Time Capsule backups to another HDD?

[CrEsTo]

Hi,

I just purchased a used Time Capsule 500GB on ebay. Since I don't know how "healthy" the TC hard drive is, I want to plug in a brand new 2TB external drive via USB to store my important backups and leave the 500GB of TC for non critical files.

Is this possible?

 

[alust2013]

Likely, although I would suggest simply replacing the hard drive in the TC with a 2TB "green" drive. That has worked well for many users, and would likely be easier to setup

 

[waw74]

either way i would partition the drive, so your backups don't overtake the whole thing, recommended is twice the size of your computer's drive.

not sure if you can do that directly on the TC or if you have to use disk utility on your mac.

 

[skorpien]

either way i would partition the drive, so your backups don't overtake the whole thing, recommended is twice the size of your computer's drive.

not sure if you can do that directly on the TC or if you have to use disk utility on your mac.

You can't do that directly on the TC, whether for the internal drive or a USB connected one. Further, you can't use Disk Utility to partition a TC's internal drive. If you truly want to partition the TC's internal drive, you'll need to open it up and set it in an enclosure, connect it directly to your Mac, and use Disk Utility to partition it.

I would do as alust2013 has suggested. In fact, it's what I've done with mine. If you like, you can partition the drive before installing it into the Time Capsule. But either way, the lower power consumption and heat of the WD Green drive should help prolong the life of your TC. And you won't have to worry about the finicky backups some have reported using a USB connected drive.

You just need to look up some guides online and you should be able to swap out the drive without much difficulty.