Time Capsule

OK, thanks for the information.

4-5 years is about it, on average, as far as the useful life for the Time Capsule......so that is probably something to consider.

If you are dedicated do-it-yourself type of person, it is possible to open up the Time Capsule and replace the power supply and/or the hard drive. But, having done this myself, I would caution that this is not easy.

You might able to get a clue as to whether the issue is a failed hard drive or failing power supply if you power off the Time Capsule, wait for 15-20 minutes or so, power up the Time Capsule again and place your ear right on the top of the Time Capsule to see if you can hear or detect that the hard drive is spinning. There will normally be a very slight vibration that you can feel when you do this.

If you can hear or feel the hard drive spinning, the hard drive is likely still good and the problem is usually a failing power supply, so that would be the first thing to try to repair, if you decide to proceed.

Keep in mind that even if the power supply can be replaced, that you will still have a 5 year old hard drive installed inside the Time Capsule, and it will likely to be too long before the drive will need to be replaced as well.

A repair shop could handle this for you, but the big downside would that the cost of parts and labor would exceed the cost of a new Time Capsule.

If you want to try to proceed with repairs yourself, post back and we'll provide a link or two with tips on how to open up the Time Capsule and take out the insides.

Frankly, most users would probably be better off in this type of situation if they can decide to call it a day with the Time Capsule and go for either a replacement Time Capsule or another hard drive for backups.

A solid amber light....(it might occasionally flash green momentarily).....indicates a failing power supply or a failing hard drive. The power supply usually starts heading downhill before a hard drive fails.

If you could provide a bit more info about the Time Capsule.......what model that you have.....and approximately how old the device might be......we can offer a bit more specific advice.

If you have an older "flat" or "square" version of the Time Capsule........(these models look like a small white pizza box).....look for the model number on the bottom of the device. It is usually embedded in the foam pad base. The model number starts with an "A" followed by four numbers.

What is done is done, but if you were going to set up an "extended" network with two Apple routers......Apple's setup instructions and the software in Apple's setup "wizard" will configure the second AirPort to use the exact same name and password as the main router. That is how an extended network works.

Glad that things are working.

You can set up the Time Capsule to provide a wireless network that uses the same name and password as the "old" Time Capsule. Then, all your devices will connect just like they have always done.