Going Nuclear – My Time Capsule Died


When the Time Capsule first came out I was all about it. Network attached storage and it was a router? Sign me up. At the same time, I didn’t have a lot of money to invest in the product, so I bought the 500GB model. Yesterday I was thanking god that I did.

First, let’s talk about my process a bit. When I get done with an article, I backup my files in three locations: One is a portable hard drive I keep on my desk, the other was the Time Capsule, and I finished it off with burning a few CDs. I’m going to start doing some offline backup too, but for now, that’s what I do.

I had heard about problems with the power supply or the hard drive on the Time Capsule, but up until yesterday, it had been operating with no problems at all. I got an e-mail from my boss, asking for an old file. Into the Time Capsule’s archives I went, and I hunted down the file. But as I’m doing so, I notice that it’s a bit slow. Then I get into an image-heavy folder and start scrolling down, and I notice the beachball. Then scroll. Then a stall. Then scroll. It was just moving so slowly and all of a sudden it hit me – my Time Capsule was giving up the ghost.

I quickly started backing up anything that I wasn’t 100% positive was backed up, and backed it up onto another drive. Then I went to the store to replace it.

I debated buying another Time Capsule, but the fact is, I’m not going to be fooled again. Instead I bought an AirPort Extreme and a Western Digital 1TB My Book For Mac, and spent under $300. For now, I’m going to use the 1TB drive to backup my MacBook Pro and my other drive, but I’m planning on getting another one sometime soon to handle some of the other big time duties.

It sucks when things fail on you, particularly when it’s something you rely on. I wish that this thing worked better than it does, but it doesn’t. Now I’ve got to spend the time to setup my new network again, and that’s time I don’t want to lose. It’s a very un-Mac experience.


Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a stalwart in the tech journalism community, has been chronicling the ever-evolving world of Apple products and innovations for over a decade. As a Senior Author at Apple Gazette, Kokou combines a deep passion for technology with an innate ability to translate complex tech jargon into relatable insights for everyday users.

2 Comments

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  1. Apple Support was phenomenal in replacing my out-of-warranty Time Capsule. It just up and died one day and would no longer power up. They sent me a replacement priority overnight with a return label for the same.

    Fortunately, I had an Airport Extreme to fall back on. I think I’m just going to keep using the Extreme for now.

    You should contact Apple Support.