Mac OS Format (case-sensitive) transfer to a PC friendly format

Hi,
I have a complicated issue.
The computer I'm currently using is utilizing Mavericks 10.9.2.
The format of the SSD is the default Mac OS X Journaled type.
One of my external HDDs is formatted as (Mac OS Extended (Case-sentive, journaled)).
I'd like to consolidate all my data onto an exFAT formatted external HDD, but the (Mac OS Extended (Case-sentive, journaled)) formatted HDD is throwing out errors every time I try to transfer the data onto it.
Is there any viable solution under Mavericks that could help me fix this issue?

Unless you tell us what the error message says, then it's hard to help!
Why did you format your external case-sensitive? This can cause errors with some software and should not be done unless you particularly need it for some particular purpose.
Finally, I would recommend that you store Mac data on a Mac-formatted drive. Other formats don't always play nice with the extended attributes and other metadata that OS X adds.

Similar Messages

How can I transfer my iphoto library from a Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) harddrive to a Mac OS Extended (Journaled) hard drive?

Community,
Every time I try to transfer my iphoto library from a Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) harddrive to a Mac OS Extended (Journaled) hard drive, I receive the attached message: "You can't copy 'iPhoto Library' because it has the same name as another ideon on the destination volume, and that volume doesn't destinguish between upper- and lowercase letters in filenames."
My theory is, if I am able to unpackage my iphoto library, I can transfer each folder one at a time so that I can trouble shoot any "duplicates." Will this work?
Let's say that works. How can I repackage the library so iphoto recognizes it?
Is there a better way?
Thank you,
Jonathan

Can we assume that I don't have any naming conflicts? Clearly there are or else I wouldn't get the error I'm getting.
The error doesn't mean you have name conflicts. It means that the Finder won't take the chance that you might have them.
You're suggesting that all I would need to do would be to use Carbon Copy Cloner to transfer the files from the case-sensative harddrive to my Extended Journaled harddrive?
Yes. But I would just use the built-in rsync shell command. First, back up all data if you haven't already done so. Launch the Terminal application by entering the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Copy or drag -- do not type -- the line below into the Terminal window, then press the space bar:
rsync -aE --delete
Now drag the iPhoto library you want to copy into the window. You should have something like this:
rsync -aE --delete /Users/you/Pictures/iPhoto\ Library
Drag the Pictures folder on the destination volume into the window. Now you have this (line will wrap on the page):
rsync -aE --delete /Users/you/Pictures/iPhoto\ Library /Volumes/something/Users/you/Pictures
Press return. The copying operation will start. When it finishes, you'll see a new dollar-sign ("$") prompt below what you entered. If there were no errors, you're done.

Hello. I keep my IPhoto library (about 90GB) on an external HD and am trying to back it up to another external drive. Both are formatted Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled). Recently, backup has failed from the start due to error 36. Howtoresolve?

Hello. I keep my iPhoto library (about 90GB) on an external HD and am trying to back it up to another external drive. Both are formatted Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) and both check out when scanned with Disk Utility. Recently, backup has failed from the start due to error 36. Any ideas how to resolve? Also, what's the maximum recommended size for an iPhoto library file? Thx!

Since you can't drag the library to the other EHD for the backup see if you can duplicate it (if you have enough room on the drive) by selecting it and typing Command+d (duplicate).
If you do rebuild the library without a backup and it goes awry you won't lose your photos but you may lose your orgnaizational efforts. So try the following:
Fix #1
Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and rebuild the library.
Select the options identified in the screenshot.
Fix #2
Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
Download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
Click on the Add Library button, navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.
Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the File ➙ Rebuild Library menu option
In the next window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.
Click on the Create button.
Note: This creates a new library in the location of your choosing based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments but not books, calendars or slideshows. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.
NOTE: Fix 2 above might be the method you might want to try first with iPLM creating the new library on your second EHD. If it works that would get your backup copy on the second EHD at the same time as repairing it. If it does'nt work then go back to Fix 1.
OT

How do I change the Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) Format of my Verbatim External Hard Drive

Good evening.
I have a Verbatim External Hard Drive, currently being used for my Time Machine back-up on my MacBook (Running Mac OS X Version 10.6.8).
I also frequently use a normal Windows laptop (Normal 32-bit OS).
The Hard Drive was formatted to Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) in order for the MacBook to do the Time Machine back-up.
How do I change the fromat of the Hard Drive, as i do not need the Time Machine back-up to be done on the Hard Drive anymore, and I NEED to use the external in both PC's.
Your assistance will be greatly apreciated.

