Backup can't be completed

Hi,
I read a few posts with similar topics, but all seem to have software for auto backup. Currently I do not. So please don't recommend that. I plan to get a new backup drive soon and start from scratch.
I have no problem dragging and dropping any type of files or folders but whenever I try to back up the System folder or the Library, it won't complete the action.
I know this is inefficient and you can make errors copying over something. But this is what I've got right now. I have plenty of room on the external drive.
Any ideas?
Thank you.
Jane

Backing up a System or Library folder cannot be done by drag and drop, if that's what you are doing. However, you did not tell us exactly how you are trying to backup these two folders.
I would suggest you use a proper backup utility:
Backup Software Recommendations
My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
1. Retrospect Desktop (Commercial - not yet universal binary)
2. Synchronize! Pro X (Commercial)
3. Synk (Backup, Standard, or Pro)
4. Deja Vu (Shareware)
5. Carbon Copy Cloner (Donationware)
6. SuperDuper! (Commercial)
7. Intego Personal Backup (Commercial)
8. Data Backup (Commercial)
9. SilverKeeper 2.0 (Freeware)
10. MimMac (Commercial)
11. Tri-Backup (Commercial)
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.

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Cannot backup my files / copy my files and folders due to error message " The operation can't be completed because an item with the name ".DS_Store" already exists. "

Hi Apple community!
I have a [rather worrying] problem.
When I try to copy all my files from my documents on my mac [or the entire documents folder] into an external drive, I get this error message
" The operation can’t be completed because an item with the name “.DS_Store” already exists. "
I am not given an option to skip this file or anything else.
But I simply cannot complete the operation!
I have tried deleting a few of the .ds_store files, [both in the original and in the destinations]
but no success.
The same thing keeps happening.
At first, this was just happening when I was trying to backup to my dropbox folder [the one on my mac's harddrive, which gets synced to the cloud],
but then I tried to back up my documents to my external hard drive, and I realized it is giving me the same error message.
So effectively, it seems I cannot backup my files anywhere!
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, or by corruption of certain system caches.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain iMacs. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin. Test while in safe mode. Same problem? After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

The operation can't be completed because backup items can't be modified.

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Hi, can someone help please - my iPhone hasn't been backed up since early August, now I can't seem to get it to back up to iCloud. I have 9GB of space, I have left it plugged in etc for 11hrs, but keep getting the same message " iPhone backup could not be completed" -what dies that mean.?

Hi,
I was facing issues with both backup and FB integration after the iOs 6 upgrade. Before then I did not have any issues with the iCloud backup service, but after a few days, I noticed that it was continually stuck at the Estimating time for the backup and it never progressed.
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To Contact iTunes Customer Service and request assistance
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Hi
I have a " AirPort Time Capsule " (firmware 7.7.3) When I try to open the data folder in "finder". Then I got the message " The operation can not be completed because the original item for " data" does not exist". I have a lot of data and I can understand why I get this message?
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Br. Bo

Get a USB drive of 2TB or more.. assuming your TC is 2TB. Either preformatted Mac or plug into your Mac and format it standard Mac OS Extended Journaled in disk utility.
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Once you complete the archive .. it is a direct image of the data on your TC.. you can then plug it into your computer directly.. and then try and open the files you lost.. if you cannot open them.. open disk utility and fix the permissions.
http://osxdaily.com/2015/01/13/repair-disk-permissions-mac-os-x/
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Hi there,
Well I have exactly the same problem! Recently I reset my WD My book White light (2 x 1TB RAID disk), due to the fact that the disk ran full because of TimeMachine.
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Can't move any files... "The operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items."

This is a strange one... I just recently did a complete format/reinstall of Lion because of very poor performance after upgrading.
So I'm on a totally fresh system, no TimeMachine restore or anything. I've installed all my apps from scratch - no prefrence file backups or anything. Everything is fresh.
Yesterday I tried to copy a file from one folder to another and I got the error "The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have permission to access some of the items". Checked file permissions... repaired disk permissions... made sure I was logged in as admin (I only have one account)... everything looks good.
This is now happening when trying to copy any files anywhere on my machine... Very frustrating.
There's a couple strange side-effects I've noticed:
- I can move & copy files just fine in terminal... without sudo...
- The little lock icon in the bottom right of the Get Info window doesn't do anything - I can't unlock it. I can still edit the permissions for the file/folder but I can't select the "apply to enclosed items..." option.
Does anybody know what the heck is going on?

jsd2 wrote:
Try creating a new admin user account, logging into it, and then creating some new items on the Desktop and elsewhere. Does the same thing happen there?
Ok the strangeness continues!
I created a new "TestAdmin" account, but it doesn't show up in the Users & Groups prefrences sidebar... The /Users/testadmin folder was created, but the account doesn't show up in the prefrences or login window...
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I'm paranoid that the problem will show up again since I have no idea what fixed it. I tried rebooting previously after repairing permissions which didn't solve the issue so it's not like I haven't rebooted since it started.
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Can't save multiple folders to external drive. Get: "The operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items." when dragging large folders to mac os extended journalled external drive from OS 10.6.8

