HT3275 what do I do when time machine says: Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder?

I am trying to back up my imac using an external storage: My passport Studio 1TB.  Each time it trys to back up Time machine says: Unable to complete back up. An error occurred while creating the backup folder.  Does anyone know how I can fix this problem? Thanks

Plowie,
Do a search in Discussions, "An error occurred while creating the backup folder."
Many of us are having this problem and no fix has been offered, that I could find.
Unless you call "eject the external HDD; turn off; turn back on" a fix.  That's what I have to do every 2 or 3 days; I even have to "force eject", with the concomitant warning message that you could lose data, etc.

Similar Messages

  • HT3275 Time machine couldn't complete the backup. an error occured while creating the backup folder

    Time machine couldn't complete the backup. an error occured while creating the backup folder Why does this happen?

    hello,
    http://pondini.org/TM/C10.html
    http://Pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
    http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
    Can't imaging something not being covered there.

  • When I tried to back up my computer, Time Machine says 'an error occurred while creating the backup folder.' When I check the side of the partition where I manually saved old files, the folders are there, but NONE of the files are.

    I haven't backed up my computer in over a year. When I tried to back it up today, Time Machine says 'an error occurred while creating the backup folder.' When I check the side of the partition where I manually saved old photos and documents (including all the pictures from the year I studied abroad/traveled a bunch), the folders are there, but NONE of the files are.
    Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be, or how I could fix it? I really don't want to lose all those photos

    So you were doing a time machine backup to another partition on the same hard drive? Just trying to gather some information so i can provide a helpful response.

  • I am trying to use Time Machine to back-up to an external hard drive and I get the following message.Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder. Does anyone know what I should do?

    I am trying to use Time Machine to back-up to an external hard drive and I get the following message.Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder. Does anyone know what I should do?

    Hello Drake, I suspect one or more of the Drives needs repairing, but...
    Have you looked through Pondini's extensive TM help site?
    http://Pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
    http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
    Can't imaging something not being covered there.

  • HT3275 I get the following message - "Time Machine could not complete the backup."  "Unable to complete backup."  "An error occurred while creating the backup folder.""

    I get the following message - "Time Machine could not complete the backup."  "Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder."" 
    This MAC is partioned with Windows 7 with only  50 gig devoted to Windows so my son can play Flight Simulator X on the machine. 
    I have a WD Passport External Hard Drive for the Back Up
    I have spoken with WD Tech Support and they have been fantastic but I still keep getting this message.  Any thought?
    Maxx

    Reboot the TC.. it sometimes gets lost on the network.. are you still actually using 10.6.8 as the problem is more prevalent on Lion and ML it seems is no better.
    You might find reset of the TC is needed. change the names to short, no spaces pure alphanumeric.
    Reset the TM to the new name.. use the A4 in Pondini's great KB.
    http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

  • HT3275 The error message I get with Time Machine is 'Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder.' Any idea how I solve this problem?

    I am a little perplexed. The Time Machine does seem to be backing up my data but I continually get the following message displayed on my screen 'Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder.' I am using a WD My Passport for Mac portable hard disk drive.

    Hi Peter,
    http://pondini.org/TM/C10.html

  • HT3275 Time Machine Problem? Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder.

    Time machine is having trouble.  This is the error message... Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder.
    Ideas?

    Reboot the TC.. if that is not enough reboot the whole network.. from off, restart in order.. modem.. TC.. clients 2min gap.

  • HT3275 How do I correct this problem - Time Machine could not complete back up. An error occurred while creating the backup folder? The problem started on 5th March but I had backed up to an iomega HD since I got my iMac in October.

    I have had a problem since 5th March with Time Machine on my iMac. I have had no problem since I got the computer in October backing up to an iomega HD but now I keep getting a message that "Time Machine could not complete the backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder". Anyone know how to correct this?

    I had the same "Error creating the backup folder" error - many times over.
    I went into the Disk Utility, selected the Backup Disk and ran Verify. It checked out OK. But if not, could have run Repair.
    Then did a complete shutdown and restart of the iMac and then tried "Backup Now" from the Time Machine icon's menu - it worked fine.

  • Hello I bought a G-Raid GR4 4000 4 TB and used it for a backup with my new Imac27. Now this is all I get. "Time Machine couldn't complete the backup to "G-RAID". to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder.

