HT203177 Time machine calculates for hours. Never goes any further. Help!!!

When I turn Time Machine on it calculates for hours and never goes any further. Then when I turn it off, it goes to "Stopping backup... and does that for hours. Is ther anyway to reset it or start over. The external drive I am using (directly connected to the iMacvia USB) tests OK and Time Machine was backing up to it just fine until mid January. How do I solve this dilemma. Is there any way to solve this problem, or do I just give up on Time Machine and get some third party software that will work? Thanks. JAK

Have you looked through Pondini's extensive TM help site?
http://Pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
Get carbon copy cloner...
http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html
Or SuperDuper...
http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/
Or the most expensive one & my favorite, Tri-Backup...
http://www.tri-edre.com/english/products/tribackup.html

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I tried to up date my i phone 4 to iOS 5 then it wiped my phone and now it tells me to connect to iTunes and that the iPhone is in recovery mode and when i connect it goes to preparing to install to iPhone but never goes any further how do i restore

i tried to up date my i phone 4 to iOS 5 then it wiped my phone and now it tells me to connect to iTunes and that the iPhone is in recovery mode and when i connect it goes to preparing to install to iPhone but never goes any further how do i restore the phone

by reset option do you mean the DFU restore? worked for me, have you tried that?
if not - hold the lock and home button until the power down bar comes up. then hold the lock button for ten seconds - next continue to hold the lock button and press the home button for ten seconds - next release the lock button and hold the home button for 10 seconds. this should be done with the phone tethered. If done right and your itunes is configured as such, the phone will reload the drivers and start up itunes, and then prompt for a restore/update.

HT1386 ITunes says 'preparing to sync' but never goes any further (IPhone 5c)

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by reset option do you mean the DFU restore? worked for me, have you tried that?
if not - hold the lock and home button until the power down bar comes up. then hold the lock button for ten seconds - next continue to hold the lock button and press the home button for ten seconds - next release the lock button and hold the home button for 10 seconds. this should be done with the phone tethered. If done right and your itunes is configured as such, the phone will reload the drivers and start up itunes, and then prompt for a restore/update.

How to select correct time machine backup for migration assistant

We have two MacBooks backing up to one Time Capsule using time machine: let's call them H and R.
I have had to reinstall Leopard on Macbook H and am now trying to restore using Migration Assistant.
Migration Assistant finds the Time Capsule and identifies that there are two Time Machine Backups, but doesn't give an option to select the one to use.
Whenever I click 'Continue' it does the 'Checking time machine backup' (for hours), then brings up the data to restore, but every time it comes up with the data and settings from Macbook R.
How can I tell Migration Assistant which Time Machine Backup I want to use?

Brilliant. That was it.
I used the other MacBook to run Disk Utility on my backup volume and repaired it: #A5 is bang on.
Then, Setup Assistant saw both backups and let me select the one I wanted. It's now transferring my stuff.
Very relieved and extremely grateful.
Your apple tips should come with every mac and time capsule.

Time Machine stops due to computer going into Sleep/Hibernation Mode

Time Machine stops due to computer going into Sleep/Hibernation Mode then restarts to try to start the Back up process again and again vicious cycle. I have made sure all settings are turned off. I have done one or two backups since the initial first backup. My HDD is almost full and I want it backed up before I try to clone/mirror the drive to upgrade it to a 1TB HDD. Thank you in advance.

Set the Energy Saver (in System Preferences) to Never. Then reset the NVRAM, as follows:
Shut down your Mac.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (⌘), Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the third time.
Release the keys.

I have a mid2009 MacBook Pro for which I have been using a USB WD HD for Time Machine. I'd like to get a wireless HD and start a new Time Machine backup for this Mac and retire the 5 year old WD drive. Can I start over?

I have a mid2009 MacBook Pro running Mavericks for which I have been using a USB WD HD for Time Machine. I'd like to get a wireless HD and start a new Time Machine backup for this Mac and retire the 5 year old WD drive. Can I start over?

