Time Machine no longer does hourly backups

Time machine has quit doing its hourly backups.  I have two disks defined to Time Machine.   One is Firewire and the other eSATA.  So neither drive is on the network.   This has been working for a very long time this way.   The other day one of the drives encountered an error that made it unreadable.   I verified that I still had a good set of backups on the other drive, and then removed the bad drive from Time Machine and reformatted it.  I then added the now reformatted drive back to Time Machine.
My macbookpro is plugged into AC.   There are no error messages in the console log for backupd.   I have seen this happen off and on but it always seems to start up again after awhile.  This time seems diffferent.  I have done two restarts.  I tried deleting com.apple.TimeMachine.plist from /Library/Preferences.  I have removed both drives from Time Machine and added them back.  I can manually do backups and the console log shows them to be successful.   Time Machine properly flips between the two drives everytime I do a manual backup. 

You may find a solution at this website: Time Machine - Troubleshooting
OT

Similar Messages

  • I have an iMac with OS X 10.5.8 and Time Machine no longer finds the backup device. It had initially worked. I have checked the connections and restarted the backup device but cannot make it work. What actions should I take to correct this?

    Time Machine no longer finds the backup device

    Have you looked through Pondini's extensive TM help site?
    http://Pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
    http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
    Can't imagine something not being covered there.

  • Time Machine is not doing automatic backups

    Time Machine is not doing automatic hourly backups onto my Western Digital 2 TB drive. I have to click the Time Machine icon and hit "Back Up Now" for Time Machine to kick in. And then sometimes it does not finish (I will come back to the computer and it will still say the latest backup was a few days ago, but there is no error). This persist even when I reselect the drive under TS Preferences. I'm backing up a Mac Mini and a 1.5 TB Seagate external drive. Both the WD backup drive and Seagate external drive are external USB drives. Any ideas??

    It sounds like the drive may be getting disconnected. Be sure all connections are snug and secure.
    Do a +Back Up Now+ and make sure it completes normally; if it doesn't, see what message it sends, and see section C in [Time Machine - Troubleshooting|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Troubleshooting.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
    If it does complete normally, see when the +Preferences Window+ shows the next backup should occur. Check back at about that time and see what happens; see if it does the next backup. If not, see #A1 in Troubleshooting for a handy widget that will display the backup messages from your logs. Navigate to the most recent backup, and copy and post the messages here.
    By the way, please click +My Settings+ at the right of this page and update the version of OSX you're running.

  • Time Machine no longer displays "Latest Backup" time

    I have been using Time Machine since 10.5 came out and it worked perfectly.
    I recently purchased a Time Capsule and (in common with a lot of others it seems), I have faced various issues (very slow initial backup, very long "preparing..." messages etc.) but they all seem to have been resolved (albeit somewhat mysteriously).
    However, one problem occurred recently that I haven't seen mentioned before: in the drop-down menu under the time-capsule icon in the menu bar, the "Latest Backup" time is always shown as "--" Time Machine preferences shows the same, both for the initial backup and the latest backup.
    Time Machine runs hourly as it should, and a cursory examination of the files in the Time Machine interface seems to show that all is in order. The "sparsebundle" disk image also passes verification.
    For what it's worth, my MacBook Pro (also 10.5.2) appears to be just fine and shows the Latest Backup time correctly.
    I looked in the system log but couldn't see a message that I thought was relevant.
    Does anyone have any ideas about what might be up and how to correct this? I have considered deleting the Time Machine sparsebundle for the Mac Pro and starting again (since I haven't had the Time Capsule long enough to be terribly concerned about the history on the drive - yet). But I'm hoping someone has an idea what might be up and how I can correct it first.
    I must say Time Capsule isn't exactly filling me with confidence. My offsite SuperDuper backups are going to be updated very regularly until my faith in Time Machine has been restored.
    This only

