Backup to HD via USB taking FOREVER

I've tried to scour the discussions for this-- apologies if I missed the answer to what is likely a common problem:
Time Machine is taking a ridiculously long time to back up 60 GB of data. I have a 500 GB external HD connected via USB (new macbook sans firewire). It's a first time backup, which I understand takes time, but we're going on seven hours and the stupid program has only completed 14.61 GB. What's going on here?
Could there be a program running in the background causing this? I've used time machine before with a USB HD, took a couple hours max. This is very frustrating.
Any help would be appreciated.

*_Time Machine Backups Painfully SLOW_*
*Anti-Virus Software* #
Are you running anti-virus software. Disable it and see if network speeds improve. The discussion boards are filled with users who are experiencing degraded network speeds due to their anti-virus software.
One poster observed: “I had the exact same problem 5 mins ago, it had taken 2 hours to back up 2GB, I realized I installed Sophos anti virus a couple of days ago. When I turned that off my back up is speeding through.”
Another contributor stated, “I am doing the first backup to my time capsule, about 71 Gb, It seems to be going about 1 Gb per hour. is this seem OK? I tried the ethernet connection and the speed was about the same. It has been going all night and after 12 hours it is at only 12 Gb of 71….I found the problem, I uninstalled Norton and the problem went away. It backed up in about 3 or 4 hours”
Let us know if this was the case.
UPDATE: I just read your post in another thread - so you have a Time Capsule? Then that is a different story. You should do the intial backup via ethernet, then subsequent incremental backups can be done wirelessly.
On the other hand, If you mean you have connected the USB drive to an Airport Extreme, then I have a workaround that will make this intial backup go faster for Airport Disks. See here:
[http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=8121826&#8121826]
Cheers!
Message was edited by: Glenn Carter

Similar Messages

My Seagate external 250GB hard drive ejects improperly without command. I am trying to use Time Machine to backup my macbook via usb cable... I keep getting the message that the disked ejected improperly... Any solutions...

My Seagate external 250GB hard drive ejects improperly without command. I am trying to use Time Machine to backup my macbook via usb cable... I keep getting the message that the disked ejected improperly... Any solutions...

You are not alone. Thousands have this problem, on various models of Macs. Short answer, it has something to do with the disk going to sleep (possibly?). You can't do anything about it and Apple won't address the problem. Maybe you should buy a time capsule. Just keep giving them money and use their proprietary equipment.
For a more complete answer, see this thread (all 65+ pages of it with NO SOLUTION IN SIGHT... except for some 3rd party solutions that sometimes work, sometimes don't): Disk Drive ejecting itself

HT204057 Time machine back up via USB hard drive connected to Airport Extreme.

Why did Apple stop supporting time machine back-up via USB hard drive connected to Airport Extreme? It worked very well.

Why did Apple stop supporting time machine back-up via USB hard drive connected to Airport Extreme?
Time Machine backups are supported via USB hard drive connected to the AirPort Extreme"ac" version.
Time Machine backups were not supported via USB hard drive connected to earlier versions of the AirPort Extreme.
Some users who tried this on earlier version AirPort Extremes seemed to have some success with Time Machine backups....some had moderate success and some had no success with this. Count me in the "no success" category.
See the topic about Time Machine support for USB disks in this Apple Support document:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5924?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

Is there any way to connect time capsule to a MacBook Pro directly via USB. I have a large amount of data that I want to back up and it is taking a very long time (35GB is taking 3 hrs, I have 2TB if files in total)...)?

Perhaps via USB. I have a large amount of data that I want to back up and it is taking a very long time (35GB is taking 3 hrs, I have 2TB if files in total)...? I want to use TimeCapsule as back-up for an archive which is curently stored on a 2 TB WESC HD.

No, you cannot backup via direct usb connection..
But gigabit ethernet is much faster anyway.. are you connected directly by ethernet?
Is the drive you are backing up from plugged into the TC? That will slow it down something chronic.. plug that drive in by its fastest connection method.. WESC sorry I have no idea. If ethernet use that.. otherwise USB direct to the computer.. always think what way the files come and go.. but since you are copying from the computer everything has to go that way.. it makes things slower if they go over the same cable.. if you catch the drift.

First backup is taking forever (more than two days) in my MacBook Air

First backup is taking forever , painfully slow, I am using MacBook Air, what can I do to speed things up. is there a particular way to set TC up ?? I set it up to join an existing wireless network, is this right or wrong? I just need a few tips to make the backup faster.

