How to migrate from old time capsule to new time capsule

Have you tried the Time Capsule's archive feature to back up the internal disk's contents to an external USB drive, and then, restore this archive to the new Time Capsule? Sorry, I don't have the necessary equipment available to verify this, but I thought I'd offer it in case it could resolve your issue.

Now, if only there's a way to easily transfer the TC's settings.

You can easily export & import your TC's settings using the AirPort Utility.

To export: AirPort Utility > Manual Setup > File > Save As...
To import: AirPort Utility > Manual Setup > File > Import

I am having a similar issue. I don't have problems with the settings, I need the data moved. I have an archive of a TC disc on an external, and want to migrate that data onto a new TC disc. The archive function of the TC is great, and fast, but I can't figure out a quick way to do the reverse. I have the external connected to the TC, and also tried with it connected to my Mac, and the estimated time to complete a copy and paste of the data is around 113 hours!! I have even moved the data from the external directly to my Mac via USB, and then tried to copy and paste the info from my Mac to the TC via Ethernet. It all gives the same result - it will take days to copy the data over. It's <300GB, we aren't talking about TBs of data. Can anyone help?

kendellrt wrote:
. . .
The archive function of the TC is great, and fast, but I can't figure out a quick way to do the reverse.

There isn't one. 😟

Your best bet is simple: keep the "archive" disk "on the shelf" in case you need the backups, and let Time Machine start fresh on the new Time Capsule. You can always browse and restore from the old backups, by connecting the drive, double-clicking the sparse bundle to mount it, then use the +*Browse Other Time Machine Disks+* option (hold down the Option key while selecting the TM icon in your menubar, or right-click the TM icon in your Dock).

But if you're really determined, you might be able to use the *Time Capsule and Mac OS X v10.6: How to transfer your back up from an existing Time Capsule to a new one* section towards the bottom of this Apple article: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427

Since you no longer have the old TC, connect the "archive" disk directly to your Mac, mount the sparse bundle, and use the rest of the steps listed.

Since you're on 10.6.3, you can skip steps 8-13; effective with 10.6.3, Time Machine automatically resizes the maximum size of sparse bundles to the size of the volume they're on.

I'm not worried about TM backups. I have lots of other data stored on the TC, like a file server. Now that the HDD is fixed on the TC, I was to copy the archived data back from the external to the TC disc. Doing this will take days, according to the estimate given by OS X.

kendellrt wrote:
I'm not worried about TM backups. I have lots of other data stored on the TC, like a file server. Now that the HDD is fixed on the TC, I was to copy the archived data back from the external to the TC disc. Doing this will take days, according to the estimate given by OS X.

Something's wrong, somewhere, but I'm not sure what. Copying from your Mac's HD to the TC via Ethernet shouldn't take anything like that long. Even a TM backup, which takes longer than "normal" copying, should run at roughly 20 GB/hr or more, on average.

About all I can suggest is checking to be sure the connections are snug and secure; try a different Ethernet cable; perhaps even erase the TC's disk to be sure it's set up properly.

How was the HD fixed? If it was replaced, it's possible something wasn't done right. You might want to check with the folks who did that.

What happened to it was a strange issue that I have seen around the net, including here, but have not found a good resolution to it. For some reason my TC disc and the ext disc connected to it became "read-only" and would not allow TM backups or any other changes. I tried lots of things, like trying to change permissions, repairing the discs, and everything else I could find doing research. The TM pref pane stated that I needed to log on as another user or format the drive. It was set to ignore ownership, so that wasn't the problem. In DU it showed that the discs were read/write, but they weren't working that way for some reason, regardless of the computer that I accessed them with. I talked to the guy in charge of all things Mac at my university and he said that he has seen it before, and that the easiest way to fix it is format. So, I archived the info to an external drive, then copied everything onto my iMac in a folder I made on the desktop. I then erased, formatted and repartitioned both drives. It worked exactly as expected, and both drives were no longer locked or had the little padlock symbol on the bottom left corner of their icons. I also asked my Mac guru from school if there was a quicker way to transfer the data from my computer, external drive, etc back onto the TC disc and he stated that he has not found a better way, you just have to wait. SuperDuper and CCC will not copy to TC discs due to issues with permissions and such using the HSF+ system.I am thinking that that it won't take as long to copy back over as it estimates, especially because those estimates, using Mac or Windows, are never very accurate. It has been plugging right along overnight, and the estimated time hasn't changed by more than a few minutes. Maybe I should have explained the whole story in my first post, but I was frustrated and not sure what to do. I may look into getting the new home file server based off of the Mac Mini to accomplish what I have been using the TC for, and use the TC for TM backups only. Once again, any suggestions are welcome.