not impossible, to provide a fix for something that Apple says that you cannot do. Reference these Apple Support documents regarding this topic:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2038
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/15139.html
    Your situation is not unlike other users who try this and find that one computer may backup...(usually for a limited time before corruption issues start to creep in)...but another computer cannot backup. Count me as one of those users who thought that because things seemed to work that I had somehow "beat the system".
    I started getting the corruption error messages after 4-5 weeks of successful backups, so I figured that it did not make sense to continue to try to get a second computer to backup (yes, I too could not setup a second Mac to backup).
    Sorry, I could not get a second machine to backup, so can't tell you how to accomplish that goal. If you want to continue to try backing up this way, you might want to also think about a second backup strategy...just in case backups become corrupted on the WD drive.
    Maybe if Apple says you cannot do this, they just may be right?
    Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

  • Is it possible to use more than one external hard drive for Time Machine backups?

    I want to use two hard drives for Time Machine backups.
    Bigger one keep at home and be sure it is safe.
    Second one (very small pocket size) keep with me for travels.
    I want to backup to both drives to be sure I can restore everywhere and to be sure if something bad happened with my small travel disk I can restore from home backup.
    Is there any problem with listed schema? Is it normal for Time Machine to handle backups for different drivers and keep everything consistent and smooth?

    I really need some help!  I have been using an Iomega NAS 1TB HD for the past year.  And I received an error message.  I believe I have ran out of memory on this drive.
    Then recently in the last couple of months I got a ReadyNAS Duo 2TB with 2TB RAID.  Should I switch my back ups to this one and delete the other back up file or keep the old back up image file on the Iomega?
    Can I transfer the old image back up to this new ReadyNAS? How do I do this?
    I appreciate any help.

  • How do I connect Airport Extreme and Time Capsule to my new iMac so that AE is used for network and TC only used for Time Machine backup?

    I didn't realize that Time Capsule will only support the print function of a wireless multifunction printer.  So I want to use Extreme for my network to have full use of my printer and use TC as the Time machine backup only.  How to I make the connections?

    Thanks for your response and this is getting complicated but I just purchased a new iMac as well as the Airport TC.  I've had the Airport Extreme for a year or so.  The Airport Extreme worked perfectly with my old iMac wirelessly and I had all functions of my printer with no problems.  I was expecting the same with the TC.  But the instruction that came with TC say to connect the printer to the TC via USB...which I did.  And the print function worked perfectly but nothing else.  In researching I discovered that when wired that way the TC only supports the print function...not scan or fax or anything else.  I tried going wireless since my AE worked perfectly via wireless but I got no printer functions at all that way.  But I'm wondering also if I tried that during a time I was having other issues...I had to delete and re-add my printer which solved some other problems.  I may try that again...and see if I can get all print functions with just the TC connected
    As far as connecting both your AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule on your network, we're not clear on exactly how you want to do this.  Will the AirPort Extreme connect to your modem using an Ethernet cable and the Time Capsule connect to the AirPort Extreme using an Ethernet cable?.......or......do you want the Time Capsule to connect to the network using wireless?
    Well... first of all I would like not to have to use the AE at all...I would prefer using just my TC for network, all print functions and Time Machine backup if that's possible. My printer will not accept Ethernet connections (Canon MX512).
    After failing at getting this to work, I decided I would try to use my AE for net and print functions and just use my TC for Time Machine backup.  I tried several different connection configurations with no success until finally I connected cable modem to my AE via Ethernet and went wireless with the AE and printer. but connected the AE to the TC via Ethernet and amazingly everything worked like a charm (for a while) and I was patting myself on the back for being so smart.  But now I find that the connection only lasts for a short time.  If I leave it for a while the TC goes invisible...or at least I see a message saying the Ethernet is unplugged...but it is not... and I lose internet connection even though I have a green light on my AE. So now I'm at a loss. I don't know why I keep losing network signal and why my system thinks the Ethernet is unplugged.
    So... after all this...I figured I wasn't so smart after all and I must have things wired incorrectly.
    So... it sounds like you are saying I should go back and try again to get my new TC to work as I want it to via wireless instead of connecting via USB...is that correct?  Could you tell me exactly how I should wire my equipment from cable modem to AE and/or TC to achieve net capability, full functions of my printer and Time Machine backup...
    Thanks...