Open Disk Utility, select the external hard drive, select erase, and format it as FAT32. You'll be able to use it with both Mac and Windows.

HT5096 Format required is Mac OS Extended (Case sensitive and Journaled)

In step 4 of this article, the disk must be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Case sensitive and Journaled) or the system won't copy Backups.backupdb.

Really why not just check the box that says ignore ownership on the volume.

Hi, I want to format my macbook pro and i don't know what to choose from this list---: Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Mac OS Extended Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive)

Hi, I want to format my macbook pro and i don't know what to choose from this lis
Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Mac OS Extended
Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled)
Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive)

MAC OS Extended (Journaled)

Not able to install adobe due to Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled)?

My harddisk is Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) and this does not support adobe aplications. Is there a way of changing the format?

No, not easily.
How and why is it case-sensitive? Macs are case-ignorant by default, but a few 3rd-party apps require it. Do you have another app that requires it?
Assuming you already have data on your Mac that you want to keep, you'll need to start with at least two full backups on two separate external HDs, because you'll have to erase the internal, reinstall OSX, and put your data back (that may be rather tedious).
What version of OSX is your Mac running?

Convert from Case-sensitive Journaled to Journaled without Format Possible?

Hi.
I am now trying to install Adobe CS3 but it will not install unless I have the OS system on the non-case-sensitive volume. I went to Adobe website and the only way to solve the problem is to install the software on the volume that has Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.
Currently, I am using Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled). I would like to ask whether there is anyway I can "convert" my current format into Mac OS Extended (Journaled) without having to format (i.e. erase the disk)? It will be a real pain to erase everything before doing so just to install Adobe CS3.
Thank you in advance!

I never use case-sensitive. You're going to have to go back and erase your hard drive so that it's formatted as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" with a single GUID partition if the case-sensitive part is giving you fits. I don't know what OS you're running but, as far as I know, not even AutoCAD 2013 for Mac will run under Mountain Lion (that's the last I heard, anyway).
Clinton

Copying Files from Case-Sensitive External to Non-Case-Sensitive Internal?

+(Sorry if this is the wrong sub-forum, I didn't know which one this question fit in)+
I just got a new iMac today and I'm trying to transfer some of my old files (specifically iTunes & iPhoto). My old computer was an MBP & only had an 80 GB HD, so these files were run off an external drive.
I know basically how to copy these files onto my new computer. The problem is that my external drive is formatted as Mac OS Extended (Case-Sensitive, Journaled). So when I try to copy the iTunes or iPhoto folder, I get the following message:
+You can’t copy “iTunes” because it has the same name as another item on the destination volume, and that volume doesn’t distinguish between upper- and lowercase letters in filenames.+
The only option I know of is to reformat my iMac's drive as Mac OS Extended (Case-Sensitive, Journaled). Since Macs ship with the drive formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled), I assume that's the best option, and would prefer not to reformat if I don't have to. I've also read that some programs won't run on a case-sensitive drive.
*Do I have any easy alternatives to move my iTunes/iPhoto folders?*
*If not, what negatives do I need to consider when reformatting my iMac's drive to a case-sensitive one?*
Thanks.

Joel-X wrote:
I've solved the problem for iTunes, but it was a bit tedious.
Yes, I'll bet! It would be sooo much easier if the Finder would produce a list somewhere.
*Assuming that I solve the "case-sensitivity problem" for my old "iPhoto Library" folder, will a simple drag and drop of that folder to my new iMac allow me to just open iPhoto 9 and have all my photos be there?*
I believe so, as that's how Apple tells you to move it: [Moving your iPhoto library|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1229].
I don't want to spend too much time on the case-sensitivity problem until that question is answered, just in case.
It may not be as easy to solve, though. That library is a "package," kind of like an app -- actually a folder, but treated as a single object for most purposes. If you right-click it via the Finder and select +Show Package Contents,+ you'll see the file/folder structure.
See the note in the link above -- it sounds like changing file names will break the structure; it may only affect the files you change, but it might be worse.
If you can find the duplicates, you may be better off exporting them via iPhoto, deleting them via iPhoto, then re-importing them under different names. That should keep the structure intact.
At the very least, make a full copy somewhere before touching it.
Good luck!