    This may not pertain to your issue, but might be worth considering if you use virus software. Time machine has been hanging, not showing time-stamps, and not giving me access to backups since I installed Intego Virus software and Leopard 10.5.2. I finally tracked down the Intego problem yesterday browsing this forum for answers. When I added my Time Machine disk to Intego Virus software's trusted items, Time Machine began behaving normally again (and other problems cleared up-such as hang on shut-down). Good luck with your issue. David

  • Time Machine no longer finds the backup disk

    Time Machine running smoothly for the past 6 months. Then had an error that the "......sparsebundle" was in use by another user. So, went into Time Machine preferences, removed the Backup Disk I had been using. Also renamed the hard drive on my laptop (which shouldn't have anything to do with this issue). Now, wehn I go into Time Machine preferences, no disks are available. The disk that I had been using is online with no issues, I can connect to it from my laptop no problem (it is connected physically to my Mini). Can't figure out a way to get TIme Machine to recognize that its there (it's a Seagate drive). Ideas?

    Backing up to a third-party NAS with Time Machine is risky, and unacceptably risky if it's your only backup. This is an example of what can happen.
    If you want network backup with Time Machine, use as the destination either an Apple Time Capsule or an external hard drive connected to another Mac or a mini-tower (802.11ac) AirPort base station. Only the 802.11ac base station supports Time Machine, not any previous model.

  • Since I installed Yosemite, Time Machine is not doing any backup. It just keep coming with the following message in a window: "Backup Failed. Time Machine could´t back up to "....... Time Capsule". What can I do start backing up again?

    Time Machine not working since Yosemite was installed.

    I had this issue too and went through all the great suggestion found on this site, but finally was able to resolve it after looking at the system.log to see the reason it was failing.  By using terminal and entering:
    sudo grep backupd /var/log/system.log
    I saw "Backup failed with error:11".   Then looking above, I saw many "Error:  (-36) SrcErr:YES /Applications/" messages.  After "Applications" I saw the culprit files that were causing Time Machine to fail.  I deleted some Apps that I didn't need and found Time Machine would get farther than before.  I then looked at the system.log  again and saw it failing on the remaining Apps.  I was able to use Time Machine to restore these App directories from a couple months ago before the Time Machine was failing.  Now the problem is resolved.  Whew! It seemed to be choking on corrupt files and these can be corrected by restoring earlier ones that were not corrupted.
    Well, I thought I should share this with others that may have run into the same issue so they can save time.  Hope it helps!

