Time Capsule access via Time Machine blocked by Catalina (after clean install)

The Apple support document should be followed. That is from apple themselves.. and always worth paying attention to.

Ah I found another thread that says to erase Data one first:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208496

Any other advice? More stable if I revert to the OS that originally came with the MacMini?

I would not install Catalina.. but neither would I go back too far. The backup is useless if you go back beyond what was last OS you used before the upgrade to Catalina.. so if that is 10.13 go back to that.

I think you are missing the point.

when you restore via setup assistant you restore the entire backup including OS and all your files.. the restored computer should look and behave exactly as before you upgraded to Catalina.

Hence all your photos and whatever you lost should also be there..

Go back a few days if there are issues.. as Setup Assistant will allow you to choose an exact date so restore will return the computer to exactly that configuration and file set.

Once you complete that restore and make sure everything works.. make a bootable clone of the disk.. so you never have to go through the disaster that is Time Machine ever again.

You can upgrade to Mojave.. but I would not go further with older computer. Up to you.. but Catalina I think should be reserved for new hardware.

To fix password you do a soft reset.

Good to read the actual Apple document.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201945

When you soft reset the password/s are set back to default for 5min.. you can then access the Airport and open Passwords.

You must have the airport setup open in the background.

You can also change any passwords you like within the 5min time frame.

If you do a full reset you must reconfigure the Time Capsule from scratch and that will also set the password.. so I have no idea what you have done.

leaving in the morning for a two-day trip. I'll deal with it later.

I think you need a rest from it.. sometimes you cannot see the forest for the trees.

Start a new thread on getting the printer working.. and I will need a lot more network info to help.

The exact model of the printer would also help.

Keep safe from nasty viruses.

I'm not clear about the difference between reboot and reset of Time Capsule

Reboot means pull the power out.. count to 10.. plug the power back in again.

Reset means push in the reset button with a paperclip etc.. for about 10sec until it flashes rapidly.

And why not rename TC the same name it has now?

Your naming of the TC is part of the problem. It is using old Mac protocols.. not new SMB protocols (i.e. windows). Apple changed the Mac to use windows networking. Only partially up to Catalina.. but much more seriously now.

So reset the TC and give it a new name.. e.g. TC is perfectly fine.

The rules are short.. <8 characters if possible, no spaces and pure alphanumeric. Do NOT accept apple naming which the setup wizard in airport utility will try and use.

Use password that is also short 8-20 characters and pure alphanumeric.

As noted.. no files on the hard disk are lost.

I think 90% of your problem is networking.

Messages -69842 and -69845 in case anyone knows what the codes mean.

Apple never publishes lists of error codes and what they mean.. but it strikes me that the TC has simply dropped off the network.. don't over worry about it.

Do the reset. Change the name as indicated.

If you still cannot get migration assistant to work there is another method.

You will need a USB drive to plug into the Mini of size equal to current boot drive.. or larger.

Boot to recovery and use Time Machine Setup Assistant. This will work better than migration assistant.

Recover the entire boot drive to the USB.

I gave extensive if somewhat outdated instructions here.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7236090

The first part is using Migration and the second is using Recovery.

Please NOTE.. for anyone reading or to remind yourself.. NEVER EVER TRUST TIME MACHINE TO RECOVER YOUR COMPUTER.

Before you wipe a computer create a bootable clone with a tool like SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner.

And test the clone is fully operational by booting from it.. before you wipe the drive and do the reinstall. That ensures no matter what happens you can always get back to the working setup you had.

Sorry I am using old names.. It might still be called that when you boot from empty disk..

Read the Apple guide.. the first part is using Migration after the reinstall of clean OS.

The second part is full reinstall of backup.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203981

Restore both macOS and your files

These steps erase your hard disk, then use your backup to restore both your files and the specific version of macOS you were using when you created the backup.

The section says Restore from Time Machine Backup.

I am a bit confused.

Thanks. I should note that the Mac Air is running 10.9 -- I'm reluctant to update it due to low RAM.

Your first post stated,

However, daily backups from my MacAir to the Time Capsule are no longer accessible, both pre- and post-Catalina install.

I did assume that meant you had updated the Air to Catalina.. I now see you did not do that but in fact the Time Capsule stopped working before all this happened.

I also want to clarify the issue here.

So is there no way to retrieve 1,000 family photos from the Time Capsule? Uninstall 10.15 ???

Which computer had the 1000 family photos?

Are the photos in a Time Machine backup and no longer on a computer?

Or did you move the photos to a directory on the TC using Finder.. without Time Machine.

After you installed Catalina didn't you use migration assistant to copy the files back to the mini?

Let me make it clear .. Time Machine is NOT SAFE place ever to store files. It cannot be used as repository. You must copy those files to a separate disk or cloud.. indeed Apple almost forced you to copy all the photos to cloud.

Tell us the full story because we are missing something.

It also sounds like trouble started well before you installed Catalina.

