Cannot Access Files on Time Machine

Hi all I was hoping that I can get some help on Time Machine issue I have. I am having trouble accessing my external hard drive backup (WD My Passport for Mac) on Time Machine. I want to restore iPhoto. Somehow I have excluded items on Time Machine that I now need to put on to my Mac. When I hit the option key on Time Machine Preferences I can see the folder I want to restore but when I hit "-" nothing changes.
I can also see the same disk as a backup disk but only the unused portion. I am using Yosemite. I hope someone can help!!

Triple-click the line below on this page to select it:
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist
Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select
Services ▹ Reveal in Finder (or just Reveal)
from the contextual menu.* A Finder window should open with a file named "com.apple.TimeMachine.plist" selected. Move the file to the Trash.
Repeat with this line:
~/Library/Preferences/ByHost
A folder named "ByHost" should open. Inside that folder, there may be a file with a long name beginning "com.apple.TimeMachine." If the file exists, move it to the Trash.
Restart the computer and test.
*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select
Go ▹ Go to Folder...
from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

Similar Messages

Cannot access files on Time Machine due to permissions

I wiped my hard drive and reinstalled Mountain Lion. I am now trying to pull my files back off of Time Machine - music, pictures, documents. I keep getting errors stating I do not have permission to access certain files and the whole process shuts down. On my backup drive, I had a different username. Is that the problem? If so, how can I fix it without creating a new user with my old name and creating more problems?

I suspect that the problem isn't so much a different user name but a different user ID. You can see that for your current account in System Preferences > Users & Groups by right-clicking on a user and selecting "Advanced Options". (Heed the warning about changing the values you see in that panel!)
You can see the user ID for a file in Time Machine using a command in a Terminal session. Open a session and type "ls -ln ", where the letters "l" are lower-case "L"s and there's a space after what you type. (Don't type the quotes.) Then use the Finder to navigate to a file on your Time Machine disk that you can't access, drag it to the Terminal window, and press <return>. The user ID will be shown in the third field. It will probably be a number like as 501. If your account's user ID is 501 and that of the Time Machine files is 502, I'd create a new account on your Mac. It will probably be given the user ID 502, which will match that of the Time Machine files.

Cannot access files in time machine backups

Greetings all. Thanks for your help with this.
I've recently replaced my internal HD in my 2009 MBP. Of course, I ran a backup to my external 1TB. Installed the new HD, reinstalled Mountain Lion, and figured...fresh start, let's just grab what I need from Time Machine and start "new." Well, when I get into Time Machine, it shows all of my backups, ever, which it should, but when I access the backup I want to draw from, I can't access the files I need. Everything in the Finder window, except for my computer name and the applications folder, is greyed out. THIS IS FRUSTRATING TO ME.
I've tried this..associating the new backups with the old:
http://pondini.org/TM/B6.html
didn't work.
I don't want to do a full backup from migration assistant. I like the idea of a fresh start with just my media. Any ideas? I"m so frustrated right now.
Thanks

I can't see backups for a disk/partition that's no longer connected

Cannot retrieve files from Time Machine.

I cannot retrieve files from Time Machine. I can enter it, but the arrows don't seem to function and when I click on a date/time, nothing happens.

I don't know what you mean by "arrows". After Entering TM, put your pointer over one of the coloured (usually purple) dated bars at the right of the screen. That will bring (usually the desktop) for that date to the front. Navigate in the usual way to find the old file, select it, and press the big Restore button on the bottom left of your screen. As I remember it, a copy of that file will appear beside the current original with something like "Restored" added to is title. When you quit TM (Cancel) that restored file should appear beside its current version. (Or, if it's host folder has been deleted, smewhere else but I can't remember where - search for it.)

My MacBook w/ OSX 10.6.8 cannot access my external Time Machine Backup USB Drive. It says it is a Read Only drive. When I went to change permissions I found all pernissions were listed as "Custom" and I could not reset them to "Read Write". Any help!

My MacBook w/ OSX 10.6.8 cannot access my external Time Machine Backup USB Drive. It says it is a Read Only drive. When I went to change permissions I found all pernissions were listed as "Custom" and I could not reset them to "Read Write". Any help would be appreciated.

