Full restore from Time Machine - how do I get most recent files back???

Hi all,
I've had some major problems with my hard-disk today (Disk Utility complaining about all sorts of things and not being able to repair them) so I thought I'll just wipe my disk and restore from back-up.
But: when I was asked to choose a backup the most recent one was from 7th November. It said that only full backups are shown (and incremental backups are not shown...). Well, since I had no choice anymore, I selected the most recent one and hoped I could get things back again later. But I'm now struggling to find a decent way of doing this:
All the more recent versions are on the time machine disk - I can see the files in the different folders. But in Time Machine itself, I cannot select any of the back-ups from between 7th November and now - they are shown to exist, but they are greyed out.
Is there any way to return to my most recent state other than restoring the whole thing one-by-one from dozens of different folders?
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks in advance!
Sebastian

Sebastian Hoffmann wrote:
But: when I was asked to choose a backup the most recent one was from 7th November. It said that only full backups are shown (and incremental backups are not shown...).
No, incomplete backups are not shown, including backups that failed, were cancelled, or were made with System files excluded. Other than that, all TM backups are, in effect, full ones.
All the more recent versions are on the time machine disk - I can see the files in the different folders. But in Time Machine itself, I cannot select any of the back-ups from between 7th November and now - they are shown to exist, but they are greyed out.
Is there any way to return to my most recent state other than restoring the whole thing one-by-one from dozens of different folders?
Could you have renamed your internal HD on or about November 7? That's one possible explanation for what you're seeing. If so, TM would treat it as a separate disk: there would have been two disks listed in the pop-up menu above the list of available backups (item e. in the green box in #14 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum).
If that's a possibility, boot up from your SL Install disc again, and go through the process that far. If you find two disk names listed there, select the other one and see what dates are available. If you find your recent backups, do the restore again from one of them.
If not, reboot normally, then try the +*Browse . . .+* Option, per #17 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
Restore what you need from the latest backup you can find that way. That will get the most recent version of everything. You can't restore your home folder that way, but you can restore each sub-folder and it's contents that way.

Similar Messages

Full restore from Time Machine fails

I am trying to replace a failing hard drive. The failing drive in in a box. A new one is in the computer.
When I try to run a full restore from Time Machine it comes up with an error saying the restore failed. No useful information like codes or reasons are given.
I'd prefer to do a full restore, but I fear the cause is too much system file corruption on the TM drive. I think the only alternative is to recreate the four user accounts and somehow copy the files back to the accounts.
Before I swapped the drives I set all permissions on the files in each account to admin=read/write, user=read/write, other=read only. I then created a couple incremental backups to Time Machine.
Currently I have 10.5.0 installed. I have to install 10.4, then upgrade, which is a very lengthy process.
The old drive is still (barely) functional. While using it though, if I try to run any program, the system hangs for minutes at a time, (BBOD).
How should I proceed? Is there a way of repairing the backup? Do I try the copying all the files? I have no way of using the Migration feature since I only have the one Mac. I do have a PC.
Thank you in advance.

Melnibonean wrote:
When I try to run a full restore from Time Machine it comes up with an error saying the restore failed. No useful information like codes or reasons are given.
It's possible that as the HD was failing, it corrupted something in your installation of OSX, and that was backed-up, so when you restore it, you're restoring damaged items.
Try again, but pick an earlier backup, from before the problems started.
When you do, once it starts, select Window, then +Show Log+ and +Show All logs+ from the menubar. Watch the messages; if it fails again, note what it says. That will tell us, roughly, where it was, so we may be able to avoid it.
Currently I have 10.5.0 installed. I have to install 10.4, then upgrade, which is a very lengthy process.
Huh? Why would you install Tiger?
How should I proceed? Is there a way of repairing the backup?
Possibly, depending on what's wrong.
Instead of selecting +Restore System from Backup+ from the Utilities menu, select +Disk Utility+ and use it to do a +*Repair Disk+* on the backups (via your Leopard Install disc). Then quit DU and try +Restore System from Backups.+
I have no way of using the Migration feature since I only have the one Mac.
Yes, you do, if the backups are ok. You can use +Setup Assistant+ or +Migration Assistant+ from your backups (or a clone), not just another Mac. But they both only use the most recent backup, which may be damaged, so try the full restore first.

Full restore from Time Machine fails what now!

Just upgraded to 10.8 and all was fine except on crucial pice of software that was supposed to work in 10.8 but didn't.
I tried to revert back to 10.6 via full restore but it failed. Now I just tried to restore from TM backup of the 10.8 restore point.
It fails too. All my HDs check out fine. What went wrong and how can I get back to working?

