Failed Time Machine Backup

My orginial MacBook got stolen a few weeks ago and luckily my insurance bought me a new one.  However, I have just managed to get hold of my external hard drive, which had my backuped time machine files on it.
So I went to my files from my time machine and this is what I did.
I went to the Time machine icon on the top of my screen and clicked on "Browse other Backup disks".  I then clicked on my external hard drive and it opened Time Machine and then I found my latest update.  I then clicked restored and the files got copied from my time machine to my new Mac. 
The problem that I have discovered is that I restored my files incorrectly and that all I have just done is copied the files over and not restored my MacBook.
Now that I know how to restore my backuped files correctly, when I try and do it, I do not have enough space on my computer, because I still have the copied files on my Mac.  I have tired to find the files without any luck on my computer.  All I can think of is deleting my hard drive and start again, but I do not have the OS disks as Apple no longer supplies them when you buy a new Mac or it just didn't come with my new MacBook Pro.
Help.

Boot into Recovery by holding down the option key at the startup chime. Select your Time Machine volume as the boot device.
Note: You need an always-on Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the Internet to use Recovery. It won’t work with USB or PPPoE modems, or with networks that require any kind of authentication other than a WPA or WPA2 Personal password.
When the Recovery screen appears, follow the prompts to reinstall the Mac OS. You don't need to erase the boot volume, and you won't need your backup unless something goes wrong. If your Mac didn’t ship with Lion, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade, so make a note of those before you begin.

Similar Messages

  • Any way to restore iTunes and iPhoto libraries from failed Time Machine backup?

    Is there a way to restore iTunes and iPhoto libraries from an unmountable Time Machine backup?
    Background: I received an update alert on my iMac (mid-2010, 1TB) from Time Machine (wirelessly connected to a Time Capsule, 2TB 2013)  that it required an update and required rebooting, of course, it happened when I was in the middle of a project and I postponed the restart for later.  That evening I turned off the computer and coincidentally the next morning, the iMac would not start; it loaded to the Apple logo and about an 1/8 of the progress bar would load before the iMac would turn off.
    The iMac had been fine to that day (OS upgrades and all since 2010) so I was assuming something misfired when I declined the Time Machine update. I tried the PRAM and SMC resets mentioned in the forums but no dice. I then went into Disk Utility to try repairs and there were errors on the hard drive that could not be fixed. My next step was to erase the drive and restore from my Time Machine backup. Before doing that I checked Disk Utility and to my horror,  it told me that my Time Machine backups were unmountable so of course my first thought was that all my files were gone.
    The TC was under warranty so I called support and they referred me to the local Genius Bar. The Genius was great and showed me that my files weren't lost even though the Time Machine backup was unmountable. They recommended I erase the partitions, starting from scratch and I would have to transfer the Time Machine backup files manually by directly connecting an ethernet cable from the TC to the computer. If that didn't work, the hard drive was bad and needed replacement which they could take care of.
    I followed their recommendation and the hard drive is fine. I was so relieved to hear that my files were safe that I forgot to ask about all of the metadata that was lost in iTunes (de-selected songs, playlists, rankings, play counts) and iPhoto (geotags, names, etc). Any ideas / help? I sank considerable time into my music and photos and would love to have that time back.
    FWIW, I'm in the process of buying an external hard drive as a secondary backup to the TC as my confidence is a little shaken on the product line - the first time I ever actually need a backup and the backup is unmountable. My whole point of spending a little more and buying into the Apple ecosystem for a backup solution was to streamline the backup process and avoid these types of issues.

    Thank you for the reply. I tried the Disk Utility to repair my TC's Time Machine backup disk with no luck, it stopped with the message:
    Disk utility stopped repairing "iMac"
    Disk Utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
    It took a night but I was able to copy all the TC Time Machine files to the external hard drive as a backup to a backup just in case. I'm still pretty bummed the TC's backup didn't allow for Disk Utility's restore functionality. Fortunately, the iPhoto library backup I dragged to the iMac from the Time Capsule backup worked without a hitch. On the downside, the "iTunes Library.itl" backup I dragged over is locked so now I'm checking out the forums for any ways to fix that. I temporarily created a new iTunes library with all my apps and music but plan on reverting to the old iTunes library if possible so I can start syncing my iOS devices again.