  • Time Machine snapshots, but no hourly backups

    System: MBP (late 2011), 2.8 GHz i7, 16 GB RAM, Mavericks 10.9.5, Samsung SSD and Samsung HDD in lieu of optical drive. Running Bootcamp too.
    My technical acumen: ample and extensive...but I am stumped.
    Problem: in September 2014, I noticed that my hourly TM backups were not happening regularly.  Snapshots were occurring, but no "real" backup.  I scoured the Console messages, and there is NO error...there is no NOTHING regarding backups unless I instigate a manual one.  In that instance, the backup completes normally, and I am left with a normal and functional backup....as best as I can tell.  Otherwise?  Nothing. This was not concomitant with any major hardware upgrade(s); the second HDD was added since things stopped working and the RAM was added before. However, I did  have 1 bad RAM module (when I went to 16 GB) that needed to be replaced, but as far as I can tell this is only coincidental.
    Here's what I have tried:
    1) Wiping and re-formatting the backup drive (WD My Book 2 TB, firewire, indended for Mac)
    2) Replacing backup drive (WD My Book 3 TB, USB, intended for Mac)
    3) Rest PRAM, SMC, repaired permissions
    4) Ran Onyx cleaning and maintenance scripts, rebuild every cache I can think of, removed old and obsolete plists from Library (for deleted software)
    5) Repaired disk from recovery partition (there were no issues)
    6) EVERY suggestion I could find on pondini.org, including "full reset" of TM
    7) EVERY suggestion I could find here on Apple Discussions
    Nothing worked.  At all.  The problem is the total lack of console activity to indicate an issue...I can't fix what I can't see! Anyone know what I could be missing?  just for verification, below are the console messages re: manual backups, backup drive and snapshots:
    9/30/14 7:10:43.291 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Starting manual backup
    9/30/14 7:10:43.723 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Backing up to /dev/disk2s2: /Volumes/Disaster/Backups.backupdb
    9/30/14 7:10:51.261 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Will copy (145.9 MB) from Macintosh HD
    9/30/14 7:10:51.264 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Will copy (22 KB) from Secondary HD
    9/30/14 7:10:51.265 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Found 601 files (145.9 MB) needing backup
    9/30/14 7:10:51.268 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: 4.37 GB required (including padding), 1.69 TB available
    9/30/14 7:11:33.675 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Copied 731 items (145.9 MB) from volume Macintosh HD. Linked 5147.
    9/30/14 7:11:36.918 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Copied 15 items (801 KB) from volume Secondary HD. Linked 37.
    9/30/14 7:11:37.584 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Will copy (24.4 MB) from Macintosh HD
    9/30/14 7:11:37.585 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Not using file event preflight for Secondary HD
    9/30/14 7:11:37.587 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Found 30 files (24.4 MB) needing backup
    9/30/14 7:11:37.588 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: 4.23 GB required (including padding), 1.69 TB available
    9/30/14 7:11:39.927 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Copied 33 items (24.4 MB) from volume Macintosh HD. Linked 700.
    9/30/14 7:11:40.449 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Copied 1 items (Zero KB) from volume Secondary HD. Linked 4.
    9/30/14 7:11:41.192 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Created new backup: 2014-09-30-071141
    9/30/14 7:11:41.827 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Starting post-backup thinning
    9/30/14 7:11:41.829 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: No post-backup thinning needed: no expired backups exist
    9/30/14 7:11:41.834 AM com.apple.backupd[289]: Backup completed successfully.
    9/30/14 7:09:28.000 AM kernel[0]: nspace-handler-set-snapshot-time: 1412075370
    9/30/14 7:09:28.546 AM com.apple.mtmd[62]: Set snapshot time: 2014-09-30 07:09:30 -0400 (current time: 2014-09-30 07:09:28 -0400)
    9/30/14 7:09:31.860 AM mds[63]: (Normal) Volume: volume:0x7ff521108a00 ********** Created snapshot backup index
    9/30/14 7:09:27.000 AM kernel[0]: hfs: mounted Disaster on device disk2s2
    9/30/14 7:09:28.000 AM kernel[0]: hfs: unmount initiated on Disaster on device disk2s2
    9/30/14 7:09:28.000 AM kernel[0]: nspace-handler-set-snapshot-time: 1412075370
    SO: Am I missing something?  I've tried everything short of wiping and restoring my primary SSD because...well, that's a pain and also because I'm afraid that the restoration process will simply restore whatever issue is causing this, leaving me with nothing gained. Thoughts?

    When you replaced your MBP's original HD with the Samsung SSD, how did you originally populate its contents? In other words, did you begin with a new OS X installation, followed by using Setup Assistant and migrating  your information from an existing TM backup, or...?
    Edit: A persistent bug with this site prevented replies from appearing until I posted one. Since you resolved the problem by reinstalling OS X I'll only suggest you don't use OnyX or any other utility to "clean" anything or perform any other action for that matter. Although I understand you only used OnyX in an effort to address an existing problem, such utilities are only likely to add to or obscure the underlying cause.

  • Time Machine spends hours partially backing up and then fails with "Time Machine couldn't complete the backup due to a network problem."  Tried suggestions I've seen on the forum.