Melnibonean wrote:
When I try to run a full restore from Time Machine it comes up with an error saying the restore failed. No useful information like codes or reasons are given.
It's possible that as the HD was failing, it corrupted something in your installation of OSX, and that was backed-up, so when you restore it, you're restoring damaged items.
Try again, but pick an earlier backup, from before the problems started.
When you do, once it starts, select Window, then +Show Log+ and +Show All logs+ from the menubar. Watch the messages; if it fails again, note what it says. That will tell us, roughly, where it was, so we may be able to avoid it.
Currently I have 10.5.0 installed. I have to install 10.4, then upgrade, which is a very lengthy process.
Huh? Why would you install Tiger?
How should I proceed? Is there a way of repairing the backup?
Possibly, depending on what's wrong.
Instead of selecting +Restore System from Backup+ from the Utilities menu, select +Disk Utility+ and use it to do a +*Repair Disk+* on the backups (via your Leopard Install disc). Then quit DU and try +Restore System from Backups.+
I have no way of using the Migration feature since I only have the one Mac.
Yes, you do, if the backups are ok. You can use +Setup Assistant+ or +Migration Assistant+ from your backups (or a clone), not just another Mac. But they both only use the most recent backup, which may be damaged, so try the full restore first.

Leopard. Did a full restore from Time Machine. Now I can't access my other internal and external drives. I get the following error: The folder "Capture Video" can't be opened because you don't have permission to see its contents.

Leopard. Did a full restore from Time Machine. Now I can't access my other internal and external drives. I get the following error: The folder “Capture Video” can’t be opened because you don’t have permission to see its contents. I have repaired permissions pn the main harddrive. When I try too click on a disk I get the previously stated error. I can't even open up information to see what permission/access there is. It simply will not let me see the content. It shows the content of my main hard drive when I have clicked the other harddrive's name.

Solved:
sudo chflags 0 /Volumes/"FCP Time Machine BU"
sudo chown 0:80 /Volumes/"FCP Time Machine BU"
sudo chmod 775 /Volumes/"FCP Time Machine BU"
sudo chmod -N /Volumes/"FCP Time Machine BU"

Full restore from Time Machine has not restored my photos

I was getting a triangle with an exclamation mark in it when I tried to click on my photos in iPhoto (photos uploaded from my camera only - iPhone pics are still there). A backup from Time Machine didn't work, so I did a full restore from Time Machine to a date when I knew all was well with my photos but I still get the triangle/!. Where are my photos?

The ! means that iPhoto has lost the link to the original file.
Are you running a Managed or a Referenced Library?
A Managed Library, is the default setting, and iPhoto copies files into the iPhoto Library when Importing. The files are then stored in the Library package
A Referenced Library is when iPhoto is NOT copying the files into the iPhoto Library when importing because you made a change at iPhoto -> Preferences -> Advanced. (You unchecked the option to copy files into the Library on import) The files are then stored where ever you put them and not in the Library package. In this scenario you are responsible for the File Management.

I accidentally combined all of my photos on iphoto to be one event. i have it the way i want it saved on my external harddrive from time machine. how do i make my computer go back to that

i accidentally combined all of my photos on iphoto to be one event. i have it the way i want it saved on my external harddrive from time machine. how do i make my computer go back to that

Open Time Machine to the date that you know the iPhoto Library is in the format you want and select and Restore it.
http://pondini.org/TM/15.html
Ciao.

If I preformed a factory restore, and didn't restore from time machine, how can I access my files that were backed up?

I wiped my Mid 2009 MBP and decided not to restore from time machine backups but now I need access to a few of the files from the pervious backup, how do I access those files? The previous backups are purple and inaccessible from the time machine window.
Details: I use a G Drive to do my Time Machine backups.

While in Time Machine, press the key combination shift-command-C. The front window will show all mounted volumes. All snapshots should now be accessible. Select the one you want and navigate to the files you want to restore.

Full Restore from Time Machine, will iTunes recognize my iPhone or...

Hi All:
About ago my MB Pro was stolen. Fortunately, I had strong security settings and was diligent about backing up to Time Machine.
I am about to purchase a new iMac to replace the MB Pro, and will be doing a complete restore from time machine to recover my data. However, since my computer was stolen, life has gone on. I have purchased music from iTunes via my iPhone and also added many new contacts. Does anyone know what will happen the first time I try to sync my iPhone to my fully restored image on the new computer? Will iTunes recognize the iPhone as it was before and do a 2 way sync (new music and contacts sent back to iMac) or will it want to override all data on the iPhone and replace it with the existing contacts and music from the restore?
Thanks!
John

All of your iPhone data (the iPhone backup done by iTunes) is stored in your user folder's library as: USER/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup. I believe some iPhone data is also stored here: USER/Library/Application Support/SyncServices. For some reason, the folks at Apple thought that this was NOT information that needed to be backed up in Time Machine.
So unless you copied and pasted the backup folder into your external drive, your migration of info from the drive to the iMac will not carry any iPhone info to the new computer.
That being said, I'm not exactly sure what the iPhone will do when being plugged in. It will probably ask if you want the phone to be associated with the user account on that iMac, and upon selecting yes it MIGHT try to send your contacts, calendars, etc. to the new iMac. I am not sure about this--if I were you I'd ask a Mac Genius at an Apple Store or call AppleCare. But the Apple Store would be your best bet. The iPhone would not be able to send music, but that's not a big deal since you have it all in the backup anyways.

