HT201250 Time Machine error - backup disk is not available

A new external USB disk was installed and fromatted as per apple and manufacturer instructions. Time machine backup was initated but had to be stopped after 2-3 hours. Upon resuming using "backup now" function an error message reported - Time machine could not complete the backup. The backup dis is not available.

Never mind, I fixed the problem by removing a lock feature from my external drive.

Similar Messages

  • My external hard drive is not recognized by Time Machine; "The backup disk is not available" according to Disk Utility

    I'm not completely tech savvy, but I'm having troubles with my external memory & time machine.  I'm a student, and thus its very important to me to be able to back up my computer.
    I wanted to back up my Time Machine the other day.  I clicked the icon at the top of the page (beside the battery icon, etc.) and the message "The backup disk is not available".  I have a 500GB Seagate passport (ie: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Seagate---FreeAgent-GoFlex-500GB-External-USB-2.0-Po rtable-Hard-Drive---Silver/9929098.p?id=1218196478444&skuId=9929098)
    My macbook pro is version 10.7.5 Mac OS X Lion.  My external memory is only about a year old. It hasn't been dropped or anything; it permanently sits secured to my desk.
    What appears when I click "Repair Disk":
    Verify and Repair volume “Time Machine Backups”
    Checking file systemChecking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
    Detected a case-sensitive volume.
    Checking extents overflow file.
    Checking catalog file.
    Incorrect block count for file shutdown_time
    (It should be 1 instead of 0)
    Invalid node structure
    Rebuilding catalog B-tree.
    The volume Time Machine Backups 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.
    After clicking "Repair Disk" this message pops up: "Disk Utility Stopped Repairing 'Time Machine Backups'  Disk utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many as your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files."
    I don't want to wipe my memory on my external disk just in case the disk doesn't restore (as I do not have another disk to back up my computer on to).
    What is going on? Why is this happening out of the blue? How can I fix this?

    Sounds like it either has, or is about to die.
    If you don't need anything off the old drive, then yes, replace it immediately with something a little more reolaable. I use WD Caviar Black personally. But anything that has a known low failure rate.

  • Time Machine error: backup disk image could not be created

    Iet up my new time capsule day and it's working great. Now that I've got everything sorted out, I'm ready to do the initial time machine back up on it. I went into preferences, changed the backup location to my TC and clicked 'back up now'. Very quickly I get a message that the backup failed: "Time Machine Error - The backup disk image could not be created".
    I've searched the apple support area but haven't been able to figure this one out. Can anyone help, please? This is an initial backup. (FYI, it worked great on my old external drive.)
    Many thanks

    I had the same problem. I installed my Time Capsule, fired up Time Machine and got an error that said "The backup is too large for the backup volume. The backup requires 436.8 GB but only 182.2GB are available."
    Coincidently, these are the same sizes as the space used and the space available on my iMac's drive.
    I looked in /Volumes and saw that the sparsebundle was being created on the local disk and not on the main disk. Trying to backup again gave me the "Time Machine error: backup disk image could not be created." message.
    I poked around the forums, and found a post about the machine name setting in sharing. I decided to give it a look, and lo and behold, I did not have a machine name. So I gave my box a name, kicked off Time Machine again, and it worked.

  • HT3275 Time machine error, backup disk image "/volumes/data-1/.sparesbundle " already in use. I don;t know what this means, can someone help?

    My Mac mini time capsule is showing an error Time machine error, backup disk image "/volumes/data-1/.sparesbundle " already in use. I don;t know what this means, can someone help?

    I had a similar problem and I solved it as follows -
    In Time Machine - > I deselected time capsule Data Disk as a destination.
    Then I pulled the power plug on the Time Capsule, twiddled my thumbs for 15 secs, plugged the power back in.
    Went back t Time Machine -> Re-Added the Time Capsule Data Disk as destination. And then tested by selecting Backup Now.
    All went well and the backup picked up from before the problem.
    BTW - I also have a USB drive connected to Time Capsule that is an alternate disk for Time Machine to backup.
    In Mountain Lion the GUI lets you add more than one Time Machine backup destinations very easily so I think it a good idea to have redundancy.
    Hope this helps.

  • Time machine couldn't complete the backup to johns airport time capsule. the backup disk is not available

    time machine couldn't complete the backup to johns airport time capsule. the backup disk is not available

    You may find answers at Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with all things related to Time Machine.