    Time Machine spends hours partially backing up and then fails with "Time Machine couldn't complete the backup due to a network problem."  I've tried various suggestions I've seen on the forum but nothing has worked.  TIme Machine worked fine for the last two years and just suddenly started having this problem every time.  The only thing that was a little different is that the computer was off for a week while on vacation and then I added a large amount (20 GB) of photos. Now the requested backup size is 82GB, which is large, and process proceeds very slowly for 2-3 hours before failing with the message mentioned.  I have more than enough available backup storage space for it.  Before failing, Time Machine has backed up no more than 12GB or so of the backup.  It fails during different files each time.
    I've turned off the computer sleep feature, and I've checked that the NAS is set to never automatically power down. I normally backup over Wi-Fi, but I've also tried connecting to Ethernet and it still has the same problem.  It's odd because I also have a MacBook Pro that is still backing up fine to the same NAS using the MacBook's Time Machine. 
    I am using an iMac with OS X 10.6.8 and an Iomega StorCenter ix2-200 NAS.
    I have system logs that I can share if helpful.  The logged messages vary a bit from run to run, but here are some messages that I've been seeing:
    I always get this message near the beginning of the backup:
    Event store UUIDs don't match for volume: Macintosh HD
    I've gotten this messsage a number of times:
    Bulk setting Spotlight attributes failed.
    One Day
    Stopping backupd to allow ejection of backup destination disk!
    Another day
    1/7/12 10:44:20 AM
    mDNSResponder[18]
    PenaltyTimeForServer: PenaltyTime negative -112916, (server penaltyTime -1132397006, timenow -1132284090) resetting the penalty
    1/7/12 10:46:37 AM
    kernel
    ASP_TCP Disconnect: triggering reconnect by bumping reconnTrigger from curr value 0 on so 0x1106be94
    1/7/12 10:46:37 AM
    kernel
    AFP_VFS afpfs_DoReconnect started /Volumes/TimeMachine prevTrigger 0 currTrigger 1
    Another Day
    1/6/12 8:03:22 AM
    Google Chrome[164]
    Cannot find function pointer CMPluginInFactory for factory 3487BB5A-3E66-11D5-A64E-003065B300BC in CFBundle/CFPlugIn 0x16f99e20 </Users/smarmer/Library/Contextual Menu Items/Google Notifier Quick Add CM Plugin.plugin> (not loaded)
    1/6/12 8:04:02 AM
    com.apple.backupd[193]
    Copied 7.5 GB of 67.0 GB, 8866 of 8866 items
    1/6/12 8:06:58 AM
    /System/Library/CoreServices/CCacheServer.app/Contents/MacOS/CCacheServer[1013]
    No valid tickets, timing out
    1/6/12 8:29:44 AM
    mDNSResponder[19]
    PenaltyTimeForServer: PenaltyTime negative -148702, (server penaltyTime 2056822773, timenow 2056971475) resetting the penalty
    1/6/12 8:59:22 AM
    kernel
    ASP_TCP Disconnect: triggering reconnect by bumping reconnTrigger from curr value 0 on so 0xa5ac380
    1/6/12 8:59:22 AM
    kernel
    AFP_VFS afpfs_DoReconnect started /Volumes/TimeMachine prevTrigger 0 currTrigger 1
    1/6/12 8:59:22 AM
    kernel
    AFP_VFS afpfs_DoReconnect:  doing reconnect on /Volumes/TimeMachine
    1/6/12 8:59:22 AM
    kernel
    AFP_VFS afpfs_DoReconnect:  soft mounted and hidden volume so do not notify KEA for /Volumes/TimeMachine
    1/6/12 8:59:22 AM
    kernel
    AFP_VFS afpfs_DoReconnect:  Max reconnect time: 30 secs, Connect timeout: 15 secs for /Volumes/TimeMachine
    1/6/12 8:59:22 AM
    kernel
    AFP_VFS afpfs_DoReconnect:  connect to the server /Volumes/TimeMachine
    1/6/12 8:59:22 AM
    kernel
    ASP_TCP asp_SetTCPQoS:  sock_settclassopt got error 57
    Another day
    1/5/12 3:48:55 PM
    mdworker[2128]
    CFPropertyListCreateFromXMLData(): Old-style plist parser: missing semicolon in dictionary.
    1/5/12 4:24:54 PM
    mDNSResponder[19]
    PenaltyTimeForServer: PenaltyTime negative -42698, (server penaltyTime 1148718961, timenow 1148761659) resetting the penalty
    1/5/12 4:29:58 PM
    com.apple.backupd[2074]
    Copied 586.4 MB of 67.0 GB, 9891 of 9891 items
    1/5/12 4:39:00 PM
    kernel
    ASP_TCP Disconnect: triggering reconnect by bumping reconnTrigger from curr value 0 on so 0xa1c0380

