Able to keep time machine backups?

I want to reinstall leopard to start clean, however I have ~300gb's worth of backups I would like to keep. So my question is, after reinstalling, can time machine "continue" with the backups from before? As i would like to use it to say, restore my documents folder and anything else i miss. Or will i lose all ability to be able to access those backups?

DiGiPhilZ,
If you reinstall from "scratch," TM will start over with a completely new backup (once you again configure it). It will not, however, touch your old backup, and you will still have access to it via the "Browse another TM Backup" function. Of course, you can always browse a TIM backup in the Finder, and manually copy whatever files you like. Keep in mind that this means your backups will consume as much as twice the disk space that your single backup consumes.
If, instead, you would like to be able to carry on with the same TM backup, you must reinstall by "Restoring" from your TM backup. This is an option in the "Utilities" menu of the Leopard installer, when you are booted to the install disk. Instead of installing from the install disk, a complete system (and the accompanying user data) is restored from the backup.
"Restoring" from TM is not what I would consider a "clean start." What matters in this regard is the reason why you want to reinstall(????). If you are having trouble with a disk error, you could format (preferably "zeroing" the drive), then restore from TM, but if you think you have a bad installation of OS X, you might not want to bother restoring from what is probably a faulty backup.
Scott

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How to reset network settings but keep Time Machine backup data?

I am having problems connecting to the Internet through TC but works fine with Ethernet directly to the computer. I would like to wipe clean the network settings in Time Capsule but not lose the Time Machine backups. How to do this?
thanks
Ken

Just perform a "hard" reset on the Time Capsule (TC). This type of reset will not erase existing backups on the TC's internal drive.

Time machine backup to new external hard drive

I owned a external harddrive that crashed recently. I used this harddrive to keep Time Machine backups from 3 different computers.
Fortunately a friend was able to retrive the files that where on the harddrive
Now I have a folder called Backups.backupdb. containing all the backups Time Machine made over 3 years on one off my computers.
I bought a new external harddrive with the idea to put this folder onto the new harddrive and continue using Time Machine.
When I try to copy the folder Backups.backupdb to the new external harddrive I get an error there is not enough space on the new disk.
The original folder has a size of 210 GB, when I use OmniDiskSweeper to check the size of the folder it indicates the folder has a size over 700 GB.
(I understand Time Machine uses aliases to refer to files.)
How can I solve this problem? And will I ever be able to view my old Time Machine files as I was used to in Time Machine?
Thanks in advance.

Rather than do that, which means starting over from scratch, losing all your edits, organisation and so on, why not simply use iPhoto Library Manager to revert the Library to the older version? Easier, less destructive.
The instructions on that are here
If you really want to start over: you can access the Originals folder simply by going to your Pictures Folder and finding the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.

Why can't Time Machine backup iDisk Docs?

I would like to be able to keep Time Machine like backups of my iDisk docs. Is Backup my best option?

Ah, but I think it is already backed up by Time Machine. It is harder to find particular files, but if you know when it was correctly there, I believe that you can restore it as follows:
Go to user/library/FileSync then
Open TimeMachine
Go back to the correct saveset then
choose the sparsebundle and restore it.
You will be given a location to restore to so don't worry about it overwriting your iDisk. Once restored, you can double-click the new sparseinage to open a disk image and find the individual files.

Iphoto library and time machine backup on a same drive ?

Hi
I want to free up some space on my MBP so I am planning to move my iphoto library from MBP to an external hard drive. Can I also use the same external drive to keep Time Machine backups ? In short if I buy a large size external drive can I use it as a TM backup drive and also as iphoto library home location ? Or do I have to keep two separate external drives...one for TM and the other for iphoto library.
Thanks
Mandar

Yes, you can, but I wouldn't recommend it. Should your backup drive fail then you not only lose your Time Machine backups but you will also lose your iPhoto Library. But if you put each on two different drives then you lose none. If the iPhoto drive fails your library is still backed up on the Time Machine backup drive. If you lose the Time Machine drive then you lose a backup that can be easily recreated, but you still have the iPhoto drive. Two drives is a much better strategy. Always keep backups separate from all other external drive uses.