This can be done easily with ethernet.
Please follow the instructions strictly.
To make it easier I want you to do this overnight so you can turn off all your current connection to the internet.
Just go to the airport fan in to the top right and turn airport off.
Get ethernet cable and connect the laptop to the TC lan port.. ie <-> ones.
Press and hold the reset on the TC for about 10sec. until the front led flashes rapidly.
Open the airport utility.. go to manual setup and change the wireless to off. (so other people around you cannot join your network of one).
Ignore all the errors.. they won't stop the backup working.
Go to the TM and reselect the backup target disk as the TC.
It should start after 2min and run through to completion.
That is it.. for a backup of many GB it might take a few hours.. so make sure the laptop has power plugged in and the sleep is off.. (on early ones I think this is needed but I am a late arrival to the scene).. sleep doesn't affect later OS.

Cannot copy files from Time Machine

Hi,
I wanted to trash all my Time Machine Files yesterday but when I tried to empty the trash, my Mac started to count all the files on the trash for so long that I decided to undo that. So, I opened the trash and decided to move back again all my Time Machine back up files into the original disk where they where. My Mac started to count all the files and it did not stopped since then? What can I do to resolve this issue, since my Mac has been counting files since very late last night and it's been doing this ever since: it's been counting for at least one day?
Can I stop the process and do something else, I would not like to damage my disk or something else. I know I should have taken a «reformat» option instead but right now I do not know if I can stop this process or should I let it run for I do not know how long???
Please help!
Thanks
Robert
<Email Edited by Host>

Hi,
After consideration of all this precious time spent, I've decided finally to call at Apple support even if my Apple Care coverage had expired for so many years. The 35$ fee for a month services was largely worth the call and the service I received... So, with the help of a well trained expert, I got the job done very fast et efficiently! Mind you, I had to insist to be in the hand of a good expert before doing anything, this was a "must" in my case...
After explaining my problem to this expert I realized that I was in good hands: he knew what was the problem and he really made my call worth all the money. I agreed to share my screen with him and we started with Terminal.
First:
I emptied the trash by typing the proper command in Terminal. I tried it before but it wasn't working since all my backup files from Time Machine where not on my local disk, they where on another internal disk. With his help, I identified the proper disk and when Terminal executed the command, it was done in no time. Sweet, no more counting! But my files where still on the trash, no one could tell how long this would take to trash everything. I had a zillion files in my Backup from Time Machine!
Second:
So, I asked my expert: "since we don't know how long will this process will take, will reformatting the disk, be better and will this save time? Is it possible since all my files on this disk are in the trash? He said: "Yes it will work even if your files are in the trash". Ok, let's do it! So, I've stopped the process after a few minutes and started Disk Utility. I then identified the volume and hit the "erase" button.
Voilà, the job was done perfectly after 2 minutes, my disk was clean.
Conclusion:
Is it both actions that did the job, I cannot say. But in my case, it worked perfectly. I know, I should have reformat my disk first, it would have save me so much time.
May my mistake serve other users in the futur! If anyone would like the command codes I used in Terminal, feel free to ask.
Live long and prosper Mr. Technician!
Robert M.
<Personal Information Edited By Host>

Permission to access files in Time machine

I am trying to restore photoshop files I created and seem to have erased by mistake. For some of the files Time Machine gives me the following message :
The opreation cannot be completed because you don't have permission to access " filename"
I created these files and they are important and I do not know what else to do to retrieve them.
I work with OS 10.6.8 on an Intel iMac.
Thank you

Thank you baltwo and Pondini for your suggestions.
I tried the E10 but it did not work and turned out to be more complicated than the solution I had found
while waiting.
Still trying to resolve it myself I found that all the instances where I received the « no permission » message involved folders. I then opened the folders, did a « select all » to select the individual files, thinking that maybe only one file was causing the problem and therefore trying to isolate it. I then did a « Restore » and it worked. I had to choose a location but all the files were restored. All I had left to do was to put them back in a folder.
Not very sophisticated, I guess, but I have the end result I wanted and learned a new trick.