  • Failed Time Machine backup... Invalid node structure

    My Time Machine gave me a Backup Failed notice this morning. I noticed that my dedicated 1TB disk for backups is not mounting in the finder. I went into Disk Utility and it shows as greyed out. When I click on it and verify, it says I need to repair. So I click repair. I get the message below...
    Verifying volume “MacPro Backup”
    Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
    Checking extents overflow file.
    Checking catalog file.
    Invalid node structure
    The volume MacPro Backup was found corrupt and needs to be repaired.
    Error: This disk needs to be repaired. Click Repair Disk.
    Verify and Repair volume “MacPro Backup”
    Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
    Checking extents overflow file.
    Checking catalog file.
    Invalid node structure
    Rebuilding catalog B-tree.
    Invalid key length
    The volume MacPro Backup could not be repaired.
    Volume repair complete.Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
    What should I do? Any way to salvage some of the backups? Or do I just reformat the drive and go from there?

    See Pondini's TM FAQs, for starters.

  • Time machine backup fails now that I have installed Mavericks

    Time machine "backup now" used to work flawlessly. Now it doesn't work at all after installing Mavericks. I just get an interminable "preparing backup" message.
    It worked flawlessly before Mavericks installation - any thoughts?

    I too have had a few failed Time Machine backups since updating to Maverick. I backup to a NAS/server and didn't used to have this problem before.

  • Time Machine Backup Precautions

    Hello all. I understand very well that this thread may be a duplicate of another thread, but I want to specify exactly what products I am using to be able to take the proper precautions, as I cannot afford to lose my data.
    I read the reviews on the App Store for the Mavericks download, and I was rather disturbed by the excess of negative reviews mentioning corrupted and/or failed Time Machine backups. I haven't yet installed Mavericks because I want to take proper precautions, and I decided to ask here because the reviews do not contain sufficient information about each user's model.
    I am using a mid-2012 13-inch MacBook Pro. I am using Mac OS 10.8.3 (Mountain Lion). I recently backed up my data using Time Machine with a brand new 2TB AirPort Time Capsule. I haven't yet checked if everything has been backed up, but I feel fairly safe that the backup has no problems. I personally do not want to take the risk of losing any of this data.
    What precautions should I take before installing Mavericks? Is there a risk that the backup will not be compatible or that it could become corrupted? If so, how should I prepare? If anymore hardware of software information is required, please do not hesitate to ask.
    Thanks in advance.

    What exactly does it mean to have a "corrupted" backup? Does it just mean that the hard disk in the TC has lost data?
    You cannot restore older backups or you cannot restore at all.
    You will not be able to restore to a point before you tried to upgrade to Mavericks.
    The TC has not lost data.. you simply cannot get it back. Hence corrupted.
    What are the most evident signs of backup corruption?
    You cannot restore.
    You cannot tell from looking.. even a verify can pass.. but still cannot restore. Test a backup using verify.
    See Pondini A5.
    http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
    But the true test is do a full restore.. only then will you KNOW the backup is 100% good.. and with TM you need to make sure all your files and libraries are accessible because they are not always restored.
    How can I prevent corruption before I update (I plan on updating in about a month)?
    This is not the problem.. the problem occurs when you upgrade OS and it overwrites the backup.
    The best solution is to take a disk image today.. and boot from it.. buy CCC.. buy a USB drive.. total cost less than $140 for a 2TB or even 3TB drive. Then you will have a real backup. TM you can never tell if it can restore a full computer unless you test it.. all backups are proven in the restore.. nothing else .. !!
    CCC (and other similar tools) can make a bootable USB disk with the full image of your existing computer install.. do it today.. do it again before you upgrade.
    Each time actually boot from the image.. so you are sure the image is perfect.
    Then when you upgrade.. you cannot lose any info. You can corrupt TM all you like and it will not matter one bit.. because you are not dependent on it. That is the only way to have a backup that can be depended on.