Cannot transfer Time Machine backups from one external drive to another

Since I bought my 13 inch MacBook Pro in September 2014 I've been keeping Time Machine backups on an external 1TB Lacie Rugged. This is partitioned into three and one of the partitions contains my iPhoto library.
Last weekend I left my MBP disconnected from the power source but with the external hard drive still plugged in. Long story short - the battery level fell below the minimum needed to operate so it turned itself off and 'disconnected' the external hard drive. This resulted in a corrupted iPhoto library which is no longer accessible.
In order to restore my iPhoto Library from another backup I needed to buy a second external hard drive. Yesterday I bought a 2TB Lacie Rugged which I've now partitioned into 5.
I want to move my Time Machine backups from the 1TB Lacie Rugged to a partition on the 2TB Lacie Rugged (to take advantage of the new Lacie's Thunderbolt connection).
I read the Apple article -
HT202380: Time Machine: How to transfer backups from the current backup drive to a new backup drive
and followed the instructions precisely. About 2 hours into the transfer I came back to my MacBook Pro and saw a message saying that it was not possible to complete the transfer because I did not have the correct permissions. The only option was to click the OK button which stopped the transfer.
Can anyone advise what I should do next?
Cheers
Tricia

Hi Eric,
Thank you for your response. I came across another thread yesterday which suggested the Restore via Disk Utility method. It worked for me, too. This was after I had tried following the method suggested in the Apple article above three times but each time the message was the same ....
The operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items.
I dare say that Apple would like to have us believe that it's a simple matter of 'drag and drop' but it certainly wasn't for me. From what I've read the permission problem crops up fairly frequently. Before the second and third attempts I had already amended Permissions on the Time Machine backups so that everyone could read and write, so that mustn't have been the problem. I'm the only person who uses my computer so that's not a problem.
The next problem I have is that I decided I would use the Restore route to transfer my SuperDuper clone rather than start from scratch. Unfortunately, the partition size on my original backup disk where SuperDuper clone is is 350GB and the size of the SuperDuper clone partition on my new backup is 300GB.
Of course, Apple says you can resize partitions using Disk Utility. What they don't say is you can downsize partitions but (in my experience and that of many other frustrated users on various forums) you CANNOT upsize using Disk Utility. I have 100GB spare on my external hard drive (from downsizing two partitions by 50GB each) BUT there is no way Disk Utility will let me increase the size of SuperDuper partition to 350GB :-(((
Cheers
Tricia

Is there any way to create a time machine backup to an external hard drive with content already on it? I have a hard drive that i have used for pictures but when i try to run a backup it says i need to start from a blank drive. Can i get around it?

Is there any way to create a time machine backup to an external hard drive with content already on it? I have a hard drive that i have used for pictures but when i try to run a backup it says i need to start from a blank drive. Can i get around it?

It would be much better if you had separate drives for the pictures and Time Machine backups.....but, if you want to use the same drive for both purposes, temporarily move the folder with the pictures to another location for safe storage.
Run the Time Machine backup on the hard drive and verify that everything is working correctly. Time Machine will format the disk for you in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as part of the backup process.
Then move the folder with the pictures back to the hard drive with the Time Machine backups.
When you have tested to make sure that everything is working again, then and only then should you delete the folder with pictures from the temporary storage area.
Again....it would be much better to keep Time Machine backups on a drive just for that purpose, and other data on another drive for that purpose. This is clearly one of those times when the fact that you can do something does not mean to imply that you should do it.