  • Time Machine couldn't complete the backup to time capsule-the backup disk is not available

    Time Machine couldn’t complete the backup to time capsule-the backup disk is not available

    Reboot the network in correct order.. modem.. router/TC.. clients.. 2min gap.
    This is just standard windows.. woops, Mac OS networking now.

  • Cannot Connect to Time Capsule: "the backup disk is not available"

    I am having a problem that I can't diagnose with my 500 GB Time Capsule (my HD is 128GB). The firmware is current. I first did a search for 'the backup disk is not available' since that is the message displayed in the Time Machine window (with the red checkmark).The Time Machine widget says this:
    Attempting to mount network destination using URL: afp://[email protected]/xxx%20xxx's%20Time%20Capsu
    NetAuthConnectToServerSync failed with error: 89 for url: afp://[email protected]/xxx%20xxx's%20Time%20Capsu
    I installed the widget after I went to the Time Machine - Troubleshooting user tip, here: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2057525. Also went to Using TIME MACHINE with a TIME CAPSULE, here: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2296894
    I also renewed the DHCP lease, tried to do 'connect as' from the Sidebar window, also via go-> connect to server ("there was an error connecting to the server Timecapsule; Check the server name or IP address & try again"), go to Time Machine under System Preferences, select "None" for hard drive, turned off Time Machine, then turned it back on and reselect Time Capsule as the hard drive to backup (timed out), tried re-setting up the Time Capsule both automatic & manual (times out when reading TC configuration)., and finally, writing this post.
    I am connected to the internet with the Time Capsule, and I am concerned about making too many changes, because I don't want to risk losing my internet connection, since that seems to be working fine. I was able to make regular backups until yesterday. Tracing my steps from when it used to work to when it 'broke':
    1)I attempted (unsuccessfully) to mount the Time Capsule so that I could do a search on it. (I didn't realize at the time that I couldn't mount a wireless device.)
    2)The only other thing I did was drag some music folders that I wanted backed up next to my sparsebundle backup (which I can no longer see, because the Time Capsule is no longer accessible via the finder) only to get the spinning ball with the copying window, which I couldn't force quit unless I quit the Finder. So, I force quit, rebooted, and repaired the disk/permissions with disk utility.
    Did I do something wrong by dragging & dropping my files over trying to use it as a backup AND a an external HD? Or trying to mount the drive? Or maybe since adding several gigs of music, I took up too much space & now don't have room for a backup? (In which case, I need to access the drive & erase the music, and start over: if only I could SEE it I could do that.)
    I am still doing searches trying to see what I need to do; I haven't yet re-set it, due to my concern about my internet connection, which could potentially prevent me from getting any information to fix it. At this time, I am not sure if this is a Time Capsule, Time Machine, or Airport issue. During the time that I have been writing this, the red check changed to 'connecting' but then the 'delayed - Time Machine is not available' message came back up
    TIA

    Reboot the network in correct order.. modem.. router/TC.. clients.. 2min gap.
    This is just standard windows.. woops, Mac OS networking now.

  • Time Machine Error: Backup Disk Image Could Not Be Mounted

    Time Machine was working just fine with Time Capsule for the first two days, then today I got the above error message.
    The drive and the backup image both show up in Finder. I can even copy files from the Time Capsule to my hard drive.
    I just can't get Time Machine to backup to the Time Capsule, even if I manually hit "Back up now".
    Any ideas what I can do to fix this?

    I may have fixed this ... I renamed my TC to a shorter name with no space and no apostrophe - just a few letters. That seems to have cleared it up - at least for now. Time will tell ...