  • Backups Recovery from Failed Time Machine Disk

    Hello;
    I have been experiencing a serious problem since this April, tried everything I can do with no sign of success. So I though to ask you guys, hopefully you will be able to help or at least guide me to whom can help.
    Well, it is a long story, but not to bother you with it and since I know you are not willing to go to bed now, I will just give you a timeline and if you feel like want to know more about a scene, tell me and I will narrate...
    - I have MBA 256GB and 1.5TB Seagate GoFlex for Mac, which was used mainly for Time Machine, according to "backups.backupdb" it contains 75 backups.
    - Due to accidental unplugging, it failed. First I was seeing error that I have to backup this drive, then it was totally unreadable on Mac but works on Win and Linux, then after a while it stooped working even on Win, but still working on Linux.
    - I tried many solutions to fix the drive/disk without formatting, since I had no alternative media to backup the drive to before formatting. None worked.
    - A month ago, I bought the new 2TB Time Capsule. Then using Linux terminal I managed to copy the whole "backups.backupdb" folder to another disk; however, after copying I found its size 65.5GB And obviously when Time Machine was used to browse these bacups, it did not find any!
    - Used Data Rescue 3 to clone an image for the whole Seagate disk, it is 1.5TB.
    - While the Seagate is not yet formatted, I used Data Rescue 3 to scan it for the lost files inside, and it found everything already there; but the "backups.backupdb" was 14.1TB! I do know why or how!!
    - I tried to format the Seagate, they reused Data Rescue 3 to scan it, and the result was the same.
    - I tried to mount the cloned image, of course the drive was not mounted since it is corrupted but the disk was attached, and reused Data Rescue 3 to scan it, and the result was the same for the third time. No wonders for me, I know the three cases maybe identical.
    Finally, here is what I have now:
    - Formatted and readable 1.5TB Seagate disk.
    - Cloned 1.5TB image from the Seagate disk, before formatting.
    - 2TB Time Capsule, 1.5TB of it is occupied by the cloned image file.
    - Additional 500GB and 1TB extrenal disks.
    - I also have an iPhone, new wallet, and other irrelevant stuff!
    And all what I think about is way to browse the cloned DMG so that I can extract my REAL "backups.backupdb" folder.
    Does any of you have a clue how to do that?
    Or any other method to recover my backups?
    Once more, there is details for every part, just tell me if you want to know more.
    Many thanks in advance.
    Kind Ragards.
    -MHD

    Then using Linux terminal I managed to copy the whole "backups.backupdb" folder to another disk
    You can't copy Time Machine backups that way, unless you used asr(8), which I don't think you did.
    The "GoFlex" device accounts for a disproportionate number of reports on this site of problems with Time Machine. I suggest you stop using it for backing up.
    Delete whatever you copied to the Time Capsule and start a new backup. I strongly recommend that you also back up to a locally-attached hard drive (not the GoFlex) at least some of the time, as network backups are less reliable. You should have more than one backup anyway.

  • Trying to use a new, larger external hard drive for my Time Machine backup.  However, every time I start the backup, it gets started then fails.  And, I can't delete the few files that did save on the external.  Sort of a catch 22.  Any ideas?

    Trying to use a new, larger external hard drive for my Time Machine backup.  However, every time I start the backup, it gets started then fails.  And, I can't delete the few files that did save on the external.  Sort of a catch 22.  Any ideas?

    Is it a USB hard drive?  USB hard drives have the problem of not giving full speed if they are hooked up on the same bus as keyboards and mice.  Double check your profiler to make sure that is not a problem.  If it is Firewire, make sure there aren't other firewire devices in use at the same time.  I recommend not only keeping a Time Machine backup, but also a clone, and if you do use Time Machine, to make sure the Time Machine drive or partition is at least twice the size of the original drive.

