Delete Time Machine Backups for old HD

I recently had my HD fail. Fortunatly I have a time capsule so all was not lost. A new HD was install and i sucessfully migrated my time machine backup to the new drive. However, time machine won't perform any new backups as the time capsule if full. As I understand it, a new HD is seen as a new device to backup so creates a new set of backups leaving the original ones from the previous HD untouched.
I have read various other threads about deleting old backups, but they all appear to refer to do this when you still have the original creator of the backup.
My qustion is this: How do I delete the old backups of the HD I no longer have?
Thanks.

I was recently faced with pretty well the identical problem. I found that simply moving the old backup to trash caused problems in that the trash folder could not be emptied because Time Machine backups have built-in links that, in effect, lock files from being deleted (that may not be a technically accurate description but I hope that it conveys the crux of the matter). Here's what I found to be the easiest solution:
1. Copy all files that you want to keep from the external hard drive to a folder (or desktop) on the computer.
2. Use Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility to partition the external hard drive. On a 1tB hard drive, I formatted the first partition as Mac journaled and using 750mB. The second partition used up the remainder of the drive and had the same format. I named each partition to suit my own preferences. This process deletes everything on the drive.
3. Copy the files you want to save, back from the computer to the second partition. Do this before setting up Time Machine or you may find that these files get backed up when you don't need them to be backed up.
4. Set up Time Machine to backup to the first partition. This first backup might take a few hours to complete.
This keeps backup separate from any other files that you want to store on the external hard drive and ensures that backups do not eat up disc space that you might need for other purposes. I understand that, when the backups run out of disc space, Time Machine starts to delete old ones.

Similar Messages

Time Machine backup for old computer has been named for new computer

On my new Time Capsule, I backed up the entire disk from my older computer. While consulting with a live help technician for an unrelated problem, he had me reset the Time Capsule using the newer computer. To resume use of the Time Machine backup from my older computer, I had to gain permission . . . and subsequently discovered the reason why. Reseting with the new computer caused the backup volume to be renamed with the new computer's name.
Sooo, 1) how do I correct the naming error, and 2) will further confusion occur when I then go to back up the new computer?

It may or may not ask you to reformat the disk when you set it up as the backup for that new computer. If it does, I think you can cancel it.
What I would do is open Migration Assistant, then import your applications/documents/etc. onto the new computer, and then use the Time Machine disk for backup (formatting it if it asks you to).
You'll at least have recent files and stuff like that, which may not be as good as an incremental history but at least it's something.

How to delete Time Capsule backups for old discs?

Does anyone know how I can delete a no longer needed backup for my old Powerbook and reclaim the disc space it's taking up? 1TB Time Capsule getting low on space, but I don't want to erase the whole drive, just the Powerbook backup.
I can't see it from the Time Machine interface, just the one for the MacBook I now use, but I can see it as a sparseimage in the FInder. The problem is that deleting the sparseimage from the Finder just doesn't work. Dialogue box states "Deleting…" and "0 items to be deleted" but stays open forever and the file never gets deleted.
Any help would be much appreciated as I'm driving myself nuts with this...

ee601 wrote:
Ok, it's 4 hours now since deleting the sparsebundle with the TC connected directly, and the Trash dialogue window says "The operation can’t be completed because the item “bands” is in use." Does that give any clues?
unfortunately not.
how comfy would you be to erase your TC's HD ? I mean, would you be willing to completely start over ? via airport utility, you have the option to erase your TC's HD, which of course would mean also to erase all other sparsebundles on it.
generally, TM backups to a TC should be only *one part* of an overall backup strategy. besides using TM to backup my machines to my TC, i make bootable clones of both regularly.
anyways, post back if you decide to +start over+ - the necessary steps can be provided ...

I have a mid2009 MacBook Pro for which I have been using a USB WD HD for Time Machine. I'd like to get a wireless HD and start a new Time Machine backup for this Mac and retire the 5 year old WD drive. Can I start over?