no archive/ backup is perfect, HD clones can be set to make incremental additions, same as time machine however, though they are more time involved in doing so.
See the + and - of all data backup/ archives below and "spread it around".... or the "dont put your eggs all in one basket" philosophy.
Peace
Data Storage Platforms; their Drawbacks & Advantages
#1. Time Machine / Time Capsule
Drawbacks:
1. Time Machine is not bootable, if your internal drive fails, you cannot access files or boot from TM directly from the dead computer.
2. Time machine is controlled by complex software, and while you can delve into the TM backup database for specific file(s) extraction, this is not ideal or desirable.
3. Time machine can and does have the potential for many error codes in which data corruption can occur and your important backup files may not be saved correctly, at all, or even damaged. This extra link of failure in placing software between your data and its recovery is a point of risk and failure. A HD clone is not subject to these errors.
4. Time machine mirrors your internal HD, in which cases of data corruption, this corruption can immediately spread to the backup as the two are linked. TM is perpetually connected (or often) to your computer, and corruption spread to corruption, without isolation, which TM lacks (usually), migrating errors or corruption is either automatic or extremely easy to unwittingly do.
5. Time Machine does not keep endless copies of changed or deleted data, and you are often not notified when it deletes them; likewise you may accidently delete files off your computer and this accident is mirrored on TM.
6. Restoring from TM is quite time intensive.
7. TM is a backup and not a data archive, and therefore by definition a low-level security of vital/important data.
8. TM working premise is a “black box” backup of OS, APPS, settings, and vital data that nearly 100% of users never verify until an emergency hits or their computers internal SSD or HD that is corrupt or dead and this is an extremely bad working premise on vital data.
9. Given that data created and stored is growing exponentially, the fact that TM operates as a “store-it-all” backup nexus makes TM inherently incapable to easily backup massive amounts of data, nor is doing so a good idea.
10. TM working premise is a backup of a users system and active working data, and NOT massive amounts of static data, yet most users never take this into consideration, making TM a high-risk locus of data “bloat”.
11. In the case of Time Capsule, wifi data storage is a less than ideal premise given possible wireless data corruption.
12. TM like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
13. *Level-1 security of your vital data.
Advantages:
1. TM is very easy to use either in automatic mode or in 1-click backups.
2. TM is a perfect novice level simplex backup single-layer security save against internal HD failure or corruption.
3. TM can easily provide a seamless no-gap policy of active data that is often not easily capable in HD clones or HD archives (only if the user is lazy is making data saves).
#2. HD archives
Drawbacks:
1. Like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
2. Unless the user ritually copies working active data to HD external archives, then there is a time-gap of potential missing data; as such users must be proactive in archiving data that is being worked on or recently saved or created.
Advantages:
1. Fills the gap left in a week or 2-week-old HD clone, as an example.
2. Simplex no-software data storage that is isolated and autonomous from the computer (in most cases).
3. HD archives are the best idealized storage source for storing huge and multi-terabytes of data.
4. Best-idealized 1st platform redundancy for data protection.
5. *Perfect primary tier and level-2 security of your vital data.
#3. HD clones (see below for full advantages / drawbacks)
Drawbacks:
1. HD clones can be incrementally updated to hourly or daily, however this is time consuming and HD clones are, often, a week or more old, in which case data between today and the most fresh HD clone can and would be lost (however this gap is filled by use of HD archives listed above or by a TM backup).
2. Like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
Advantages:
1. HD clones are the best, quickest way to get back to 100% full operation in mere seconds.
2. Once a HD clone is created, the creation software (Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper) is no longer needed whatsoever, and unlike TM, which requires complex software for its operational transference of data, a HD clone is its own bootable entity.
3. HD clones are unconnected and isolated from recent corruption.
4. HD clones allow a “portable copy” of your computer that you can likewise connect to another same Mac and have all your APPS and data at hand, which is extremely useful.
5. Rather than, as many users do, thinking of a HD clone as a “complimentary backup” to the use of TM, a HD clone is superior to TM both in ease of returning to 100% quickly, and its autonomous nature; while each has its place, TM can and does fill the gap in, say, a 2 week old clone. As an analogy, the HD clone itself is the brick wall of protection, whereas TM can be thought of as the mortar, which will fill any cracks in data on a week, 2-week, or 1-month old HD clone.
6. Best-idealized 2nd platform redundancy for data protection, and 1st level for system restore of your computers internal HD. (Time machine being 2nd level for system restore of the computer’s internal HD).
7. *Level-2 security of your vital data.
HD cloning software options:
1. SuperDuper HD cloning software APP (free)
2. Carbon Copy Cloner APP (will copy the recovery partition as well)
3. Disk utility HD bootable clone.
#4. Online archives
Drawbacks:
1. Subject to server failure or due to non-payment of your hosting account, it can be suspended.
2. Subject, due to lack of security on your part, to being attacked and hacked/erased.
Advantages:
1. In case of house fire, etc. your data is safe.
2. In travels, and propagating files to friends and likewise, a mere link by email is all that is needed and no large media needs to be sent across the net.
3. Online archives are the perfect and best-idealized 3rd platform redundancy for data protection.
4. Supremely useful in data isolation from backups and local archives in being online and offsite for long-distance security in isolation.
5. *Level-1.5 security of your vital data.
#5. DVD professional archival media
Drawbacks:
1. DVD single-layer disks are limited to 4.7Gigabytes of data.
2. DVD media are, given rough handling, prone to scratches and light-degradation if not stored correctly.
Advantages:
1. Archival DVD professional blank media is rated for in excess of 100+ years.
2. DVD is not subject to mechanical breakdown.
3. DVD archival media is not subject to ferromagnetic degradation.
4. DVD archival media correctly sleeved and stored is currently a supreme storage method of archiving vital data.
5. DVD media is once written and therefore free of data corruption if the write is correct.
6. DVD media is the perfect ideal for “freezing” and isolating old copies of data for reference in case newer generations of data become corrupted and an older copy is needed to revert to.
7. Best-idealized 4th platform redundancy for data protection.
8. *Level-3 (highest) security of your vital data.
[*Level-4 data security under development as once-written metallic plates and synthetic sapphire and likewise ultra-long-term data storage]
#6. Cloud based storage
Drawbacks:
1. Cloud storage can only be quasi-possessed.
2. No genuine true security and privacy of data.
3. Should never be considered for vital data storage or especially long-term.
4. *Level-0 security of your vital data.
Advantages:
1. Quick, easy and cheap storage location for simplex files for transfer to keep on hand and yet off the computer.
2. Easy source for small-file data sharing.