  • HT5096 I need to transfer a time machine backup to a new drive. It keeps failing.

    I have a 2TB Time Capsule that I was using for Time Machine for both a MacBook and an iMac.  The iMac sparse bundle became corrupted earlier this spring and I was unable to delete it, so I need to reformat the TC. First, however, I need to move the TM sparse bundle for the MacBook to a new drive that I have set up just for TM for the MacBook.  After reformatting, I plan to only use the TC for the iMac.  I tried moving the sparse bundle tonight to the new drive, following directions listed in several places on this site and on Pondini's site.  However, it failed.  I am going to guess that it failed b/c I was not hooked up to the TC via ethernet. (I was on WIFI).  The new backup drive is a 2TB external that was plugged directly to the MacBook.  So, now I have connected them via ethernet.  I am again reparing the TC volume using Disk Utility, just to make sure all permissions, etc, are ok before moving.  Will I be able to move this file to the new drive easily, or should I plug the new drive directly to the Time Capsule and move it that way (while MacBook is connected via Ethernet). 
    Alternativey, is there a way to just archive that sparse bundle for the MacBook before I erase the drive?
    FYI I am still running Snow Leopard on these machines, but trying to clean up the time machine backups today before installing Lion and moving to iCloud, so time is of the utmost importance here.
    Thanks so much!
    Kat

    OK, this has now failed twice.  I repaired the drive using DU and there were no problems (even though it took 2 hours to go thru everything to verify).  Right now, the MacBook is connected via Ethernet to the TC.  The new TM drive (WD 3TB external, USB 3.0/2.0) is attached to the MacBook via USB.   I really need to keep this TM backup for the MacBook and also need to erase the TC.  How can I accmplish both?  I thought that there was a way to archive a TM sparse bundle?

  • How do I repair a damaged time machine backup drive/remove pictures from library on locked/failing external drive

    I have a WD 1TB external hard drive that I use as my time machine backup drive as well as to store a number of things including my iphoto library (due to its size of about 85 GB) as well as documents. I began using the WD 1TB external drive with my 2007 13" MacBook and when I purchased a brand new 13" MacBook Pro in 2013 I used the WD to transfer what I wanted to the new laptop. My new MacBook Pro is running OSX 10.8.4 (2.9 GHz Interl Core i7 with 8GB 1600 MHz DDR3) (not the retina display). The WD 1TB product # is WDBACX001... and it's only about one year old so I'm super bummed that it's failing and trying to take my life with it It has only ever been used with my two MacBooks, never with a PC.
    The external WD was working fine until this week when I noticed that it wasn't appearing on my desktop. I rebooted, unplugged and replugged the WD drive in each USB portal, and still nothing. I ran Disk Utility to verify and repair the disk, which did force it to show up on the desktop again, though it made everything painfully slow. After running the repair function Disk Utility told me that the drive couldn't be repaired, and that I should backup whatever is on it and restore the WD drive. I managed to pull off most of the documents before it decided to freeze up my laptop (I had a couple of folders with a few documents each left), but I wasn't able to move the iphoto library over before the drive disappeared again. I got it back by running the repair option in disk utility, with the same message that the WD drive is failing and to back it up, and tried to move the iphoto library. It told me it would take 180+ days, and kept going up. I left it up anyway for about a day to see if it would change, and instead it gave an error message, and moved nothing. I can't open the library in iPhoto- it tells me it's on a locked disk. I checked the permissions and it's set to Read & write by me (the admin user) but then under that it says read only for "everyone." I can't get into the library to pull out my pictures, which I cannot afford to lose.
    I would appreciate any help or advice on how to crack into my iphoto library on this failing drive to remove the pictures. I read a lot about DiskWarrior but I also read that it won't work on newer macs (anything after June of 2012 supposedly), so I'm wondering if that's true or not, and if not is that a good program to use?
    I can't afford to take it to a professional right now, so any help or advice would be so greatly appreciated! Also if anyone then could suggest the best way to back up in two places (digitally and perhaps a better brand of external drive) it would be amazing.
    If you need more info let me know!

