Deleting Files in Time Machine Backup

I found a problem that others may or may not experience. When attempting to delete files that are in Time Machine's backups the Action worked to Delete All Copies once. When I tried deleting another file using the same method, I couldn't put my password into the admin window. The window was on the screen but it acted like it was in the background. Mouse clicking didn't do anything.
After a restart, I was able to go back to the same file and activate the Action to delete all the copies.
If others experience this as well, I'd call it a bug.

It is actually better if you choose the folders or files you don't want Time Machine to get near to from the System Preferences.. The whole folder of backup is somehow messed up.
Just go to your Time Machine preferences, and put the folder you don't want backed up and Time Machine will do the job for you, rather than getting your hands dirty with the manual method

Similar Messages

Problem moving/deleting files from time machine backup

I recently ran into some problems with my hardrive and had to get it replaced at the mac store.
Unfortunatly, i only ran a partial time machine backup on the hardrive before i lost it.
Fotrunatly though, it did manage to save some important stuff, but now for the next problem....
I have dragged my files from my external hardrive with the partial time machine backup onto my new desktop but it wont let me do stuff with them
this includes;
asking for my password whenever i want to delete one of them
saying "cannnot be modified" whenever i try to drag the files to a new location.
as you can imagine, this is a bit of a pain.
anyone have anything similair?
help would be great
thanks
Chris

That is not how you restore from a Time Machine backup.
Repairing the permissions of a home folder in Lion is a complicated procedure. I don’t know of a simpler one that always works.
Back up all data now. Before proceeding, you must be sure you can restore your system to its present state
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the page that opens.
Drag or copy — do not type — the following line into the Terminal window, then press return:
chmod -R -N ~
The command will take a noticeable amount of time to run. When a new line ending in a dollar sign ($) appears below what you entered, it’s done. You may see a few error messages about an “invalid argument” while the command is running. You can ignore those. If you get an error message with the words “Permission denied,” enter this:
sudo !!
You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning not to screw up.
Next, boot from your recovery partition by holding down the key combination command-R at startup. Release the keys when you see a gray screen with a spinning dial.
When the recovery desktop appears, select Utilities ▹ Terminal from the menu bar.
In the Terminal window, enter “resetpassword” (without the quotes) and press return. A Reset Password window opens. You’re not going to reset the password.
Select your boot volume if not already selected.
Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if not already selected.
Under Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs, click the Reset button.
Select  ▹ Restart from the menu bar.

Deleted files make Time Machine backup larger

This seems curious to me. I deleted a few large files from my computer. I noticed later that TM was taking a long time to back up. Now, the available space on my TM disk is much smaller. I'm sure there's some logic to this, but I can't figure it out. It seems like it would be the other way around.
Message was edited by: Hookshot

Since you've changed the contents of your computer, TM needs to create difference directory of the updated hard drive contents. Time Machine has save your old configuration and the back up and your Time Capsule (or whichever back up device you are using) still has a copy of your 'old' setup with all those big files you have now deleted. Remember, TM doesn't delete you previous configuration. In fact, if you think want to recover those big files, it will be available using Time Machine if you go back to the point in time in which those files still exist.

Is it possible to delete files from time machine?

Is it possible to delete files from time machine? I had a drive crash, restored the files to a new drive, and now the old versions and the new versions of the files are both backed up, taking up a mountain of drive space. Do I just have to wait 'til the drive gets full and then tell it what to delete first?

Hi, I need help in a related problem. I have 500gb time capsule. I needed larger hard drive, so I now use TM to back up to a different 1tb hard drive. So I don't need the TC as a TM back up device. But I want to use the TC's hard drive as an extra external hard drive. I deleted the files that were on it. but it still shows it has a sparsebundle file with a size of over 400gb ( probably the size of the old backups). When I use disk utility to try to erase it, I am not offered the erase tab. This "disk" does show on the desk top as a mounted disk (I think) with only 53 gb free. How can I set this up so all the disk space is free and I can use it for storing files, not as a back up? Thanks

How do you delete file from time machine back up?

How do you delete file from time machine back up?