Unable to restore from Time Machine after an erase and reinstall - MacbookPro cannot access my old Time Machine backup volume. Desperate for help please?

My MacbookPro would not move past the Apple logo and spinning wheel for a number of hours. After trying the numerous suggestions to solve the issue I eventually opted to erase and reinstall feeling confident my Time Machine backups would come to the rescue. After a successful erase and reinstall I tried to restore all my data from my TIme Capsule using Command-R during start up and by using the Migration Assistant. Neither worked and I have received messages to the effect that the backup volumes on my Time Capsule cannot be access because I have entered a wrong password or because the backup volume is damaged.
When I open my Time Capsule in Finder and click on my sparsebundle I get an eror message saying that the disk image could not be opened and that the resource is temporarily unavailable.
Desperate for some help and comfort that many years of personal data have not been lost.
Thank you.
M

When I try to Verify option it says Unable to Verify - Resource temporarily unavailable.
Here is the past of the log screen:
2013-06-09 15:00:00 -0500: Disk Utility started.
2013-06-09 15:09:01 -0500: Disk Utility started.
2013-06-09 15:19:53 -0500: [DUDiskController viewablePartitions] expecting DUDisk, but got nil
2013-06-09 15:19:53 -0500:
2013-06-09 15:20:00 -0500: [DUDiskController viewablePartitions] expecting DUDisk, but got nil
2013-06-09 15:20:00 -0500:
2013-06-09 15:20:05 -0500: [DUDiskController viewablePartitions] expecting DUDisk, but got nil
2013-06-09 15:20:05 -0500:
2013-06-09 15:20:13 -0500: Verifying Image “Macajee’s MacBook Pro”
2013-06-09 15:20:14 -0500: Unable to verify “Macajee’s MacBook Pro.” (Resource temporarily unavailable)
2013-06-09 15:20:14 -0500:
2013-06-09 15:25:21 -0500: Verifying Image “Macajee’s MacBook Pro”
2013-06-09 15:25:23 -0500: Unable to verify “Macajee’s MacBook Pro.” (Resource temporarily unavailable)
2013-06-09 15:25:23 -0500:
2013-06-09 15:25:27 -0500: Attach Image “Macajee’s MacBook Pro”
2013-06-09 15:25:27 -0500: Initializing…
2013-06-09 15:25:31 -0500: Attaching…
2013-06-09 15:25:31 -0500: Finishing…
2013-06-09 15:25:32 -0500: Unable to attach “Macajee’s MacBook Pro.” (Resource temporarily unavailable)
2013-06-09 15:25:32 -0500:
2013-06-09 20:02:06 -0500: Disk Utility started.
2013-06-09 20:05:22 -0500: Disk Utility started.
2013-06-09 20:07:11 -0500: Disk Utility started.
2013-06-09 20:18:34 -0500: [DUDiskController viewablePartitions] expecting DUDisk, but got nil
2013-06-09 20:18:34 -0500:
2013-06-09 20:19:34 -0500: [DUDiskController viewablePartitions] expecting DUDisk, but got nil
2013-06-09 20:19:34 -0500:
2013-06-09 20:19:36 -0500: [DUDiskController viewablePartitions] expecting DUDisk, but got nil
2013-06-09 20:19:36 -0500:
2013-06-09 20:22:29 -0500: [DUDiskController viewablePartitions] expecting DUDisk, but got nil
2013-06-09 20:22:29 -0500:
2013-06-09 20:22:33 -0500: [DUDiskController viewablePartitions] expecting DUDisk, but got nil
2013-06-09 20:22:33 -0500:
2013-06-09 20:22:45 -0500: Verifying Image “Macajee’s MacBook Pro”
2013-06-09 20:22:45 -0500: Unable to verify “Macajee’s MacBook Pro.” (Resource temporarily unavailable)
2013-06-09 20:22:45 -0500:
2013-06-09 20:34:53 -0500: [DUDiskController viewablePartitions] expecting DUDisk, but got nil
2013-06-09 20:34:53 -0500:
2013-06-09 20:34:56 -0500: [DUDiskController viewablePartitions] expecting DUDisk, but got nil
2013-06-09 20:34:56 -0500:
2013-06-09 20:38:17 -0500: Verifying Image “Macajee’s MacBook Pro”
2013-06-09 20:38:17 -0500: Unable to verify “Macajee’s MacBook Pro.” (Resource temporarily unavailable)
2013-06-09 20:38:17 -0500:
2013-06-09 20:47:35 -0500: Disk Utility started.
2013-06-09 20:53:06 -0500: Disk Utility started.
2013-06-09 20:55:30 -0500: Disk Utility started.
2013-06-09 20:56:40 -0500: Disk Utility started.
2013-06-09 21:06:32 -0500: Verifying Image “macajee’s MacBook Pro”
2013-06-09 21:06:32 -0500: Unable to verify “macajee’s MacBook Pro.” (Resource temporarily unavailable)
2013-06-09 21:06:32 -0500:
2013-06-09 21:07:08 -0500: Verifying Image “macajee’s MacBook Pro”
2013-06-09 21:07:08 -0500: Unable to verify “macajee’s MacBook Pro.” (Resource temporarily unavailable)
2013-06-09 21:07:08 -0500:

