Does Time Machine overwrite files stored as network storage

I am planning to use my new 1 TB Time Capsule as a NAS as well as a location for my Time Machine backups. Will the files (like movies) that I store on the Time Capsule be overwritten when Time Machine runs out of room for backups? I read that it was true on another site, but it seemed too rediculous to be true! I want my documents secure! A back up program that deletes needed files is counterproductive. Also, when I save an archive of the HDD to another HDD for off site storage, would it transfer everything that was on the drive? Thanks for the help!

Hello Iceman692. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
Will the files (like movies) that I store on the Time Capsule be overwritten when Time Machine runs out of room for backups?
No. Time Machine will not overwrite existing files stored on the Time Capsule. There will just be less space available for backups.
Also, when I save an archive of the HDD to another HDD for off site storage, would it transfer everything that was on the drive?
If you are referring to the Time Capsule's archive feature, then yes it would transfer everything on the Time Capsule's hard drive to a USB hard drive.
The archive goes into a dedicated folder on the USB drive and doesn't affect anything else on the drive. Subsequent archives don't delete the earlier ones; a new folder is created with a version number appended.
(ref: Time Capsule: Using AirPort Utility 5.3.1 or later to make a copy of the Time Capsule disk)

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HT201250 Does Time Machine delete files in back-ups that are deleted on my Mac?

Does Time Machine delete files in back-ups that are deleted on my Mac? IOW....if I need to restore a whole back-up, I don't want to restore previously deleted files.

Does Time Machine delete files in back-ups that are deleted on my Mac?
Not immediately. When space starts to get tight, Time Machine will start to delete the oldest file(s) to make more room, but this won't occur for some time.
if I need to restore a whole back-up, I don't want to restore previously deleted files.
You won't if you choose to restore from a backup that occurred after the date that you deleted the file.
If you absolutely do not want to keep the file in your Time Machine backups at all, you do have the option to go into Time Machine, find the file, and manually delete all versions of the file from past dates.

Does Time Machine track file movements?

If I have a file on my desktop, have Time Machine back up the desktop, and then move the file to my "Documents" folder and back up again, does Time Machine back up two copies of the file in each respective location or does it know that the file was moved (without being changed) and only keep one copy on the backup drive and just make a new hard link to the file in the new location (in this case the "Documents" folder)?

if you move a file to another location, TM will think that it's a new file provided that it sees the moved file during a regular backup.
If you move a file around BETWEEN backups, it will NOT find the intermediate locations.
- gws

Does time machine delete files that you delete on hard drive

On my mac HD I have files "A", "B" and "C". Time machine has backed them all up. Later, I decide I don't want "B" on my mac HD anymore. Does this data get deleted on time machine as well? If not, is there an easy automated option to do this?

Jason,
While it is not automatic, you can still remove said file from the backup quite easily (there is consideration for doing so). Open Time Machine, navigate back to a point where the unwanted file exists, select it, then choose "Delete from all backups" in the "Action" menu (looks like a gear).
Scott

Why Does Time Machine Corrupt Files It Restores?

Time Machine does not restore MS Word files and documents correctly. In the case of a play I am writing, the formatting is completely off and there are unusual symbols appearing which are not in the original document. In trying to restore FileMaker files and documents, I found that I cannot even open the document. A window displaying the title appears and that is all. This renders Time Machine useless.

The reason is that it has corrupted itself.
See http://pondini.org/TM/C13.html
TM over wireless and with Yosemite.. is corruption in a box.
I did not need to do this with the previous Time Capsule.
I think it is more the OS at issue than the TC.. but certainly poor setup of the TC matters.. you have to have very good wireless connection single hop.. no double repeater stuff. Anytime TM stops or fails half way through a backup it is likely to corrupt itself.