Hi
I am feeling VERY desperate!
After losing an external drive [dont ask....] -   I got another one : 2TB WD formatted properly [ OS extended journalled for mac ] ready for action to move my thousands of files and images and ppts in hundreds of folders across from the laptop to this drive because I travel a bit with the laptop and this is too risky not to back up at home.
But this message came up after starting on moving folders across [** and not straight away, sometimes after moving a folder when 4 of 6 gb of files across then the message comes up = very frustrating]:
"The operation can’t be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items."
I am dragging mixed sometimes large complex folders to this os extended journalled external drive from my mac book pro OS 10.6.8 - it would take decades to move items one by one or even folder by folder and really confusing.
I have dragged-copied various small folders and files across successfully, but it is only working 50:50 and I can't leave machine with the idea of things copying eg: overnight - it just won't work....
I have been browsing google and find some people describing in CODE how they overcome this 'message'   .... but I [and I guess some other viewers of this in future & also in desperation] would need instructions for beginners.... to try this type of thing. I don't know any code.
How can this be happening - I feel ANGRY at APPLE !!!! for not posting easy fix instructions yet re; this, or better still updating software so it doesn't happen [ that I can find at least !!! ] .   There seem to be hundreds of people stuck with this stupid message and inability to back up their projects etc.
Can anyone help ?
Many thanks
Julie
15 August 2011

hi Samberl
thanks a lot for the fast reply.
I was dragging folders from main folders on the laptop-desktop onto the external drive icon - to copy them across....
Your suggestion sounds very promising - I didn't know about 'cloning'.
Yes the idea is to backup the laptop -    I thought I would just move it all now, new - and then keep saving/dragging physically   across to the new drive myself each day or two...
Would this be the sizeof the internal hard drive = c.500 gb ?   =   under the HD icon on desktop is written :
" 499.76gb , 311.5 gb free "
I can erase and start agin on the new external drive - so this plan is to make two partititions, rather than the one at present, and make one of them 500 gb ?
I have found CCC [carbon copy cloner] googling - looks good.
When CCC site says it backs up the hard drive - would this mean all my files [over 100 gb] that are mostly in folders on the desktop, plus the others in itunes, iphotos etc found in the HD icon, would all copy across successfully [wherever they are in the computer ] ?
thanks again, hope you can clarify these things and then I will go for it.
It would be great and amazing if this 'lack of permission' message doesn't show up in the process of doing this ccc transfer - hopeful!
Julie

Error message "The operation can't be completed because an item with the name .DS_Store already exists"

Major headaches with copying files and folders between drives. I constantly (and I mean constantly) have to resort to copying files across in small batches (fewer than 10 works best) because anytime I try to copy lots of files and folders from my mac to an external hard drive (or from one external HD to a second external HD), I ALWAYS get the error message "The operation can't be completed because an item with the name .DS_Store already exists".
The files and folders are all Mac-generated, so hint or trace of foreign OSs in the mix.
All file types are susceptible
the HDs are all Mac OS X formatted, no foreign file formats involved
the HDs are all journal-enabled, OS X extended formats
have looked on here for previous posts, past suggestion was to disable creation of DS_Store files - not really a solution and realistically, defeats the purpose of their creation
any ideas anyone?
would appreciate any thoughts or sugestions, this has got me beat
the context is that I have a lot of image files that I am copying (trying to...) new external 3TB drives for backup and the job appears endless if I have to do this in batches of 10 or so..!
many thanks for any suggestions

This is definitively a nuisance. When copying large amounts of files between volumes try opening a terminal window and use use ditto. You need to type the directory paths of the source and the destination volume. When it starts ditto just coupes and optionally overwrites anything on the destination. You can get a verbose mode where it lists all activities.
gunnars-mac-mini-i7:Volumes gunnar$ man ditto
NAME
     ditto -- copy directory hierarchies, create and extract archives
SYNOPSIS
     ditto [-v] [-V] [-X] [<options>] src ... dst_directory
     ditto [-v] [-V] [<options>] src_file dst_file
     ditto -c [-z | -j | -k] [-v] [-V] [-X] [<options>] src dst_archive
     ditto -x [-z | -j | -k] [-v] [-V] [<options>] src_archive ... dst_directory
     ditto -h | --help

Problems copying iTunes folder to an external hard drive - "The operation can't be completed because the item FILE NAME is in use"

Hi,
I have been trying to back up my iTunes folder from my MacBook hard drive over to a new LaCie external hard drive. However, whenever I try to do it at some point during the copying I keep getting the warning "The operation can’t be completed because the item FILE NAME is in use". Each time I have tried it, it is always a different file name that comes up and at different points of the copying. Following the warning, the copying stops and cannot be restarted.
I tried copying the iTunes folder to another Lacie external hard drive that I have, and it worked fine so I am guessing that it maybe something wrong with the hard drive.
I've been trying various approaches all day and can't seem to get anywhere with it - all very frustrating, so any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks.

If you don't have other backup data on it, reformatting external drive could solve the problem.

Backup can't be completed

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