I have a mid2009 MacBook Pro running Mavericks for which I have been using a USB WD HD for Time Machine. I'd like to get a wireless HD and start a new Time Machine backup for this Mac and retire the 5 year old WD drive. Can I start over?

no archive/ backup is perfect, HD clones can be set to make incremental additions, same as time machine however, though they are more time involved in doing so.
See the + and - of all data backup/ archives below and "spread it around".... or the "dont put your eggs all in one basket" philosophy.
Peace
Data Storage Platforms; their Drawbacks & Advantages
#1. Time Machine / Time Capsule
Drawbacks:
1. Time Machine is not bootable, if your internal drive fails, you cannot access files or boot from TM directly from the dead computer.
2. Time machine is controlled by complex software, and while you can delve into the TM backup database for specific file(s) extraction, this is not ideal or desirable.
3. Time machine can and does have the potential for many error codes in which data corruption can occur and your important backup files may not be saved correctly, at all, or even damaged. This extra link of failure in placing software between your data and its recovery is a point of risk and failure. A HD clone is not subject to these errors.
4. Time machine mirrors your internal HD, in which cases of data corruption, this corruption can immediately spread to the backup as the two are linked. TM is perpetually connected (or often) to your computer, and corruption spread to corruption, without isolation, which TM lacks (usually), migrating errors or corruption is either automatic or extremely easy to unwittingly do.
5. Time Machine does not keep endless copies of changed or deleted data, and you are often not notified when it deletes them; likewise you may accidently delete files off your computer and this accident is mirrored on TM.
6. Restoring from TM is quite time intensive.
7. TM is a backup and not a data archive, and therefore by definition a low-level security of vital/important data.
8. TM working premise is a “black box” backup of OS, APPS, settings, and vital data that nearly 100% of users never verify until an emergency hits or their computers internal SSD or HD that is corrupt or dead and this is an extremely bad working premise on vital data.
9. Given that data created and stored is growing exponentially, the fact that TM operates as a “store-it-all” backup nexus makes TM inherently incapable to easily backup massive amounts of data, nor is doing so a good idea.
10. TM working premise is a backup of a users system and active working data, and NOT massive amounts of static data, yet most users never take this into consideration, making TM a high-risk locus of data “bloat”.
11. In the case of Time Capsule, wifi data storage is a less than ideal premise given possible wireless data corruption.
12. TM like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
13. *Level-1 security of your vital data.
Advantages:
1. TM is very easy to use either in automatic mode or in 1-click backups.
2. TM is a perfect novice level simplex backup single-layer security save against internal HD failure or corruption.
3. TM can easily provide a seamless no-gap policy of active data that is often not easily capable in HD clones or HD archives (only if the user is lazy is making data saves).
#2. HD archives
Drawbacks:
1. Like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
2. Unless the user ritually copies working active data to HD external archives, then there is a time-gap of potential missing data; as such users must be proactive in archiving data that is being worked on or recently saved or created.
Advantages:
1. Fills the gap left in a week or 2-week-old HD clone, as an example.
2. Simplex no-software data storage that is isolated and autonomous from the computer (in most cases).
3. HD archives are the best idealized storage source for storing huge and multi-terabytes of data.
4. Best-idealized 1st platform redundancy for data protection.
5. *Perfect primary tier and level-2 security of your vital data.
#3. HD clones (see below for full advantages / drawbacks)
Drawbacks:
1. HD clones can be incrementally updated to hourly or daily, however this is time consuming and HD clones are, often, a week or more old, in which case data between today and the most fresh HD clone can and would be lost (however this gap is filled by use of HD archives listed above or by a TM backup).
2. Like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
Advantages:
1. HD clones are the best, quickest way to get back to 100% full operation in mere seconds.
2. Once a HD clone is created, the creation software (Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper) is no longer needed whatsoever, and unlike TM, which requires complex software for its operational transference of data, a HD clone is its own bootable entity.
3. HD clones are unconnected and isolated from recent corruption.
4. HD clones allow a “portable copy” of your computer that you can likewise connect to another same Mac and have all your APPS and data at hand, which is extremely useful.
5. Rather than, as many users do, thinking of a HD clone as a “complimentary backup” to the use of TM, a HD clone is superior to TM both in ease of returning to 100% quickly, and its autonomous nature; while each has its place, TM can and does fill the gap in, say, a 2 week old clone. As an analogy, the HD clone itself is the brick wall of protection, whereas TM can be thought of as the mortar, which will fill any cracks in data on a week, 2-week, or 1-month old HD clone.
6. Best-idealized 2nd platform redundancy for data protection, and 1st level for system restore of your computers internal HD. (Time machine being 2nd level for system restore of the computer’s internal HD).
7. *Level-2 security of your vital data.
HD cloning software options:
1. SuperDuper HD cloning software APP (free)
2. Carbon Copy Cloner APP (will copy the recovery partition as well)
3. Disk utility HD bootable clone.
#4. Online archives
Drawbacks:
1. Subject to server failure or due to non-payment of your hosting account, it can be suspended.
2. Subject, due to lack of security on your part, to being attacked and hacked/erased.
Advantages:
1. In case of house fire, etc. your data is safe.
2. In travels, and propagating files to friends and likewise, a mere link by email is all that is needed and no large media needs to be sent across the net.
3. Online archives are the perfect and best-idealized 3rd platform redundancy for data protection.
4. Supremely useful in data isolation from backups and local archives in being online and offsite for long-distance security in isolation.
5. *Level-1.5 security of your vital data.
#5. DVD professional archival media
Drawbacks:
1. DVD single-layer disks are limited to 4.7Gigabytes of data.
2. DVD media are, given rough handling, prone to scratches and light-degradation if not stored correctly.
Advantages:
1. Archival DVD professional blank media is rated for in excess of 100+ years.
2. DVD is not subject to mechanical breakdown.
3. DVD archival media is not subject to ferromagnetic degradation.
4. DVD archival media correctly sleeved and stored is currently a supreme storage method of archiving vital data.
5. DVD media is once written and therefore free of data corruption if the write is correct.
6. DVD media is the perfect ideal for “freezing” and isolating old copies of data for reference in case newer generations of data become corrupted and an older copy is needed to revert to.
7. Best-idealized 4th platform redundancy for data protection.
8. *Level-3 (highest) security of your vital data.
[*Level-4 data security under development as once-written metallic plates and synthetic sapphire and likewise ultra-long-term data storage]
#6. Cloud based storage
Drawbacks:
1. Cloud storage can only be quasi-possessed.
2. No genuine true security and privacy of data.
3. Should never be considered for vital data storage or especially long-term.
4. *Level-0 security of your vital data.
Advantages:
1. Quick, easy and cheap storage location for simplex files for transfer to keep on hand and yet off the computer.
2. Easy source for small-file data sharing.