    Hello I bought a G-Raid GR4 4000 4 TB and used it for a backup with my new Imac27. Now this is all I get. "Time Machine couldn’t complete the backup to “G-RAID”. to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder."
    Any idea what I should do?

    If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.
    Launch the Console 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 Console in the icon grid.
    Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left. If you don't see that menu, select
    View ▹ Show Log List
    from the menu bar.
    Enter the word "Starting" (without the quotes) in the String Matching text field. You should now see log messages with the words "Starting * backup," where * represents any of the words "automatic," "manual," or "standard." Note the timestamp of the last such message. Clear the text field and scroll back in the log to that time. Select the messages timestamped from then until the end of the backup, or the end of the log if that's not clear. Copy them (command-C) to the Clipboard. Paste (command-V) into a reply to this message.
    If all you see are messages that contain the word "Starting," you didn't clear the search box.
    If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Don't post many repetitions of the same message.
    When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.
    Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
    Some personal information, such as the names of your files, may be included — anonymize before posting.

  • Time Machine: "An error occurred while creating the backup folder."

    Devices involved:
    • MacBook Pro (Mid-2009, 15-inch, OS X 10.7 Lion)
    • 2 TB LaCie XL Hard Drive
    The issue:
    I've been looking for the answer to this for the longest time on this dicussion fourm and on other sites, but the gist of the issue is this: Whenever I try to backup with Time Machine, I leave the backup going overnight When I see the status in the morning, Time Machine greets me with the message, "Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder." I backup both Macintosh HD and another external drive for my iTunes library.
    What I've tried:
    I've tried this on both Snow Leopard and Lion. Alleged solutions have ranged from fixing permissions on both the backup drive and the source drives, uninstalling Growl, and erasing the backup drive. I've tried all of them, to no avail. I need a solution.
    Update 1: The backup drive is formatted to Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
    Update 2: The backup drive was verified by disk utility and has no issues.
    Update 2: The backup drive is connected to an LED Cinema Display thru USB, which is connected to my MacBook Pro thru USB.

    I probably can't add any more then. Any time I've had an issue like that, reformatting has done the trick. I'm not familiar with Growl, other than what I just Googled. Just be sure that you've completely deleted it and all it's files from:
    Application Folder
    ~/Library/Application Support/Growl - if it exists there
    ~/Library/Preferences
    If you find any files in those locations, delete them and try reformatting the drive again

  • Time Machine Error: An error occurred while creating the backup directory

    Time Machine Error: Unable to complete backup. An error occured while creating the backup directory.
    I back up to wirelessly to a Time Capsule. I get these errors often. I'll go for a few days with everything working and then encounter these errors. I've even completely erased the Time Capsule drive and started over. It'll work fine for a few days and then start the errors over again. Interestingly, when the errors occur, the Time Capsule drive can not be unmounted even if clicking the eject button. I am on 10.5.8 but it happened in 10.5.7 as well. I have another Mac that doesn't seem to have any issues with the same Time Capsule.
    Here's a log - they all seem to fail with similar errors:
    Starting standard backup
    Backup destination alias resolved to path: /Volumes/AirPort Disk
    Disk image /Volumes/AirPort Disk/Brittney’s Computer_0019e33d4fde.sparsebundle mounted at: /Volumes/Backup of Brittney’s Computer
    Backing up to: /Volumes/Backup of Brittney’s Computer/Backups.backupdb
    2009-08-27 13:52:48.465 FindSystemFiles[2955:713] Querying receipt database for system packages
    2009-08-27 13:52:48.693 FindSystemFiles[2955:713] Using system path cache.
    Failed to create progress log file at path:/Volumes/Backup of Brittney’s Computer/Backups.backupdb/Brittney’s Computer/2009-08-26-212437.inProgress/.Backup.273091970.250248.log.
    Error: (-50) Creating directory 7CCE60DD-ADCC-4004-A0D9-3EC83D892372
    Failed to make snapshot.
    Backup failed with error: 2
    Failed to eject volume /Volumes/Backup of Brittney’s Computer (FSVolumeRefNum: -114; status: -47; dissenting pid: 0)

    Nancy H wrote:
    I used it as it came, supposedly formatted for a mac.
    It may or may not be right.
    I'd be inclined to start over, per #5 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
    If that doesn't help, go on to #C10, etc., in the Troubleshooting Tip, as in the previous post.

