Time Machine puzzle

[RHPConsult]

I'm still on the prowl for a real solution to my episodic, but persistent, home airport-network "shortfall": viz. sometimes it works throughout the house, sometimes it dosen't.

Had a Genius Session yesterday @ the Burlingame Store, after I had previously embellished the network with a 2d Apple Express BS, to no apparent positive effect.

The MB-P Hardware Test was executed by the Genius.

AOK, sez he.

He then suggested that I use channel 9 (I think) or he may have said "8". Poor memory, sorry.

I came home and attempted to change whatever was there, but it seemed that Airport Utility was somewhat recalcitrant., so – honestly – I have forgotten the number of the channel with which I began. The only way I can really tell now whether it "worked" is to look back at the channel which the AEBS setings displayed, say, a month ago. It now shows "9". For the life of me I can't recall whether it said "8" when I started after returning home.

Soooo, I attempt to open Time Machine, but all it does is give me a display of the "About" data for Apple Airport Utility, but no opening of anything beyond that splash screen.

Question: How do you get Airport Utility for, say, the April 15 Time Machine "memory" to open the then existing settings AEBS "Summary" page . . . OR is that beyond TM's capabilities? Advice, please.

By the way, if you know a lot about the most desirable channels, which one should I be trying: 8 or 9. The Genius said one was a manual default and I should try the other. I guess I should be writing down EVERYTHING, these days.

Oh yes, I'm running 10.6.3

[FLASH1296]

I use Time Machine, (with Time Capsule), without problems.


I always use channel 11 or "automatic"

[RHPConsult]

I should have more clearly reported that . . .

• my Airport network functioned p-e-r-f-e-c-t-l-y for > 3 years since the initial purchase of my first "Snow/Yurt" AEBS, up through the initial months of use of the more recent 11.n, "cookie box" version
• nothing, absolutely nothing, that I can discern has been changed/added inside our house since the beginning: no cordless phone, no new microwave, or brick wall, or any other device has been added to the environment which might have "corrupted" it
• the Espress(es) have been moved about among several wall plugs since the squirelliness began to mar the network's performance, but to absolutely no positive effect
• there have been some external networks detected from the "neighborhood", e.g. surprisingly, a Westin hotel net at least 2 line-of-sight miles distant, plus a couple of new, apparently personal, networks in the neighborhood
• The Genius said, quite definitely, to avoid "Automatic" which I used successfuly since the beginning, with both AEBS models.

However, when I tried to look back last evening at my Time Machine "archives" to recall whether I had (from AppleCare advice of a few weeks ago) been using a channel "8" or "9" setting, so I could switch to the other, all I received from Time Machine were two non-functional warnings:

1. Directly from the files stashed on my external HD was the  declaration that I couldn't open any file from the storage drive. and
2. when attempting to use the applicaiton, itself, in my Apps Folder, I couldn't get past the "splash" screen – so to speak – with the v. number

I absolutely don't want to do a restore or a replace. I ONLY wish to check visually for one simple data point "8" or "9".

I know, I know, you say, "Try both, serially." That may/should "solve" the problem, but I'm also interested in more: why my Time Machine "search" process doesn't appear to work (is flawed) because I don't understand some simple detail about it.

Finally, since AEBS doesn't have any "port" the addition of an antenna is not possible.

[krissel]

I'd suggest you connect the drive physically to your Mac and see if the 'non connect' problem goes away. Then use Spotlight to try to find the Airport settings file from a previous time period.  I don't know exactly what that file might be since I'm not using any of those things. Most likely it would be in your user library under preferences/com.apple.airportwhatever... Sometimes you can open those files with a text editor and make some sense of the settings, sometimes not.

Gee, helpful aren't I?  


Found this page for general troubleshooting:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10331876-263.html

[RHPConsult]

Thanks, Kris (The NiteOwl).

I've now tried Channel "8" and it does seem faster.

As to "connections", there have always been some. The puzzle is their unpredictability. No apparent rhyme or reason. Really (Ooops. There's a rhyme in there, somewherz!)

IF I pick up the MB-P and start to walk across the house toward the AEBS, a previously broken connection "magically"  reappears about halfway through the "journey". Other times, there's a strong signal; in the farthest point in the house (diagonally) from the AEBS. Having 2 Expresses presumably to "extend" the AEBS' network seems to have no consistent, positive effect(s). Go figger.

But, Channel "8" does seem better than "9" for our curious circumstances.

• • • • •

Travel Note: I'm up late/early this a.m. just to send a message to my son-in-law's Blackberry at the precise time as he and his family board the TGV in Gare de Lyon in Paris for their trip to Geneva, en route to the southern slope of the Alps for the next segment of their great vacation

[Xairbusdriver]

There is no need to "Replace" or "Restore" anything from TM. You can also have it "Keep both versions." It will simply rename the old one by adding "(original)" or some such to its name. I doubt that you will be able to do much more than use QuickLook on a TM file. It's not designed to be used to open a file in the archives for 'viewing' any more than one would 'open' a file in Finder to 'view' it. While some apps, like BBEdit can open just about any file known to man, unless it is a text file, the output will be quite useless. TM is designed to replace or restore a suspect file with one from a hopefully pristine one from the past. But, as I said, you can still keep the original (actually, better described as the current, version). The whole point is to allow the correct app, the one that actually uses that file, to open/read/display/report/access/deconstruct/etc. the restored/replaced file to see if that corrects the suspected problem.

I have three AirportUtility plists (where I suspect the info you want is recorded), but reading one, while easy, is not nearly as easy and useful as simply letting the app do the work for you. Not only can you see the info you want, but it will give you a chance to see if the plist, itself, is part of the problem. If it's not, or if you want to return to the 'original' settings, it's as simple as Quitting the app, deleting the restored file and removing the "(original)" text from the other file. Then, of course, restart the app...

Changing the channels would have to be done to all stations, I would assume...perhaps all at once via AirportUtility?