    bokon0n wrote:
    1/11/12 8:53:30 AM
    com.apple.backupd[1169]
    Warning: Destination /Volumes/TimeMachine does not support TM Lock Stealing
    1/11/12 8:53:30 AM
    com.apple.backupd[1169]
    Warning: Destination /Volumes/TimeMachine does not support Server Reply Cache
    Those indicate that your NAS is not fully compatible with Snow Leopard. 
    1/11/12 8:53:35 AM
    kernel
    jnl: disk2s2: replay_journal: from: 67182592 to: 78680064 (joffset 0xa7b8000)
    1/11/12 8:53:39 AM
    kernel
    jnl: disk2s2: examining extra transactions starting @ 78680064 / 0x4b09000
    1/11/12 8:53:39 AM
    kernel
    jnl: disk2s2: Extra txn replay stopped @ 79056896 / 0x4b65000
    1/11/12 8:53:49 AM
    kernel
    jnl: disk2s2: journal replay done.
    1/11/12 8:53:49 AM
    fseventsd[41]
    event logs in /Volumes/Time Machine/.fseventsd out of sync with volume.  destroying old logs. (253512 14 253512)
    1/11/12 8:53:50 AM
    kernel
    hfs: Removed 1 orphaned / unlinked files and 0 directories
    That looks like a problem was found with the file system (data) on the TM disk.  I don't know the details, but OSX tried to recover it from the journal, and found extra data on the drive.    Likely a result of the incompatibility mentioned above.
    1/11/12 9:47:40 AM
    com.apple.backupd[1169]
    Bulk setting Spotlight attributes failed.
    That's a problem writing to the NAS drive.
    But the backup continued after all this.
    1/11/12 1:25:07 PM
    kernel
    ASP_TCP Disconnect: triggering reconnect by bumping reconnTrigger from curr value 0 on so 0x9d00b44
    Something caused a disconnect.  Can't tell from the log what it was.
    I doubt it's a problem with something in OSX being damaged or corrupted, but reinstalling OSX isn't a major hassle, so might be worth a try.
    To be incompatible with Snow Leopard, this NAS must be at least a couple of years old.  It may be beginning to fail.
    Contact the maker.  See if there's an update to make it compatible with Snow Leopard.  If so, that might fix it.
    If not, or if that doesn't fix it, see if they have any diagnostics that will shed any light.

  • My Time Capsule/Time Machine has been showing Preparing Backup for past 48 hours  continuously!

    My Time Capsule reported Full the other day.  I now have only 26.8MB of 497.96 GB available. Since then it seems to backing up continuously. The Time machine preferences window shows "Preparing Backup" andnothing else, and it has been doing so for at least past 48 hours.  Any ideas as to the problem?
    Stuartyboy

    Yes, the problem is the drive is full.
    If you have other files or TM back from other computers, TM on your computer having issues will not be able to delete enough to get sufficient space to backup.
    Read how to clean up and delete parts of backups.. http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
    Not a good idea though.
    Solution.
    1. Buy a new bigger TC.. cheaper (Than the original 500GB at least), faster and now the smallest is 2TB.
    2. Plug in a USB drive.. archive the TC.. then erase it and start a fresh set of backups.. April 1st great day to do it.
    3. Open up your old TC.. remove the 500GB drive and install a 2TB (if Gen1 a 3TB might even work). Google for how to do a hard disk upgrade.
    Problem.. old power supply could die the day after and then the total cost would approach 1. Better to backup, wipe the 500GB and sell it on ebay and buy a new TC with 2 or even 3TB (2TB is better value IMHO).
    4. Plug in a USB drive .. formatted to HFS+ and use that as the target.
    Very slow. much slower than the same drive plugged into your computer.

