HT3275 Time Machine back up issue

Hi, I have been using Time Machine for a couple of years backing up to a Tim Capsule. Now getting the following error message "Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder". Does anyone know what the issue may be?

Standard Lion/Mountain issue.
See C17 Pondini.
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

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SSD/HDD Time Machine Back Up Issue

I am having an issue with my 2010 13" MacBook Pro.
A few months ago I removed the optical drive, replaced it with the existing HDD, and then replaced the HDD with an SSD.
The SSD runs my OS (Mountain Lion 10.8.4) and Applications, while the HDD is where I store my Home Folder.
I did a Time Machine Back Up in March using a SeaGate external hard drive, with no issues.
Last week I updated the Time Machine Back Up using the same external hard drive, but this time something has gone wrong.
I am unable to move files within my system without Finder prompting me for a password.
I am unable to write to any external USB as I do not have 'permission to perform some actions'.
I am unable to connect to external servers via VPNs.
Finder does not open a new window when slected, I am forced to press 'Comman+N' every time.
Numerous other issues.
I have read that it's an issue to do with ACL's, but since my Home Folder is not on my Startup Disk, there is no way for me to do this.
I am the only account on the computer, and both drives have 'Read & Write' permissions.
Does anyone know how to fix this issue?
Please feel free to ask for more details.
Thanks.

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Third-party system modifications are a common cause of usability problems. By a “system modification,” I mean software that affects the operation of other software — potentially for the worse. The following procedure will help identify which such modifications you've installed. Don’t be alarmed by the complexity of these instructions — they’re easy to carry out and won’t change anything on your Mac.
These steps are to be taken while booted in “normal” mode, not in safe mode. If you’re now running in safe mode, reboot as usual before continuing.
Below are instructions to enter some UNIX shell commands. The commands are harmless, but they must be entered exactly as given in order to work. If you have doubts about the safety of the procedure suggested here, search this site for other discussions in which it’s been followed without any report of ill effects.
Some of the commands will line-wrap or scroll in your browser, but each one is really just a single line, all of which must be selected. You can accomplish this easily by triple-clicking anywhere in the line. The whole line will highlight, and you can then copy it. The headings “Step 1” and so on are not part of the commands.
Note: If you have more than one user account, Step 2 must be taken as an administrator. Ordinarily that would be the user created automatically when you booted the system for the first time. The other steps should be taken as the user who has the problem, if different. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this paragraph doesn’t apply.
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
When you launch Terminal, a text window will open with a line already in it, ending either in a dollar sign (“$”) or a percent sign (“%”). If you get the percent sign, enter “sh” and press return. You should then get a new line ending in a dollar sign.
Step 1
Triple-click the line of text below on this page to select it:
kextstat -kl | awk '!/com\.apple/{printf "%s %s\n", $6, $7}' | open -f -a TextEdit
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Then click anywhere in the Terminal window and paste (command-V). A TextEdit window will open with the output of the command. If the command produced no output, the window will be empty. Post the contents of the TextEdit window (not the Terminal window), if any — the text, please, not a screenshot. You can then close the TextEdit window. The title of the window doesn't matter, and you don't need to post that. No typing is involved in this step.
Step 2
Repeat with this line:
{ sudo launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.(apple|openssh|vix)|org\.(amav|apac|cups|isc|ntp|postf|x)/{print $3}'; sudo defaults read com.apple.loginwindow LoginHook 2> /dev/null; } | open -f -a TextEdit
This time you'll be prompted for your login password, which you do have to type. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. Type it carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. Heed that warning, but don't post it. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
Note: If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before taking this step. If that’s not possible, skip to the next step.
Step 3
launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.apple|org\.(x|openbsd)/{print $3}' | open -f -a TextEdit
Step 4
ls -1A /e*/{la,mach}* {,/}L*/{Ad,Compon,Ex,Fram,In,Keyb,La,Mail/Bu,P*P,Priv,Qu,Scripti,Servi,Spo,Sta}* L*/Fonts .la* 2> /dev/null | open -f -a TextEdit
Important: If you formerly synchronized with a MobileMe account, your me.com email address may appear in the output of the above command. If so, anonymize it before posting.
Step 5
osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get name of every login item' | open -f -a TextEdit
Remember, steps 1-5 are all copy-and-paste — no typing, except your password. Also remember to post the output.
You can then quit Terminal.

