Time Capsule as an External Hard Drive

Welcome to the discussions, CoolMex!

+"Is it possible to partition a Time Capsule Hard disk in order to use one partition for a purpose and the other partition to back up with time machine?"+

The disk on the Time Capsule can be partitioned, but it must be removed from the Time Capsule to do so, voiding the warranty on the product. It is possible to create a number of "disk images" on the drive to reserve a given amount of space using Disk Utility. In effect, this is similar to a partition.

+"Also... can the Time capsule connect to the Mac via USB?"+

No, the USB port will work with compatible printers and an attached USB drive.

It is not easy to partition a Time Capsule disk. You can use the single partition for both Time Machine and sharing, though it's not an optimal arrangement because Time Machine will eventually use up all your disk space.

You can not connect a Time Capsule to a Mac via USB.

The AirPort Extreme will allow you to create a shared disk and printer, provided you get a USB hub for it. That disk can easily be partitioned into two parts. Using an AirPort Extreme as a Time Machine disk works, but it is not officially supported by Apple.

So, the optimal setup for you would be to get a Time Capsule with a USB hub with another disk and printer. Use the internal disk for Time Machine, the external disk for sharing. Alternately you can use a Time Capsule without a hub or external disk and be aware that your disk will eventually fill up. Or get an Extreme with a hub, disk, and printer but keep in mind that Time Machine is not officially supported to work that way.

how do i use the intrnal disk 4 time machine & how do i use the external disk 4 sharing? sorry to be a pain, im still new to mac etc & still learning but many thanks