After a full restore from Time Machine, I get "error code -6584" when trying to go into TM.

I took our iMac in, at the direction of Apple, to have the hard drive replaced. When we got it back, I restored from Time Machine (on Time Capsule). One file on the desktop, a spreadsheet file, has reverted to a version five months old, with the loss of considerable data, so I don't know which files I can now trust. Also, when I try to go into Time Machine, I get "error code -6584" and am unable to access my backups
This is potentially very very bad. What can I do?

Solved:
sudo chflags 0 /Volumes/"FCP Time Machine BU"
sudo chown 0:80 /Volumes/"FCP Time Machine BU"
sudo chmod 775 /Volumes/"FCP Time Machine BU"
sudo chmod -N /Volumes/"FCP Time Machine BU"

Full Restore from Time Machine Backup Fails

Hello all,
I'm having some serious issues doing a full restore from a time machine backup located on a time capsule. I was connected via ethernet to the time capsule for the duration of the restore. When the restore finished i choose restart. The spinning icon that appears below the apple logo when you boot your computer appeared on screen, I assumed it indicated that the computer was restarting. I waited and after five minutes of the spinning circle I force shutdown. When I restarted the apple logo appeared and the spinning icon did for about a second and then the computer suddenly turned off. I tried starting in safe mode but the same behavior occurred. When I did a verbose-safe mode boot the message "CPU halted" appeared on the screen just before the computer shut down.
I decided to reinstall the OS and migrate all my files back. I did an erase and install. When the startup assistant appeared, I choose to migrate my files from a time machine backup. When I was asked what I'd like to restore I checked everything off but the continue button was grayed out. I noticed that under size, the message "Calculating" was displayed. The system was taking a very long time to calculate the size so I clicked around a bit. Somehow, I managed to crash the startup assistant 3 times doing this, resulting in the "Welcome to Mac OSX" video to play and the startup assistant to appear again.
Currently I am doing another erase and install and am going to try migrating the data again, this time waiting longer for the "Calculating" step to finish. If this doesn't work are there any suggestions for how to migrate my data back? Also, if this helps the time capsule is the older model, 500 GB, without the dual band capability. There are two backups on the time capsule.
After this episode I don't particularly trust time machine to backup my data and allow me to restore it when I need to. Are there any suggestions for a good external drive to use with Super Duper? I have a 320 GB internal and am looking for something portable, running of USB or Firewire 400, and preferably drawing power from the cable and not needing an additional A/C adapter.

dhatch387 wrote:
I'm migrating the backup over from the time capsule now. Unfortunatally, it seems to have frozen. I checked this morning and I was told there was less than a minute remaining in the migration. Now, 9 hours later, I am still told there is less thane a minute remaining?
No, after that long, it isn't going to complete, so cancel it.
Then see if it will boot. If so, see how much of your data it managed to copy. You should be able to use Time Machine to recover the remainder, in the usual fashion.
If it won't boot, your best bet may be to do an Erase and Install, then load and install the "combo" update to get OSX updated, then use Migration Assistant (in your Applications/Utilities folder) to recover your users, etc.
Would moving the data from the time capsule to an USB/FireWire external drive help?
No. The backups on a TC are stored differently.
Also, could all these problems I'm having be caused by an hardware issue on either my mac or the time capsule?
Possible. Why did you do the restore?
And Baltwo's statement about TM not being "designed for backups" isn't true. While some say TM may not be as reliable as CCC (Baltwo is their discussion moderator), it usually will restore your entire system to the exact state it was in at the time of the backup you select, even if that's a previous version of the OS. But of course if there are hardware issues, or corrupt data was saved, all bets are off.

After Full Restore from Time Machine..

Hello All!
I've searched around but can't find the solution.. Unfortunately there was a terrible accident with my last Macbook Pro so I purchased a new one... I did a full install using Migration Assistant to replace my User account from Time Machine. I never got the option to 'use time machine history' and now aren't sure whether it's 'building' on top of my old Time Machine or just starting a new one. When I go into preferences it says 'oldest Back Up - None' & 'Latest Back Up - None'
Does any of this matter as the Old back ups are still there - the External Harddrive says 127 of 250Gb used... Or do I need to 'merge' these backups?
Many thanks.

