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

Thanks, LaPastenague. We're getting a little above my pay grade here.

Here's a fuller account of the situation. The 2 TB Time Capsule backed up 4 machines via wifi Time Machine:

MacAir mid 2011 with i5 and 2GB RAM, now running 10.9.5 with 64 GB SSD storage

slightly newer MBP whose battery ballooned about two years ago

iMac mid 2010 with i3 and 4 GB RAM, now running 10.8.5 with 500 GB old style storage

MacMini late 2012 with quad core i7 and 4GB of RAM running 10.13 with 250 GB SSD storage

I did email, work, and other daily activities primarily on the MBP until its battery died. At that point, I wiped the MacMini and used wired Migration Assistant to move all photos, etc. from the Time Capsule backup of MBP to the MacMini. No known loss of data. Then backup MacMini. Time Capsule use (total for all machines) was still well below 50% of capacity.

Now scroll forward to Dec 2019, MacMini having been the primary activity machine for about 18 months, including an update or two. A client nagged me about providing an invoice in .xlsm format so I downloaded MS Office for Mac onto the MacMini. A few quirks began to occur, such as problems with outgoing via Mail, and didn't go away when I deleted after the 30-day free trial due to M$oft new policy of renting software instead of selling it.

But still no problem with manual backup to Time Capsule, occasional review of the disk images, rare restore of a file or two.

Some other quirks in Jan-Feb, with persistent spyware intrusions of a program whose icon was a magnifying glass on a blue-green background. Easy enough to find and delete. A friend who used to write Mac articles for a major daily newspaper advised wiping the MacMini and clean install of a new OS. Internet install pushed me to Catalina.

No apparent problems saving to Time Capsule via the home wifi use of Time Machine for all 3 devices -- could see disk images when scrolling thru dates. Total usage of the storage for all machines combined was about 750 GB.

Then the install of 10.15.3 and blank directories, grayed out disk images. A couple days later, no dates visible to scroll at right of screen when Enter Time Machine -- for any of the devices. IDK how but Catalina seemed to modify the entire Time Capsule directory of bundles, blocking (or possibly corrupting) hundreds of backups of the older non-Catalina devices, too.

I don't have an external hard drive, so I'll have to get one and archive rather than hold my breath for an update that it seems a lot of other people are also hoping for (and consumer demand is often a factor in prioritizing updates, no?).

At least Mail works fine on the MacMini now...

You did not tell me where and how the photos are stored.. but I am guessing it is inside a Time Machine backup from another computer.

The photos (and a ton of email folders) are almost entirely in the backup of the MacMini made to Time Capsule shortly before the clean install. Can't one just copy the uber-folder for the Photos app from the backup to another drive, all files at one go?

Correct. I *tried* to restore from Time Capsule and that failed. So I restored Documents from a flash disk.

I'm not clear about the difference between reboot and reset of Time Capsule -- the latter involves using a bent paper clip to poke its tiny opening for 10 seconds? What does reboot entail? And why not rename TC the same name it has now?

Here are screen shots but they probably won't be very helpful. I forgot how I was able to display multiple bundles (TC images of MacAir, iMac, MacMini, and dead MBP) in one screen, all of which were grayed out anyway.

Total size of the MacMini backup sparse bundle is under 36 GB. I can now see all post-Catalina backups on TC and the Restore button is usable -- clicked and got the prompt about folder with same name is already on HD. I can also scroll to pre-Catalina backups but Restore is grayed out.

Thanks again for staying with me on this. Here's the image after initial backup after installing Catalina:

Heres' the oldest image of the MacMini backup:

Here's the basic Time Machine screen:

And here's the MacAir directory of its earliest TC backups:

I did the reset and used names with fewer than 8 characters (but password insists on at least 8).

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

I should mention that I split my home wifi into two networks, using TC upstairs and an Airport downstairs. None of the portable devices that can leave the house have the password for the primary network, only the branch network.

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.

More details: Airport Utility now shows the desired hierarchy of

Internet

TC v 7.9.1

Airport v 7.8.1

in vertical alignment.

System did NOT prompt me for either device's "base station" password, which I think was used for firmware updates?

The network that I call "primary" is the name I created when the telecom provider set up my fiber connection. So, I suppose it is primary in relation to their hardware, but not for the home network?

BTW, the home network and the user with admin privileges on the Catalain MacMini both still have Apple-prompted space characters in their names, so I should change those two as well, then try once more to access TM?

Meanwhile, no improvement regarding TM: no images visible on MacAir now when I enter TM, and only the most recent save available as an image on the MacMini. Do you still think Migration Assistant will work? I haven't tried it yet.

In terms of data loss and recovery, wiping Catalina wouldn't be greatly inconvenient. I have documents backed up on MacAir and a flash drive. At this point, not much hope for recovering photos and old emails.