Time Machine back up issue

Heya Guys!
Not sure this is in the right place so please move it if needed.
Ok, so I have an external hard drive, and I am trying to back up my mac through Time Machine. My issue is that it gets to a certain point where it will say 'The backup was not performed because an error ocurred while copying files to the backup disc. The problem may be temporary. Try again later to back up. If the problem persists, use Disk Utility to repair your backup disk'.
I repair the disc, and I thought I'd figured it out it, but now every single time it tells me to repair the disc. I have bought a brand new hard drive to do this with and it had the same thing.
Also it will get to saying that it has only 148 mb to go, will do it really quick then will go on to back up more data that wasn't there before in the bar, and then will say as above about disc repair.
I have no idea if it is actually backing up, as when I look into my hard drive, the .(file format) is .inprogress and the time machine sign always ends up saying back up failed.
I haven't a clue how to resolve this, so any help would be wonderful. Even if someone could just reassure me that yes it has backed up properly, that would be brilliant.
The hard drive I am using for this is a Seagate GoFlex 500GB and I did buy a Seagate External 1TB that I partitioned so I could use it on a Mac to use it with originally, but reverted back to my GoFlex.
Thanks,
Simon

I've just run Carbon Copy Cloner to back it up too and that has revealed where the problems are. Most of these I already have on my External Hard Drive safe but not the others, and since it is my first ever back up I don't want to delete something off my Hard Drive that I can't get back on it somehow. The problem areas are below:
ATIRadeonX2000GLDriver (located in system/library/extensions/atiradeonx2000gldriver.bundle/contents/macos)
Media Toolbox (located in system/library/privateframeworks/avfoundationcf.framework/support/mediatoolbox/ framework/versions/A/mediatoolbox)
Core AUC (located in system/library/privateframeworks/coreauc.framework/versions/A/coreauc)
I was also told that one of my files needs to be repaired as it failed to open, but I have no idea how to do it. It is located here: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Install.framework/Versions/A/Resources/runner
I'm guessing these are what is causing my issues, but I'm not exactly computer savvy when it comes to these sorts of things, so I don't know whether deleting them is a good idea, especially when I'm not sure if they are on a disc somewhere or not.
Thanks for the help so far guys! :-)
Simon

Time machine back up issue continues with Mavericks

I keep getting the errors "Time Machine couldn’t complete the backup to “Time Machine”. "Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder." anytime Time Machine tries to backup after it goes into Energy Saver mode. I have had this issue since Lion and hoped either Mountian Lion of Mavericks would correct this issue.
I am using a USB 2.0 external HD attached directly to my Mac Mini via USB 3.0. If I restrt my Mac, Time Machine has no issues as long as it doesn't go to Sleep. If it tries to backup after sleep, I get the message.
Any ideas?

Bueller? Anyone have any suggestions?

Time machine back-up issue in Mavericks

Hello,
I have a query about Time machine back up to an external drive.
Initially, I installed Mavericks and was using the back up disc and everything was running fine.
Then, I had to clean install Mavericks as I had to submit my MBP to repair at Apple store.
Following the return of the machine, I migrated the backup data to my MBP.
Since then, I ran a back up and then it took 3-4 hours where the Time Machine cleaned the old backup. and I presume that it deleted the old back up removing approx 188 GB or the partition of 350 GB. And then, I got a notification that the back up failed, and the message states that it requires minimum of 200 GB and asks me to get a drive with larger capacity.
So I am not sure what to do now. Should I just erase the back up partition? I think it is not advisable.
Please suggest a solution.
I am also confused about the larger size of the back up which requires larger drive for Time machine backup. Is that because of Mavericks?
Thanks,

Time Machine needs to perform a complete system backup after upgrading to Mavericks. Before you erase your Time Machine backup do the following.
Turn off Time Machine in Time Machine's Preferences. Eject and disconnect the backup disk, if it is locally connected (not a Time Capsule).
Select the following line (triple-click to select the entire line), then control-click, and from the contextual menu that appears, select Services > Reveal in Finder:
/Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist
Drag the selected file directly to the Trash. You will need to authenticate.
This procedure will not delete your existing backups any differently than Time Machine would normally perform that task.
Reconnect your backup device, then from Time Machine's Preferences, turn on Time Machine, select your backup device, then select Back Up Now from the Time Machine icon. TM will remain in "Preparing Backup..." for a long time. When it eventually begins backing up, you may notice that the "backing up xxx of yyy" numbers will appear to change unpredictably. That's normal, and TM activity will return to normal after the initial backup of the Mavericks installation.

HT3275 time machine back up not completed due to backup disk image "/volumes/data/.....imac.sparsebundle" is already in use. How do I fix?

time machine back up not completed due to backup disk image "/volumes/data/.....imac.sparsebundle" is already in use. How do I fix?

Pull the power cable from the back of the Time Capsule
Wait a few minutes
Insert the power cable back in the back of the Time Capsule
This will fix the problem 90% of the time. If no luck, see #C12 in this great support document by Pondini:
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

Time Machine Back Up issue - read only?

HI There,
All of a sudden the Time machine could not complete the backup. it says
Files can't be copied on to the backup disk because it appears to be read only.
Any clue why that says that now all of a sudden?
Thanks
Carol

That means your backups are corrupt.
Try Repairing them (not permissions), per #A5 in the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip,* also at the top of this forum.
If Disk Utility can't repair them, or the +*Repair Disk+* button is grayed-out (meaning OSX has already decided it can't fix them), you're out of options. All you can do is delete the sparse bundle via the Finder, or erase the disk. Use +*Airport Utility.+* Select +*Base Station > Manual Set-Up+* from the Menubar, then Disks in the tool Bar, then Erase.