I think that you should be fine. If you open Time Machine you should be able to determine the status and it should work as designed.
I have never encountered the"Inherit Backup History" that you mention. It probably is a Lion feature (I still use Snow Leopard) and I have never used Time Machine to transfer data to a new MBP or a restore. I prefer to select what I want to retain and let the rest go by the wayside. This way any 'trash' I may have does not get copied to the new MBP. Consequently when I connect the Time Machine HHD, it then does an entirely complete new update.
Keep the Pondini web site in mind. It has a plethora of useful Time Machine information.
Ciao.

Will full restore from Time Machine backup replace fresh system files?

My ol' iMac G5 has been sluggish and buggy lately. I'd love to do a clean install of Leopard, and then do a full restore from a Time Machine backup.
My question is, will this help? Or will the Time Machine backup simply replace the newly installed system files, leaving me with the same sluggish, buggy OS?

no, this will not help. when you do a full system restore TM will wipe your hard drive and replace everything with the copy of the system at the backup time. You might try doing an erase and install followed by using migration assistant to migrate your user data and/or applications form the Tm drive. that might result in a cleaner system. however, the cleanest way would be to do an erase and install followed by manual migration from the TM drive. Use [this post|http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=6185507] as a guide on manually migrating your data. You'd also have to manually reinstall all your apps.

After full restore from Time machine, my TM hard drive won;t mount

I got my macbook pro back from a logic board repair and restored it fully from Time Machine using my leopard install disc.
Took a while, but it has installed OK. But some applications weren't restored and now the Time Machine drive won't mount on the Macbook at all. When I open up time machine - and try to choose a backup disc nothing comes up.
The drive shows up on a PC when i connect it (but won;t read it as its mac formatted) so I'm pretty sure there;s nothing wrong with the drive.

Also, be aware that TM thinks you got a new Mac, not a new logic board. Thus you won't see your TM backups in the normal way. You'll need the (badly named) +*Browse Other Time Machine Disks+* option (see #E2 in the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip* at the top of this forum).
In addition, when you start doing new backups, TM will start a whole new "sequence," as if it were a different Mac. See #C8 in the Troubleshooting Tip for options.

(new drive) Doing a full restore from time machine backup

I wanted to replace my old drive with a new larger drive. Once the blank new drive is in the imac, how does one do a full system restore to the new blank drive? Is that possible? And before removing that old drive, should I first do some other type of time machine backup manually? Do I need to do a final FULL backup first? And can time machine do a full restore to a new blank drive, restoring everything as before?

Hi randy, you don't say which OS version you're on.
Very best would be an actual clone to another external drive you can boot from.
Likely you'll need to Format the new drive first...
How to format your disks...
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/partitioning_tiger.html
(To Install OSX on an IntelMac the Drive it needs the GUID Partitioning scheme mentioned at the bottom.)
Thanks to Pondini, Formatting, Partitioning, Verifying, and Repairing Disks...
http://Pondini.org/OSX/DU.html
Get carbon copy cloner to make an exact copy of your old HD to the New one...
http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html
Or SuperDuper...
http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/
You could first hook the new drive to one of thses, format it then clone it before replacing the old one...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-TO-IDE-SATA-S-SATA-Converter-CABLE-Adaptor-w-POWER-/ 120711932292?forcev4exp=true&forceRpt=true#ht_3469wt_1174

I would like to do a full restore from time machine but have lost my boot/install disk.

Hi,
Recently had my HDD replaced (with fresh OS installed) and even though I have everything backed up on time machine am struggling to complete a full restore.
After reading time machine help understand I need to mac os install/boot disk to get to the time machine full restore utlility.
I cannot find my install disk. Can I create one from my current mac?
Any suggestions? Thanks!

The install disk cannot be created. If you call Apple (1-800-MYAPPLE) they should be able to order you a new set of disks specifically for your computer.
I found this old answer talking about what the disks are:
If you bought your computer new, you may be able to contact Apple about buying a replacement boot/install disc#1 for your specific computer. If a disc is lost or damaged, they have been known to be able to help. Not sure if a call to Sales Support would be the direction to take on this; but it would make more sense to ask them about the replacement.
The disc #1 and #2 that come with the machine will (or more, if it has a CD packet and the OS is not on a DVD) restore the computer to how it was new. If you upgrade to an all new OSX version and wanted to add the original applications (instead of buying new ones; not always a good idea if the leap was a great one from original OS to the last version) you could use the disc #2 to add applications to a system. It has installers, & won't boot.

Full restore from Time Machine - how do I get most recent files back???

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