Can't access Time Machine backups after erase and install

Had iMac checked by Apple Authorized Service Provider after experiencing multiple problems I couldn't fix. No hardware problem. He did an erase and install of 10.5.8. The machine accesses my Time Machine backup, but in Time Machine/ iMacHome/ Sharing & Permissions says, "You can only read." If I access a folder in Home, like Desktop or Documents, it says,"You have no access." Permissions are locked and grayed out.
I spent over two hours on the phone with tech support last evening, and he finally said he'd have to turn it over to Apple engineers, which would take a few days.
Migration assistant only allows "all or nothing" migration, and I need to select just certain folders; I do not want to restore anything that might be corrupted.
Is it possible I could have an undetected hardware problem? Has anyone else done an erase and install and been able to use Time Machine backups to pick and choose what they wanted to restore?

Thank you for your reply. The apple support tech should have known this, but he didn't. However, in the course of our two hour discussion he said "Maybe it's because the computer name is different." I hadn't reached the new-set-up stage where I had changed the name of the computer from Apple's default, so I did that. My short name home folder I had already named the same as before, iMacHome.
But changing the computer name didn't help. After reading your reply, I unlocked the preferences (which were locked and grayed out in TM) to my home folder in the finder and assigned read and write to all folders within for everyone. Back in TM, preferences were no longer grayed out, but changing privileges was. I added iMacHome to the names in addition to staff read & write and everyone read and write. But ImacHome(Me) allows read only, options gray, and even though everyone is read and write, it says "You can only read" and I still cannot access Desktop, Documents, etc...
Fortunately I have a SuperDuper user file backup that I am restoring from, so all is not lost. But it seems to me TM backups should be readily available, and I want to solve this problem. I may still want to go back to a previous month to recover something. But mostly I'd just like to know that TM is a functional backup. It certainly isn't in my case right now.
Don't want to migrate the entire home folder. Too risky. Risky enough to bring over Mail and selected Application Support folders and keychains.
Thanks again. I think your answer is right on, but there must still be something else. I know I have those names correct because I see the old computer name on the sparse bundle, and the old home name in the TM backups. (Haven't read the tips yet. Will do so.)

Time Machine Backups on Server

I used to be able to complete Time Machine Backups on the server, running 10.6.4. Recently, I can no longer do so. It just throws errors saying it cannot be completed. I've tried new backup drives and wiped an older one that previously worked to no success. Any ideas? I have a second server running 10.6.4 and the backups are just fine. The second server isn't the primary for the network though.

I think, if you have individual Users set up at the server, then you shouldn't have the described sparse bundle "grab" problem, as every user is logging in separately and thus gets assigned his own bundle.
This is in theory right now, as I have not tested it personally, but I will soon.
My main concern was using encryption on a Drobo (they strongly advise against it). But since this is a server side time machine service, only the sparse bundle will get encrypted, and not the whole Drobo volume.
If you would go with a plain network share (without a server side time machine service), and enable encryption when you select the shared Drobo, then the whole Drobo would be encrypted, which is very bad due to the Drobo-level virtualization of your Drobo drive.
I also don't think, that creating a special volume on the Drobo is ultimately necessary. Since 10.9 server now supports maximum Time Machine sizes, you can soft-limit the size that way, while still using a single Drobo volume.

Resume using Time Machine backup after reinstalling OS X?

My iMac has been backing up wirelessly for some time to a Time Capsule in another room. I recently erased the iMac's drive to reinstall OS X and start fresh, but I'm wondering if there's a way to resume or reconnect to that existing Time Machine backup.
The best I've found is an Apple support doc about moving a Time Machine backup from one disk to another, but it doesn't seem to fit my situation. Any ideas?

Hello Linc,
What do you mean with unsupported? I have been backing up using this config for years. I had a few hard drive issues before and have always been able to import time machine backups from the linux server. Of course at this moment I'm having issues with running a full (first) backup from my work macbook.
Last update : after running the permission repair tool the backup is still running so I still think it has not been a server issue.

HT5096 I need to transfer a time machine backup to a new drive. It keeps failing.