HT201250 Can Time Machine backup files stored on external hard drive

Can Time Machine back up files that are stored on external hard drive and save them on a different external hard drive?
I have my pictures stored on an external hard drive connected to my iMac. I want to make an exact copy of the pictures folder on a separate external hard drive. Can Time Machine do that?
If yes, how?
If no, what's a good way to create a mirror of the folder on External Hard Drive #1 (the original) on External Hard Drive #2 (the backup)?
I am not opposed to manually copying every couple weeks or month, but (1) it's less convenient and (2) I got an error message the first time I tried this saying the files couldn't be copied because some of the files being copied had the same name as each other (not exactly that, I'm at work and don't have the message in front of me right now, but that was the gist of it).
Thanks!

1. Yes, if both drives are formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
2. Reformat the drives if needed, open the Time Machine pane of System Preferences, and remove the drive with the pictures from the list of items set to be excluded.
(110331)

Does Time Machine backup files in the trash?

I have lots of files in the trash that I'm keeping there temporarily while confirming that these files were transferred to other drives. Are these files in the trash backed up by Time Machine?
Thanks.

No, and you should never put anything in the Trash unless you intend to delete it immediately. It's not a safe place to store files.

Does Time Machine use a differential/delta file compression when copying files ?

Hello,
I would like to use Time Machine to backup to a MacBook Air but that computer is using a Virtual Machines store in a single file of 50 GBytes.
Once the initial backup will be done, does Time Machine will only copy the changes in this large file or will everyday copy the full 50 Bytes?
In other word does Time Machine use a differential/dela file compression algorithm (like un rsync)?
If it is not yet the case, can you please file for me an application request to the development team internally?
If others are also interested in such a feature, you’re welcome to vote for it.
Kind regards,
Olivier

Ok, it looks like the current version of Time Machine cannot handle efficiently in network terms large files like Virtual Machine files and this a real issue today.
Is anybody here able to file an official feature request to Apple to be able to use Time Machine efficiently also with large files (let's stay > 5 GBytes) ?
I should propably mean using a differential compression algorythm over the network like the examples below:
http://rsync.samba.org/tech_report/tech_report.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Differential_Compression

Can anyone tell me what this Time Machine error means? The network backup disk does not support the required AFP features?

Can anyone tell me what this Time Machine error means? The network backup disk does not support the required AFP features?

AFP - Apple Filing Protocol
The Network Attached Storage (NAS) that you are pointing Time Machine at does not have the features needed by Time Machine in order to do its Thing. Time Machine needs some specific features that are not typically available on generic networked storage devices.
There are manufactures that support the Mac OS X HFS+ file system formats and implement all the needed AFP protocol packets necessary so that they can be used with Time Machine, but apparently yours does not.
If you are not using a networked mounted volume for Time Machine, then more information will be needed about your Time Machine setup.

My mac 10.8 does no have the file, com.apple.desktop. plist I wentto lIbrary, preference and look for it and it is not where in my mac. I also launch time machine and file is no where on my Mac. How do I get this file back?

My mac 10.8 does no have the file, com.apple.desktop. plist I wentto lIbrary, preference and look for it and it is not where in my mac. I also launch time machine and file is no where on my Mac. How do I get this file back?
thanks

System files are hidden by default in Finder now, search for what you want then click the little + button on the top right of the bar that appears when you do a search. A new bar comes up and click the first box (that says "Kind"), change it to "System Files". Then change the box that says "aren't included" to "are included" and your file should show up.
http://osxdaily.com/2009/02/25/show-hidden-files-in-os-x/

Does Time Machine Compare/Verify Files?