Cannot access folders in Time Machine back-up drive

I have used Time Machine to back up our server for months. Now I need to go and try to retrieve a lost file. I can see the folder the file should be in but I get an error that tells me that I do not have permission to access the folder. The folder has a small red circle with minus sign in lower left corner. I am logged in as the Server Administrator so I should have full permissions to everything.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can change the permission status of the folder in the back-up?
Thanks in advance,
Brian

I am accessing through the TM interface. The TM interface has multiple folders on this particular weeks back-up. Some I can access and get to the files inside and some I do not have access to. Unfortunately, the folder I want to access and find the single file contains over 200,000 files. If I were to restore the folder, it would overwrite three months worth of files and make them outdated. I need to get access into the folder and restore that individual file.
Is there a way to restore on a second external drive to keep out current files in tack?
Brian

Cannot access users in Time Machine

Forgive the titling; I wasn't sure how to title this issue. Here's the problem:
1) I had a MBP that was running Mountain Lion, that routinely was backed up to a time capsule. Since my last backup of that machine (May 2013), I had upgraded to 10.9 Mavericks, and then subsequently upgraded machines to a new 15" MBP.
2) In the migration to my new 15", I realized that the aperture library had not transferred over (unfortunately after I had clean installed on the old computer).
3) Fear not, I'll just go and restore from the TM backup, right? However, I'm running into the following issues. When I enter TM, I cannot see any users at all inside the folder. However, if I try to restore the user account via migration assistant, it will find my user folder that was backed up. When I do attempt restoration however, migration assistant tells me "this user account does not need transferred" under the user account containing the aperture library.
My end goal: access my aperture library (and actually, anything that would've been contained in the user folder) somehow from the time machine backups, which I cannot seem to do for the life of me. Thoughts??

Opening iPhoto libraries directly in Time Machine was never intended.
It was the upgrade to iPhoto 9 (11) that removed the option to Browse Backups as shown in the following screenshot:
With iPhoto 8 (09) we had the following menu:
That option was removed with iPhoto 9 (11). So now all we can do is restore the entire library as follows:
1 - go to your Pictures folder.
2 - enter Time Machine.
3 - go back in time to get the copy you need.
4 - select it and click on the Restore button.
Do not try to open a library in the Time Machine folder with iPhoto. That's not what is intended use of Time Machine.
OT

Cannot view files in Time Machine

I have my time machine backup on Time Capsule. I cannot view files while I am in the interface of time machine. Some files can be viewed with quick look such as photos and some eps or .ai files. Indesign documents will not view, address book will not view and many others. I did a series of tests and the files will restore just fine, but you cannot view them in the time machine mode. Very frustrating!! Is there a setting that I am missing?
Ben
27" imac 3.4GHz Intel Core i7, 8GB memory, ssd drive, 1TB drive, thunderbolt display second monitor

