Using time capsule as an HD

I helped a friend out recently and am wondering if I made the wrong decision... Here's the situation:
Friend bought an iMac via the Apple store and also bought a time capsule. A mac specialist came to his home. He had almost a tb of video, so time machine made one copy and failed to backup since that date. This resulted in a very slow machine.
He asked me to help out. I disabled Time Machine and automatic backups. We renamed his Time Capsule to "Videos" or something similar and I created a shortcut to that folder on his desktop so he could quickly access. The long terms solution would be for him to get a larger external HD to house these files....
We copied videos to that folder and he purged from his HD to free up the space. He had a ton of recent items that needed to be imported. He went on vacation and came home. He says that he couldn't access that video folder. He turned his time capsule on and states that it started to create a backup copy (leading me to believe we didn't turn off time machine). The worry is that 10 years of memories have been wiped.
My question: Does time capsule initalize itself after it is turned off? Also, was it improper to use this as a temporary holding place for these files?
If so, does anybody know anyone who may be able to provide disaster recovery?! I hope I didn't lose my friends memories as I would feel more horrible than I do now...

My question: Does time capsule initalize itself after it is turned off? Also, was it improper to use this as a temporary holding place for these files?
If so, does anybody know anyone who may be able to provide disaster recovery?! I hope I didn't lose my friends memories as I would feel more horrible than I do now...
No, the TC will never erase files itself.. TM can erase files within the sparsebundle but will not erase files on the TC.. of course you did the wrong thing.. you moved his folders to a single location without backup.. TC is a backup device not a NAS.
Now what form are these files in.. are they lots of individual files.. that is what I would hope.. or did you move a library.. itunes or maybe imovie has a library.. moving libraries is fraught with danger. A corruption on a file corrupts the library.
I presume he is running Lion.. it has many issues with networking.. and the TC itself can have issues.. so spend some time working at this..
1. Plug the TC into the computer by ethernet.. if it is using wireless.
2. Turn off all other networking in the computer.
3. Reset the TC by holding in the reset button for 10sec. This will do nothing to the contents of the hard disk in the TC.
4. Once the TC boots make sure airport utility is able to find it.. and mount the hard disk in finder.
5. If the files are not there.. you are in strife.. but not hopeless.
The next bits get harder.. but don't use the TC at all.
Firstly the files might still be in the TM backup you mentioned. See if you can recover them from there.
I am hoping you did not wipe the TC before moving the files.
To do anything further you need the hard disk out of the TC.. sorry this will void warranty but Apple will not help.. a store might help and you can ask but most of the official apple repair network are under orders to not open them.
A data recovery expert can also do this.
But it might be simple. Open the TC .. remove the hard disk.
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Replacing-Apple-Time-Capsule-HDD/2750/1
Put it in a USB cradle and plug into the computer.
See if you can access the files.. they might magically turn up.. if not..
Is the trash bin on the disk full.. maybe they went into the trash?? Deleted from the wrong disk??
Now connected to the computer the disk utiity will work and you can run verfiy on the disk.
See if the data partition will mount.. there should be 3 partitions on the TC disk.. two of them are tiny stores for current settings and a cache/swap. The main data partition may or may not mount. If it fails to mount you cannot verify.. but that tells you the problem is a bad disk. This is not surprising.. they are cheap green WD. And they do nasty things to themselves all the time.
Buy a disk recovery utility.. DiskWarrior being the Mac popular one, although I see Data Rescue 3 has IMHO a better way of recovering files by copying them to another location. And there is no free demo I can find for disk warrior.
Anyway.. you have to make up your mind whether to try yourself or pursue the more expensive pro recovery route. As long as you don't do silly stuff.. make changes to the drive.. copy anything to the drive. Recovery should be possible even if you fail after trying.