    If you're very lucky, you might be able to salvage the drive mechanism, and the data, by removing it from the enclosure and installing it in another one, or in a drive dock.

  • Time Machine Backup on DS212j failed

    This morning everything was fine, but then it happened out of nowhere
    Usually my MBP does it Backups on a Synology DiskStation212j, but today it got some errors.
    So here is the log:
    16.05.12 14:44:56,180 com.apple.backupd: Starting standard backup
    16.05.12 14:44:56,203 com.apple.backupd: Attempting to mount network destination URL: afp://tm@DiskStation%20(Time%20Machine)._afpovertcp._tcp.local/TimeBackups
    16.05.12 14:44:57,738 com.apple.backupd: Mounted network destination at mountpoint: /Volumes/TimeBackups using URL: afp://tm@DiskStation%20(Time%20Machine)._afpovertcp._tcp.local/TimeBackups
    16.05.12 14:45:17,665 com.apple.backupd: QUICKCHECK ONLY; FILESYSTEM CLEAN
    16.05.12 14:45:20,489 com.apple.backupd: Disk image /Volumes/TimeBackups/iCustom.sparsebundle mounted at: /Volumes/Time Machine-Backups
    16.05.12 14:45:20,495 com.apple.backupd: Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine-Backups/Backups.backupdb
    16.05.12 14:45:23,745 com.apple.backupd: Error: (-36) Applying backup protections to /Volumes/Time Machine-Backups/Backups.backupdb/iCustom/2012-05-16-080606.inProgress/4FFE2379- CB93-48D8-BD96-B025AB10ED2E
    16.05.12 14:45:23,746 com.apple.backupd: Error: (5) setxattr for key:com.apple.backupd.SnapshotStartDate path:/Volumes/Time Machine-Backups/Backups.backupdb/iCustom/2012-05-16-080606.inProgress/4FFE2379- CB93-48D8-BD96-B025AB10ED2E size:17
    16.05.12 14:45:23,746 com.apple.backupd: Error: (5) setxattr for key:com.apple.backupd.SnapshotState path:/Volumes/Time Machine-Backups/Backups.backupdb/iCustom/2012-05-16-080606.inProgress/4FFE2379- CB93-48D8-BD96-B025AB10ED2E size:2
    16.05.12 14:47:03,479 com.apple.backupd: 2.28 GB required (including padding), 999.97 GB available
    16.05.12 14:47:03,482 com.apple.backupd: Copied 0 files (0 bytes) from volume Crucial M4.
    16.05.12 14:47:03,482 com.apple.backupd: Copy stage failed with error:11
    16.05.12 14:47:13,545 com.apple.backupd: Backup failed with error: 11
    16.05.12 14:47:17,641 com.apple.backupd: Ejected Time Machine disk image.
    16.05.12 14:47:17,930 com.apple.backupd: Ejected Time Machine network volume.
    i googled quite some time, but i havn't found anything helpful.
    Since the backup is made on a NAS i can't use the DiskUtility to repair permissions
    (My NAS doesn't have any Errors)
    Hope that anyone out there knows what to do, i really need to make my Backups

    Linc Davis wrote:
    Backing up to a third-party NAS with Time Machine is unsupported by Apple
    Not so.  From the link you posted: 
    "Note: Some AFP disks from manufacturers other than Apple don’t support Time Machine. If your network uses an AFP disk, but the disk doesn’t appear in the list of devices available for Time Machine backups, contact the disk’s manufacturer."
    It says some don't support Time Machine. Many do.
    It is true that Apple won't (can't) help diagnose problems with them, as neither the AppleCare or Genius Bar folks have access to 3rd-party NAS drives, much less technical info.  But many NASs do work with TM.
    Personally, I don't recommend it, as there tend to be complications and limitations; and many of the makers don't provide much support.