I have typically performed manual backups, and have no experience with Time Machine.
Does Time Machine COMPARE / VERIFY that the backup files match the originals?
I used to use Retrospect for Archive/Backup, which logged an alert if there was any mis-match in the backup process. Now I tend to backup files simply using Drag/Drop copying to redundant external storage devices. I have recently encountered errors in this process when backing up larger amounts of data. Hopefully this will not occur using TIme Machine.
What does Time Machine do if there is an error in the backup process?
Is Time Machine the most reliable solution for Archive/Backup?
thanks

Time Machine logs to the system.log as process com.apple.backupd, which you can access via Appplications -> Utilities -> Console
Carbon Copy Cloner logs to a CCC.log which you can access from within CCC, or via Applications -> Utilities -> Console.
CCC will popup and error if there is backup problem.
SuperDuper has its own built-in log, that you access via SuperDuper.
SuperDuper will popup an error if there is a backup problem.
CrashPlan has a /Library/Logs/CrashPlan/ directory with backup logs.
CrashPlan can send you an email if there is a backup problem. Even better, it will tell you if a backup has not completed within the last 3 days. I find that very nice in that automatic backups that stop and you haven't noticed it, is more annoying than not having a backup verification.
I also remember Retrospect. And the verify taking longer than the backup is a good excuse to just make another backup using a different utility and media destination.

Does Time Machine only work with external HDD's and Networks?

I have a Mac Mini that I just replaced the optical drive with a hard drive. This second HDD is formated into two partitions, with one of them being for my Time Machine backups, the other a media scratch drive.
When I try to choose this volume in setting up Time Machine, I get an error message that says, +"Are you sure you want to back up to the same disk your original data is on?"+ The message goes on to explain that +"the volume you have chosen for storing backups is on the same disk as the volume containing your data... you should back up to a volume on a different disk."+
The volume that I have selected IS on a different disk than my start-up system drive and the data to be backed up IS NOT on the same disk as the disk storing the backups. System Profiler defines my startup HDD as "BSD Name: disk0" and my second HDD as "disk1," with the two partitions "disk1s2" and "disk1s3." Mount Point for the start-up HDD is "/" and the two partitions on the second HDD are "/Volumes/Scratch Disk" and /Volumes/Time Machine." These two volumes show up as options when I "Choose Backup Disk" in Time Machine, but not the Mini's startup HDD.
Does Time Machine allow the use of second internal HDD? I have an external HDD, but it has a clone of my start-up drive on it. Thanks for any help.

Chris, excluding the other volume could certainly be the issue since the two options that I'm given for a backup volume are both on the same hard disk. The start-up system HDD is not listed. Maybe the message is referring to this, rather than to the start-up disk.
Not until after I selected "use this volume anyway," did I get to the "Option" screen to exclude items from the backup. When I selected "+" I was surprised to find the other volume, Scratch Disk, listed along with the start-up HDD as being included in the backup routine. So I selected Scratch Disk as one of the items to exclude.
As V.K. mentions, the cautionary message is rather vague as to what exactly it is referring to. Thanks.

Does Time Machine really restore all files of app?

Hi mac people,
I have done a clean install, then i don't want use migration assistant to move back things, but when i move back garageband 6.0.5, i open it, then i realise that only app is been restore but all the loops and audio is not, then i search online found that i have to move those things by my own,
So this problem make me wondering does time machine really fully restore?
I also wondering how about other apps or files do they really all been restore even they SEEN like no problems?
Thanks for helping !!!!!

then i realise that only app is been restore but all the loops and audio is not, then i search online found that i have to move those things by my own,
If you want everything restored from Time Machine, don't use Migration Assistant but use Setup Assistant - migrate al files when you are first prompted to restore from Time Machine or another Mac, after a clean install.
you can select what to restore - the settings, the libraries, the user data.
Since you do not want to use the assistants - to restore Garageband 6.0.5 manually, you transfer all files and folders in the system library:
/Library/Application Support/GarageBand/
and the loops from
/Library/Audio/Apple Loops/
Your plug-ins from
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/
and the corresponding folders in your user library ~/Library/

Does Time Machine Ever Delete All Traces of a File?

