Time Capsule Password Error

Thanks for the work on all the screenshots.. helps no end.

I can explain the issue and work out how to fix it now.

Because the Xfinity is not too smart when it comes to Mac OS it is not handling bonjour very well. Although your laptop is connected to the Time Capsule which is correctly bridged, it is getting the DHCP info from Xfinity. But not the full or correct info.

1) So here is the super easy test for the problem.. Reboot the TC.. ie power off for 10sec.. power on again.. wait a minute or two for everything to settle down. Check in Finder again.

No luck..

Reboot both the Xfinity and the TC.. power up Xfinity and wait 2min .. then power up the TC. Amazing the number of things this fixes.

Not long term solution but helps because it is a fix you do occasionally need.

2) More permanent.. open up your wireless network preferences on the computer. You will likely find that Xfinity has passed to the computer the search domain..

But your TC is not actually on that domain. So let me suggest the next easiest fix.. which may or may not work.

In this area remove the domain and leave it empty if possible .. if not put in the domain local as you see I have. Apple airports always live at local. This will have no effect on your searches on the internet.

Then click OK and Apply at the main screen.. Does that help?

No problem is you have not solved it yet.. that is merely easy method. Perhaps too easy.

If it works.. you won.. leave it be until you have issues again.. then go for next section

3) Now the bit more complicated method.

There are two parts to this. Firstly we need the lock the IP address of the TC as it can change from time to time as the Xfinity sees fit.. but we want it to never move. You can do it by using DHCP reservations in the Xfinity.. look up the manual for how.. but for this exercise we can fix it right on the TC. This is always worth doing at least the first part.. as it helps the computer no end to find the TC.

Part 1

Go to the Internet tab of the TC in Airport Utility.

Where it says DHCP change it to Static.

When you do that the current values all stick (except perhaps DNS which you will need to add manually)

Exactly as this screen. (you can change the main IP or it might have already changed.. 10.0.0.100 has easier memonic).

Part 2

Now that the TC has fixed IP we can find it in Big Sur at any time by using its local network address.

In Finder.. use Go, Connect to Server.

Type into the box exactly as follows.. afp://10.0.0.83 (or whatever you made your IP address).

Later Mac OS try to fill it in automagically but make sure what you end up with is this.

Click the connect button and it will allow you to type in your password.. and save to your keychain.. which you should do.

It should now mount your TC in Finder. And you can copy files to and fro at will. Test it to be sure.

I am finding (sic) Finder has changed a bit between versions and I am still getting used to how it appears in later stuff..

It could appear in your Finder just as Naples Airport or it could show up as 10.0.0.83.. it does not matter which as they are identical. It could even show up as both.. one and the same device but with two names.. this seems to be gone on the later Finder.

Once you get to Finder working it will work in Time Machine albeit you might need to add the disk in as if it is new .. TM will say it is going to do a new backup but will simply find the existing ones and power on.

Post back if anything does not work or you run into trouble.. screenshots... oh so helpful.

Do write down the IP address of the TC you set.. on a label and place on the bottom of the TC so you can always find it.. passwords can be added too.. very hard to remember IP addresses.

Nasty.. that is new. Internal disk failure is death knell for the TC.

It is worth powering down the TC for half a day.. overnight.. and see if the fault is there in the morning.. since we do occasionally see false messages.

If the fault does not go away it is not repairable. You can try doing a zero out data which will low level format the whole drive, as I explained in this post.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253293275?answerId=256167647022#256167647022

Even if the drive passes the TC really needs the hard disk removed and replaced.. The drive has actually failed SMART checks. Meaning it is effectively unable to reliably store data. This is not an easy job.. and likely not economic on a device that is now retired since 2018. A shop will charge significant amount for repair and Apple will not repair them at all. So depends if you are a DIYer sort of person. Ifixit has instructions for replacement of the hdd.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Airport+Time+Capsule+A1470+Hard+Drive+Replacement/61924

They put the job level as moderate.. but I would put it as difficult. Many people unused to working on modern ribbon cables and surface mount plugs and sockets, destroy their TC. Plus fan and power supply may well contribute to problems and need replacement now or shortly thereafter. If it is 5 years old or more it has reached end of economic life.

It is actually time to move on to a new replacement router and/or backup solution.

IMHO the best option is Synology NAS.. albeit expensive. We can suggest other methods but we need to know if you really need another wireless router on top of the Xfinity. If you are happy with wifi from the Xfinity then even a second hand Synology like DS218 which you might be able to pick up cheap would work well.

It is difficult because I cannot reproduce the issue..

I do now have a computer running Big Sur.. but it can access the TC without any issues.

So Finder works directly.. then Go To Server works using either the name.. need full URL though.

Or using the IP address directly.

Did the problem start when you upgraded to Big Sur or one of the recent patches?

There is a few things you can try..

Let me suggest a full factory reset of your TC.. this will not delete any files on the hard drive although you will need to reconfigure Time Machine to work.

It is important to do this using ONLY short purely alphanumeric names with no spaces. As you can see my TC name is simple tc5e. And same rules for password.. only you can make it much longer if you are paranoid. At least 8 characters mixed case and numbers if you want to be safe.

You will still need to set for static IP as per previous instructions. But it does help using the proper naming system.

Once you get a result on that, I can give you the instructions for setting up the TC as secondary DHCP server if required.

So you have already reboot everything.. even after you set the static IP on the TC always try a reboot of the network.. it solves lots of issues..

And I am guessing you did actually set the TC to static address 10.0.0.83 as you previously indicated.. and the address did not change.

Open terminal and type

ping 10.0.0.83

Use Control + C key to stop it.

You MUST get a response if it is setup correctly.

No response something else is wrongly configured and you may need to start over.

Aint networking fun!!

There is another fix.. a lot more complicated but I really would prefer to see this work without going there.

You need to give us some more info.

I have done a hard reset on my Airport Extreme

Confused already.. are you talking about a Time Capsule or Airport Extreme which has no hard drive inside it?

What is make and model of the main router? Or please indicate the Extreme or Time Capsule is your main router. If you have both please explain which is what.

Over a network with a 3rd party router you can have basic network discovery issues. I recommend you mount the TC disk in Finder and check that you can copy files to and from the drive.

What OS is the Mac running?

A screenshot from airport utility showing the airport configuration helps loads.

Is the computer connecting via wifi or ethernet?

Info from the computer can also be helpful to make sure everything is correct.