Time machine back up issue - external hard drive

Bought a new 1T USB 3.0 external hard drive. Backed up fine first time but now my mac is not 'seeing it'. Doesn't show in finder or anywhere, power light doesn't come on on hard drive though I can feel it working ('vibrating and heats up slightly). Sometimes when I plug it in it says drive wasn't ejected properly even though it didn't show in the finder to begin with and power light didn't come on. All ready done software update in first instance. What to do?

Check that the data cable is securely inserted at both ends.
Try a different cable.
If you're connecting the drive through a hub, connect it directly to a built-in port on the Mac.
If you're connecting it directly, try a different port.
Test the drive with another Mac. Test another drive with this Mac.
Boot from your recovery partition (Mac OS X 10.7 or later) or from your installation disc, and launch Disk Utility. Is the drive recognized?
If the drive doesn't work under any of the above conditions, and if another drive does work with the same Mac, then the drive has failed. You may be able to salvage the mechanism by removing it from the enclosure and installing it in another one, or in a drive dock.

HT3275 where did my time machine back up go to on new hard drive?

Hi, I recently had hard drive fail on my late 2006 iMac. Had a new hard drive installed. Restored my computer from the most recent time machine back up from my external drive, but can't find restored data on iMac. Any ideas?
Went to the latest backup and hit 'restore' took about 2.5 hours for the data to transfer to new hard drive. I can tell it's chewing up the new hard drive space but the data/profile from my old mac is nowhere to be found on the new hard drive.

It might have created a new user and loaded under that.. new user being the old user. But if you have issues do it again, only this time pick where the backup will go.
http://pondini.org/TM/16.html
The other questions might also be relevant as a new hard disk will make the Mac appear to the TM backup as a new computer.
See 14-18 for restore info.

HT3275 Time Machine Error (Time Capsule) - Not backing up "problem may be temporary"

Hi,
I am running Time Machine backing up to a Time Capsule (2TB version).
Since yesterday the backups have not performed as scheduled, with a vague error saying files were not copied and this may be temporary.
The Time Capsule software is up to date, I've unplugged it and plugged it back in, and have restarted the mac (twice!).
Still getting the error - it suggests I repair the backup disk in Disk Utility but it is not displayed in Disk Utility so not sure how to do that.
How temporary is temporary and what can I do to repair the disk if it isn't showing in Disk Utility?
Cheers.

Welcome to Lion.. did you just update again to 7.4.. no doubt some new bugs will now flow into the network.
You need to firstly download and use utility 5.6 as the version in lion is useless.
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1482
If the TC will not be recognised you need to plug into it by ethernet.. I guess you are using wireless.. even worse on Lion.. and press the reset and redo the setup. Lion has no idea what went before, only what comes after.
To verify the disk you need to mount the sparsebundle.. but to do that you need to see it which means direct connection and reset.
See http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
A5 how to verify.. but frankly I doubt it has anything to do with it.

HT3275 Can some HELP, I keep getting this error with my Time Machine Back up, "The backup disk image "/Volumes/JKPN Safe/JKPN IMAC.sparsebundle" is already in use.

Can some one HELP me , I keep getting this error with my Time Machine Back up, "The backup disk image “/Volumes/JKPN Safe/JKPN IMAC.sparsebundle” is already in use.

See > http://pondini.org/TM/C12.html

HT3275 does time machine back up email?

Does time machine back up all the emails in your apple mail?

Yes, assuming of course, that you have not specifically excluded Mail from backups.

HT3275 power shot down during time machine back up

power shot down during time machine back up
and now my mac is not booting up

Ouch!
I'm assuming it was actually a restore? If so, was it a full system restore, or selected items?
What version of OSX are you running?
And, just to be sure, are you backing-up to a TIme Capsule? If not, what?

HT1338 Time Machine Back-Up Slow

Time Machine Back-Up takes 4+ days to do initial back-up. I am hard wired connected to my time capsule have erased the disk and reinitiated a brand new back-up. I am trying to back up about 960 G and it takes anywhere between 4-7 days. That would be OK but after 1-2 days the iMac loses connectivity to the Time Capsule and I have to start over again. I have tried everything including a complete reinstall of the Montain Lion Operatin System but nothing seems to help. This problem first happened after the Mountian Lion upgrade before that Time Machine worked flawlessly.

Hey aarthur2060,
Thanks for the question. I understand you are experiencing issues with Time Machine. The following resources may help to resolve your issue:
OS X Mountain Lion: If Time Machine is slow
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11172
Time Machine: Troubleshooting backup issues
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3275
Thanks,
Matt M.

Time machine back up- TC 3TB - after maverick- never complete

my time machine back up never complete almost finish but stuck at the END.
Stuck for FOREVER and NEVER completed back up YET.
i erase time captule content and start back up as new but still the same.
so i can't use time machine back up anymore?
what is the deal? any solution?
please help.

Hi there RichNads!
I have an article here that can help you troubleshoot this issue with your Time Capsule and backing up your computer. That article can be found here:
Time Machine: Troubleshooting backup issues
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3275
Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities!
Cheers,
Braden

HT3275 Time Machine back up issue

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