Answer: yes, the Time Capsule is junk - in my opinion. I was excited about an all-in-one router plus 1TB of backup wirelessly available, but if you check the many posts about this thing, you'll hear about numerous problems:
- unbelievably slow backups, overnight or longer for the first, very long for even small backups after minor activity - and not necessarily due to network speeds.
- heat issues - this thing runs very hot, even with fans running, and people have had to put little rubber feet under it to improve airflow, etc. - not something I think is reasonable for a $500+ item - some get an "overheating" message from the utility app.
- problems with hanging - it hangs on "Preparing Backup" (as it did for me for days) and doesn't backup - thereby making the unit useless as it was designed.
- mounting and recognition issues - not so much with me but for quite a few others.
SEND IT BACK... I am sending mine back and going back to manual backups where I can see exactly what is being backed up to my external HDD and where it is. The opaque nature of the entire Time Machine backup is irritating to me - TC was "backing up" say, "75MB of 125.3MB" but I had no idea what it was backing up, and why only 125.3MB? Was that all my activity changed during the session? Or all sorts of system files, etc. being backed up? I'm not techie enough to get into the guts of it, so I am going back to my usual external HDD to do it by hand. It's a good habit to get into (if inconvenient compared to the TC) but at least I am secure with it.
I am also not sure if TC can be used as a plug-and-play USB storage drive if I were to, say, just connect it to a Windows machine and try to access files in folders. I suppose not?

HT2518 migration is taking forever from windows 7 via wireless. can i stop it and connect wired?

File migration is taking forever from Windows 7 pc. Can I stop and reconnect using usb 2.0?

Your only option in that respect would be to create an adhoc Wi-Fi network with the Windows 7 device. And no, you could not connect the iOS devices via cable to connect them to that network. You can share the iOS device cellular internet capability with a computer via Personal Hotspot, but the iOS devices do not have the capability to connect to a wired network or to a computer's internet via a cable.

I am running my first time machine backup onto a Western Digital MyBook Live. It is taking forever. Is there antivirus software running in the background or any other settings I need to change to speed it up? Also I am on a wireless network.

I am running my first time machine backup onto a Western Digital MyBook Live. It is taking forever. Is there antivirus software running in the background or any other settings I need to change to speed it up? Also I am on a wireless network.

The initial Time Machine backup can certainly take a long time over wireless. Days, possibly. It's impossible for anyone here to be able to predict how long it will take, and wireless environmental conditions can change at any time.
Is there antivirus software running in the background
Only you can determine that. If you're using third party AV software, anything is possible.
NAS devices may not be compatible with Time Machine, regardless of what their manufacturers may claim. Even after the Time Machine backup completes, your backup may be unreliable. You may not discover that until you need to rely upon the backup for some reason, and corruption can occur months or years from now.
Time Machine supports the following backup configurations:
A locally mounted volume
Time Capsule
A volume resident on a USB hard disk connected directly to a Time Capsule or current production AirPort Extreme Base Station.
That's it. Any configuration other than the above list places you in an experimental category. If your backup fails, you're on your own.

I have a Free Agent external backup hard drive connected to my iMac Intel desktop via USB. Why do I get an error message, from time to time, upon startup stating: "disk was disconnected improperly, always eject disk before disconnecting"?

I have a Free Agent external backup hard drive connected to my iMac Intel desktop via USB, I never unplug it. Why do I get an error message, from time to time, upon startup stating, "Disk was disconnected improperly. Always eject disk before disconnecting."?

I never unplug the external harddrive, and the error message comes up only occassionaly upon startup. Maybe the USB connection gets disrupted enough to cause the computer to see it as disconnected and then reconnected while the iMac is powered.

TS4009 My iCloud is taking forever to backup,why?

Why is my first iCloud backup taking forever?

An iCloud Backup (at least the first one or ones after any major changes) can take a long time.
It is entirely dependent on the amount of data being backed up, plus the speed of your internet connection. If you have many gigabytes to backup and a slow upspeed it will take a long time.
Buying iCloud Storage space will not increase the capacity of your phone.

Time machine - backup of a disk attached via usb on a time capsule

Hi,
I would like to know it is possible to backup data with TIME MACHINE of an external disk attached directly to a time capsule via USB.
I use it as a network disk for all my Mac's to access at the same iphoto library.
Thank you very much for your help

To back up the drive, connect it directly to the Mac and remove it from the exclusion list in the Time Machine preference pane.

HT201250 I have had my mac stolen, I have an external HD I connect via USB for these time machine backups, I now have a new replacement mac and wish to restore from my external HD, migration assistant doesn't seem to recognise or see my drive ? please hel

I have had my mac stolen, I have an external HD I connect via USB for these time machine backups, I now have a new replacement mac and wish to restore from my external HD, migration assistant doesn't seem to recognise or see my drive ? please help

See Pondini's Excellent information here...
Setting-up a new Mac from an old one, its backups, or a PC
See the Second Chance to Use Setup Assistant here...
http://Pondini.org/OSX/SetupLion.html

Copying files off of a bootable backup via USB?