I have a 2TB Time Capsule that I was using for Time Machine for both a MacBook and an iMac. The iMac sparse bundle became corrupted earlier this spring and I was unable to delete it, so I need to reformat the TC. First, however, I need to move the TM sparse bundle for the MacBook to a new drive that I have set up just for TM for the MacBook. After reformatting, I plan to only use the TC for the iMac. I tried moving the sparse bundle tonight to the new drive, following directions listed in several places on this site and on Pondini's site. However, it failed. I am going to guess that it failed b/c I was not hooked up to the TC via ethernet. (I was on WIFI). The new backup drive is a 2TB external that was plugged directly to the MacBook. So, now I have connected them via ethernet. I am again reparing the TC volume using Disk Utility, just to make sure all permissions, etc, are ok before moving. Will I be able to move this file to the new drive easily, or should I plug the new drive directly to the Time Capsule and move it that way (while MacBook is connected via Ethernet).
Alternativey, is there a way to just archive that sparse bundle for the MacBook before I erase the drive?
FYI I am still running Snow Leopard on these machines, but trying to clean up the time machine backups today before installing Lion and moving to iCloud, so time is of the utmost importance here.
Thanks so much!
Kat

OK, this has now failed twice. I repaired the drive using DU and there were no problems (even though it took 2 hours to go thru everything to verify). Right now, the MacBook is connected via Ethernet to the TC. The new TM drive (WD 3TB external, USB 3.0/2.0) is attached to the MacBook via USB. I really need to keep this TM backup for the MacBook and also need to erase the TC. How can I accmplish both? I thought that there was a way to archive a TM sparse bundle?

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 am trying to update my time machine backup on time capsule, but time machine keeps trying to create an entirely new backup (evidenced by the 200GB backup size). How can I get time machine to modify my old backup rather than create a new one?

I am trying to update my time machine backup on time capsule, but time machine keeps trying to create an entirely new backup (evidenced by the 200GB backup size). How can I get time machine to modify my old backup rather than create a new one?

It must have found the old backup corrupt.. so you will more than likely have little choice. You can archive off the old backup if it is still useful.
You can also verify it. See A5 http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
He also has some info on this problem. eg C13.

I cannot able able to start my macbook and then i started my mac in a recovery mode now mac os X utility window opens with 4 options 1. Restore From Time Machine Backup 2. Reinstall Mac OSX 3. Get Help Online 4. Disk Utility if i try to restore my mac wit

i cannot able able to start my macbook and then i started my mac in a recovery mode now mac os X utility window opens with 4 options 1. Restore From Time Machine Backup 2. Reinstall Mac OSX 3. Get Help Online 4. Disk Utility if i try to restore my mac with time machine no option appears if i reinstall from Mac OSX error comes and cannot able to recover from disk utility please help how can i reinstall mac OSX

Guitar21,
your MacBook Pro has booted into its Recovery mode. From the OS X Utilities menu, select Disk Utility. On the left-hand side of the Disk Utility window, select your internal disk’s boot partition (typically called “Macintosh HD”). On the right-hand side, press the Verify Disk button if it’s not greyed out; if it is greyed out, or if it reports that errors were found, press the Repair Disk button. Once the verification/repair is completed, exit Disk Utility and select Restart from the Apple menu to restart in normal mode. Does it get to the login screen now?

Cannot install Yosemite as it keeps telling me both my internal and external drives are time machine backups

Cannot install Yosemite. Keeps telling me that both my internal and external
drives are backing up with TIme Machine. Any suggestions?

Is it actively backing up, or are you encountering a dialog stating that Yosemite cannot be installed because the disk is being used for Time Machine backups?
Read OS X: Cannot install on a volume used by Time Machine for backups
If for some reason you have a folder called Backups.backupdb at the root level of the hard disk on which you want to install Yosemite, move it to the Trash.

Able to keep time machine backups?

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