Two weeks in, Bought Time Capsule, Advice?

I'm getting used to my new machine and bought a 2TB TC for security. I've read the 'Backup 101' sticky, but being a non-techie, I still have a couple questions before I plug the TC in.

I want to use the TC for both Time Machine backups and for eternal HD storage and understand I will I need to partition the TC? Can the external HD partition be set up so data on it, such as iTunes, be readable by both my Mac and my PC?

Can a drive be partitioned without being reformatted? i.e. if I elect to load Windows on the MCP I need to partition the internal HD...will that require me to reformat the HD?

If I get another external HD for exclusive Carbon Copy use, will that clone both the Mac side and Windows side of things?

Thanks,

EyeFly said:

I want to use the TC for both Time Machine backups and for eternal HD storage and understand I will I need to partition the TC?

Click to expand...

There's no need to partition the drive, that's down to personal preference.

Can the external HD partition be set up so data on it, such as iTunes, be readable by both my Mac and my PC?

Click to expand...

I wouldn't do it this way. You can put your iTunes media on the TC by all means, but you shouldn't have two separate copies of iTunes administering the library. If you want to share content between the Mac and PC use Home Sharing on the Mac which will give the PC full access to the content.

Can a drive be partitioned without being reformatted? i.e. if I elect to load Windows on the MCP I need to partition the internal HD...will that require me to reformat the HD?

Click to expand...

MCP? MBP? (might be worth adding your Mac specs including OSX version etc)
If you're talking about installing Windows on your Mac you can use the Bootcamp assistant to partition the disk specially for the purpose of installing windows.
I'd always recommend a backup prior to any partitioning process, but you have one of these with your Time machine backup on your TC.

If I get another external HD for exclusive Carbon Copy use, will that clone both the Mac side and Windows side of things?

Click to expand...

No, just the Mac partition. You can use the backup tool within Windows 7 to backup the Windows side of things.

mrplow, Thank You,

I've added Lion 10.7.3 in my signature, I could't figure out how to find that info last night, but google search to rescue and now I know.

I apologize; the MCP was a typo, should have read MBP.

After reading a bunch of search results for Time Capsule and Time Machine last night I was under the impression that incremental backups that TM makes to the TC would eventually fill the drive space, thus the need to partition the TC drive to limit TM to some amount...usually recommended to be twice the size of the drive being backed up. Am I understanding that wrong?

I'm also new to iTunes, (I'm one of the few who loved the Zune Marketplace). If my iTunes content is on the TC and my MBP is the administrator with home sharing turned on, would I then be able to use a different iTunes device, i.e. iPhone, iPod, or PC, to select music to play over Airplay using my home sound system? Or will I always have to have the administering MBP turned on so music requests get 'funneled' through it?

Thanks again

No you aren't understanding that wrong but like I say. It's personal preference. Nothing to stop you partitioning the drive I've you want to but my point was you don't HAVE to. If it helps you organise then split the drive. 1.5-2 times the size of your drive to be backed up is a sensible amount for the TM partition.

It's a short answer to a long question I know but with regard to your iTunes query the answer is Yes and Yes

Thanks again,

Short answers work!

I gotta say the help I've gotten here at Mac Forums has been terrific.

Good stuff. Tip your waiter