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Time Capsule is not backing up in Time Machine.

I bought a Time Capsule from the Apple Store online that was not new. It has had repeated problems with not backing up my iMac in Time Machine. Because I was not aware of this, I have not been reporting this problem prior to October 2017. AppleCare keeps saying "Let's watch it and see how it is backing up." One senior advisor said there was not a folder that would tell me the times of the Time Capsule backups. Recently I spoke with a senior advisor who knew how to find that folder, and he was able to confirm that the Time Capsule is not backing up every other hour as it should. I also have a Seagate external hard drive that is backing up usually appropriately. In system preferences Time Machine indicates that a backup will be performed every hour for 24 hours. If this is what is supposed to occur, then because I have two places to backup, it should alternate between the two devices. In other words the backup should appear on each device every other hour. This does NOT occur. I'm worried it's because the Time Capsule was not a new device bought online from apple.com/store. Any suggestions about what I should do? I want redundancy in backups. I'm not comfortable with only one place to look for a backup. Recently an error occurred with the Time Capsule and it didn't backup for 10 days, and Time Machine took those 10 days before it announced to me that a backup wasn't occurring. When I was forced to do a wipe of my iMac and a reinstall of the operating system of High Sierra, I was unable to access any of the Time Capsule backups and was forced to use an older version on the Seagate. Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.

Airport Time Capsule 802.11ac

Posted on Nov 15, 2017 3:36 PM

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Posted on Nov 15, 2017 4:31 PM

Yes, I use CCC but I have no affliation and purchased it like anyone else.


Other good backup includes superduper and chronosync.. but CCC is better than first and cheaper than second.


Yes, it has been running reliable backups now for over 12months.. and I have used it for a few years to create bootable clones.


Recently I gave Time Machine the boot.. as I was running both CCC and TM. After nearly a year of pretty good service.. TM decided to delete the entire backup..


The dreaded TM notice.. appeared.

User uploaded file


This happens very often once you move to Sierra.. or worse.. High Sierra..

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Nov 15, 2017 4:31 PM in response to RebekkahRoseRyan

Yes, I use CCC but I have no affliation and purchased it like anyone else.


Other good backup includes superduper and chronosync.. but CCC is better than first and cheaper than second.


Yes, it has been running reliable backups now for over 12months.. and I have used it for a few years to create bootable clones.


Recently I gave Time Machine the boot.. as I was running both CCC and TM. After nearly a year of pretty good service.. TM decided to delete the entire backup..


The dreaded TM notice.. appeared.

User uploaded file


This happens very often once you move to Sierra.. or worse.. High Sierra..

Nov 15, 2017 5:07 PM in response to RebekkahRoseRyan

Do read the instructions provided.


CCC has lots of very helpful tutorials.


This is the easy way.. when you are doing CCC bootable clone.

I am suggesting you keep Time Machine running on the backup local seagate drive for now.. but if you wish to swap over in the future.. let me say recovery is simple as booting from the clone.

(I just searched and this is older version.. but it is much the same in newer software on Sierra and H.S.)


How to restore from your backup | Carbon Copy Cloner | Bombich Software


To backup from a disk image..

This is how you recover from a network drive.


Restoring from a disk image | Carbon Copy Cloner | Bombich Software


Here is how you handle upgrades.

Getting Ready to Upgrade to Sierra | Carbon Copy Cloner | Bombich Software


What makes this easy is files exist in the clone in exactly the same way they do on your main drive.. so finding and restoring files is often just a copy and paste..


You can also use migration assistant to move your own files from a clone.. to a fresh OS.


It is NOT the same as Time Machine.. but then again a backup you cannot rely on is useless.. as you discovered.

Spend a bit of time exploring it and I think you will find it works pretty easily.

Nov 15, 2017 3:58 PM in response to RebekkahRoseRyan

Because of issues with Time Machine and networks on High Sierra.. it is impossible to provide reliable backups.


The backup to the seagate local drive should be fine.. as you indicate it is in fact doing.


But the only fix to get improved reliability on the Time Capsule is to use alternative backup software.


Try Carbon Copy Cloner.. it is free for a month. Disconnect TM using the TC.. see how it goes.. if it is reliable I would say your second hand TC is fine.. most issues are local computer network problems.


If the TC has issues it will tell you via the airport utility.

Nov 15, 2017 4:36 PM in response to LaPastenague

I appreciate your information. Thanks for the response. What I am hearing you recommend is to "cease using Time Machine since I have installed High Sierra 10.13.1". Apple keeps having me wipe my hard drive after installing their upgrade or update. I have done this more times than I care to remember. How would I do a reinstall of my operating system or files from a backup using the alternative software you recommend? Also, do they do it automatically like Time Machine does?

Time Capsule is not backing up in Time Machine.

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