  • Verbatim disk drive historically used only for time machine backups. Recently i added some other media files to use some of available space without partitioning, the disc now refuses to mount in finder despite appearing in disk utility. Repair fails. HELP

    Sorry to elaborate a bit more.
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    Recently i decided to use up some of the available space on the external verbatim disk drive to store some movie files which were sitting on my macbook pro.
    Therefore i created a new folder outside of the time machine backup folder and stored the movie files in there.
    From then on Time machine failed... and a few days later i noticed it was not mounting in 'finder'
    Therefore i used disk utility to see if it was recognising it. Which i was. However when i try to repair it the repair process fails.
    In disk utility i am presented with 1 TB Samsung HN M10 which has a child called Verbatim HD.
    The 1TB Samsung hardware appears fine, but the verbatim disk i am unable to fully verify and fix.
    Does this mean i have lost all my back ups?
    Have I lost all the media that i put on there?
    Is there any way to fix this?
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    didier07...

    To summarize: You used an external Verbatim HD for your TM backups. Then, you stored some movie files on the "spare" space on the Verbatim drive. Now, Disk Utility isn't being recognized, and repair is disabled. Your home Samsung drive is working fine, but the Verbatim cannot be verified.
    The problem, I believe, is that the external Verbatim drive wasn't partitioned. There should be two partitions: one for TM backups, the other for video. That way, you can perform backups, and still retain some space for video or somesuch.
    Frankly, I don't know how to fix this except through the following. (1) Erase the Verbatim drive, (2) Create a new blank space and format it, (3) Make two partitions - one for backup, the other for video. (4) Run TM through one partition, but switch to the other for your videos.  The better solution might be to have one dedicated drive (perhaps the Verbatim) for backups, and another dedicated drive for video backups; that way, you'll have plenty of space for expansion.
    I hope someone will correct me if I'm incorrect, but I believe you've essentially lost your backups and media. I don't know how you can retrieve that clump of the now-undifferentiated data on the Verbatim drive. To retrieve any lost data, you're going to require another external drive that's larger in capacity, as well as data recovery software; don't expect encouraging results. If you're desperate, there are firms like Drive Savers that can offer a more comprehensive solution - at a cost.
    Post if you have questions, or additional concerns!

  • Time machine backup fails; error creating folder. Western Digital drive requires password which is perhaps/likely the issue. I can't eliminate the password/encryption.

    Time Machine backup fails on new WD external drive (My Passport Studio); error creating folder (after several hours of Time Machine apparently working).
    Background: I purchased a Western Digital drive from an Apple Store to use for Time Machine backup.  I followed the Western Digital instructions that came with the drive for Mac. I didn't get the Time Machine prompt which the instructions indicated I would receive--namely to select whether I want to encrypt my Time Macine backups. (I already have a Time Machine backup I use at another location, which is perhaps why I didn't receive a prompt.)
    I decided to install the Western Digital utilities and security software that comes on the disk--with a view to potentially encrypting the disk (since I still wanted to have an encrypted backup since I was mobile). I forgot that (from experience 2-years previous) that I shouldn't install Western Digital software because it just makes life really complicated.
    I tried several times to do a Time Machine backup with failures each time (error creating the backup folder). I tried to get help from WD but I don't think the technicians were following what my issue was. Potentially I was not helpful in explaining it. I deleted the WD applications from my system after the first contact with WD. However the problem persisted--I still had an encrypted hard drive. After three phone sessions with three different WD techs I still could not get a solution. (By the second call I was not at all interested in having an encrypted drive--I just wanted to format and restore the drive to an unencrypted state so that I could have SOME kind of Time Machine backup.)
    I still don't have a solution--either to get Time Machine working with the WD encryption/password on the drive, or to remove the encryption so I can backup. Right now my options are to return the drive to the Apple Store -- or get a return authorization from WD. Seems crazy since the drive is fine and I have the working password.