Similar Messages

Using Time Capsule to backup a small office network

Hi all,
I am hoping somebody may be able to tell me if this is a good plan or not. I have been really struggling to find a good network backup solution. I've been trying to make a Lacie Ethernet Disc Mini work but have finally given up on that one.
I am trying to find a simple solution to backup a network of 5 macs. 1 is currently plugged straight into my router, another router port extends to switch in another building which has 4 further macs along with other network devices connected. Crucially, there is no wireless access from this building to the router.
Would all macs backup to the Time Capsule, including those that are wired via the switch? If so, at what speed? I have heard suggestions that it can be a very slow process?
I'm not worried about any kind of streaming - purely a good backup device.
All advice very gratefully received,
Regards
Richard

Hi Richard,
I have a small business and chose to use Time Capsule as a backup for my company's network. We have 12 workstations and use all Macs, some wireless and some not. I'm an experienced Mac sys admin and have setup many networks, including designing and installing the network we currently have, which is driven by a Leopard Server.
Based on a year of experience working with Apple's newest airport extreme and capsule products, I would not use them in business and am moving towards a wireless network hd using Carbon Copy Cloner as my software. This is due in part to numerous calls to Apple for support on these items, having to reset them dozens of times, and being told by Apple support that using these products for business is not recommended.
Carbon Copy Cloner is a great tool for a backup, especially for workstations, as you can create partitions for each computer on your HD and CCC will create *bootable* backups of your HD - a great lifesaver if a computer fails and you don't have time to reinstall everything.
I will be putting the capsule and extreme devices on Craigslist for sale and hope to recoup enough to get the wireless network drive, which my research shows is the best way to get network backup solutions for small business.
I hope this helps.

Hi can I use Time Capsule 4th generation as a back up at the same time between my iMac and HP PC

HI Just bought a 4th generation Time Capsule and after a bit of trouble, I was able to do the following...
1. Connect TC to my modem via ethernet cable
2. Set up my first time Machine from my iMac to Time Capsule
3. Set up my HP PC via ethernet cable to Time Capsule
4. Set up HP Printer Scanner to USB port in Time Capsule, can now print from my PC and iMac using the same printer.
Here is the question...
Can I use Time Capsule (2TB version, not that this should matter, I think) as an external back up for my HP PC, running Windows 7?
I asked this question at Apple Store and they said YES, now I have my doubts as I cannot see Time Capsule as an external drive when I check my PC and computer part there, can see my C drive, D drive (internal backup drive in my PC), E drive (DVD drive) and that is it.
Installed AirPort utility for Windows, have version 5.5 something. I can see TIme Capsule using this at my PC but can I somehow save my HardDrive to Time Capsule, even manually?
Or is the problem that as I started Time Capsule with Time Machine Backup first, it has formatted Time Capsule to support only Apple version, and this is why I cannot see Time Capsule as an external harddrive?
Any help would be appreciated!
I have already an external HD for my Windows PC, just thought this way I could potentially have all the data in one place and also able to use 1 printer...
Many Thanks

Remember Apple Names are not fully SMB compatible..
Reset the TC and do the setup with all SMB naming.. ie.. short, no spaces, pure alphanumeric.
That means TC name eg TC
Wireless name (different for 5ghz) eg TC24ghz and TC5ghz
And hard disk share name.. eg Data
Make sure all passwords also match that convention.. but you can use more characters.. up to 20 or more if you are paranoid. Pure alphanumeric though.
In the file sharing area. set the right workgroup. And it makes life easier turning on the guest account to read and write.
Then in windows explorer simply type
\\TCname or \\TCIPaddress .. obviously you change the names with the actual name or IP.

I have an Airport Extreme as my router and am using time capsule to extend the network in my new house. My ISP is only providing me 4-5 ip addresses and wants me to set up my router to issue out new ip addresses for all my devices.How do I fix this?Help

I have an Airport Extreme as my router and am using time capsule to extend the network in my new house. My ISP is only providing me 4-5 ip addresses and wants me to set up my router to issue out new ip addresses for all my devices.How do I fix this?Help.
They said I need to change my settings to NAT settings. I haven't been able to figure out or find anything. I have also spoken to Apple Support on the phone for hours without being able to figure out how to do this ( i don't think he knew much either lol.) Please help me because I've got about 15-20 devices in my house that require to be connected to the internet and this is just making things ridiculously slow and painful for me.
Thanks!

