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Is Time Capsule a Piece of **** or what?

S

SDDave2007

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 12, 2007
197
1
I have spent the last 8 hours trying to configure Time Capsule. I have a Windows PC, a MacPro and a brand new MBP.

The Windows PC is connected to TC via Ethernet, so it works fine.
The MacPro is connected wirelessly and IT works fine.
The MacBookPro is visible "sometimes", but 99% of the time it constantly requests the password [which hasn't changed], and even when provided it says its "wrong". Plug it in via ethernet... it seems to work.

During all of this I ended up with an aborted TimeMachine backup... so I figured I'd erase the disk and start over.... You have to use AirPort Utilty to do this, not Disk Utility. Anyways.... I told it to do a "quick erase"..... and its been over an HOUR [and the screen says NOT to interrupt it!].

I'm about at wits end.... I just spent $3000 and am not a happy camper.

Anyone have any ideas?????
 
??????????? 3k
on time capsule or mbp?
you know you can buy a two tb external drive for like 400 right?
 
Restore the TC to factory (the Quick Erase you did). Solve your problems one at a time. Restart all the computers. Start with the Mac Pro, get it working wired, then the MBP, wired then wireless. Deal with the Windows PC last.
 
$3000 on a MBP, a TC, some keyboards etc.... the TC only cost me $450.

Ok.. so what do I do about the "quick erase" that has now been running for TWO hours?

The MacPro works wireless... The WinPC works wired [no wireless available].... The MBP works... Wired...
it does NOT work Wireless

EDIT:
I pulled the plug on the stupid thing to stop the "quick erase"..... Guess what.. it doesn't do a darn thing unless you "disconnect all users" first!!!.. But is it smart enough to tell you that? Nope.... I figured that at least the computer run APU had to be connected.... it took 10 seconds after that!
 
I'm saying start from scratch. As for the TC, it's a 1TB drive, it's going to take awhile, though I'm not sure how long it should take. But you may just want to leave it overnight (assuming it's night where you are, I get confused with all the time zones), it's easier than sitting around waiting for it to finish.
 
kuebby said:
I'm saying start from scratch. As for the TC, it's a 1TB drive, it's going to take awhile, though I'm not sure how long it should take. But you may just want to leave it overnight (assuming it's night where you are, I get confused with all the time zones), it's easier than sitting around waiting for it to finish.
Click to expand...

ya seriously. get some sleep and see it in the morning.
i was installing this "product" which could hardly be called a product .... 4 days later of 4 reinstalls it was aborted. but ya was much easier doing it at night
 
Is Time Capsule a Piece of **** or what?
Click to expand...

So shouldnt this say "Is my new MBP a Piece of **** or what?". As you said two of your three machines work fine with it but the new MBP does not. That would usually say that the MBP is the one with the problem. Making the title of your thread highly inaccurate. Sure there is always a chance it could still be the TC but highly unlikely. I would get that Airport Card checked out in your MBP. How fast is the card connecting at? Is that number fluctuating? (can be a pretty good sign of an intermittently bad card)

Kevin :apple:
 
OldSkoolNJ said:
So shouldnt this say "Is my new MBP a Piece of **** or what?". As you said two of your three machines work fine with it but the new MBP does not. That would usually say that the MBP is the one with the problem. Making the title of your thread highly inaccurate. Sure there is always a chance it could still be the TC but highly unlikely. I would get that Airport Card checked out in your MBP. How fast is the card connecting at? Is that number fluctuating? (can be a pretty good sign of an intermittently bad card)

Kevin :apple:
Click to expand...

yes i agree with the title thing

but also you should try and connect only using the mbp just so you do not have to redo everything again and again.
 
Regardless of the OP's problems, I've been advising against buying Time Capsule, unless you just think you will die if you don't have one. There are SO MANY options out there, better options, for less money. If you have a WRT54G or an AEBS, stick with it. Instead of buying a completely new router, JUST TO GET A FRIGGIN HARD DRIVE, just save your money and get more external space. Try looking at external RAID1 solutions at OWC or something. I just don't see the logic in getting a base station that has a hard drive in it. If the hard drive crashes, and you want to stick with the warranty/applecare, you get stuck without a router while it's being fixed. DUH! How about sticking with your existing router (or get a new gigabit AEBS) and buy a FW800/400 external 1TB RAID1 for about the same price. If you really need true network storage, get a NAS that plugs into the AEBS gigabit ports. DUH! Then you get portability of storage, stability in ethernet/wireless, and you save some money. Just do some research online and quit being beta testers for Steve's latest bright ideas! I love most apple products, but I'm also a smart consumer. Do we have that many sheep out there? Seriously.
 
No the title is correct.
The MBP worked perfectly with my Linksys router... but the Time Machine would not accept the password from the MBP.... it accepts it from the MacPro.

Also, I spoke with a friend of mine, who had a similar problem attempting to connect his iPhone to an AirPort had the same problem.

But anyways.... after hassling with it some more.. it seems that some combination of using AirPort Utiltiy, rebooting the MBP, rebooting the TC, caused it to work again.

Also.... and I don't know if this is true or not... it was rumored, that if your Time Capsule has a "name" with any special characters in it... that "might" cause problems. So I changed the name from "Time Capsule" to "TimeCapsule" and afterwards it worked. Coincidence? I have no evidence to support it one way or the other..... but at that point I was grasping at straws.... and ultimately it worked.

So... the issue was NOT with the MBP...but WAS with the TC...


EDIT :
If you really need true network storage, get a NAS that plugs into the AEBS gigabit ports.
Click to expand...