Flydesign wrote:
It would be nice to be able to go back in timemachine to a document that you had 6 months ago and ressurect it.
You can do that easily. If you can't view it via QuickLook, restore it to an alternate location, such as your desktop. See Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #16.
I have been able to view documents in Time machine before.
Yes, some types of documents have always been viewable in TM backups. TextEdit, Pages, Numbers, Preview, and no doubt others. But some others aren't, and haven't been.
If bridge can view indesign documents, then Apple sure has the capability to add that as a feature to time machine.
Doubtful they'll do that for a 3rd-party app, but ask here: http://www.apple.com/feedback/timemachine.html
In 30+ years of design, I have only a handful of times forgot to save my work as I go.
Neither have I, but (a) it only takes once, and (b) most users don't. (Actually, most users don't even back up ).
Time Machine is not likely to change much in the forseeable future. If it doesn't meet your needs, there are lots of other backup apps around.

I cannot access an older time machine backup after installing an new hard drive.

After installing a new hard drive I tried to access my older backups in time machine but cannot. They are there but do not light up and allow me to access them, or select them.

First, if you're worried about the possibility of losing a backup set, then your backup strategy is inadequate. You will certainly lose those backups, no matter what you do, when the drive hosting them fails, as it will eventually. If you take data safety seriously, you should have at least two complete, independent backups of all your data, one of which is off-site at all times. I suggest you make a second backup now, before doing anything else.
The action I suggested won't delete all the snapshots; only the selected one -- unless something goes wrong, which is always possible. Without adequate backups, nothing you do is safe.

HT201250 Accession files on Time Machine through Airporter Extreme

Understand there is an incompatibility issue with Time Machine and Airporter Extreme. Also if files were backedu up directly from the MacBook Pro to the external hard drive there's a problem accessing Time Machine if the external hard drive is plugged into Airporter Extreme so that two separate MACs can access Time Machine through the WiFi at the same time. Any info?

If that happened to me, I would use the Recovery Disk bootstrap and do a "Restore from Backup".
Here is how:
Restart your computer, holding the "Command" and "R" keys until you see the Apple logo. This will boot into recovery mode. You can then choose a "Restore from Backup" once you establish your WiFi, etc.

Cannot access files on Time Capsule

Cannot acess files on the TC HDD anymore. The TC HDD appears on the left panel in Finder, but if I doubleclick the disk, the TC drops connection and restarts. Soft, hard and factory resets of the TC did not help.
Last months the TC has always dropped connection or acess to the HDD but a soft reset helped every time.
File sharing in Airport Utility is on.
The TC router works good and I have acess to the Internet as long as it restarts.
Is there any chance to restore my data from the TC? All the media files have been stored there.
Using Lion, TC 7.5.2.
Thanks in advance for your hints

I don't have a guaranteed solution to your problem, just some suggestions:
1) Try powering down the Time Capsule for at least 15 minutes, then plug it in again and see if it works better.
2) If you suspect that heat might be a problem, try raising the Time Capsule to give better air flow below it. I have mine on an inverted plastic-coated-wire basket of the type used to organize kitchen drawers.
3) If AirPort Utility can "see" the Time Capsule, you should be able to use the "archive" function (in the Disks panel, Disks tab) to write the disk's contents to a drive connected to the Time Capsule's USB port.
4) In the worst case, you should be able to access the files on the Time Capsule's disk by opening up the Time Capsule, removing the disk drive, mounting the drive in an external enclosure, and attaching the enclosure to your Mac.

Can't access files though time machine

In Time Machine I can see that folders are there but when I try to restore them I get nothing. I might get an empty folder that says "xxx(original)" but nothing's in it. Or I get a message about lacking permission. Is there a practical way to get at files without going through the TM interface? I presume they're on the backup drive somewhere.

duncantho wrote:
Hmm, after digging into TM's files through the Finder I finally managed to recover everything. TM itself, at least in terms of restoration, remains a bit of a mystery though.
Everything you need to know about TM is here :
http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html

Cannot Access Files on Time Machine

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