How to delete back up data and start fresh with Time Capsule

rpg51 said:

I am using a Time Capsule in bridge mode. I use it for my home network and as wired and wireless router and it works very well. I have a usb external disc attached to it. I also use my TC for Time Machine backups from three macs in my home.

I would like to delete the existing back up data and start fresh with a new time machine back up for each of my three computers. What do I need to do to delete the existing back up files?

Click to expand...

Turn off Time Machine on all the computers. Then go to this screen in Airport Utility and click erase. Now turn Time Machine back on on each machine and select the Time Capsule as the backup destination. Done.

jvmerlin said:

I would like to do this also, and start again - as the initial backup got interrupted by accident.
How do I switch off the disc before saying erase disc?
Sorry just don't want to make things even worse by doing wrong thing!

Click to expand...

Just go to this Time Machine settings screen in System Preferences and slide the button to off.

jvmerlin said:

Sorry still in trouble, don't get your screen in Airport Utility.
I get a black square, with a globe at top then, internet plus green blob underneath and then line to picture of time capsule - and underneath that it says my airport time capsule, but can't click on any of it.
Can easily switch the on to off on other screen - done that, but stuck now. Sorry

Click to expand...

Click the small Apple at he top left of your screen in the menu bar. In that menu select System Preferences... that will open a panel with a variety of settings. Click the one toward the lower right labelled Time Machine. That will give you the settings panel from my previous screenshot. Once there just slide the toggle to off. Now go back to Airport Utility are erase the disk.

skorpien said:

Quick erase and enabling Time Machine backups should start you fresh again.

Click to expand...

Yep... skorpien is right on target here. Quick erase is all you need.

katiekiele said:

Is there a way to delete some of the back up data on my time capsule to start over but leave one back up on there?

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Do you mean delete some folders from an existing backup but leave the rest?

Launch the Time Machine star field Interface. Then right click the folder you want to delete and you will see an option to delete all copies of that item. That will completely remove that folder from the Time Machine backup while leaving everything else. You can do that for as many folders or files as you want.

katiekiele said:

Ha! IS there really something called the Time Machine Starfield Interface? That's funny.

Click to expand...

Heh... yeah I know. I don't know what else to call it and everybody seems to get what I mean.

katiekiele said:

What I'm trying to do is this: Our Time Capsule backs up 3 computers and is almost full. I want to leave the info on there from my son's computer but delete the rest of the info and then start fresh with the other two computers. So I don't want to wipe it clean as my son is in college and does not back up his data regularly so I need to save his. But my husband and I want to start over with ours as the data on the capsule is old. (I have been backing up to another drive.)

Click to expand...

Ah gotcha... easy. Each computer has a "computer name" that you can see in the Sharing Pane of System Preferences. Look there for each Mac so you know what you are after.

Now turn off Time Machine for the two machines you want to do this with.

Then open Finder and click the Time Capsule in the shared section to the lower left. Then double click the Time Capsule disk itself that appears in the main Finder window. You will see one file there for each machine backed up and it will be named the same as the computer name you looked up earlier (like Katie Macbook). Just select that file and hit command-delete (both keys at once). You will get a warning this is not reversible. Just accept the warning and wait for the file to delete. It can take a while if the file is large.

norvic said:

Thanks for this advice. A couple more questions:

Below the action bar it reads 'Items to delete: 0'.

1. Does this ever change to show a number, and is the field size limited? The reason I ask is that mine has been running all day (ie about 8 hours) with no apparent action yet and no number appearing.

If it needs to get down to, say, 99999 before a number displays, then I can understand it.

2. How long is a piece of string - no, seriously, how long is 'quite a while' in this context? My Time Capsule probably has about 250 GB of data but I've no idea how long I should wait. I'm using a wireless rather than hardwired connection.

(My new Time Machine backup on a different HD using USB2 (or USB1!) took just under 4 days.

I'll be patient, but I just like an idea of how long to leave things running with no evidence of progress.

Thanks

Click to expand...

It won't show a file number countdown because you are really only deleting one file... that sparse bundle image is seen as one file by the system. Kind of like if you had 100 files inside a ZIP file and deleted the ZIP it would show as one file being deleted.

Last time I recall doing this on mine it was around 70GB and it took a couple minutes.

norvic said:

Darn - our actions/messages crossed.

Sorry, I changed my original while you were answering it. Because the situation changed as soon as I posted mine. I'd be grateful for your thoughts on the revised message, thanks !

Click to expand...

Hmmm... not familiar with that error message at all. Maybe try unplugging the Time Capsule then start it back up and try again. Permissions might be an issue if you were trying to look at files inside that bundle, but should not matter just deleting the whole thing.

Another idea if you just want to set aside your son's backup and then erase the while TC disk, is you can double click the sparse bundle image for his then inside you will see a file called Backups.backupdb. You can just drag that to a USB drive/key and set it aside for him, then erase your TC disk and start all over.

mermaid2010 said:

I have had so many problems lately getting Time Machine to back up to the Time Capsule that I have given up and got a new EHD and plugged it directly into iMAC for my TM back ups. Now my Time Capsule has become a glorified WiFi hub! I would like to delete the old back ups on the Time Capsule and release space for storing some music of video etc. If I do the erase thing in disk utility - will it have any adverse affect on the Wi-Fi bit of the Time Capsule as I cannot do without that?

Much appreciated any help

Click to expand...

You won't be able to erase a Time Capsule disk from Disk Utility. You will need to do that in Airport Utility from this screen (erase disk). That will not otherwise impact the Time Capsule or change any of the wifi settings.