HT201250 is there any way to retrieve deleted time machine backups?

is there any way to retrieve deleted time machine backups? it has now deleted the oldest, but most important backup. It was made right before before upgrading to mountain lion. Because I had some issues with placing the files back the way I wanted, I had to connect my hard drive to my mac several times. Result, everytime I did so, a backup was made. Like today, when I was transferring everything from that specific backup. But in the meantime Time Machine made a new backup, deleting the old one I was using. Ironically, I lost everything while I was transferring the files back to my mac. Please give me good news.

Once the external hard drive that you use for Time machine deleted its oldest backup and overwrote it, the ability to retrieve those files disappeared. They are gone for good.
Hope this helps

Can I use a single external drive to maintain time machine backups for two Mac computers?

Hello
We have an older mac mini and macbook air. I have one Western Digital external USB drive. Can I use the same drive to hold and maintain time machine backups for both machines?
I already have the macbook air time-machined on the WD drive. I now want to backup the mac mini onto the same drive. Is it going to over write the time machine backup or is the software smart enough to maintain two separate files, partitions, whatever it does..?

It will maintain separate backups. Note that it's generally advisable to use separate drives for best practice backup, but yes, it will work for both computers, provided you have enough space (need generally 2-3 times the total used file space for both Macs).
Matt

How can I delete time machine backup folders moved into the trash from an external drive?

I made the mistake of moving Time Machine backup files into the trash, but I can't seem to delete them. I tried the option key when clicking on "Empty Trash" and "Secure Empty Trash" (before and after rebooting), but that always led to error 8003. The files won't allow me to change their name. Using approchaes to Terminal from three different Mac-related webpages also failed. I also tried Trash It, but it seemed to be making little progress after letting it run 48 hours. Any other suggestions before calling Apple?

Assuming these were not backups made over a network (thus not in a sparse bundle disk image), see #E6 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.
But any way you empty the trash on that disk/partition is probably going to take a very long time -- there's no doubt several hundred thousand files there, perhaps a million or more.
You may have to just erase the disk (with Disk Utility) and start over.
You really shouldn't have to delete Time Machine backups, as it will do that automatically when the destination gets full. But if you really want to, see #12 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.

