HT3275 EMERGENCY!!!!!!!!  NEED TO RETREIVE AN ACCIDENTALLY DELETED BACKUP! BACK UP FROM MY TIME MACHINE DRIVE????  In other words, I emptied out a folder on my main MAC to make space and the next subsequent backup backed up the EMPTY FOLDER and then delet

EMERGENCY!!!!!!!!
IS THERE ANY WAY TO RETREIVE AN ACCIDENTALLY DELETED BACK UP FROM MY TIME MACHINE DRIVE????
In other words, I emptied out a folder on my main MAC to make space and the next subsequent backup backed up the EMPTY FOLDER and then deleted the "old backup" that actually contained the contents of the very important folder.
Now only the emptied folder exists on my MAC and in the two backups on my Time machine backup drive.
This was clearly a big mistake on my part not realizing that the "old backup" being deleted by Time Machine would include backed up files that I had no intention of getting rid of....
What can I do now?
Is DATA RETREIVAL even an option?
I am sure that the Folder of files that I need are on the most recently deleted "OLD BACKUP" but how do I get to this, if even possible?????
Super desperate situation here...
M

inna-help-me wrote:
Is DATA RETREIVAL even an option?
It may be possible to recover some of the data, if it hasn't been overwritten, but it won't be cheap or easy. 
You've posted in the Time Capsule forum, but you mention a "backup drive."  If your backups are on a Time Capsule's internal HD, instead of an external HD, it's even worse.
See Data Recovery.
Good luck.

Similar Messages

  • Copying the 'Backups.backupdb' from my Time Machine drive to another drive

    I wish to keep a copy of the 'Backups.backupdb' (approx 110G in size) also on another drive than the drive I use for Time Machine. I drag 'Backups.backupdb' from the TM drive to the other (have tried both a USB2 and a FW400 drive), I key in the password for my Mac. It starts to prepare for copying, and then nothing seems to happen.
    Is this a function that is somehow 'not allowed' by the system? I left it like that last night and nothing happened til morning, so I cancelled the function.
    The 'Backups.backupdb' is on a 120G disc and contains backup for three Macs.
    I'll be grateful for any help.

    Assuming both drives are local, then the Restore tab of Disk Utility will copy the whole drive (probably more than what you want). Easy to use but be careful.
    I don't know how to do an afp (Time Capsule) drive. /usr/bin/ditto has trouble.

  • I accidentally did a cp -rp from a time machine backup to my home directory, making it unwritable

    I cannot create files or documents in my home directory.
    I was able to restore the home icon with
    sudo xattr -d com.apple.FinderInfo username
    Get info says it is unlocked.
    I couldn't find anything else helpful from xattr.
    I used migration assistant to restore the old directory but that didn't work;
    If I go to the User directory and do ls -l
    for the bad directory I get
    drwxr-xr-x@ 70 dl  dl  2380 Sep 13 00:28 dl
    and for a good directory I get
    drwxr-xr-x+ 16 Ken              staff             544 Jul 26  2009 Ken
    so the bad directory has an @  and the good has a + attribute, presumably
    Thanks
    Ken

    Then he should first Erase from the Install CD Disk Utility, and then Restore from TM.
    Restoring your entire system from a backup
    If you are restoring a backup made by a Mac to the same Mac
    With your backup disk connected, start up your Mac from your Mac OS X v10.5 or Mac OS X v10.6 installation disc. After starting up, use the Restore System from Backup feature of the Mac OS X Installer.
    Note: If "You can't restore this backup because it was created by a different model of Mac" appears when restoring a backup that was made on a different Mac, follow the onscreen instructions.
    If you are restoring a backup made by one Mac to a completely different Mac
    Important: If the backup you are about to restore is from a completely different Mac, use the Migration Assistant to transfer data from the backup, as described in the next section.