You need to make a backup NOW of the disk in the Time Capsule. If it is not responding on either Mac or iOS to airport utility even after a reboot then reset it. No files are lost on the TC by reboot or reset.

Plug in a Mac formatted hard disk of 2TB or larger and use Archive function in the TC disk tab.

It will probably take 24hours to copy a full 2TB but leave it run before you do anything else.. you can then plug that disk into your computer and attempt to open the backup.

If you stored your files/photos in a new directory you created on the TC they will be copied to the archive. And you can access them from the USB drive. If you created the folder inside a sparse bundle YOU ARE IN TROUBLE.

I should mention that I split my home wifi into two networks,

Which is the main router.. the TC or the Airport or something else?

How does the TC connect to the airport? Expect more issues if it is by wireless. Also is the TC bridged in that case?

The network has some reference number starting with eba -- I suppose this is internal, so ignore it?

It is not important. Probably the MAC address of the TC..

The password for the TC seems to have been applied to the wifi network as well

The wizard will ask you if you wish to use a single password ie.. for both admin and wireless. You probably missed that information. You need to uncheck the box and type in a separate name for wireless.

It is simple to fix.. open the airport utility, click the icon of the TC, click edit, click the wireless tab and type in a new password. Click update.. and you are done.

However, an odd thing happened, which might be clear to you, but isn't to me:

Renaming the TC *and* renaming its network seems to have replaced the secondary/branch network.

The password for the TC seems to have been applied to the wifi network as well -- old secondary disappeared and using its password on the renamed network won't work, must use the TC password.

6.3 versions of AirPort Utility.....the application used to set up the AirPort routers......assigns the same password for the wireless network and base station (device), also known as the administrator password.

Older 5.x versions of AirPort Utility assigned separate passwords for the wireless network and device or base station.

if you remember when you set up the TC again, you saw a setup screen that looks like this, except a TC appeared instead of an AirPort Express in the example.

Notice that only one password was used for the wireless network and base station or device password.

If it is important to you to assign a separate password for the wireless network and password, it is possible to do this.....but.....most users find it easier to remember one password rather than two.

Post back if you are interested in setting up a separate password for the wireless and base station.

All that you need to do is.......

Open up AirPort Utility

Select the TC

Click Edit in the smaller window

Click the Base Station tab

Edit the password as you wish

Verify the password again to confirm

Click Update to save the new settings.

Now, you have a separate password for the Wireless Network and Base Station / Time Capsule disk.

"Canon 3100 @Martin's Mac Mini Canon 3100".

Long names with spaces are not helping.. Someone has set sharing on a computer as this seems to be very mixed up.

How exactly is the printer connected to the network? Is it set with wifi to the Time Capsule or another router in the network.

Make sure NO computer is set to share the printer. The ONLY circumstances for a shared printer from a computer is USB only where the Printer is plugged into a computer and shared to the network. If that is the case then only the one computer can have sharing set.

This is option on the Preferences /Printer setup.

I will assume you have the printer configured by wifi to the main router which is the Time Capsule.

Tell me anything wrong.. particularly if I have missed that the TC is not the main router.

I must say even my best efforts to keep a wifi connected printer alive on the network.. the brother HL-L5200DW in the screenshot was unsuccessful. It worked great for a while and then would go into a deep sleep or something and I had to power it off and on again to wake it up. I recently reverted to ethernet connection from the router and it is behaving hugely better. So if ethernet is possible.. plug it into the main router with ethernet. Also set a static IP so that the Printer is locked down. This can be done either from the printer perhaps or from the router using dhcp reservation (other terms are used but you can always lock an IP address to MAC address in the router).

You can still print by wifi even with the printer setup with ethernet.

The other possibility is to print using IPP instead of Bonjour..

This makes the fixed IP essential but it is more reliable..

I don't recall ever using Bonjour

Bonjour is automatic and default.

Don't block it because that is ESSENTIAL for Network resources to be used by the computer.. It how Apple discovers devices.

UNLESS you configure it with static IP and use IPP setup.

My recommendation is to remove every occurrence of the printer on every computer. And reboot all the computers. Actual restarts.

Then redo the Printer setup via wifi to the TC.. it does not show up because Apple is convinced their systems work perfectly. However the actual MAC address or name will show up as a client connected to the TC.

Setup the reserved IP in the TC.

Click the + box at the bottom.

For description you can just put the same printer name as you use as its network share name.

If normal setup won't work you will need to use IPP printing.. yes.. you click + box add printer down the bottom and you can manually setup a printer.

You will need to extract drivers though.. so perhaps need to use that whole horrible Canon setup.. IMHO use IPP as it is probably going to work better and the drivers should still be there from last time you setup the printer.

Printers are not designed for long life span now.. and a couple of toner or ink replacements and you can just about afford a new printer. New brother is my recommendation.. if canon are not making it easy on the Mac give them a wide berth.