  • I got an error message saying "an error occurred while creating the backup folder". I have tried deleting the plist and am using the latest time capsule software and using OS Lion Any ideas what to do please?

    got an error message saying "an error occurred while creating the backup folder". I have tried deleting the plist and am using the latest time capsule software and using OS Lion Any ideas what to do please?

    See #C10 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.

  • TS1550 Time Machine worked fine w. new HD for 16 backups, but started giving this mssg: [TIME MACHINE COULDN'T COMPLETE THE BACKUP TO "TOSHIBA EXT" ...An error occurred while creating the backup folder]

    Time Machine worked fine w. new HD for 16 backups, but started giving this mssg: [TIME MACHINE COULDN'T COMPLETE THE BACKUP TO "TOSHIBA EXT" ...An error occurred while creating the backup folder]

    Make sure your hard drive is formatted properly for the operating system installed.  Go to Apple menu -> About This Mac to determine what it is.  You posted to the 10.5 forum, but your signature says you have 10.9.  Here is the tip on what formatting supports what operating systems:
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3003

  • Error: Time Machine couldn't complete the backup to Time Capsule - Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder.

    error: Time Machine couldn't complete the backup to Time Capsule - Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder.

    If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.
    Launch the Console 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 Console in the icon grid.
    Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left. If you don't see that menu, select
    View ▹ Show Log List
    from the menu bar.
    Enter the word "Starting" (without the quotes) in the String Matching text field. You should now see log messages with the words "Starting * backup," where * represents any of the words "automatic," "manual," or "standard." Note the timestamp of the last such message. Clear the text field and scroll back in the log to that time. Select the messages timestamped from then until the end of the backup, or the end of the log if that's not clear. Copy them (command-C) to the Clipboard. Paste (command-V) into a reply to this message.
    If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Don't post many repetitions of the same message.
    When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.
    Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
    Some personal information, such as the names of your files, may be included — anonymize before posting.

  • Time Machine: Error occurred while creating the backup folder

    Mac Mini 2.53 GHz, 8 GB DDR3
    OS X 10.8.4
    Time Capsule 1 TB, connected via ethernet
    Airport Utility 6.3.1 (631.4)
    "Time Machine Error.  Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder."
    I believe my Time Capsule is out of space and isn't removing older backups to create space for itself.  Time Machine preferences says only 98 MB available on the 1 TB volume.  I have used Pondini's superb troubleshooting page with the following results:
    A1: Time Machine Buddy Widget.  Partial log from backup attempt:
    Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb
    Failed to create progress log file at path:/Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb/Macmini-34159E18D208 (4)/2013-04-04-223516.inProgress/.Backup.400571203.603238.log.
    Event store UUIDs don't match for volume: Macintosh HD
    Error: (Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=640 "You can’t save the file “598C5622-100E-456A-89AF-DEBC87A6CA89” because the volume “Time Machine Backups” is out of space." UserInfo=0x7f88a330cef0 {NSFilePath=/Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb/Macmini-34159E18D208 (4)/2013-04-04-223516.inProgress/598C5622-100E-456A-89AF-DEBC87A6CA89, NSUnderlyingError=0x7f88a33056a0 "The operation couldn’t be completed. No space left on device"}) Creating directory 598C5622-100E-456A-89AF-DEBC87A6CA89
    Failed to make snapshot.
    Backup failed with error: 2
    Ejected Time Machine disk image: /Volumes/Data/Macmini-34159E18D208 (4).sparsebundle
    Ejected Time Machine network volume.
    A4: Full reset of Time Machine.  Done, did not change error from occurring on next backup attempt.
    A5b: Verify backups on Time Machine.  Done, successful (no problems).
    C10: Also attempted switching out ethernet cable and tried different ports on the Time Capsule, to no effect.
    I have no exceptions listed in Time Machine preferences (under Options) and the box for "notify when deleting old backups" is UNchecked.
    Any suggestions would be most appreciated!!

    grifftastic wrote:
    I believe my Time Capsule is out of space and isn't removing older backups to create space for itself.  Time Machine preferences says only 98 MB available on the 1 TB volume.
    "You can’t save the file “598C5622-100E-456A-89AF-DEBC87A6CA89” because the volume “Time Machine Backups” is out of space."
    Yes, it's so full it can't get started -- not even far enough to start deleting old backups.
    If you have other data there (not usually a good idea), move some of it elsewhere temporarily, and try again.
    If not, manually delete a couple of old backups, and "compact" the sparse bundle, per Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #12.

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