Too bad that doesn't work... AEBS does not work with Time Machine in that manner.... this has been documented time and time again.

Besides, I needed [wanted] and 802.11N router, and take $499-$179=$320. not a bad price for a 1T drive, plus ALL my machines can see/use it, as can Time Machine...
 
SDDave2007 said:
Too bad that doesn't work... AEBS does not work with Time Machine in that manner.... this has been documented time and time again.
Click to expand...

Too bad I didn't say to use it with Time Machine. You assumed that. Put your iTunes, Photoshop, and other large files on a RAID1/RAID5 NAS. Put each of your Time Machine backups on separate extHDs. Not all eggs in one basket. YMMV. Either way, TC is a bad concept.
 
Understand the frustration

I was on the phone for an hour and a half with Apple support today because a configuration write yesterday hosed the Time Capsule. The very patient Apple support person helped me to get things going again. I now have two wifi connections in the house; an Apple one for the N connections and another Netgear for all else.

I was all working fine out of the box until I tried to make it better and fubared it all to goodness.

So now it is up and working, I do not use it with Time Machine, as it seems too painfully slow. So I happily use it as a file vault that I copy things to for totally, I hope, safe keeping.

I highly suggest that anyone having a hard time, call Apple support; at least that way they will know how it is going.

Basically I am very happy.
 
vansouza said:
I was on the phone for an hour and a half with Apple support today because a configuration write yesterday hosed the Time Capsule. The very patient Apple support person helped me to get things going again. I now have two wifi connections in the house; an Apple one for the N connections and another Netgear for all else.

I was all working fine out of the box until I tried to make it better and fubared it all to goodness.

So now it is up and working, I do not use it with Time Machine, as it seems too painfully slow. So I happily use it as a file vault that I copy things to for totally, I hope, safe keeping.

I highly suggest that anyone having a hard time, call Apple support; at least that way they will know how it is going.

Basically I am very happy.
Click to expand...

well it might be slower than a normal external hdd but on all first time machine whatever they take a while then the others are not as much stuff so its not as long
 
MacFanBoyIIe said:
Regardless of the OP's problems, I've been advising against buying Time Capsule, unless you just think you will die if you don't have one. There are SO MANY options out there, better options, for less money. If you have a WRT54G or an AEBS, stick with it. Instead of buying a completely new router, JUST TO GET A FRIGGIN HARD DRIVE, just save your money and get more external space. Try looking at external RAID1 solutions at OWC or something. I just don't see the logic in getting a base station that has a hard drive in it. If the hard drive crashes, and you want to stick with the warranty/applecare, you get stuck without a router while it's being fixed. DUH! How about sticking with your existing router (or get a new gigabit AEBS) and buy a FW800/400 external 1TB RAID1 for about the same price. If you really need true network storage, get a NAS that plugs into the AEBS gigabit ports. DUH! Then you get portability of storage, stability in ethernet/wireless, and you save some money. Just do some research online and quit being beta testers for Steve's latest bright ideas! I love most apple products, but I'm also a smart consumer. Do we have that many sheep out there? Seriously.
Click to expand...


Well you are just speculating in the first place. You have no idea if Apple will just replace TC over the counter. They know people NEED their router which is one of the reasons people buy it so it would be ridiculous for them to take it into service and keep it for days while the customer has no means of back up or a router.
 
HLdan said:
Well you are just speculating in the first place. You have no idea if Apple will just replace TC over the counter. They know people NEED their router which is one of the reasons people buy it so it would be ridiculous for them to take it into service and keep it for days while the customer has no means of back up or a router.
Click to expand...

I have been wanting an Airport router for a while so why not get one with a hard drive? Now I have two routers with my N gage Apples on the TC and my WinXP and Tivo units on the Netgear. How great is that?

That said, if you have no backup at all TC should not be your first purchase, I think.
 
HLdan said:
Well you are just speculating in the first place. You have no idea if Apple will just replace TC over the counter. They know people NEED their router which is one of the reasons people buy it so it would be ridiculous for them to take it into service and keep it for days while the customer has no means of back up or a router.
Click to expand...

So you think they will just give you a one-for-one swap? LOL. You're just going to hand them your TC, with your data on the hard drive, and never see it again? Take a new one, give them the old one, WITH YOUR DATA STILL ON IT, and walk away? Right. Good suggestion.
 
Without trying to move this thread off-topic, some posters don't seem to understand that just because the TC isn't what they are looking for and that other solutions are better for them, doesn't mean that there aren't users out there for who the TC does exactly what they need from a backup solution.

Rant over :)
 
ascender said:
Without trying to move this thread off-topic, some posters don't seem to understand that just because the TC isn't what they are looking for and that other solutions are better for them, doesn't mean that there aren't users out there for who the TC does exactly what they need from a backup solution.

Rant over :)
Click to expand...

A mo-ped will get me from SF to NY. But I'd rather drive a car.
And the thread's TOPIC is about a user whose TC DOESN'T DO what he wants it to. :D
Most of the posters on here are getting pissy because they bought a TC and are trying to defend the purchase of a piece of ****, the subject of the thread by the way. :apple:
 
MacFanBoyIIe said:
A mo-ped will get me from SF to NY. But I'd rather drive a car.
And the thread's TOPIC is about a user whose TC DOESN'T DO what he wants it to. :D
Most of the posters on here are getting pissy because they bought a TC and are trying to defend the purchase of a piece of ****, the subject of the thread by the way. :apple:
Click to expand...

My comment wasn't aimed at the original poster :)
 
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