  • Time Machine Error, backup disk couldn't be mount

    I have a USB drive plug to my Airport Extreme and I use it for Time Machine. Today I had a message saying: "Latest Backup:Failed"
    Time Machine Error
    The Backup disk image could not be mounted.
    The hard disk is there, I can drag, drop, copy, delete files on that disk. There's is a big file call Serge'siMac_001ec205f583.sparsebundle, the file does not seem corrupted, I could probably drag it to the Desktop. How can I mount the backup disk.
    Serge

    I had the same problem and found out how to fix it
    You can check the whole process here in a post I wrote for the Hardmac blog (it's rather long...):
    How I saved my corrupted Time Machine sparsebundle image…

  • Time Machine Error, Backup to large - 496 avail and only 79 needs backed up

    I have a 1 TB TM with 496.9 GB available (I already have 1 computer backed up on TM)
    The second computer I want to back up has 80 GB used of a 500 GB HD.
    Time Machine prefs show 496.9 GB available on TM and shows the back up will be 79.1 GB total.
    But I get a error each time I try to back up saying " Time Machine Error, This backup is too large for the backup volume. The backup requires 614.1 GB but only 496.9 are available."
    Two questions:
    How can 496.9 GB be to small for a 79.1 GB backup?
    Why does a 79.1 GB backup require 614.1 GB of space?
    Thank You
    Doug

    Here's what Backup Buddy says:
    Starting standard backup
    Backup destination alias resolved to path: /Volumes/Doug's Time Capsule
    Disk image /Volumes/Doug's Time Capsule/Jackie’s_001b63b59975.sparsebundle mounted at: /Volumes/Backup of Jackie’s
    Backing up to: /Volumes/Backup of Jackie’s/Backups.backupdb
    Event store UUIDs don't match for volume: Backup of Jackie’s
    Event store UUIDs don't match for volume: Macintosh HD
    Backup content size: 432.7 GB excluded items size: 0 bytes for volume Backup of Jackie’s
    Backup content size: 80.2 GB excluded items size: 1007.5 MB for volume Macintosh HD
    Starting pre-backup thinning: 614.25 GB requested (including padding), 496.85 GB available
    No expired backups exist - deleting oldest backups to make room
    Error: backup disk is full - all 0 possible backups were removed, but space is still needed.
    Backup Failed: unable to free 614.25 GB needed space
    Backup failed with error: Not enough available disk space on the target volume.
    Ejected Time Machine disk image.
    Ejected Time Machine network volume.

  • Time Capsule - Time machine error "backup disk image could not be mounted"

    Recently I lost a folder and attempted to resore from my Time Capsule backup (which I started when it first shipped) not only did it fail, but know I get the message "backup disk image could not be mounted" when I try to backup. I have used Airport Utility to try and sort - that shows green light and it is connected by ethernet 9and shows in network (I can see the sparsebundle). I have been trying for a couple of weeks now - any ideas??

    John & Joel,
    I've done some research and put together some ideas.
    "The backup disk image could not be mounted"
    *“Disconnect All Users…”:*
    If your Time Machine backup drive (“Backup of Users Computer”) is mounted on your desktop or in the Sidebar of the Finder window. then Time Machine may think the drive is already in use. Alternatively, if the Time Capsule hard disk has been recently accessed by a Windows machine, it may not have fully relinquished control. Do the following:
    Open Airport Utility and select the Time Capsule on the left.
    Click “Manual Setup”.
    Select “Disks” at top of window.
    Click “Disconnect All Users…” at bottom of window.
    Now try Backing up again.
    *Stalled .inProgress Files:*
    Select the TC in the SideBar of the Finder window.
    Click "Connect as...". Enter your TCs password.
    Double click the blue folder that appears in the finder window. The sparsebundle should now be visible.
    Double click the sparsebundle and then click “Skip” in the checksum message.
    Once “Backup of (Users Computer)” mounts in the Sidebar open the folder containing past backups. Are there any “.inProgress” files there. Delete them.
    Unmount the backup drive and try backing up again.
    *Permissions Issue:*
    Select the TC in the SideBar of the Finder window.
    Click "Connect as...". Enter your TCs password.
    Double click the blue folder that appears in the finder window. The sparsebundle should now be visible.
    Highlight the sparsebundle and “Get Info” (Cmd-I). At the bottom of the Get Info window open the “Sharing & Permission” section. Beside “Everyone” it should say “Read & Write”. If it does not, change it.
    Now try performing a backup again.

  • HELP- what does this mean- time machine error- backup disk image "/Volumes/time Capsule/ cheryl lynott's MacBook.sparsebundle" is already in use?

    The last date of my back up was 10/4- keeps saying The backup disk image "/backup disk image "/Volumes/time Capsule/ cheryl lynott's MacBook.sparsebundle" is already in use?