How to select correct time machine backup for migration assistant

We have two MacBooks backing up to one Time Capsule using time machine: let's call them H and R.
I have had to reinstall Leopard on Macbook H and am now trying to restore using Migration Assistant.
Migration Assistant finds the Time Capsule and identifies that there are two Time Machine Backups, but doesn't give an option to select the one to use.
Whenever I click 'Continue' it does the 'Checking time machine backup' (for hours), then brings up the data to restore, but every time it comes up with the data and settings from Macbook R.
How can I tell Migration Assistant which Time Machine Backup I want to use?

Brilliant. That was it.
I used the other MacBook to run Disk Utility on my backup volume and repaired it: #A5 is bang on.
Then, Setup Assistant saw both backups and let me select the one I wanted. It's now transferring my stuff.
Very relieved and extremely grateful.
Your apple tips should come with every mac and time capsule.

How to delete Time Machine backups from Trash

OK, so you deleted Time Machine backups via Finder and now you can't delete them from Trash.
First of all - you should NOT delete Time Machine backups in this way.
BUT all is not lost - to remove the backup folders from your Trash can, all you need to do is hold down the Alt key whilst using the Empty Trash facility.
Hope this helps.

I have same problem keep getting annoying error something like 8003. trying to delete all of my back ups as well as the one back up i placed in the trash

Deleting time machine backup files from old time machine disk

I have an external USB HD that USED to be my Time Machine backup disk. I have replaced it with a newer FW HD and use the old one for archiving files, disk images, etc. The old disk still had 100gigs of backup files on it from time machine. To free up space, I thought I'd drag a few months of backups off the old dick into the trash. This worked. But I can't empty the trash. When I go to put the backup folders BACk on the USB disk, I get an error. So they are stuck in the trash.
Any help? Thanks.

I have always understood that there is no need to delete backup files from Time Machine. Once it reaches 'full' it begins to delete them sequentially of its own accord.
Good policy to check out Pondini's comments.
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.htm
Or type Pondini into Google for a broader selection of his offerings.

How do I delete time machine backups if I can't zoom back in time?

Hi,
I'v been backing up my 250GB HD using time machine very successfully over the years. I store additional home movies that aren't on my HD on my time capsule machine in a seperate folder from the backups that are made daily. My 250GB HD is now full and it has been duplicated and placed on a much larger 1TB HD drive back inside my iMac. Because it is a new HD, time machine is wanting to do a new 250GB backup of it (which is ok), BUT there is not enough space on my time machine drive to do a 250GB backup. I need to delete the prior time machine backups to make space. However, because the HD is new, I'm unable to zoom back in time with time machine and delete backups from the time capsule. When I open time capsule in finder I see a .sparsebundle folder which I assume must contain all my old HD time machine backups. To free up time capsule space, can I simply delete the .spersebundle folder? I'm nervous to do that and don't want to mess anything up, so I'm asking for advise. Any advise would be much appreciated. Thx.

brettnbee wrote:
Hi,
I'v been backing up my 250GB HD using time machine very successfully over the years. I store additional home movies that aren't on my HD on my time capsule machine in a seperate folder from the backups that are made daily.
That's a problem, as you now see. When you get this sorted out, see #Q3 in Using Time Machine with a Time Capsule for an explanation and some workarounds.
because the HD is new, I'm unable to zoom back in time with time machine and delete backups from the time capsule.
You can see and delete individual backups from an old drive, per #E3 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting. Deleting a lot of them will take a very long time, of course.
When I open time capsule in finder I see a .sparsebundle folder which I assume must contain all my old HD time machine backups. To free up time capsule space, can I simply delete the .spersebundle folder?
Yup, that's an option, too but will also take quite a while. See #Q5 in Using Time Machine with a Time Capsule for details.
Whatever you do, by all means, connect via Ethernet cable if at all possible. It will still be slow, but be 2-3 times faster than a good wireless connection.

Incorrectly Deleted Time Machine Backups

I'm helping a relative who apparently was lead astray recently by a friend. She had a Macbook, with a full disk of Time Machine backups. She bought a new Macbook Pro to replace the Macbook. Her friend manually deleted some of the TM backups from her backup disk to make room for new backups of the new machine.
I believe he did this via the Finder, simply by deleting the oldest dated folders within the Backups.backupdb folder. I gather that this is a no-no because all the files are linked. I understand that you have to do it through the Time Machine "star wars" interface.
If this person deleted old backups via the Finder, does that mean that the remaining backups of the old Macbook are useless? Is there any point in keeping them?
Many thanks to anybody who can shed any light --
Steve