However, I avoided upgrading MacMini from 10.13 due to quirks I read about when 10.14 came out, so maybe just re-install 10.13 if I can find it via App Store?

Thanks again.

I remember that from when I set up Airport previously, but I still don't see it with Catalina after another reset and redo the Airport Utility setup. The options included extend or create, neither of which had that separate setting available.

Some fussiness to redo the setup, with several tries needed and at least two more resets of the TC.

Chose Extend as the option for the Airport Extreme, which created the extra password.

I think what I called "primary" was a direct wifi connection to the fiber link provided by telecom, without using any of Apple's devices as relay or gatekeeper. So now I do have three passwords:

telecom setup

TC network

Airport extended network

OK. I will try the hardwire Migration Assistant tomorrow. Already changed password twice today and other family members are grumbling about the wifi.

I gave you model numbers of the two devices in the post before your latest screenshot:

TC v7.9.1

Airport v7.8.1

Sorry for the delay. Stuff came up. Now in the process of Migration Assistant from Time Capsule to the MacMini.

Network is recognized even though I hardwired with ethernet.

Backups for MacAir and old iMac show and are available.

Backup for MacMini was still spinning as "loading" after half an hour.

Backup for MacBookPro (died in 2018 and files migrated to MacMini) shows as available. So I'm trying to move that -- getting 4 years of photos out of 6 isn't bad. If Catalina is still a hassle, I can revert to 10.13 this weekend and get all photos (I hope).

Meanwhile: more Catalina bizarreness. Canon MG 3100 will no longer print via wifi (on either of the networks now recognized). It will print via hardwire cable IF connected to MacMini (Catalina) but NOT if connected to MacAir, which worked fine previously. It does seem like Catalina install messed with settings in a deep way that ruined functionality of other machines.

Time for lunch, then check on Migration Assistant. Thanks again.

Thanks, LaPastenague. I decided to go to the last MBP backup from 2018 (before it died), which succeeded. I am now copying its Photo Library of 13 GB to a flash drive. When that's done in about 1/2 hour, I will return to the Migration Assistant to get the most recent backup of MacMini and let it spin all evening if that's what it takes.

I guess worst case scenario is wiping the MacMini and reverting to 10.13 (via Apple Store?). I'm hoping the Time Capsule can restore its data after that. Not just photos -- I'm also missing a ton of lesser-used email addresses that were only remembered by MacMini when it had access to years of emails.

Any idea what the printer problem is?

I'm pretty sure I printed something via wifi since the Catalina install, not 100% sure.

Canon web site says that MG3100 driver was last updated 2017.

You seem to be saying that installing Catalina affected the workable driver on the other devices. That's what it looks like to me.

Anyway, after saving several years of photos to flash disk, I went back to Migration Assistant a few minutes ago. First I got a bizarre duplication of the Time Capsule disk that I had named Data. Then a mysterious restart occurred. Now back on track but no guarantee it will get anywhere.

Setup Assistant from Recovery (restart) means restoring the MacMini's original OS (10.10 or earlier for my machine), and then downloading the upgrade to 10.13, correct?

Thanks, Bob. Yes, that is the basic screen. I'm interested in protecting the home network because I do online banking. I don't know how many passwords would be optimal. There are three devices in our fiber setup:

a ZTE router installed by Telecom on the second floor

a Time Capsule connected to it via ethernet cable on the second floor

an Airport Express connected wirelessly as a relay/router on the first floor

Telecom gave me a password for the ZTE but I don't see that device in the list of networks when I click the icon in the menu bar at top. I do see a neighbor's ZTE, which has a different password from mine. IIRC, during installation Telecom showed me how to rename the primary network and give it my own password.

The network which I call primary continued to appear after TC reset, so it does seem to be a direct connection to the ZTE. I assume that banking done on this network is more secure than on the secondary network whose password we give to guests.

As quoted in your post, renaming the TC created a new secondary network with the same password as the base station. The TC disk image has a new name (shorter, as advised by LePastenague) but its storage with all 5 backups retains the old name Data. Same new password works for accessing the data or the TC network connection.

So, the question related to the info you offer is whether it would be more secure to separate the base station and network passwords for the TC. Would a separate base station password protect access to the stored data? Or does it just enable direct access to the TC device in the network (e.g., firmware updates)?

LaPastenague: The "name" (i.e., ID number) of the neighbor's ZTE differs from mine, so after testing my ZTE password and failing, I'm sure it's not my own showing up as a nearby network. We live on a dead end street with neighbors behind us, so there is a possibility of physical breakin but not to the extent that someone in the same apt building might try illegal entry.

It's not a surprise that other people can see my nearby router -- this is also true at the homes of some friends in US. One even did a piggyback on her neighbor's network because he (or she) was too dumb to use a password for it.

IIRC, Telecom told me that bridge is the only mode that will work with their setup. When I reset TC, that was already toggled.

Yes, I have firewall ON by default in all my computers.