  • I just had to reformat the external hard drive that houses my iPhoto library, then restore it from a backup. Now Time Machine is telling me my backup hard drive suddenly does not have the space to complete a backup. I also noticed when I go in to Time Mac

    I just had to reformat the external hard drive that houses my iPhoto library, then restore it from a backup. Now Time Machine is telling me my backup hard drive suddenly does not have the space to complete a backup. I also noticed when I go in to Time Machine, there are only about 5 backups recorded on the ext. hard drive. There were many more before. Any idea what happened and if I have to buy a new back up hard drive?

    Hallo  Kieth ,
    I am not quite ready to restore the full iphoto library , as I have days of work re - imputting titles,descriptions and enhancement . I hope that your suggestion works , as I use my Macbook basically to work with digital photography. Through time , I will need to delete my library to recover more disc space and I would hate to have to spend more time re - imputting titles and descriptions all over again .
    Thanks for your interest and advice.
    regards  - Alan

  • Time Machine no longer working after reinstalling OSX 10.5 w/TM backup

    About a week ago Disc Utility told me I had serious problems with my HD structure and a reinstall was necessary. Fortunately, restoring everything using Time Machine was flawless, however Time Machine has not done a single backup since. The Backup.backupdb file is still there on the external drive, along with 6 other folders created at the time I did the reinstall (same names as the 6 inside the subfolder, system, library, users...). If I try to manually do a TM backup it tells me I don't have enough HD space as though it wants to start from scratch, when the folders are all still there from before the reinstall.
    Any ideas why Time Machine no longer recognizes the files it created 2 weeks ago?

    I had to reinstall Leopard and restore using TM. It also worked flawless for me. When I checked to see if it was backing up again, there was nothing. I also tried to manually back and that didn't work either. I went into System Preferences, Time Machine and had to choose my TM backup drive again. Once I did that it worked perfect.

  • MAC OSX 10.5.8 and 2TB Time Machine would not back up. Saw discussion  that suggested you change name without apostrophes etc. Went into Time Machine and did a manula backup without a name and it appears to be backing up now. Does this remove delete the o

    MAC OSX 10.5.8 and 2TB Time Machine would not back up. Saw discussion  that suggested you change name without apostrophes etc. Went into Time Machine and did a manula backup without a name and it appears to be backing up now. Does this remove delete the old backup's ?

    Does this remove delete the old backup's ?
    No, they are all just fine.

  • Time Machine no longer recognizes backup

    I have been using Time Machine to backup to a Time Capsule for a few years with no problem. Yesterday, I realized that the Time Machine menu in the menubar had an alert icon in it. I clicked on the menu and was told the last update was three days previous. When I open the Time Machine pane in the System Preferences, it tells me that I have no backups on the Time Capsule. When I mount the sparse bundle that is still on the Time Capsule, it mounts fine and I see all my backups (this current set goes back to June of this year when I did a complete reinstall of the system). The only thing that seems to be amiss is that, among the folders containing all the dated backups is a file titled "2011-09-06-181446.inProgress". Any help as to how I can get Time Machine to recognize all these backups as belonging to my system? I don't want to erase them and lose them all. Also, I have verified that the backup is using the correct machine ID, so that's not the issue (I haven't had a motherboard replaced or anything--literally, one day it worked and the next it didn't.