It is on DHCP & NAT under router mode yet my isp is still the one issuing ip addresses to my devices instead of the router issuing them

Can I use Time Capsule for Time Machine and a place to put my iPhoto Library

Can I use Time Capsule for Time Machine and a place to put my iPhoto Library?

Only if you partition the Time Capsure into two partitions, one for TM and one for the iPhoto LIbrary. But you won't be able to backup that library as it will be on the same drive as the TM backups.
It's not recommended. An alternative solution is to get another EHD, move the library to it and run it from there. Then TM can backup both your boot drive and the working EHD drive.
OT

Using Time Capsule and Mac Mini to replace a PC.

I have 4 macs of various vintage in the house and 1 PC. I use the rather robust PC as the server for my itunes library. I'm fully uploaded to iCloud. I'd like to replace this final PC with a Mac Mini but none have a harddrive large enough to accomodate my iTunes library. (about 785G of music and video) Can I use a Time Machine as the storage device for my iTunes library? Can I connect the Time Machine and Mac Mini via Thunderbolt for fast data access? Also, if I can use the Time Machine for storage of the iTunes library, should I consider the iCloud to be my "Back Up" or should I get an additional Time Machine for back up? Also, I use and AirPort Extreme as my wireless router with 2 AirPort Expresses to expand my wifi network. Can I simply add Time Machine to my existing network or will I need to replace the AirPort Extreme with the Time Capsule?

Can I use a Time Machine as the storage device for my iTunes library? Can I connect the Time Machine and Mac Mini via Thunderbolt for fast data access? Also, if I can use the Time Machine for storage of the iTunes library, should I consider the iCloud to be my "Back Up" or should I get an additional Time Machine for back up? Also, I use and AirPort Extreme as my wireless router with 2 AirPort Expresses to expand my wifi network. Can I simply add Time Machine to my existing network or will I need to replace the AirPort Extreme with the Time Capsule?
Don't use Time Capsule for media storage.. it is not suitable and although pressed into service it is a pain. (Time Machine is software backup on the computer and is completely unrelated to the TC).
The problem with using Time Capsule to Time Capsule, is simple.. it doesn't have any software to do it.. The TC is a backup device.. not a NAS. Do not try and use it as a NAS.
You can add a TC to the network without doing much.. just bridge the TC and it will work fine plugged into the AEBS.. but again it is expensive waste. You are buying a router with enclosed hard disk drive and turning off the router.. so all you have is a hard disk which is networked.
If you get a mini use firewire external drive.. you can get 2 or 3 TB fairly cheaply and plug it in. Then back up to a TC if you really want, but any NAS with Time Machine extensions will do the job. Or a hard drive in another Mac made available to the network.

Using time capsule to migrate to a new macbook

i just purchased a new macbook (see specs below). i used time capsule to backup my old macbook which i am now selling. two questions... can i use time machine in migration assist to transfer all the info from my old mac to my new one? if so how? thanks for any help you can give me.

Yes. Or you can simply connect the two computers via Firewire cable and boot your old computer into Target Disk Mode. Use Migration Assistant to transfer your files.
Note that your old username/account name and the one on the new machine cannot be the same if you plan to migrate the entire Home folder.
Also note that the new machine will have Leopard, not Tiger. Do not attempt to migrate the operating system. Restrict your transfers to the Home folder and third-party applications.

I was using time capsule to extend a network. now i want it to be the primary base station. how do i convert this?

i was using time capsule to extend a network. now i want it to be the primary base station. how do i convert this?