Having Trouble Transferring Time-Machine files on Case Sensitive External to another External

Techies and Hard Drive Nerds: I have old Time Machine Backups formatted MAC OS Extended (Case Sensitive, Journaled). I want to take those items and move them to another hard-drive formatted MAC OS Extended (Journaled). I'm getting error message "The volume has the wrong case sensitivity for a backup."
How do I transfer these files?

Although the documentation says you can copy Time Machine backups in the Finder, it's very slow and sometimes doesn't work at all.
This technique will only work if the volume you're copying to is the same size, or larger than, the one you're copying from.
First, open the Time Machine preference pane and click the Select Disk... button. You may have to unlock the settings first by clicking the padlock icon in the lower left corner of the window. Authenticate as an administrator.
Delete the volume you're going to copy from the list of backup destinations. Then turn Time Machine OFF.
Launch Disk Utility, open the built-in help, and search for the term "Duplicate." Follow the instructions. All existing data on the destination volume will be erased. That shouldn't be a problem, because you don't want to mix backup and non-backup data on the same drive anyway.
If the volume you're copying was encrypted by Time Machine, you may have to unlock it first. Click the Unlock button in the toolbar of the Disk Utility window.
Turn Time Machine back ON and select the new volume as a backup destination. You can also continue to use the old volume, if you wish. The two will be alternated when both are available.
CAUTION: If the volume you're copying is corrupt, as shown by Repair Disk or Verify Disk in Disk Utility, then that corruption will be copied to the new drive. Don't copy data from a corrupt volume on a malfunctioning drive. Put the drive aside and don't use it until you're sure you'll no longer need the data. Then securely erase it and take it to a recycling center. Do the same if the Restore operation fails with "disk errors."

App Store Game Not Supported Case-Sensitive?

When you see the title NOTICE This game is not supported on volumes formatted as Mac OS Extended (Case-Sensitive), does this mean you cannot transfer to external? I have two games I have from mac app store and titled a folder on an External called Applications and they transfer and run perfect. What does this have to do with? Thanks

Mac OS Extended (Case-Sensitive) is one format that Disk Utility uses to configure a drive for the Mac. This is warning you not to try to run the game from a drive that has been formatted this way. Since your games run without issue, your ext drives are not likely formatted this way.

Print dialog options in case sensitive file system

Since changing the file system running Lion and Mountain Lion from Mac OS Extended (Journaled) to Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled), certain features in print dialogs have disappeared.
Particularly the option to print notes with slides in Microsoft Powerpoint are gone. Also, when choosing to print only 1 (or more, but not all) of multiple pages in Microsoft Word, the printer will nevertheless print all pages.
This problem occurs on printers of different brands, i.e. HP, Lexmark, Brother.
I was able to determine this problem by reproducing the issue on a cleanly installed Macbook Pro with OS X 10.8 formatted as Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) vs a cleanly installed Macbook Pro with OS X 10.8 formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled), not Case-sensitive.
Has anyone else had the same problem and maybe a solution?

I just fixed this on my Mac. It is a bug in Microsoft Office... the Printer Dialog Extension (PDE) for Powerpoint is located in a directory named "Plugins", but PowerPoint is looking for it in "PlugIns". This obviously does not work in a case-sensitive filesystem.
Here are the steps to fix the issue:
http://apple.stackexchange.com/a/119974/69562

How can I backup data from a case-sensitive volume to a NON-case-sensitive volume?

