I'm backing up my MacBook Pro and an external media drive to my Time Capsule. When I travel, I never take my media drive with me. What does Time Machine do when it can't locate either the Time Capsule or the source?
If you have a Mac laptop, Time Machine makes "local snapshot" backups to the laptop's internal drive, then resumes normal backups when it knows that other drives are attached. Later, the backups will appear "merged" when you open Time Machine normally to browse backups.
You might want to look though this Apple support document for more details on "local snapshots":
About Time Machine local snapshots - Apple Support
Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac - Apple Support
Thanks Bob. What about external drives? What happens when they're not connected?
TM will just skip it until it is plugged in again. the backup might take longer because it has to compare the external drive to the backup.
What about external drives? What happens when they're not connected?
LaPastenague has you covered. If Time Machine has not backed up to one of your externals for some time........I think it's about 10-14 days.....then you will see a message to that effect as a reminder and heads up.
Thanks guys. I appreciate your help.
BTW, the new Time Capsule I purchased is awesome! It's much faster than the 4th generation model and it doesn't create interference problems with my SmartHome Insteon devices.
Good news on the new Time Capsule.
One heads up for you to keep in mind......the internal fan on the Time Capsule tends to get clogged up after 12-18 months of use, so if you have the opportunity to have a Mac covered by AppleCare, the Time Capsule will be covered up to 3 years from its purchase date.
It's possible....but not easy....to open up the TC to either clean out or replace the fan, but Apple does not offer repair parts, so you must look for a replacement fan by looking at the manufacturer and/or model number of the fan.
Thanks Bob. That's great advice. My MacBook is so dependable that I haven't had the need to purchase a new one for a while, but I did get a SquareTrade warranty on the new Time Capsule, just be safe.
What's the best way to clean the fan? I typically used compressed air, but perhaps a vacuum would be better.
The main problem with trying to clean the fan is that you must take the Time Capsule apart....which will void any warranty that might be in place at the time on the product.
The Time Capsule also tends to almost self destruct unless you use extreme care when you open the case up to pull out the internal components. Ribbon cables and connectors are easily broken when you try to remove the components and boards.
It's not hard to clean the fan once you find it using compressed air, and if it has been "screeching" a tiny drop of fine machine oil will probably be needed to quiet down the bearings. If that does not work, you'll have to look for a replacement fan......(which Apple does not sell)....on the Internet by using the manufacturer name and model number.
If the Time Capsule is still in warranty and it starts overheating, or the fan starts getting noisy, if possible, it is far easier, and a lot safer, to copy the data from the Time Capsule to another drive and then have the Time Capsule replaced under warranty.
You would think that Apple would have come up with a better, more serviceable design. 😟
Unfortunately, that is the point I was trying to make. Apple has decided again that they do not want to provide service or parts for the Time Capsule, nor do they want users trying to fix the product, so they design the product accordingly. My opinion here.
What happens if external source isn't there?