Thanks for the info. Since this is a cable modem, you will need to fully reset it so that it will associate correctly with the Time Capsule when it is reconnected.
I don't have the manual for your Ubee model handy, but most modems will reset if you power them down completely. That means pulling the power cord from the back of the device or unplugging from the wall. Leave the modem powered off at least 30 minutes...longer will not hurt a bit.
Next, perform a Factory Default Reset on the Time Capsule per this document:
Resetting an AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule FAQ
After the modem has been powered down and Time Capsule has been reset, connect an Ethernet cable from the modem to the WAN port (circle icon) on the Time Capsule.
Power up the modem and let it run for 2-3 minutes by itself
Then power up the Time Capsule and let it run a minute or two
Next, open AirPort Utility and configure the Time Capsule to "Create a wireless network". Let us know what operating system you are using on your Mac or PC if you have additional questions or need more details on this.

Can i use time capsule as external hard drive for both mac and windows

I have a mac book pro, ipad and iphone and ipod and a windows pc
Can i use time capsule as a external hard disk only for all of the above ( including windows ) without the back up activity for mac ?

You cannot access the TC from iOS devices without a browser. eg filebrowser.
Can i use time capsule as a external hard disk only for all of the above ( including windows ) without the back up activity for mac ?
Yes, with the following proviso.. the TC is not able to back itself up.. so if you store files on the TC without backups one day you will discover all your files are gone because of a hard drive failure of the TC. TM also cannot backup TC.. so you will need to buy a proper backup software.
It is also much slower than a real NAS..
And windows can be a bit painful.. especially windows 8.. other versions should work if you spend the time getting everything set right.

How do I use Time Capsule as an external hard drive?

How do I use Time Capsule as an external hard drive? I want to remove photos & music from my laptop and store them in Time Capsule only.

lyperez wrote:
How do I use Time Capsule as an external hard drive? I want to remove photos & music from my laptop and store them in Time Capsule only.
Apple has specific instructions on moving libraries.
eg itunes.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
You simply follow those instructions..
TC is a network drive.. nothing more.
To move individual files, just copy and paste to a new directory.. not inside a TM sparsebundle please.
BUT.. TC only worries me.. deeply.
It is relatively easy to corrupt a library when you copy to it.. library as a whole is then corrupted and will need to be restored from backup.. wops.. no backup. You are putting at risk all your files.. don't do it.. make sure you backup..
And here is the rub.. TC cannot back itself up.. TM cannot backup network drives.
And where are you going to backup.. to... an external drive on the computer.. in that case, that is where the library should be and the TC used as normal.. ie backup target for TM.
Please read Pondini on how to do it properly though.
Q3 http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html

So i just got an 3T external hard drive and i have moved my itunes over to it successfully and have started using Time Capsule but is there a way to make things i download go directly to my external hard drive and not to my internal one?

i just got a 3T external hard drive and i have moved my iTunes over to it and i have started using time capsule but when i download things can i make the downloads go directly to my external hard drive? Or make my mac ask me where it should download it to?

just change the preferecnes for whatever app you're using to download the files to the external drive

I am using a macbook pro with system 10.6.8. I just discovered that no recent files have been backed up to the external disk using Time Capsule. There is a long list of backups including most recent but no recent files, for some weeks, have been backed u

I am using a macbook pro with system 10.6.8. I just discovered that no recent files have been backed up to the external disk using Time Capsule. There is a long list of backups including most recent but no recent files, for some weeks, have been backed up. I did a full reset of Time Machine. I disconnected the external drive and reconnected it. It is not a matter of file types, no files and no folders have gotten backed up. Everything looks normal though unless one goes hunting for recent files on the back up.

Many thanks.
With those symptoms, I'd try the following document:
Apple software on Windows: May see performance issues and blank iTunes Store
(If there's a SpeedBit LSP showing up in Autoruns, it's usually best to just uninstall your SpeedBit Video Accelerator.)

Using Time Capsule with Time Machine AND as iTunes Library

I want to use Time Capsule as Back up solution for Time Machine and additional as storage for my iTunes Library. We have as a family 3 three Macs and want to use TC as back up solution for each Mac. That is no problem. But is it possible to use TC as external iTunes library as well. Meaning as TM back up solution AND iTunes library?
Any ideas how it works?