  • Unable to empty trash with data from Time Machine Drive

    Hi there,
    Cause of the current issue:
    I am hoping the experts can help me with this one. I have an external hard drive which is used for my Time Machine Backups. Recently there has been an error on the backup to this drive on occasion. This error only occurs when the system does the back up, and appears only periodically, never when I do the back up manually. One of the threads I read to solve this issue is to delete some older backup files from your time machine drive, and all is good. This worked for awhile.... but now a new problem:
    New Problem:
    I have been able to empty all of the trash save one particular set of folders. So the trash always appears with content.
    The structure of the trash content appears as such...
    Macintosh HD
    +-Users
    +--<username>
    +---Library
    +----FK6T0KGc9y4KBB <-- This changes each time I try to empty the trash.
    The library folder always has the time/date of the last time I tried to empty the trash.
    What I have tried:
    1. I have tried to empty the trash Securely. No good.
    2. I have tried the terminal command : sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash with no success
    3. I have tried this terminal command : sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash/* with no success
    4. I have tried just plain old Empty Trash. But I get the message "This operation cannot be completed because the item 'FK6T0KGc9y4KBB' is in use.
    Any thoughts, recommendations?

    Hey thanks for the help anyway VK.
    I tried that command and no go either.
    Last login: Fri Jul 25 08:13:39 on console
    iMac:~ tmlohnes$ sudo rm -rf /Volumes/Time\ Machine\ Backups/.Trashes/501/*
    Password:
    rm: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/.Trashes/501/2008-03-28-160634/Macintosh HD/Users/tmlohnes/Library/8xMlmPGUHzilET: Directory not empty
    rm: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/.Trashes/501/2008-03-28-160634/Macintosh HD/Users/tmlohnes/Library: Directory not empty
    rm: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/.Trashes/501/2008-03-28-160634/Macintosh HD/Users/tmlohnes: Directory not empty
    rm: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/.Trashes/501/2008-03-28-160634/Macintosh HD/Users: Directory not empty
    rm: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/.Trashes/501/2008-03-28-160634/Macintosh HD: Directory not empty
    rm: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/.Trashes/501/2008-03-28-160634: Directory not empty
    iMac:~ tmlohnes$
    I am wondering, would it make sense to try this same command if I were to do a safe boot?
    What about formatting the external hard drive and starting fresh?

  • How do I revert a drive from a Time Machine disk to a completely empty, unused disk?

    Hello,
    I was performing my first Time Machine backup and my SATA controller failed on my Macbook Pro's motherboard, rendering internal drives inaccessible. The backup that was in-progress at the time had only completed a small percentage of the image and is useless. I am trying to install OSX onto the external drive so my computer will function for the time being, but OSX will not allow the installation because the disk has been reserved as a Time Machine only drive.
    I tried erasing the external drive through Disk Utilities, but even after a full erase (went over all data with 0's), it is still showing up as a Time Machine partition. I was able to partition the drive into to two, installing OSX on the second partition and that is how I am running now, but I would like to recover that space that Time Machine has stolen.
    Any idea's on how to release Time Machine's grasp on my disk?
    Thanks!

    There was the one incomplete Time Machine backup. The OS installer says that it cannot install onto a drive used for Time Machine. I have attempted to fully erase everything on that disk through Disk Utilities, even zeroing out the disk, but the installer still recognizes it as the Time Machine drive.

  • I restored from a Time Machine back up and now my Creative Suite 4 gives me error 150:30

    I have the same problem when I migrated CS4 to a new Retina MacBook Pro from a Time Machine drive. I get Error: 150:30 when I try to launch Photoshop CS4. The License Recovery Tool does not seem to work with Mountain Lion. I cannot reinstall the software from disc unfortunately. That was too many moves ago and the discs are no longer available. I don't even think the installers will run with the current OS.
    Any help would be much appreciated.
    All the best,
    Tom

    I have branched this off to a separate discussion.
    TomWolsky in general it is best if you install the applications instead of restoring them from Time Machine or using the Migration assistant to copy them from one computer to another.  You can try the steps listed at Error "Licensing has stopped working" | Mac OS - http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/error-licensing-stopped-mac-os.html.  This may allow you to resolve this difficulty.
    If it doesn't I would recommend formatting and only restoring your documents and settings from the Time Machine back up.  You can download a fresh copy of your installation files by following the directions listed at http://prodesigntools.com/download-adobe-cs4-and-cs3-free-trials-here.html. 
    You can also find the serial number if it is registered to your account by following the steps listed at http://forums.adobe.com/message/3987968#3987968?promoid=KBHJW.