This from Apple KB Article If Time Machine is not in your Dock, you can enter Time Machine from the Menu Bar or System Preferences.
Deleting data from a Time Machine backup
To delete all backups of one or more items from a Time Machine backup, follow these steps:
Click the Time Machine icon on your Dock to enter the Time Machine restore interface.
Click on the item you would like to delete. Command-click to select multiple items.
Control-click (or right click) the highlighted item(s) and select "Delete All Backups of..." from the contextual menu, or select "Delete all backups of..." from the Action Item menu.
Authenticate with an administrator password when prompted.

HT201250 File deleted on Opperating Drive- will this delete file from Time Machine?

If a file has been backed up to my time machine back ups and I delete the file from my computer, will the file be deleted from my time machine backups as well?

Only if the drive used for the backups is out of space.
(66314)

Select certain files for Time Machine backup?

Is it possible to select only certain files for Time Machine backup? Or does it automatically backup everything, including what you don't want saved?

Time Machine will backup all user files unless you select the ones you do not wish to have backed up. see the attached from System Preferences:
Ciao.

How do I restore files from time machine backups made before reformatting macbook air?

How do I restore files from time machine backups made before reformatting macbook air?

The section titled "Restoring data from Time Machine backups" in the following may help: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427

Delete large file from Time Machine backup drive?

I recently selected to exclude my Aperture.library file from Time Machine, but only after it had done about 8 backups already... the file doesn't exist in the latest folder on my TM hard drive but it is there in previous ones.
how can i delete this file from my TM backups and regain 40gb? (it won't let you delete it in finder)

Ewen,
Let me make my self more clear.
Because of the Apple KB article regarding Aperture and Time Macine, that's exactly why i chose to EXCLUDE my aperture.library file from time machine.
Please don't read any negative tone in this, i'm just trying to explain myself.
But hind sight is 20/20, so i was looking for a way to delete the old previous version of the aperture.library that was sitting on my backup time machine drive (useless taking up space)
I apologize for not searching out that KB article, but i didn't think i'd have to do that. I assumed Apple would know how to have Aperture play nice with Time Machine....
Any way all is good. we're all educated now

Is there a way to recover files deleted from a time machine backup

My time machine backup drive was full so I wanted to delete some of the Virtual Machine files created with VMWare Fusion from the time machine backup. I accidentally deleted them all, instead of just some older ones, so I want to know if there's a way to recover or salvage the files I deleted from time machine.

If is possible do you have a Time Machine backup, What type of files are missing?

Safe to delete file from Time Machine hard drive?

Is it safe to delete a file from an external hard drive that's being used for Time Machine backups? The file is not a backup -- it's a .dmg from the manufacturer of the hard drive. Other than that one file, I don't use the drive for anything other than Time Machine.
I'm just concerned because I don't want deleting the file to affect Time Machine in any way.
Thank you.

I have done it without issue.

How can I delete all the Time Machine backups to make room for more? And how do I force the trash to empty?

I moved a bunch of my husband's files from his Macbook (which is dieing) to my iMac. I created a user for him on my iMac so he'd be able to keep his stuff separate from mine. All is working great except my Time Machine is now unable to backup. The total of used space on my hard drive (including the recently added user's files) is about 420 GB. The amount of capacity of my external hard drive is 999GB. I think Time Machine failed because there was all of a sudden so much more data and a new full backup would be more than the unused capacity of the HD? Regardless I don't need any old backups. I have all my files and all his files. So I moved all the backups from the external HD to the trash. Apparently that's a no no. I can't fully empty the trash now and that is making my iMac crazy slow.
1) Can anyone tell me how to force the trash to empty?
2) Is there a way to delete the whole external HD and start over with a new full backup via Time Machine? In Disk Utility I try to erase the partition and get an error "Volume Erase failed with the error: Couldn't unmount disk." Then I try to Unmount it and get another "Unmount failed. The disk Backup iOmega could not be unmounted. Make sure that all applications and files are closed on this disk." I turned off Time Machine and tried again but with the same errors.
The external HD is called iOmega. It only connects to the iMac with USB. Any help is much appreciated!!!!

Try this instead:
Drive Partition and Format
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. Select the backup volume from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.)
4. Click on the Erase button.
You will need to reconfigure Time Machine preferences for the backup.
FYI: Never remove Time Machine backup data except through the Time Machine application. If you aren't sure about using Time Machine then visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with all things related to Time Machine.

Can't restore files from Time machine backup?