HarryWessling wrote:
I want to use Time Capsule as Back up solution for Time Machine and additional as storage for my iTunes Library. We have as a family 3 three Macs and want to use TC as back up solution for each Mac. That is no problem. But is it possible to use TC as external iTunes library as well. Meaning as TM back up solution AND iTunes library?
Time Machine will eventually consume all the space on its partition. This will cause problems if you're using that same partition for your iTunes library. I see two options around this problem:
1) Partition the Time Capsule volume into two volumes, one for Time Machine, the other for iTunes. I understand that this can be done, but can't give you any advice on the method.
2) Attach a USB external drive to your Time Capsule and put your iTunes library on that drive.

Using Time Capsule as external hard drive on a PC, and beyond...

I need to achieve two separate things with my new 500GB TC. The first is to send it to a friend on the other side of the country for her to use Time Capsule with her PC as an external hard drive.
I then want to take those files (once sent back to me from CA), and put them on my computer. After that I just want to use Time Capsule with Time Machine, but I'm pretty sure I can figure that set-up out.
My question is, is this possible? And if so, what is the easiest process to tell my PC friend in order for her to connect Time Capsule as an external?
The reason I am attempting to do this is because I didn't see a need to buy an external and TC as well. The guy at the Mac store said it would be easy to do this, but I'm rather computer illiterate.
That being said, I apologize for my ignorance in regards to the use of Time Capsule, but any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Brody M. Nasse

Well, you just hook the Time Capsule up (either wirelessly or wired via ethernet) and for the PC you will want to install AirPort Utility, run it, and then she will be able to copy files to it. Then when it gets back to you you can run AirPort Utility (it is located in Applications/Utilities) and then access the files she put on your Time Capsule.

Can I use Time Capsule and LaCie at the same time?

Can I use Time Capsule and LaCie at the same time?

stephaniefromarlington wrote:
Before I answer your questions, let me first just say thank you so much for your amazing patience and helpfulness. Whether or not we get to the bottom of this, I am very, very grateful to you.
We will get to the bottom of it, and you're quite welcome. Don't feel you ought to know all this stuff -- none of us were born with it!
By the way, in answer to your original question, yes, you can use the Time Capsule while backups are running. There's no conflict at all.
1) Estimated size of full backup: 205.94 GB
2) My LaCie has available: 11.04 GB of 359.95 GB
That's part of the problem right there; 360 GB is a bit small to back up 206 GB. Ordinarily, a Time Machine drive should be 2-3 times the size of the data it's backing-up, so Time Machine can keep a reasonable "depth" of old backups for you.
It looks like Time Machine is trying to do a fairly large backup, and there just isn't enough room for it.
But something doesn't quite add up. Time Machine should have deleted all but your most recent backup, trying to make room for the new one. But that would mean there should only be a bit less than 206 GB on the disk, not 360.
A clue may be lurking in your logs. Use the widget in #1 of Time Machine - Troubleshooting to display the backup messages from your logs. Locate the backup in question, then copy and post all the messages here.

Using time capsule through Belkin and Linksys routers

I am working on a large house that has 4 wireless routers spread out. They are all attached via ethernet to a hub. There is a Linksys (which gets the internet and distributes the IPs) There are two apple extremes (one of which connects to a printer) and a Belkin (with 2.4 and 5.0ghz). They all have the same network name. The wireless printing appears to be working fine across the network, but the time capsule only seems to work when im in range of it. Can i get it to work through the network?

--Can I use Time Capsule through my landlords existing WiFi network witihout ever plugging it directly into the modem or router?
Yes, if your landlord has an Apple router providing the wireless signal. No, if not.
--Could I then use Time Capsule to extend the wireless network from upstairs and get a stronger wifi signal in my suite?
Yes, if your landlord has an Apple router providing the wireless signal. No, if not.

Using time capsule as an HD

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for