    HELP -- what does this mean -- .......
    Often, this error can be corrected by pulling the power on the Time Capsule, waiting a few minutes, and powering the Time Capsule back up.
    See # C12  for more tips
    http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

  • I got this error while my mac was backing up to time machine: he backup disk image "/Volumes/Data/Sanjeev's iMac.sparsebundle" could not be created (error (null)). Please could someone help

    I got this error while my mac was backing up to time machine: he backup disk image “/Volumes/Data/Sanjeev’s iMac.sparsebundle” could not be created (error (null)). Please could someone help

    Has the backup been working ok??
    If that is the case simply reboot the TC.. or if that fails, reboot the whole network, restarting in correct order..
    modem.. wait 2min
    TC.. wait 2min

  • Time Machine says "The Backup Disk is Not Available"

    Line 0:  I have a 400 GB external Western Digital drive that I leave plugged into an Airport Extreme.  Previously, this worked mostly without a problem.  It took some massaging to get it to work at first (I had to create the backup with the drive directly connected to the computer, and then I moved the drive over to the Airport Extreme and it was fine after that), but after that, it worked forever.  This was in the previous version of the OS that I was running (snow leopard?).  I very recently upgraded to Lion and it seemed to be OK, but then suddenly it gave me an error that said it had not been able to do a backup for 10 days.  I thought "wow, that means it hasn't backed up since I upgraded to Lion." 
    So I told it to do a backup right away.  It failed with the error "The backup disk is not available."
    I unplugged the drive and plugged it back in.  No go.
    I tried to reselect the drive from within Time Machine preferences.  It would not appear and in fact it kept forcing me to go to the Airport Extreme software.  I did this and there was no obvious way to set anything up from within that software.  I left everything as it was ("Enable file sharing" checked, "Secure shared disks" was at "with device password," and it was remembering the password in my keychain). 
    Go back to Time Machine preferences and the disk still doesn't show up.  Force a reboot on the router, it still doesn't show up.
    I brought the drive over to the computer and plugged it in directly, and everything was fine.  It did a backup on the spot, it read the backup that was there, the drive showed up, etc.  I formatted it just for the heck of it and started over completely and it was happy.  I did a disk check and everything was fine.  After leaving it on all night to complete a new backup, I unmounted the disk, brought it over to the Airport Extreme, plugged it back in, and now we go back to line 0 and rinse repeat.
    Can someone please tell me how to get my drive to start working with Time Machine again?

    It should not have worked in the first place.. when you moved it from the PC to the airport extreme.. that is not correct.. I don't know how SL managed to work around it.. but Lion obviously cannot.
    You will need to start all over again..
    Also note.. the flakey nature of this setup.. according to well respected people here AEBS with USB drive does not give reliable TM backups.. I would pay close attention to what they are saying. Time Capsule is more than a AEBS with a hard drive inside.. although exactly the difference I don't know.
    But you can expect the current setup to not work, because it never should have.

  • Time Machine couldn't complete the backup to "Time Machine Backups".  The backup disk is not available.

    I have received an error message today - Time Machine couldn't complete the backup to "Time Machine Backups".  The backup disk is not available.
    I am using a WD 1.5tb  Help!!!  Everything is on there and the files are not showing.  The WD SmartWare icon is on the Desktop but the Time Machine icon is not.  When I save a file I open the Time Machine file and save it in there.  What do I do?  How do I get my files back??  I do not keep anything on the macbook pro.  Help PLEASE!!!

    Hi Yaann,
    Thank you for your reply.  Yes I did try that, but no luck.
    After several hours of calls to a very unhelpful WD and further calls to Applecare, there was nothing anyone could do.  Out of frustration when holding the WD 1.5TB hard drive, I smacked it (NOT recommended).  Well, to my surprise the WD reappeared on my devices list.  Let me tell you, I pulled my files off as fast as I could on to my MacBook Pro.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I confirmed that everything transferred back to the MacBook Pro fine.  I spoke with the Applecare tech and he talked me through the set up on a new Lacie hard drive.
    What I can say is that after further research into external hard drives and now personal experience - Lacie is the top of the line and you get what you pay for.  I would NEVER ever recommend a WD to anyone.  Given one, I would still through it away.
    I was LUCKY.
    I must say the support and understanding I received from Applecare was outstanding!!  I would never own a apple product without applecare and from long term experience it is worth every penny.
    All the best,

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