HT202174: How to verify or erase an AirPort Time Capsule disk

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cindyfromwalkerton

Q: I stopped my initial backup in order to connect an ethernet cable.

My Time Capsule is not mounting on the desktop. I made a mistake by interrupting the initial backup in order to plug in an ethernet cable to speed things up. Do I start over by erasing what is on the Time Capsule or just start over without erasing? I am using Time Capsule as a router, as well.

Posted on Oct 4, 2012 4:52 PM

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Q: I stopped my initial backup in order to connect an ethernet cable.

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  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Oct 4, 2012 6:14 PM in response to cindyfromwalkerton
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    Oct 4, 2012 6:14 PM in response to cindyfromwalkerton

    If you have the time, I would recommend that you erase the Time Capsule drive and start over with a new backup.

     

    In theory, you can continue the interrupted backup. In practice, this does not always work out well.

     

    Post back if you need tips on how to erase the Time Capsule disk.  We'll need to know what operating system you are using on your Mac  (Snow Leopard, Lion, Mountain Lion) to tailor the instructions correctly.

  • by cindyfromwalkerton,

    cindyfromwalkerton cindyfromwalkerton Oct 5, 2012 11:55 AM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 5, 2012 11:55 AM in response to Bob Timmons

    I have a MacBook Pro with OS X Version 10.8.2 Mountain Lion. I use Time Capsule to backup and to connect a cable modem for internet service. Evidently my backups are proceeding on a regular basis, however there is no disk mounted on the desktop and it makes me wonder what I would need to do if I were to use my backup on my Mac. This is the first time I have tried to use it for this, and of course, by now I realize I made a mistake by interrupting the initial backup in order to plug in a ethernet cable. Is there a way to mount the disk on my desk top without having to erase what I have stored?

  • by Bob Timmons,Solvedanswer

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Oct 5, 2012 12:08 PM in response to cindyfromwalkerton
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    Oct 5, 2012 12:08 PM in response to cindyfromwalkerton

    If you are asking about Time Machine backups, the Time Capsule disk will only "mount" briefly on the desktop during a backup and it will "unmount" at the end of the backup. This is normal.

     

    There would normally be no need to "mount" the Time Capsule disk on the desktop manually, but it is possible to do if you need to do that for some reason.

     

    If everything seems to be backing up normally on a regular basis, you have nothing to worry about at this point.

     

    You can always check your backups by clicking the Time Machine "clock" icon on the dock and waiting a few minutes for everything to load.  Use the timeline scale at the right of the screen to select a few different dates to make sure that you have backups stored for each date.

     

    Click Cancel at the lower right of the Time Machine "Star Wars" display to return to the present.

  • by cindyfromwalkerton,Helpful

    cindyfromwalkerton cindyfromwalkerton Oct 6, 2012 12:41 PM in response to Bob Timmons
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    Oct 6, 2012 12:41 PM in response to Bob Timmons

    Thank you for your reassurance! I didn't realize the disk icon was just on momentarily. I checked and it appears that it must be proceeding normally. This was new to me, so I really did not know what to expect. I did see the "Star Wars" display you talked about. I just didn't want to have a false sense of security and find out I was not backing up like I thought should the time arrive when I needed it.