The case-sensitive volume in this instance being a desktop-mounted disk image volume.
A tragi-comedy in too many acts and hours
Dramatis Personae:
Macintosh HD: 27" iMac 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (iMac10,1), 12 GB RAM, 1 TB SATA internal drive
TB1: 1 TB USB external drive
TB2: 2 TB USB to Serial-ATA bridge external drive
Terabyte: a .dmg disk image and resulting desktop volume of the same name (sorry, I don't know the technical term for a .dmg that's been opened, de-compressed and mounted -- evanescently -- on the desktop)
Drive Genius 3 v3.1 (3100.39.63)/64-bit
Apple Disk Utility Version 11.5.2 (298.4)
Sunday morning (05/08/11), disk utility Drive Genius 3's drive monitoring system, Drive Pulse, reported a single bad block on an external USB2.0 1TB drive, telling me all data would be lost and my head would explode if I didn't fix this immediately. So I figured I'd offload the roughly 300 GB of data from TB1 to TB2 (which was nearly empty), with the intention of reinitializing TB 1 to remap the bad block and then move all its data BACK from TB 2. When I opened TB1's window in the Finder and tried to do a straight "Select All" and drag all items from TB1 to TB2, I got this error message:
"The volume has the wrong case sensitivity for a backup."
The error message didn't tell me WHICH volume had "the wrong case sensitivity for a backup," and believe me, or believe me not, this was the first time I'd ever heard that there WAS such a thing as "case sensitivity" for a drive. I tried dragging and dropping some individual folders -- some of them quite large, in the 40GB range -- from TB1 to TB2 without any problem whatsoever, but the majority of the items were the usual few-hundred-MB stuff that seems to proliferate on drives like empty Dunkin' Donuts coffee cups on the floor of my car, and I didn't relish the idea of spending an afternoon dragging and dropping dribs and drabs of 300GB worth of stuff from one drive to another.
Being essentially a simple-minded soul, I had what I thought was the bright idea that I could get around the problem by making a .dmg disk image file of the whole drive, stashing it on TB2, repairing and re-initializing TB1, and then decompressing the disk image I'd made of TB1, and doing the "drag and drop" of all the files in resulting desktop volume to TB1. So I made the .dmg of TB1, called "Terabyte," stashed that .dmg on TB2 (no error messages this time), re-initialized and then rebooted the iMac from my original Snow Leopard 10.6.1 disks and used Disk Utility to erase and initialize TB1 -- making sure that it was NOT initialized as case-sensitive, and installed a minimal system on TB1 from the same boot. Then I updated that 10.6.1 system to 10.6.7 with System Update, and checked to see that Disk Utility reported all THREE drives -- internal, 1TB, and 2TB -- as Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and no "case sensitive" BS. I also used Drive Genius 3's "information" function for more detailed info on all three drives. Except for the usual differing mount points, connection methods, and S.M.A.R.T. status (only the Macintosh HD internal, SATA 1TB drive supports S.M.A.R.T.), everything seemed to be oojah-***-spiff, all three drives showing the same Partition Map Types: GPT (GUID Partition Table.) Smooth sailing from here on out, I thought.
Bzzzzt! Wrong!
When I opened the Terabyte .dmg and its desktop volume mounted, I tried the old lazy man's "Select All" and drag all items from the desktop-mounted drive "Terabyte" to TB1, I got the error message:
"The volume has the wrong case sensitivity for a backup."
I then spent the next three hours on the phone with AppleCare (kids -- when you buy a Mac ANYTHING, cough up the money for AppleCare. Period.), finally reaching a very pleasant senior tech something-or-other in beautiful, rainy Portland, OR. Together we went through everything I had done, tried a few suggestions she offerred, and, at the end of three hours, BOTH of us were stumped. At least I didn't feel quite as abysmally stupid as I did at the beginning of the process, but that was all the joy I had gotten after two solid days of gnawing at this problem -- and I mean SOLID; I'm retired, and spend probably 12 hours a day, EVERY day, at the keyboard, working on various projects.
The AppleCare senior tech lady and I parted with mutual expressions of esteem, and I sat here, slowly grinding my teeth.
Then I tried something I don't know why I was so obtuse as to not have thought of before: I opened Apple's Disk Utility and checked the desktop-mounted volume Terabyte (Mount Point: /Volumes/Terabyte), the resulting volume from opening and uncompressing the .dmg "Terabyte".
Disk Utility reported: "Format : Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive)." Doh!
Obviously, TB1, the 1 TB USB external drive I'd actually bought as part of a bundle from MacMall when I bought my 27" iMac, and which I had initialized the first day I had the iMac up and running (late November 2009), had somehow gotten initialized as a Case-sensitive drive. How, I don't know, but I suspect the jerk behind the keyboard. Whatever the case, when I created the Terabyte disk image (the drive's original name: when I erased and re-initialized it -- see above -- I renamed it "1TB" for quick identification), the original drive's "Case-sensitive" format was encoded too. So when I tried to drag and drop EVERYTHING from the desktop-mounted volume "Terabyte" to the newly initialized and "blessed" (now THERE's a term from the past!), the system recognized it as an attempt as a total volume backup, and hit me with "The volume [the desktop-mounted volume "Terabyte" -- BB] has the wrong case sensitivity for a backup." And, of course, the reinitialized TB1 was now correctly formatted as NOT "case-sensitive."
Well, that solved the mystery (BTW, Disk Utility identified the unopened Terabyte.dmg as an "Apple UDIF read-only compressed {zlib}, which is why the .dmg file could be copied to ANY volume, case sensitive or not), but it didn't help me with my problem of having to manually move all that data from the desktop-mounted volume "Terabyte" to TB1. I tried to find a way to correct the problem at the .dmg AND opened-volume-from-.dmg level with every disk utility I had, to no avail.
Sorry for the long exposition, but others may trip over this "case-sensitive" rock in the road, and I wanted to make the case as clear as possible.
So my problem remains: other than coal shovel by coal shovel, is there any way to get all the data off this case-sensitive desktop-mounted volume "Terabyte" and onto TB1.
Not that I know whether it would made any difference or not, one of the things that got me into this situation was my inability to get "Time Machine" properly configured so it wasn't making new back-ups every (no lie) 15 minutes.
Philosophical bonus question: what's the need for this "case-sensitive," "NOT case-sensitive" option for disk initialization?
As always, thanks for any help.
Bart Brown