  • After a complete restore of Mac from a Time Machine volume, I don't want a full backup the next time Time Machine backs up.

    After performing a complete restore of my Mac from a Time Machine volume, Time Machine wants to perform a full backup the next time it backs up.This is normal: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1338
    But I don't have enough free space on my external hard drive to do this because my external hard drive already contains one complete backup. My hard disc on my MacBook is 320 and my external drive is 500 GB, so it doesn't add up. I don't want to delete the original backup in case something goes wrong during the new full backup. What can I do?

    You don't have too many options.  The best approach would be to buy a larger external drive.  The guideline for Time Machine is that you should have 2-3 times as much capacity on the external drive as data you're backing up.  See item 1 of Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.  In any case, you can't prevent that first full backup unless you're willing to turn off Time Machine permanently.

  • If I do a clean install on my MacBook Pro will I be able to re-install apps (FCP, Aperture, MS Office etc.) from a Time Machine backup, or will I need the original install DVDs with authorization codes?

    I have two questions...
    1) If I do a clean install on my MacBook Pro will I be able to re-install apps (FCP, Aperture, MS Office etc.) from a Time Machine backup, or will I need the original install DVDs with authorization codes? (because I don't have them)
    2) Has anyone ever seen anything like this before on their computers?
    The Apple Genius' were stumped by my laptop issues and said they'd never seen anything like it before and recommended I did a clean install. Below you can see my trash bin, and if you look at the "Empty" button it reads "N201" and then there's the "N39" to the left of it. You can also see these numbers over by the folder area--"SD5, SD6, SD7." But that's not all...
    When I right click on items I see the numbers again. Instead of "Open with" I get "N152" and there's an "N35" and "LB1" towards the bottom.
    I have no idea what's going on so I'm just going to do a clean install on my machine but I don't want to lose my apps. I don't have the original install DVDs for them anymore. If you have any suggestions please let me know. Thanks!

    You don't lose them.  You can always redownload them from the app store after you log back in with your Apple ID.
    "Buy, download, and even redownload.
    You can install apps on every Mac you use and even download them again. This is especially convenient when you buy a new Mac and want to load it with apps you already own."

  • I accidentally deleted my media files from iTunes and Trash when I was trying to move the files to an external hard drive. Is there a way to restore the media files from a Time Machine backup or from iTunes Match? What are the steps to do this?

    I accidentally deleted my media files from iTunes and Trash when I was trying to move the files to an external hard drive. Is there a way to restore the media files from a Time Machine backup or from iTunes Match? What are the steps to do this?

    If you have been backing up on Timemachine.
    All you need to do is enter time machine... Then the rest is obvious.
    Find the iTunes folder and hit 'Restor'.
    If not the only way to get all your iTunes music back is to enter iTunes Store.
    On the right hand side you should see 'Purchased'.
    Click 'purchased' and there you have it.

  • I recently did a full reinstall from my time machine and now my MacBook pro won't back up to the time machine. It starts a full backup ignoring the original back up, can anyone help?

    I recently did a full reinstall from my time machine and now my MacBook pro won't back up to the time machine. It starts a full backup ignoring the original back up, can anyone help?

    Did you follow the instructions on the page linked below?
    OS X Yosemite: Recover your entire system

  • I had to reformat my OSX 10.5.8 and i can't restore my emails from my time machine backup from an external hard drive - only the latest (post backup) time machine back ups are available to restore. Please can any help

    I had to reformat my OSX 10.5.8 and I can't restore my emails from my time machine backup from an external hard drive - only the latest (post backup) time machine back ups are available to restore. Please can any help? I can find the mail folder in my libraries, but the Restore Button is grayed out

    OSX treats the reformatted drive as a different one; it's the same as replacing it, and the old one is no longer connected.
    See #E3 in  Time Machine - Troubleshooting to see and restore from the "old" drive.
    And, you may not want to restore via the Finder; see the blue box in #15 of  Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.

