how do I make my airport so that I can access my files from multiple computers

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how do I make my airport so that I can access my files from multiple computers

I have 2 computers, one which is a 2009 iMac with 1 TB of memory on it and another which is a 2014 MacBook Air. I do not have a tera on my macbook, nor do I really need one. However, I would like to be able to access all of my files from my old computer and download them when I need them. I backed up all of my files through time machine for both machines. However, when I try to access my files from the 2009 machine from my macbook, I only see a disk image. It will not let me go into the time machine for the 2009 computer and grab files. When I setup my time machine preferences, I just set it up to do the automatic backups. How can I set it up so that I can access all of my (very important) files from both machines for that inevitable time when my 2009 mac dies?

Thanks!

Posted on Feb 16, 2016 4:28 PM

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Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

158,490 points

Feb 17, 2016 10:11 AM in response to aokinla

Unfortunately, you cannot use Time Machine backups for file access between devices. That not what it was designed for.

If your goal was to share files between computers, they should be saved as individual files on the network drive. For Apple devices, this could be a Time Capsule, or a 802.11ac AirPort Extreme with an external USB drive.

Also, if you are concerned about either of your Mac's internal hard drives failing, I would suggest that you get a few external USB drives and make clone copies of those internal drives as another way to protect your data.

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Answer 2

Feb 18, 2016 5:32 AM in response to aokinla

You can restore data files to a different Mac by following these instructions. http://pondini.org/TM/17.html

Tesserax's advice is excellent, and I would suggest you consider it. You should have multiple backups using different disks and backup software. You never know when something might go awry, and if your eggs are all in one basket . . . .

Have a nice day.

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