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Backing a Mac up wirelessly to a Time Capsule using Time Machine is super easy.
It's not a cheap fix but it is ridiculously efficient and there is no user input required. Once I had a laptop die without a recent backup (because I had the tech to backup but needed to shackle the computer to the drive and remember to do it, which I didn't do), I gave in and got one. Everything backs up there and I never have to lift a pinkie. I am hesitant that it will die and two pieces die at once but I think I extended the warranty so as long as multiple hardware isn't dying at the exact same moment, it's a risk I am willing to take. Apparently I backed up five minutes ago and I didn't notice or have to do anything. Wireless and automatic is the key for me actually having a backup when I need them.
I think the Time Capsule is worth the money. I never think about it and it has saved my ass two or three times.
I got one of the Black Armor NAS units, and it's chugging away, my PC and laptop are backing up regularly without my intervention. It's nifty as all fuck.
OK, one more question--if'n I get a new wireless router that has a USB port, and attach a hard drive, all is good for the backing up part.
But when I get a new printer from the new job, how would I be able to print wirelessly to that? It would be quite helpful. I'm not sure if it will be a fancy printer that includes that automatically, but could I in theory link it up via the USB to the printer? Or? I figure if I'm going to be buying shit, might as well not buy it and then in a few weeks go "Oh, dang, I should've gotten..."
I had no idea you could plug USB devices like network drives into WiFi access points. For some reason, when I'd seen the USB port on the wireless routers I'd bought for the house in JA, I'd been thinking flash drives--I'd never gone all the way.
meara, are you thinking you'd share the one USB port between the printer and the USB drive? Or are there routers with multiple USB ports (I'm all woo hoo agog at the idea of plugging your printer in there, but why not? I just have a printer with a NIC) Time Machine backs up when it wants to. I wouldn't be unplugging its target drive willy nilly.
I think I definitely have to replace my router. I'm sure it's the source of the intermittent lags in my network. I am sad I can't fix my port shortage at the same time in the same device--that just seems silly. But I'll see if I can at least do it with one stop shopping with the small device Gud recommended.
Meara, my HP all in one wireless just uses the same wifi that anything else does; nothing plugs in.
my HP all in one wireless just uses the same wifi that anything else does; nothing plugs in.
Yeah, and I figure if they give me one of those kind, yippee hooray. But it's also possible they'd give me one that won't do wireless.
ita, it only has one USB, but I don't know how any of it would work for printing, which is why I'm asking!
You can always go with an Airport Express if your printer isn't wireless (and your router doesn't have two USB ports - I have it in my head that trying to use a hub would cause problems, but I'm not sure that's right. Anyway, I always have had my router and printer in different rooms, so I haven't experimented with how they interact).
Excel is driving me bonkers - I've got a cell with some text in it and it's displaying as ######## (Excel code for "ack, too much!") no matter how large I make that cell.
Any idea how I can force it to display the text? It's not really that much, which is the confusing part.
[edit - fixed this by the annoyingly cludgy method of copying the text into a blank cell and then pasting that cell on top of the old one. That should not have worked. Stupid Excel.]