I just made a clone off the HD of MacBook Pro that I'm planning to sell. I want to migrate the important files to an archive area on a Drobo, but some of the folders are cloaked when I just plug in via USB, due to user permissions. I know I can boot up on this disc and then migrate, but I'm curious if there's any way to access these files otherwise?

Just when I thought I knew everything Mac. Thanks for the solution. It removed the permission limitation and made all files accessible.

My e mail is taking forever to download.

My e mail is taking forever to download. It comes through fine on my i phone via the same wireless router. It is showing the amount of e mails being downloaded, I know there are no large files in there. Its as if something is blocking or slowing down the download. The rest of the computer works fine, as does outgoing mail. Any clues anyone?

Has the unit EVER been jailbroke? Has it EVER been dropped? Did it EVER get excessively wet? Did you EVER load a pirated developer's version of the IOS?
If "No" to all the above, first try a system reset. It cures many ills and it's quick, easy and harmless...
Hold down the on/off switch and the Home button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo. Ignore the "Slide to power off" text if it appears. You will not lose any apps, data, music, movies, settings, etc.
If the Reset doesn't work, try a Restore. Note that it's nowhere near as quick as a Reset. It could take well over an hour! Connect via cable to the computer that you use for sync. From iTunes, select the iPad/iPod and then select the Summary tab. Follow the on-screen directions for Restore and be sure to say "yes" to the backup. You will be warned that all data (apps, music, movies, etc.) will be erased but, as the Restore finishes, you will be asked if you wish the contents of the backup to be copied to the iPad/iPod. Again, say "yes."
At the end of the basic Restore, you will be asked if you wish to sync the iPad/iPod. As before, say "yes." Note that that sync selection will disappear and the Restore will end if you do not respond within a reasonable time. If that happens, only the apps that are part of the IOS will appear on your device. Corrective action is simple - choose manual "Sync" from the bottom right of iTunes.
If you're unable to do the Restore and you have IOS-6 or lower, go into Recovery Mode per the instructions here. Also, if you have IOS-7, read this.

How long does it take to migrate mac to mac via USB

I have the new 27inch iMac, and I am migrating via a USB from my 2008 imac running the latest Mac OSX Lion. It seems to be taking forever.
It is still telling me 24hrs 31 hinutes after 1.5hrs to transfer 320G. Does this sound right? It seemsnot to be moving in time to complete.

Don't use WiFi
Here are the maximum transfer speeds for each connection type
WiFi       300Mb/s (actual rate closer to 50Mb/s depending on distance to source, terrain and error correction)
FW 400 400Mb/s
USB2     480Mb/s
FW 800 800Mb/s
Ethernet1000Mb/s (Cat5 cable)
USB3     5000Mb/s
TBolt     10000Mb/s
In all cases real world speeds tend to be lower but a direct Ethernet connection is fast and reliable. 4 hours plus is not unusual, there is more work going on than just transferring files.
PS: in the case of a connection using 2 methods (eg: FW400 to FW800) the transfer is at the lowest of the 2 speeds, not the highest.

When i plug in my iPhone via USB iTunes dose not reconize my iphone

i just got a new computer (with windows 8) and i downloaded the latest version of apple i have a iphone 5 with ios 7.0.4 when i plug in my phone via USB to my laptop an auto play pops up that gives me the options to: organize and edit my photos (adobe elements organizer 11.0), open device to view files (file explorer),import photos and videos and or take no action but itunes does not open and on my iphone when i unlock it (i dont have a password) it also has a popup that askes if i want to trust my computer "your settings and data will be accessible from this computer when connected."then says trust or dont trust and it does every time i plug my phone into my computer when i open itunes my iphone is not reconized itunes dose not even reconize that there is a devive plugged in for that matter. and i have looked at previous problems and they all say to press on the device button. but there is no button when i go into prefrences ctrl+ and press devices all that it says is device backups (witch is empty) then "prevent ipods,ipads and iphones from sycing automatially witch is not marked off then warn when _____ of the data on this computer will be changed i selected any theit says itunes is not paired with any remotes then reset sync history
my questions are how do i get itunes to reconize my device and the trust my compter thing to turn off how do i sync my device with my computer

Go through this support doc:
OS: Device not recognised in iTunes
Windows: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1538

Backup to HD via USB taking FOREVER

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for