    Never install "helpful software" provided by WD and Seagate (or any HD mfg.)
    All such stuff is fluff and nonsense that interferes with normal HD operation.
    Always when you buy a new HD, format it for Mac and then use it to TM backup or clone a HD, or archive data.
    Less is more on HD new out of box.  A "blank brick", no fluff and cotton candy software

  • My time machine backup external hard drive has failed.  I have a newer external drive already connected to my MAC but can't figure out how to get Time Machine to set up on it?

    My time machine backup external hard drive has failed.  I have a newer external drive already connected to my MAC but can't figure out how to get Time Machine to set up on it

    http://pondini.org/TM/21.html

  • Time machine backup failed to restore

    HHaving had major issues with Mail I decided to restore from a Time Machine backup. With hindsight I wish I hadn't! Having foolishly agreed to the 'this will erase everything' warning I waited 8 hours (twice) to get the message that my backup failed to restore. No more detail than that. Does anyone have any ideas / suggestions? I have a MBA with latest upgrade of Yosemite (last upgrade probably caused my Mail issue). Everything is backed up using Time Machine to a Netgear NAS. When going through the restore process I have no is

    TThanks Eric. At present I can't connect the NAS directly. I dont seem to have a usb to usb cable. It is connecting via a network cable. My MBA can see the NAS and I've successfully entered my login details and chosen the backup I want to restore.
    On C's recommendation I tried reinstalling OSX and planned to then try importing all my files on,y to find that there was not enough disk space. I've now erased everything as it occurred to me that starting with most of my 250G drive free might help. I'm having one more go at restoring directly from the TM backup as this would be my preferred solution (indeed what I had assumed Time Machine was meant for). On,y another 7 hours 26 minutes to wait. If that fails I will have another go at a fresh OS X install and reimport from TM (on the assumption that an empty hard disk will allow that this time).
    ANd  do all this because MaIl stopped working with my old POP account and I screwed up the switch to IMAP (by dragging my old Pop account contents across to the new IMAP account is created - will need to do that more carefully if I ever get back to where I started!).

  • Time Machine backup fails about once a week

    I'm backing up to an external firewire drive.
    About once a week, a Time Machine backup will fail.
    I have no other information on the failure. There are no errors in any of the log in
    Console.app. Time Machine simply reports "Last Backup Failed", and that's it.
    I looked through system.log, and found this;
    system.log:Nov 25 08:59:51 kilroy-3 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[3897]: Error: (-43) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/mauroj/Notebook/.DS_Store to /Volumes/TimeMachine/Backups.backupdb/kilroy/2008-11-25-085528.inProgress/D2D3A 24A-4AC2-4BBE-B95B-70F6C122AA07/MacIntosh HD/Users/mauroj/Notebook
    Nov 25 08:59:51 kilroy-3 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[3897]: Copied 1132 files (90.0 MB) from volume MacIntosh HD.
    Nov 25 08:59:51 kilroy-3 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[3897]: Copy stage failed with error:11
    Nov 25 08:59:56 kilroy-3 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[3897]: Backup failed with error: 11
    I'm not 100% sure this is the reason Time Machine failed and aborted, but it correlates
    time-wise. So it appears backupd (aka Time Machine) is reporting it can not or will not
    copy one particular file. There is no indication as to why.
    This is buggy behavior for backup software. The message is broken, because there's no
    "why" to the failure mode, and the software is broken, because it should be able to
    recover from this, complete the backup, and simply report that a specific file was not
    backed up.
    If I can, I'll file a bug. Note to Apple - We RELY on backups. Stuff like this in the backup
    software does NOT make us feel warm and fuzzy.
    /jim

    this is a known bug introduced by 10.5.3 update. lots of people have it (including myself). it's been acknowledged by apple. there is nothing you can or should do about it yourself. we have to wait for a fix from apple.

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