I kinda successfully restored my files from Time Machine after a clean re-install of Snow Leopard (Time Machine thought they were new files, though, so backed up the 26 GB... waste of space), but now I'm trying to restore the files of the other user on the computer. In her pictures folder, I can't copy the iPhoto Library because I don't have permission to access it! The same problem occurred on my account too, but I was able to go to my Time Machine drive and manually change the permissions for the files I wanted, which doesn't work on her account.
I have made a Youtube video of the error:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1__PdyAetVg
Can anyone assist me in restoring the files? That's all I need help in. Thanks

wrongusername wrote:
But if I transfer everything with the Setup Assistant, won't I once again be experiencing the problems I had?
If the problems were caused by your data. But that's extremely unlikely. It may have been an app, or, much more likely from your description, something corrupted in the Leopard OS. That's one of the problems with upgrading a sick system without knowing what or where the causes are. It's a bit like a brain surgeon operating on himself: if he isn't in tip-top shape to start with, his condition is likely to change, and not for the better.
Most of us would have recommended first simply doing a +*Repair Disk+* on your internal HD; if that didn't help, installing the "combo" Leopard update; if that didn't work, doing an +Archive and Install+ and re-installing the "combo."
After a clean re-install of Snow Leopard, my Mac worked fine again (except for the TM trouble). So it probably had something to do with my old files.
Probably not. Much more likely OSX was somehow damaged. And you got a whole new one.
How come I could read the files on my external HD and yet not be able to copy the files?
Time Machine uses special "deny everybody everything" permissions on it's backups, among other things, in an attempt to keep us mere mortals from moving, changing, or deleting things and corrupting them.

Can't delete files in Time Machine

I have a time machine backup that was used to back up a borrowed computer. The computer has been returned and I want to delete the backups. I can get into time machine with the new computer and delete some of the backup. But some of the files just won't delete.
It asks me if I want to deleted them. I enter an administrator password. And it makes the sound to indicate it is finished, but the files (and the folder they are in) are still there.
These are files in the "System" and "Library" directories.

davidpsummers wrote:
I should clarify. The drive has more stuff than just that backup. I would have to find a place to put it all (non-trivial) and then wipe it.
That's likely what you need to do. It sounds like the previous deletions left some "abandoned" space you'll never get back otherwise, and there may be directory damage, too, which can compromise your backups.
Then partition the drive, so Time Machine has it's own, exclusive partition. See #3 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
Or, your best bet may be to use a separate drive for Time Machine.

Can I delete this random time machine backup?

Hello -
I'm trying to finally get my act together to upgrade my OS from Lion to Mavericks (which means, I think, I need to do Mountain Lion as an interim step?) so I need to do a Time Machine back up before I do that.
I back up this laptop to our Time Machine Capsule but it's run out of space. When I look at the drive, I see my computer and my husbands, but then also a random backup file that is dated two years ago (and is huge)? I opened terminal to try to see to what the files were referring and it stated the same MacBook that I'm trying to Time Machine now, just from Dec 2012.
Thank you in advance!
Do you think I am safe to delete that file to create space on the drive? Here's a screenshot of what I'm seeing. Thank you!
Then, when I click on the big string of numbers (usually indicating a backup,) here's just a partial screen capture?

I just wanted to update all after my experieces:
Time Machine was not the problem. The problem was a defective WD external firewire drive (WD Green drive) which has since been replaced under warantee. Thank you WD for your comiitment.
Whenever I used this drive, I could hear it chugging and chugging away during mount and whenever I was accessing the drive.
I finally checked the drive (WD My Book) with DISK WARRIOR and the thing was toast. Tons of unrepairable hardware errors.
Thankfully the drive was under warantee and after receiving a replacement from WD (no issues with RMA replacement process, kudos to WD) have had ZERO issues with time machine and the replacement drive.
Initial 1st time- time machine backup was ~ 5 hours. (~120 GB of info). (I added the drive to spotlight 'do not index' prefs prior to setting up time machine.)
-This was a HUGE time difference. My prior initial backup with the defective drive was 3 DAYS, yes, DAYS.
If you are having these kind of problems, check you drive with Disk Warrior (Disk Utitlty does not cut it). If Disk Warrior reports problems, it is a hassle, but replace the drive.
Good luck. Karma +1

Deleting Files in Time Machine Backup

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