Okay, I understand. But I read this page, explaining Hard Links:
http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Works.html
Based on what I see there, it ought to be possible to manually delete the dated folders within the backups.backupdb folder -- since the "files" in those folders are just hard links to the actual backup data.
The structure is:
backups.backupdb
         Joe's Macbook
               date 1
               date 2
               date 3
               etc.
It's the oldest of those dated folders that were deleted. That means that all of the other dated folders won't work with TM?
Also, can you explain what you meant when you said that "They can still be used to restore manually." Do you mean, via a simple finder copy?
Many thanks for your help --
Steve

Recover deleted time machine backup

A while ago I deleted my old time machine backup file (named "<name>'s MacBook Pro.sparsebundle"). After it has been deleted i realised my iphone backup with my pictures are still in the time machine backup. Is it possible to recover this time machine backup or even only my iphone backup?
I've used data recovery software but wasn't the backup only a single file? I found a lot of files but none of them seem to be the time machine backup file...

Eendj3 wrote:
A while ago I deleted my old time machine backup file (named "<name>'s MacBook Pro.sparsebundle"). After it has been deleted i realised my iphone backup with my pictures are still in the time machine backup. Is it possible to recover this time machine backup or even only my iphone backup?
I don't know where those are kept -- I suspect it's somewhere in iTunes. If you can find out, then that file/folder will be what you're looking for.
I've used data recovery software but wasn't the backup only a single file?
No. The sparse bundle is a "disk image" that contains it's own format, directory, etc., just like a hard drive. Inside it is a Backups.backupdb folder; inside that is a folder named for your Mac; inside that is a series of date-stamped backup folders. Inside each of those is the full folder/file structure of your Mac.

Manually deleting Time Machine Backups Via Finder?

Hi everyone,
I'll just pose the question right away:
Is it safe (and feasible) to navigate through my external HD in which I've set up for Time Machine via the Finder and manually select and delete back ups (ie. drag them to the trash can)? Thanks!
If you really want to know why I ask, please read below:
I recently had my logic board replaced. Then I noticed my system was not backing itself up via Time Machine. After a few Google searches I found out that when you replace your logic board, your MAC address changes I also found out that Time Machine pairs its backups via MAC addresses.
I found a procedure to help pair your new MAC address to your previous Time Machine backups from the old logic board and MAC address, this required finding your old MAC address, something I could not do. However also read that after completing the procedure, Time Machine will do a FULL backup, backing up all it had basically. It would not have fit on my external HD anyways.
So my plan was instead to start Time Machine fresh with this new logic board and MAC address. However, it needed to do a full backup as well, and I don't have space for that. I don't want to wipe my external hard drive and start from there, because I'm afraid that something will crash in the whole process of starting a new set of backups. What can I do is, delete a set of backups from the old logic board. I am aware of how to do this via the Time Machine interface. But because of my new logic board/MAC address, I cannot view those backups in that Time Machine interface. After having a steady set of new backups, then I'll delete ALL of the old backups.
Thanks ahead of time for any help.

jusdel wrote:
But because of my new logic board/MAC address, I cannot view those backups in that Time Machine interface.
Ah, you haven't found the fairly well-hidden +*Browse Other Time Machine Backups+* option.
See #17 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of this forum.

Should I "restore" a new macbook pro retina from a time machine backup of old mackbook pro?

I'm considering buying a new Macbook Pro Retina. 15".
Now I'm using a 2007 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo MBP 15" running Lion. It works fine most of the time. Occasionally an application will freeze and I need to force quit.
It seems like the most convenient option would be to restore the new machine from the last Time Machine backup of the old. The benefit is that I'd feel confident that all of my stuff is on the new machine. The downside is that maybe glitches that had developed in the current system over the ~5 years would be transferred over to the new machine.
Or I could make a fresh start with the new machine and invest the time needed to transfer over the iPhoto, iTunes libraries and Documents folder and reinstall all the third party applications. I have an external optical drive to use the installation disks where necessary. The benefit would seem to be that any glitches that had developed in the old system might be avoided. The downside is that this would take a very long time.
What's the recommened method of migrating from an old machine to a new one?

Instead of a restore from Time Machine, I would suggest that you use Setup Assitant that comes up the first time you start the new Mac.
Connect the TM drive to the new Mac before you power it up
Then when the new Mac asks if you wish to recover from an older Mac say yes
Then select from Time Machine
This will keep everything in the system for the new hardware and bring over everything else.
Allan

Delete Time Machine Backups for old HD

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