Apple’s date Machine, a way-cool device designed to be a simple backup device for your gleaming new Apple computer, is appropriately named, in my experience.

That’s considering installing one reminded me of hours (if not days) wasted installing my first floppy disk drive to a Commodore 64. certain, it was supposed to work. certain, everyone said it would work. But why didn’t it work? (And why were we all changing to floppy disk, when cassette-tape storage was so darned dependable?)

But I digress. The duration Machine, which comes in 1TB and 500GB flavors, is typical Apple Way Cool. It has a built-in wireless AirPort that theoretically can extend an existing wireless network (it didn’t play nicely with a Netgear router on the network I was using) or create another wireless network altogether.

You are supposed to be able to plug it in, run a configuration utility, and next your Apple is miraculously backed up each day

without your intervention. whether you need a file that you accidentally deleted, head to the moment Machine and get it back. Need to restore your entire computer after a hard-disk crash? Put in the new hard disk and run your duration Machine to put your machine back where it was.

It’s all very nice whether you can get the day Machine to work in the first place. (This is the point in the column, whether not before, where the Apple faithful signal up the e-mail pitchforks and simply point out that it is all user error, and Apple hardware or software can never, ever be at fault.)

However, a glance at the moment Machine forum at Apple.com points out I am not alone in my frustration. (My favorite post is one from a gentleman who suggests he is going to buy a handgun for the only purpose of putting…

Orginal post by Top Tech News