    See the Excellent Troubleshooting Information here by Pondini
    http://web.me.com/pondini/AppleTips/Index.html

  • "....To Improve Reliability, Time Machine Must Create a New Backup for You"

    I bought the new Apple 2 TB Time Capsule thinking it would be a great way to get a powerful wireless router and handle file backup for both me and my wife's iMacs.  She is running an up-to-date version of Snow Leopard and I am on the most recent update of Mountain Lion.  The Time Capsule was installed and running by the first of August and we had no problems until this monday (7 weeks later) when I got the message that "Time Machine completed a verification of your backups. To improve reliability Time Machinge must create a new backup"  My wife's back up was still ok but I had to go though the 5-6 hour process of re-copying all my files(using an ethernet connection) to the device. All went smoothly for a few days until I got the same message again about creating a new backup.  Also my wife cannot enter her time machine files even though the computer is still being backed up. We have a stable internet service and both computers recieve a strong signal from the router. Is it possible that the Time Capsule Drive is defective? Is there any sort of maintenance such as zpping the PRAM that would help?  This is really frustrating as it looks like the timemachine backup is totally unreliable and not worth fooling with.  Is there any way to use the storage capability of the time capsule without going through time machine?
    Thanks,
    Reid McCallister

    hi
    rest assured you are not alone. i have the same problem and i hate it with a passion. in fact, i am the victim of this message as of 20 minutes ago and doing a full backup as I am typing this. I am so overly ****** that I actually posted here and will be calling or emailing apple next because I cannot take this anymore. the problem lies in time machine and unfortunately, there is no fix for that. time machine is the best idea of apple with the worst implementation ever. you have no obligation to use time capsule to benefit from time machine as this would not be legal anyway. i will give you 2 temporary solutions and let you decide which one works best for you:
    1) open time machine preferences and turn automatic backups off. create a new full backup from scratch and only backup manually whenever you remember, preferably every day. the automation process is the problem that lies within time machine. also make sure that your system does not go to standy or sleep whatever that may be called. Power nap, despite all claims, is not compatible with time machine. install CAFFEINE, an app that keeps your mac awake and prevents from going to sleep while back up is in progress. use it like this and pray it will all go fine for a long time. you may wish to duplicate the first full backup to save time in case this should happen again so you have a base to start on
    2) install CCC (carbon copy cleaner) I have not used it myself yet, but probably will be installing it after finishing this post. it is claimed to be better, yet it is yet to be seen by me personally.
    unless time machine can be trained without any addons to use a specific wifi only for backup, these issues will persist.

  • Time Machine always prompting to Inherit Backup

    Setup:
    1 x iMac A with External Hard Drive connected via Firewire (New iMac / Migration Assistant was used from Mac B)
    1 x iMac B on the LAN (Old iMac been formatted and os reinstalled since MAssistant used)
    Both running Lion - Both using Time Machine
    I want to be able to back up two different machines to the same External Hard Drive.
    From iMac B I can start Time Machine and it sees the External Hard Drive attached to iMac A.  The backup performs (seemingly) successful and if I look at the External Hard Drive back on iMac A I can see a sparse bundle created for iMac B.
    The problem comes when iMac A goes to back up it always seems prompts with the "Do you want to Inherit the Backup from iMac B or Create New Backup".
    I have to respond with create new backup as I don't want it to inherit. The Macs have different names so it's not a clash.
    Does anyone know if there is a way to resolve this - I was hoping it was a one-time prompt but it comes up at every interim backup (hourly).
    Thanks in advance

    The problem is the way Time Machine works on local drives vs. over a network, combined with what I think is a (long-standing) bug:
    Backups made locally are in a Backups.backupdb folder at the top level of the drive; those done over a network have that folder placed inside a sparse bundle disk image.
    When you try to use backups that were made locally on a network (by moving the drive), Time Machine won't see the Backups.backupdb folder at all, and will make a new sparse bundle.
    When you try to use backups that were made on a network locally, however, Time Machine won't let you view the backups in the sparse bundle normally (you must manually mount it first), but it will back up to them (seems like a bug to me).  Then, when it sees that the sparse bundle is for a different Mac, you get the "inherit" prompt.
    And it's better to partition anyway, for the reasons outlined in #4 of the FAQ post.

Maybe you are looking for