Can I use a single external drive to maintain time machine backups for two Mac computers?

Hello
We have an older mac mini and macbook air. I have one Western Digital external USB drive. Can I use the same drive to hold and maintain time machine backups for both machines?
I already have the macbook air time-machined on the WD drive. I now want to backup the mac mini onto the same drive. Is it going to over write the time machine backup or is the software smart enough to maintain two separate files, partitions, whatever it does..?

It will maintain separate backups. Note that it's generally advisable to use separate drives for best practice backup, but yes, it will work for both computers, provided you have enough space (need generally 2-3 times the total used file space for both Macs).
Matt

I am using 10.9.1 on a 21.5" iMac. I am backing up using Time Machine. The hourly backups are over kill. How do get TM to backup daily?

I am using 10.9.1 on a 21.5" iMac. I am backing up using Time Machine. The hourly backups are over kill. How do get TM to backup daily, only?

See Pondini's TM FAQs, for details.

My Time Machine Strategy for both iMac and MacBook...

1) Get 1TB external drive, format as HFS+ (including the Gizmodo hint about reformatting Fat32 drives properly by setting GUID Partition table)
2) Attach external drive to MacBook directly-run Time Machine overnight for initial full backup
3) Attach external drive to iMac directly-run Time Machine overnight for initial full backup
4) Attach external drive to my Mac Mini (running Leopard)-don't run Time Machine
5) Point the iMac and MacBook to the networked drive for future incremental Time Machine backups, by mounting the external drive permanently attached now to the Mac Mini as a shared drive.
This way, I get the tedious original backup thru direct connection-native Firewire speeds, then rely on the networked wired (iMac) and networked wireless (MacBook) connections for the incremental backups (which, given our usage, isn't that major on an hourly or daily basis)
Anyone tried something like this successfully?

If you have tried the fixes in Pondini's Time Machine Troublshooting, specifically #C12 and nothing helps, then it is time to let one of the genius types at an Apple Store take a look.
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
If you cannot take the Time Capsule to an Apple Store, contact Apple Support directly.
http://www.apple.com/support/contact/

Time Machine backup for old computer has been named for new computer

On my new Time Capsule, I backed up the entire disk from my older computer. While consulting with a live help technician for an unrelated problem, he had me reset the Time Capsule using the newer computer. To resume use of the Time Machine backup from my older computer, I had to gain permission . . . and subsequently discovered the reason why. Reseting with the new computer caused the backup volume to be renamed with the new computer's name.
Sooo, 1) how do I correct the naming error, and 2) will further confusion occur when I then go to back up the new computer?

It may or may not ask you to reformat the disk when you set it up as the backup for that new computer. If it does, I think you can cancel it.
What I would do is open Migration Assistant, then import your applications/documents/etc. onto the new computer, and then use the Time Machine disk for backup (formatting it if it asks you to).
You'll at least have recent files and stuff like that, which may not be as good as an incremental history but at least it's something.

