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I recently tried to view the content of my ATC disk. I have included a screenshot of what I'm seeing. If I enter Time Machine everything seems to be working correctly. I have backups going back five years and can access them. But I don't have that warm fuzzy feeling because I can't see them on the ATC disk. I done a lot of searching but haven't found an answer to explain what I'm seeing.
Any help would be appreciated.
Unfortunately, I know of no online backup service.....including Apple's iCloud......that will make a complete copy of your Mac, but there might be one that does. So, you likely won't be able to restore a Mac completely from an online backup.
Even if an online backup were viable, remember that you are "uploading" data to the Internet from your local network. The upload speed of most plans from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) is typically about 10 times slower than the download speed, so initial backups of your Mac will likely take a very very long time.
The simplest, cheapest, fastest and most reliable way to back up is connect a USB drive directly to your Mac, but it's your call.
Unfortunately, I know of no online backup service.....including Apple's iCloud......that will make a complete copy of your Mac, but there might be one that does. So, you likely won't be able to restore a Mac completely from an online backup.
Even if an online backup were viable, remember that you are "uploading" data to the Internet from your local network. The upload speed of most plans from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) is typically about 10 times slower than the download speed, so initial backups of your Mac will likely take a very very long time.
The simplest, cheapest, fastest and most reliable way to back up is connect a USB drive directly to your Mac, but it's your call.
Okay, so I double-clicked the iMac icon and that placed a Time Machine Backups disk in the sidebar of the Finder, nothing on the Desktop. From there I can see the backups. Is there an easier way to just look at the backups?
I agree that I don't need backups going back that far. I was going to delete some of them but got sidetracked when I couldn't find a way to look at the ATC disk. I guess seeing the backups in the Time Machine window should have been satisfactory.
And my ATC is about the the age of 5-6 so I guess I should look at an online solution for critical backups. Any suggestions?
Is there an easier way to just look at the backups?
Yes, simply use Time Machine to view the backups.
I was going to delete some of them but got sidetracked when I couldn't find a way to look at the ATC disk.
There's the rub. You can't delete individual backups, you have to erase the Time Capsule disk and start over again with a new backup. If you want to keep a copy of all the old backups, connect a USB hard drive to the USB port on the back of the Time Capsule and use the Archive feature in AirPort Utility to copy everything on the Time Capsule drive over to the USB drive......before you erase the Time Capsule drive and start over.
The simplest, cheapest, fastest and most reliable way to back up is simply connect a USB hard drive directly to your Mac and back up that way. You can continue to use the Time Capsule as well, so you will have a dual back up plan in place until the Time Capsule starts acting up.
What you are seeing is the Finder display on your Mac, which will normally appear if you click on the name of your Time Capsule under the Devices heading on the left side panel of any Finder window.
You can use normal Finder actions like click and double-click to display the contents of the Time Capsule hard drive.
It appears that your Time Capsule hard drive is named Time Machine
Click on Time Machine and a disk named Time Machine will appear on your desktop
Double-Click Time Machine to open the disk
All of the backups for each Mac that have been backing up to the Time Capsule are stored in a special file called a sparsebundle
Double-Click on the sparsebundle file with the name of your Mac
All of your Time Machine backups will appear as folders with the backup date
Be extremely careful with these files, and do not attempt to change anything, since any changes that you make can possibly corrupt your entire backup file. That's why Apple does not make it all that easy to view the contents of the Time Capsule drive using the Finder.
It might be a separate discussion, but while it is nice to have backups that go back many months, even years, I have not been able to figure out what a user would do with these old backups.
Another thought as well......the hard drive on a Time Capsule becomes suspect after 5-6 years of use, so It would not be a good idea to store data on the Time Capsule hard drive that you cannot afford to lose.
Been thinking about my backup plan after all of this. My iMac is close to nine years old with the original hard drive (pretty amazing!). I've had an external hard drive connected to my Mac for more than ten years. I used to use it for TM backups until I bought the ATC five years ago. I'd say all three of these disks could go at any time considering their age. And that leads me to think that I should start using an online backup service to be prepared for the inevitable crash that is coming, or in case of a house fire.
Does that sound logical, and do you have an online service that you would recommend?
I appreciate your help!
Okay Bob, thanks for your help and input.
Airport Time Capsule disk content