  • Do I need startup discs to upgrade hardware on MacBook Pro or can I restore the hard drive from from a Time Machine backup?

    do I need startup discs to upgrade hardware on MacBook Pro or can I restore the hard drive from from a Time Machine backup?

    Ok, well go and grab a small 2.5" hard drive enclosure so you can put the new drive in & temporarily use it like an external hard drive.
    Download Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper and make a bootable clone of your current HDD on the new HDD.
    Once that's done you can test the clone by booting from it. To do this hold Optioni while booting to select the external (new) drive. If everything looks ok, you can go ahead and swap over the HDD's.
    So much easier.

  • I am running 10.8.2 and my Safari bookmarks keep changing to some very old bookmarks i had. I replace the bookamrks plist from my time machine backup but they automatically revert back. Please help!

    I am running 10.8.2 and my Safari bookmarks keep changing to some very old bookmarks i had over a year ago somehow. I replace the bookamrks plist from my time machine backup but they automatically revert back. I dont have a time capsule or anything so these bookmarks are obviously being downloaded over the cloud from somewhere. Please help!

    Uninstall Genieo:
    http://www.thesafemac.com/arg-genieo/
    See if that makes a difference.
    Ciao.
    DawnHerbie wrote:
    Also is Safeboot ok to use?
    Yes, it will do no harm, but it is meant for trouble shooting and you should not have to use it all the time.
    Message was edited by: OGELTHORPE

  • Backing up the whole Macbook Pro from a Time Machine was not a good idea

    So here's my little story... I've started to had a problem yesterday with a game running with crossover on my mac. Since the game was working fine 2 days ago I've decided to back up my whole computer from my Time Machine. After 5 hours of work the machine restarted and oh! My game work just as fine as it was 2 days ago...
    What could go wrong ?? ... Well everything. The first thing I've noticed is that my iPhone 5 would not save anymore... No big deal, deleted all the last saved backup and guess what ? Problem solved. Next thing you know... The notification center was not working anymore... So, after searching a bit decided to reinstall the last update for mountain lion... Problem solved again. The last but not least, Mail app... Decided to check my mail. Whoops.. Crashes. Comptuer restart ... Crashes again. Then it went downhill, super slow... Mail not working... Safari and iMessage went down and iCloud would not work either...
    Now ? Factory recovery here I come ! But wait... I have 2 days of file backing ahead of me. 5000 songs + 150 movies + 1500 photos.
    Special thanks to Time Machine for all that great work... When you don't need it it's awsome, you can show to all your friends how many backups you have inside this white box...

    Reinstall Adobe Reader and reset its preferences to install the plug-in to use it as the default PDF viewer in Safari. Be sure to download the latest version.
    Regardless of your sound output preferences the boot chime will always play through the computer's speakers. This is in fact "normal" on the Mac Pro. However, after startup your sound output preferences should remain honored. If this is not the case then there may be a preference problem. However, your description of the problem isn't clear on this.
    What was the hardware from which you transferred to the new computer? What OS version had been installed on it? At this point I'm not sure about the third problem.
    Message was edited by: Kappy

  • I have just taken delivery of a brand new 15" macbook pro, tried migration assistant from a time machine backup, music, photos, programs etc. They now take up 350gb of my hard drive but the files are nowhere to be found? can anyone help?

    Set migration assistant to run whilst on a lunch break, given that it needed 2 hours or so, when i returned all programs and applications had moved across from my time machine backup of a now dead 15"macbook pro 2009 edition running snow leopard...When i look at my new system information it shows my new 500gb drive is full of music, movies and photos and has only 168gb free, not enough to run a new migration and i don't have any boot disks for Lion so really don't want to erase the hard drive. To compound the problem i'm in Vietnam where there isn't a genius bar just around the corner, or even an aasp within 700km - what should I do?

    Is the HDD in the 2009 15" MBP dead?  (The original source of your data)  If not, you might want ot take it out and put it in an enclosure.
    You might try spotlight on know files to see if that gives you any clues where your data is located.
    You might down load from the Internet OmniDiskSweeper (free) and open it.  It should show you all of the files you have on your MBP and enable to locate them.
    Ciao.

Maybe you are looking for