"Am I to understand that you have a case-sensitive volume with data that you want to copy to a case-insensitive volume? And the Finder won't let you do it? If that's what the problem is, the reason should be obvious: on the source volume, you may have two files in the same folder whose names differ only in case. When copying that folder to the target volume, it's not clear what the Finder should do."
Yes, I understand all that... NOW.
What I had (have) is a USB external 1TB drive (henceforth known as "Terabyte") that I bought with my 27" iMac. I formatted, and put a minimal (to make it bootable) system on Terabyte the same day back in late November 2009 that I set up my 27" iMac. Somehow -- I don't know how -- Terabyte got initialized as "case-sensitive." I didn't even know at the time that there WAS such a thing as "case-sensitive" or "NOT case-sensitive" format.
Sunday morning (05/08/11), Drive Pulse, a toolbar-resident utility (that's Part of Drive Genius 3) that monitors internal and external drives for physical, problems, volume consistency problems, and volume fragmentation, reported a single bad block on the volume Terabyte, advising me that it would be best if I re-formatted Terabyte ASAP. I thought I could open Terabyte in a Finder window, Select All, and drag everything on the drive to ANOTHER USB external drive of 2 TB capacity (henceforth known as TB2). When I tried to do that, I got an error message:
"The volume has the wrong case sensitivity for a backup."
First I'd heard of "case sensitivity" -- I'm not too bright, as you seem to have realized.
Oddly enough (to me), I could move huge chunks of data, including a folder of 40GB, from Terabyte to TB2 with no problem.
Then the scenario unfolded per my too-convoluted message: several hours of trying things on my own, including making a .dmg of Terabyte (henceforth to be known as Terabyte.dmg) -- which left me with the exact same problem as described in the previous 4 paragraphs; and my 3 hours on the phone with AppleCare, who at least explained this case-sensitive business, but, after some shot-in-the-dark brainstorming -- tough to do with only one brain, and THAT on the OTHER end of the line -- the very pleasant AppleCare rep and I ended up equally perplexed and clueless as to how to get around the fact that a .dmg of a case-sensitive volume, while not case-sensitive in its "image" form (Terabyte.dmg), and thus able be transferred to TB1 or TB2 with no problems whatsoever, when opened -- either by double-clicking or opening in Disk Utility -- produced a desktop-mounted volume (henceforth known as the volume "Terabyte," the original name of the case-sensitive volume from which TB1.dmg had been made) that had the same case-sensitivity as the original from which it was made.
In the meantime, having gotten the data I needed to save off the physical USB "case-sensitive" volume Terabyte in the form of Terabyte.dmg, I erased and re-initialized the physical USB "case-sensitive" volume Terabyte, getting rif of the case sensitivity, and renaming it TB1. But it all left me back at square one, EXCEPT I had saved my data from the original "Terabyte" drive, and reformatted that drive to a NON- case-sensitive data now named TB1. The confusion here stems from the fact that problem case-sensitive drive, from which I made Terabyte.dmg, was originally named "Terabyte". When I re-initialized it as a NON case-sensitive drive, I renamed it TB1. I'm sorry about the confusing nomenclature, which I've tried to improve upon from my original message -- usual text-communication problem: the writer knows what he has in mind, but the reader can only go by what's written.
So, anyway, I still have the same problem, the desktop-mounted volume "Terabyte" still cannot be transferred in one whole chunk to either my internal drive, TB1, TB2, as the Finder interprets it as a volume backup (which it is), and reads the desktop-mounted volume "Terabyte" as case-sensitive, as the original volume -- from which the disk image Terabyte.dmg was made -- had been at the time I made it.
"As long as that situation doesn't arise, you should be able to make the copy with a tool that's less fastidious than the Finder, such as cp or rsync."
I'm afraid I have no idea what "cp or rsync" are. I'd be happy to be educated. That's why I came here.
Bart Brown
Message was edited by: Bartbrn
Just trying to unmuddy the water a bit,,,