  • HT201250 How do I find out what portable drive was the drive I used for Time Machine Backup?

    Hi, I have 10.7.4 and need to figure out what drive I was using for Time Machine Backup.  I have three drives and I have connected each of them to my macbook pro, but I get an error, "Time Machine Error, The backup disk is not available" when I hit the time machine icon on the top of the screen and the "backup delayed" prompt.  If I try Back up Now I get message, "Time Machine could not complete the backup.  Back up disk is not available."  I am trying to figure out what the time machine back up would actually look like as a file on the drives but I don't see a folder/file name Time Machine.  If I enter Time Machine I can see in the far right column, in purple, the last back up date (Sept. 12, 2012), but when I hit it nothing happens.  In the Time Machine preference box the select disk has, in red and to the right, "Delayed" with an "i" within a circle, and the option indicates, "Next backup: when disk is connected."
    I know I have a years worth of backups on one of the three drives, but I can't figure out how the heck to find them or how to determine what was the last drive I used for the backups within Time Machine.  Help please.

    Hi, I have 10.7.4 and need to figure out what drive I was using for Time Machine Backup.  I have three drives and I have connected each of them to my macbook pro, but I get an error, "Time Machine Error, The backup disk is not available" when I hit the time machine icon on the top of the screen and the "backup delayed" prompt.  If I try Back up Now I get message, "Time Machine could not complete the backup.  Back up disk is not available."  I am trying to figure out what the time machine back up would actually look like as a file on the drives but I don't see a folder/file name Time Machine.  If I enter Time Machine I can see in the far right column, in purple, the last back up date (Sept. 12, 2012), but when I hit it nothing happens.  In the Time Machine preference box the select disk has, in red and to the right, "Delayed" with an "i" within a circle, and the option indicates, "Next backup: when disk is connected."
    I know I have a years worth of backups on one of the three drives, but I can't figure out how the heck to find them or how to determine what was the last drive I used for the backups within Time Machine.  Help please.

  • HT4848 Is it possible to partition an external hard drive that is already being used for Time Machine backups without it being erased?

    I'm want to use my current external hard drive, which I use for Time Machine Backup, as a recovery disk for Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2. From what I have read, the recovery disk assistant will erase all data on the external drive unless it is partitioned. Can I partition my current backup drive without erasing it, even though it is already being used for Time Machine?

    It's very simple to test.  Turn off your computer.  Have your time machine backup plugged in.  Hold option and turn it on, keeping option held.  Do you see your time machine drive?  If so, select it and press enter. You'll end up in recovery.  If it works, there you go.  Then just click the apple and restart to get back to your regular desktop.  Then you'll know for when you're ready to do the deed.
    Edit...
    I'm not sure if time machine will think it's an entirely different computer, though, when a hard drive changed, making an actual restore not doable.  Either way, you could still reinstall mt lion fresh and then just migrate after, skipping the need for SL.

  • Is it possible to use an external hard drive for time machine backup and also as a regular hard drive?

    Is it possible to use an external hard drive for time machine backup and also as a regular hard drive?

    I am using an external drive in the exact way that you described. You just keep it plugged in to the computer when you want to access the movies and files. In order to put files on it, just go to finder open up the drive under devices and drag and drop files onto the drive. It is just like using a usb drive with a terabyte of space.

  • Using external hard drives for Time Machine backups

    I would like to let everyone know about an important issue regarding what type of media to use, or better said not to use for Time Machine backups.
    I tried to use a RAID 0 array disks ( FIY: RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disk drive components into a logical unit for the purposes of data redundancy and performance improvement.), but after a few minutes the backup suddenly stopped giving me a message of failing to write to the disk.
    I tried to back up several more times, but the result was the same.  I called Apple Customer Support, they said there was nohing wrong using a RAID 0 array disk combination.
    I checked the RAID disks with disk utility, the disks were okay, but it did not solve the problem.
    I reformatted the RAID disks, but that did no help either.
    Then I used a different disk not part of any RAID array, and the Time Machine backup was able to successfull finish he task.
    I called Apple to tell them about this issue, and they finall confirmed I was right:
    Conclusion: backing up to a RAID 0 array disks using Time Machine does not work 

    Is there anything else on the drive?  If not, just erase it with Disk Utility.
    If there is, have you emptied the trash?  That will take a very long time, and may present problems wtih locked files, permissions, etc.  If so, see #E6 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.

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