I have a question. I have read up on Time Machine on various articles, posts, and documents across the web and I am having a hard time understanding exactly how time machine deletes files.
When a disk is full, does Time Machine ever make the decision to delete the last copy or version of a file, therefore completely erasing it off the disk forever? I know that Time Machine deletes older versions of files, but will it ever completely delete the last, final backup of a file to make space? If so, I can't imagine using Time Machine as a true piece of backup software. It seems like it would be useful in restoring your computer in an emergency, but as far as backing up files, it seems that it would be catastrophic, because it may choose to delete the last remaing version of a file to make space and you end up losing that file for ever.
Here is an example:
I create a file X.doc
Time Machine backs it up.
I modify X.doc
Time Machine backs up the copy, keeping both the original and the new copy on the backup drive.
I modify X.doc yet again.
Time Machine drive runs out of space. Time Machine deletes the oldest version of X.doc and backs up the new copy.
I create 10 more files unrelated to X.doc
Will Time Macine remove all remaining versions of X.doc to make space for the 10 new files???
I hope I am making sense.

Derek Doublin1 wrote:
Will Time Macine remove all remaining versions of X.doc to make space for the 10 new files???
The worst TM can do is delete all your older copies of files, not the most recent version.
If the drive is full, then it can't accept any more files period.
If you had a full 100GB boot drive and a 100GB TM drive, the TM drive would be a copy of the boot drive with no room for saved states.
If you changed a file on the full boot drive, then TM updates that file on it's full drive, there will be no copy of the previous version of that file.
TimeMachine makes for a poor pernament backup system, because lets say you do a major files addition to your boot drive, TM backs that up and can go ahead and delete files you realized you accidentially deleted just a few short days ago.
It's better than nothing and works ok for newbies, but more seasoned types use many backup methods in addition to TM, because corruption creep is possible with TM as well as malware as it's hooked up so often, in a lot of cases all the time.
Most commonly used backup methods

How does Time Machine handle large files?

I'm relatively new at the whole Time Capsule / Time Machine process and have learned that large files (eg aperture library) are backed up each time there is a change and this can lead to the TC filling up quicker than normal.
How does this work with daily and weekly backups?
For example, if my aperture library is, say 1Gb and I import a load of photos from my camera and this goes up to 2Gb. I've learned that I should disable time machine while I'm in Aperture (or at least before 10.6...not sure now). So given I've done that, imported the files to Aperture but want to edit them later and ultimately move them into iPhoto to keep the Aperture album small.
When I turn back on Time Machine, the next hourly backup will know the library has changed and will back it up, this will go on until a day backup has been taken - this deletes the 24 hourly backups? or does it merge them?
If I then do the editing the following week, then export the photos and the library is now back to 1Gb again....backed up hourly/daily/weekly etc what am I left with??
Do I have an original, the 2GB version and the new 1Gb version...ie 4Gb......is there a cunning way I can work to change the files within a week so only one of the changes is in the backup?

Orpheus999 wrote:
When I turn back on Time Machine, the next hourly backup will know the library has changed and will back it up, this will go on until a day backup has been taken - this deletes the 24 hourly backups? or does it merge them?
The Time Machine panel of System Preferences says this:
Time Machine keeps
- Hourly backup for the past 24 hours
- Daily backups for the past month
- Weekly backups until your backup disk is full
Each time Time Machine runs it creates what appears to be an entirely new backup set, although it does this in a way that doesn't require it to copy files that have already been copied. So merging isn't necessary. Another effect of how it operates is that each unique version of a file (as opposed to packages of files) only exists on the backup volume once.
According to the contents of my Time Machine backup file, hourly backups are literally kept for 24 hours, not until the next "daily" backup. For a "daily" backup, it seems to keep the oldest "hourly" backup for a day.
If I then do the editing the following week, then export the photos and the library is now back to 1Gb again....backed up hourly/daily/weekly etc what am I left with??
Do I have an original, the 2GB version and the new 1Gb version...ie 4Gb......is there a cunning way I can work to change the files within a week so only one of the changes is in the backup?
You might be able to exclude those files from being backed up at certain times, but I can't be sure this would result in older copied of those files being retained.

Does Time Machine overwrite files stored as network storage

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