Time Machine backup failure on case-sensitive disk?

Hello,
I just started getting a Time Machine backup failure error that says "A disk you are backing up is case-sensitive, but the backup disk is not."
None of my external disks have changed and I've not added any new ones.
The error seems to be stemming from the fact that I'm logged in as multiple users on my system, all with MobileMe accounts. When I "get info" on all mounted disks, the only ones that are reporting "Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled)" are the mounted iDisks from the other use accounts that I'm currently logged in as.
Does this mean I cannot use Time Machine while logged in as multiple users, all with the iDisks mounted? That would be a major annoyance to either have to log out/log in to each user as I need them or to disable iDisk syncing in my MobileMe prefs.
Regards,
Terry

That seems odd to me; my iDisk shows WebDAV as the format and doesn't interfere with backups, but I don't have any other users' iDisks, either.
Another possibility would be to reformat your TM drive as case-sensitive. That would, of course, erase all your backups so TM would start over from scratch, and some possible troubles when restoring (see the pink box in #5 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of this forum, for details); but you'd no longer have the backup problem.

Cannot change case-sensitivity of Time Machine sparse bundle (10.7.2)

Hi everyone, I'm trying to follow this excellent guide to Time Machine backups:
http://pondini.org/TM/A8.html
The site suggests that I make my TM backup case INsensitive, so after the network sparse bundle has been initially created on my Lion 10.7.2 TM backup, I cancelled the backup, then opened up the sparse bundle in Disk Utility as per the instructions provided.
I double clicked the sparse bundle to open the Time Machine Backups volume, and then in the Erase tab I changed the format from Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled), to Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
Then I clicked on "Erase" but it returned an error and said it could not do it. Sorry I don't have the exact error message on hand at the moment but it happened again with the same error message when I tried again.
Steps 6-8 in the guide tell me to Get Info on the Time Machine Backups volume and "Ignore ownership on this volume". However when I open the Info for the volume "Ignore ownership on this volume" is not there at all in the options? I've opened up every section of the Get Info window but it's definitely not present.
Has something changed in 10.7 Lion or is there another reason I'm getting this problem? The HDD is connected as an AirDisk on an AirPort Extreme Base Station (yes I realise this is an unsupported/not recommended Time Machine solution). I haven't yet tried directly plugging the drive in via USB which will be my next step when I regain access to my computer later.
Any help or advice would be appreciated. Many thanks.

owngoal wrote:
You say your "backups still turn up corrupted now and then" - how do you know? Is it only when you try to access them that you will know this?
Sometimes a backup will fail, sometimes you can't access them, sometimes you'll get this message:
See #C13 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting for details.
And by this stage is it too late to recover anything?
Sometimes. Sometimes they can be repaired by Disk Utility. Sometimes only a heavy-duty 3rd-party disk repair app like DiskWarrior ($100) can fix them. Sometimes nothing can. Sometimes you can restore some individual items, sometimes not. Sometimes you can do a full system restore from some backups, other times not.
does it help that I am using a Gigabit WIRED connection between iMac - 10/100/1000 switch - Airport Extreme Base Station?
Probably -- you won't have WIFI interference.
But if you have an iMac, why not just connect the external HD directly to your Mac? That's much faster and more reliable (and supported).
You'd need to erase the disk in that case, since Time Machine won't bother with a sparse bundle at all on a direct backup. Just format the disk as GUID, with Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and let 'er rip!

Mac OS Format (case-sensitive) transfer to a PC friendly format

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