Access Apple Mac OS X 10.5.8's Time Machine backups from non-AppleMac machines?

Hello.

Is it possible to access an external USB HDD's data, that is used for
Apple Mac OS X 10.5.8's Time Machine backups, on non-Apple Mac machines
(Windows and Linux)? Or can it be only be accessed with a Mac? I use
multiple computers and OSes.

Thank you in advance.
--
"I have to sit up with a sick ant." --unknown
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
/ /\ /\ \ Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
| |o o| |
\ _ / If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
( ) If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on this computer.

 

you need to install third party software that can read mac formatted
hard drives.

<http://www.mediafour.com/products/macdrive/standard/>

 

Thanks.
--
"He who dislikes aardvarks was an ant in his former life." --unknown
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
/ /\ /\ \ Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
| |o o| |
\ _ / If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
( ) If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on this computer.

 

Time Machine volumes are full of hard links to files and folders, so
there might be a problem using MacDrive with them.

<http://support.mediafour.com/entries/174761-macdrive-files-appear-as-ze
ro-bytes-hard-links>

 

You'll probably need a MacOS system up and running to serve the
filesystem with the TimeMachine information via CIFS. That protocol can
be accessed by both Windows and Linux. So, yes you can get at the data
and no you can't without a running MacOS system to serve that data.

 

Aren't Time machine backups sparsebundle images?

 

if they're on a network device they are. for a directly attached drive
it's the entire drive.

 

Only if the drive is a remote drive; if it's a USB or FireWire (and
probably a Thunderbolt) drive, then the backups are discrete files. At
least, that's how it was originally.