Can Windows see the Time Capsule disk?

[skorpien]

So, if I install Airport Utility on my Windows 7 based Dell, I can access my backup files from my iMac within the time capsule's internal drive? Please answer if you know because I need to access these files and don't want to screw up my computer or TC.

Not easily. Time Machine backs up to a disk image called a sparsebundle. This is seen by Windows as an actual folder, with subsequent folders inside. I may be wrong, but I believe every time TM backs up to the Time Capsule, it creates a new one of these folders. You'll still be able to access the files within these folders, but as to which version a file is or where it is stored, it may prove to be a bit of a challenge to navigate.

If you need to access your files from your Mac on your Windows machine, it is best to mount the TC's HDD within OS X and copy the necessary files into a folder you create on the HDD.

 

[bordway]

Found this on a google search and it helped me find my TC drive but I have a deeper question.

So, I am selling my iMac (which is backed up to my TC). We ordered a Dell and I want to transfer a lot of files from that iMac to the Dell. I can see the TC on my MBP bootcamp Windows 7 through the Airport Utility, but don't recognize anyway to pull my files off of the backup of the iMac on the TC.

My question:

When my Dell arrives, can I install Airport on it and pull those files off the TC from a recent iMac backup? Or do I just need to do it from the iMac itself?

Thanks for any help, hopefully I explained clearly enough, let me know if I need an further explanation.

 

[Brian33]

When my Dell arrives, can I install Airport on it and pull those files off the TC from a recent iMac backup? Or do I just need to do it from the iMac itself?

I don't think this will work for you. You will be able to access any files on the TC, but I don't think Windows (of any flavor) knows how to deal with a "sparsebundle", which is how the Mac backups are stored.

Just to find out, I accessed my TC internal hard drive from my wife's XP machine. I can see the backups of my iMac and my MacBook Pro -- they show up to XP as folders, called imac.sparsebundle and macbook.sparsebundle. OS X can mount these and show the files within, but when I use XP to go into the folders, I see a folder called bands which just contains thousands of 8KB files names with hexadecimal digits.

You have other options. I think the easiest by far is to just share the Dell's drive(s) with your iMac, get on the iMac, and copy all the files you want. Go for a few days to make sure you've got everything you want before you get rid of the iMac.

Or, as skorpien says, you can get on your iMac and copy all the files you need onto the TC disk (the internal if it's got enough space, or a USB-attached one if you've got one). Then, get on your Dell and copy the files from the TC to the Dell.

In any case, I'd forget about using the OS X backups themselves from Windows.

 

[t11chb]

You can

You can browse the sparsebundle in windows as a folder to pull stuff from it but that's about all you can do.

I don't think this will work for you. You will be able to access any files on the TC, but I don't think Windows (of any flavor) knows how to deal with a "sparsebundle", which is how the Mac backups are stored.

Just to find out, I accessed my TC internal hard drive from my wife's XP machine. I can see the backups of my iMac and my MacBook Pro -- they show up to XP as folders, called imac.sparsebundle and macbook.sparsebundle. OS X can mount these and show the files within, but when I use XP to go into the folders, I see a folder called bands which just contains thousands of 8KB files names with hexadecimal digits.

You have other options. I think the easiest by far is to just share the Dell's drive(s) with your iMac, get on the iMac, and copy all the files you want. Go for a few days to make sure you've got everything you want before you get rid of the iMac.

Or, as skorpien says, you can get on your iMac and copy all the files you need onto the TC disk (the internal if it's got enough space, or a USB-attached one if you've got one). Then, get on your Dell and copy the files from the TC to the Dell.

In any case, I'd forget about using the OS X backups themselves from Windows.