Time Machine Background for my desktop or screen saver

How can I use the vortex time machine background for my desktop or screen saver background?
Thanks

Hello,
In short....you can't. You can use the static image as a wallpaper or slideshow ScreenSaver but you cannot use the "Vortex" engine for the animated Time Machine effects. It appears that the "Vortex" engine is part of the Resources for the Finder application itself as evidenced by the related files and images found in the Finder application Package. I don't know if anyone could create a "hack", utilizing the existing resources, to make a ScreenSaver file or not. I have zero experience with ScreenSavers. I just use them.
I know that there are interesting integer parameters in some of the "Vortex" files but I do not have the "bullocks" to experiment with them.
Sorry.....
pw

Photos deleted a ton of photos (several events/categories/albums in iPhoto). I have backups on Time Machine but I can't go back further than the date I installed Photos, even though backups are there. Anyone have any ideas?

I have been looking forward to an improvement to iPhoto but have found Photos to be worse than useless, unfortunately. It uses all my resources, crashes and freezes constantly. Not only that, the events/albums/categories I have spent countless hours sorting have been completely eliminated. Without this, the app is of no use to me. So, fine, I'll revert to iPhoto, but a ton of my photos are now missing. It shouldn't be a big deal, because I use Time Machine regularly, but Time Machine won't let me restore any time past the date I installed the OS update (the backups are there). Any suggestions?

Your Time Machine backup lets you go back to directly the moment after you upgraded to MacOS X 10.10.3? There must have been some interval between the upgrade and the first launch of Photos.
Try, if you can see the original iPhoto Library in the first backup. Directly after the migration it will have a filename extension ".migratedphotolibrary", but this library should still work with iPhoto, nothing changed but the extension.

Time Machine has simply stopped backing up any new files. No items set to be excluded, No error messages.

I have a Macbook with OS X 10.6.8 and a 500GB external hard drive, which still has 208.5GB available. For some reason, Time Machine has simply stopped backing up any new files (documents, music, movies--anything). No items are set to be excluded from backups in Time Machine options except for the external hard drive itself. Also, no error messages appear, Time Machine seems to run just fine, but when I enter Time Machine, or look through the files on the hard drive, new files just aren't there. I am not very tech savvy, so I was not able to understand some of the answers people gave to similar questions on here. I did go to Pondini's website and followed as many troubleshooting instructions as I could understand (for example I did manage to do a full reset of Time Machine) but nothing changed. Do I just need to erase the entire backup drive and sart all over? If so, what will prevent this from happening again later on? Please help.

Your TM drive liekly stopped backing up because it hit a series of bad sectors on the drive, to eliminate this all new drives should be Disk Utility > Zero Erased (one step below 7x in Lion) before use.
Reducing bad sectors effect on hard drives
Diversify your backups with bootable clones and archives on DVD's etc so your prepared for anything, including using a PC.
only if you have too of course, but it happens, people just can't afford a Mac anymore.
Most commonly used backup methods explained
So make other backups, then Zero Erase teh TM drive and set it back up again and your problem should be resolved.
If not, then it's data corruption on your boot drive!
You'll know if it's data corruption on your boot drive, when you go to make the clone, it will hang too.

Just did a system restore from my time machine and I can not find any of my files from my desktop. How can I find them?

I am a new apple user...sorry it took so long. I did a recovery from my time machine but I can not find any of the filesI was saving on my desktop. Are they gone for good or is there some way I can get them back? I am desperate...should I save my regular used files somewhere else other than my desktop?
Can I get the old desktop files back????

When you open TM you should see all of the desktop items right away. If they are not there, go back a day before you made your last retrieval. (Look for the dates on the time line on the right hand side of the display)
Ciao.

ITunes tells me there is an update (5.1) but it never gets any further than trying to connect to the iPad server. I've tried updating directly from my iPad and it too times out saying it cannot connect to any server. My regular Apple updates work fine.

iTunes tells me there is an iOS update (5.1) but it never gets any further than trying to connect to the iPad server. I've tried updating directly from my iPad and it too times out saying it cannot connect to any server. My regular Apple updates work fine.

I haven't updated yet. Apple's download servers have been too busy. Did you know you can update via wifi instead of connection to your computer?
Here's a description of the update. Not a lot of changes for iPad 1/2.
iOS 5.1 Software Update
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1504
You can wait a while & update at your convenience.
 Cheers, Tom

HT203177 Time machine calculates for hours. Never goes any further. Help!!!

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