Migration assistant finds no volumes in time capsule backup

I hadn't updated my mac mini for ages and it started to run slower and slower. Before upgrading to Mavericks (from 10.6.8) I checked that Time Machine (backing up to a Time Capsule) had backed up recently (it had with no error messages), unfortunately the install failed (disk error) and I had to take it into the Genius bar. They wiped the machine and set it up for me to finish the install (via migration assistant) at home. Unfortunately once home and when selecting the option to migrate from a time machine backup it finds the Time Capsule but then displays the message "no volumes found in backup". Any ideas? Can I just skip migration assistant, set up a new account (with a different name to those in back-up) and then manually go into Time Machine to restore??

Yes.
Most likely, some folders were excluded from the backups as the result of a failed or aborted software installation.
Starting from a clean installation of OS X, set up a new administrator account and log in. Enter Time Machine and press the key combination shift-command-C. The front window will show all mounted volumes. All snapshots should now be accessible.* Select the one you want and navigate to your home folder (in the Users folder at the top level of the old startup volume.)
You should now be able to restore your user data. I suggest you do this in two stages. Quit all applications except the Finder before you begin.
Restore all the visible items at the top level of the home folder.
Hold down the option key and select Go ▹ Library from the Finder menu bar. Enter Time Machine and restore all items in the Library folder. Log out and log back in as soon as the restore is complete.
Any other invisible folders or files at the top level of the home folder that you want to preserve will have to be restored separately. For most users, that isn't necessary.
You'll have to reinstall all third-party applications from scratch, or restore them from another kind of backup, if you have one.
You'll have another problem if this is a new computer, or if you erased the startup volume: The next time you back up, Time Machine won't recognize any files as being the same as they were before, and will make a full copy of all files. There might not be enough space on one or more of the backup volumes for that. There are different ways of dealing with that situation, depending on your needs. The easiest way is to set the backup drives aside, if possible, until you're sure you'll no longer need the data on them, then erase them and start over. Meanwhile start a new backup on one or more empty storage devices. If that solution isn't workable for you, ask for instructions.
*If you don't see any snapshots in Time Machine, exit the time-travel view and then hold down the option key while selecting
          Browse Other Backup Disks...
from the Time Machine menu, which has an icon that looks like a clock running backwards. Select the backups of the computer by its previous name. If you don't have the Time Machine menu, open the Time Machine preference pane in System Preferences and check the box marked
          Show Time Machine in menu bar

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Migration assistant doesn't see my time machine backup

Since upgading to mavericks migration assistant no longer sees my backup on my external drive that I use for my time machine backups. The drive mounts fine and I can access my backups through my finder using "enter time machine", but I can not restore because migration assistant can't see the drive. I don't knoe if it's a time machine issue or a mighration assistant issue. I have tried on several macs and with several different hard drives but migration assistant cannot restore from my time machine backups. I suggest everyone make sure they can restore from their time machine backups because this may be a major problem and result in complete loss of data. I have found no solution yet.

Here are the articles I have on Migration Assistant. None of them had the answer to your problem (or at least I couldn't find it). Check what you did versus the recommendations in the articles is about the best I can offer.
Migration Assistant
Migration Assistant (2)
Migration Assistant – Tips and Tricks

Migration Assistant won't recognize my Time Capsule's sparse-bundle so I can migrate to my new iMac

Background.......
iMac (intel core duo) hard drive crashed while backing up to time capsule. Had Snow Leopard OS 10.6 (100% up-to-date)
2. Purchased new iMac with Lion. 100% updated.
3. Want to migrate from Time Capsule to new iMac
Problem.......
4. Migration Assistant does not see (recognize) my sparsebundle, message says it's "possible that it is in use." But it's not of course.
5. If I mount the Time Capsule from the Finder, I can see the sparsebundle I want to migrate. So, it present but the Migration Assistant doesn't see it!
6. Time Capsule recognizes the sparsebundle of my other Mac (#2) that backs up to the same Time Capsule
Question.......
What do I have to do to get Migration Assistant to recognize my sparsebundle so I can migrate to my new iMac?
Thanks

I finally solved the problem by disconnecting the Time Capsule ethernet cable from the internet. Then the sparsebundle suddenly appeared.

Migration Assistant won't connect to Time Capsule

I just got my MacBook Pro back from the Apple Store after repairs were done. The hard disk was wiped with Snow Leopard reinstalled. I had run backups to a Time Capsule, but did not reload all my data during the initial startup, thinking I would use Migration Assistant later.
Now I'm trying to use MA, but it won't connect to my Time Capsule. The first times I tried it over WIFI, but it seemed to hang when the percentages were being calculated for the various categories of data. Now I'm trying with an ethernet connection, and MA seems to hang when its connecting.
Does anyone have any ideas of how I can recover my data and install it again on my MBP?
Was thinking of updating to Mavericks while I was at it, but should I fix the backup problem first?
Thanks for any ideas,
Jon

I read somewhere else that I should not try to backup my new installation to TC because of the risk it will affect my previous store on it.
When I loaded Mountain Lion and later Mavericks, I continued to use the same backup with no problems.
TC does not appear in the list of drives. Is that a problem?
Ignore the Disk Utility idea. My brain wasn't working right. Network attached storage won't show up in Disk Utility.
Will the computer back up to the Time Capsule? If so, it could be Migration Assistant that isn't working correctly.
See A5.
Time Machine Troubleshooting

Why can't I seem to use migration assistant to move applications from time capsule to iMac?

I just want to use Migration Assistant to move select applications to my new iMac. I can't seem to find a way to select only a limited number of applications to transfer. I want to move applications such as a Canon Utilities and Image browser applications that came with my Canon camera that I bought. I loaded the original software on to my Macbook Pro with the discs. I can't do that with my iMac (obviously) so I'm hoping to get my canon software onto my iMac through migration assistant. Please help!

It is not as fine grained as that.. you select all or nothing.. At least from my experience using it.
It works if you remember that all the applications will be imported to a particular user profile.. simple create a new user.. log in with that and accept what you have to to get the applications you want.. although I would suggest most things are available for download nowadays.
You can also keep using your old MBP if it is still working and simply copy the files on the CD to the new computer via the disk in the MBP.

Migration Assistant Does not see my Time Machine Backup disk

I have a TM backup disk connected via Firewire that I have several months of backup on. I did a clean install of SL. When I went to restore using Migration Assistant, the MI does not show the TM backup disk. The disk is mounted and visible through the finder. Time Machine itself sees the disk just fine. But when I run MI, the only drive it shows me is the one where the new SL is installed.
I found another post describing the same situation and the solution there said to make sure that the TM disk is formatted the same way, ie GUID. I check with Disk Utility and both the SL volume and the TM volume are formatted GUID.
HELP!

sorry, i don't know what else it could be then. if you have another external drive you can try doing a full system restore from the TM backups onto that drive and see if MA will recognize that drive and migrate from it. other than this there is always manual migration. slow and tedious but it can be done. see this link for help with that
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=6185507

Migration assistant cant see files on time machine backup

Hi all,
I just bought a new 27" iMac, and wanted to transfer files from a time machine backup i have on an external drive, from my old machine.
I dident try this on the first setup, but waitet till i had configured it first, so i use migration assistant.
I startet migration assistant just fine, and it could se my time machine backup(1)
Heres the problem
when i select the backup i want to use and click continue, all i get is a little white box under the imac icon(2).
It whont show me a list of things to transfer. Please help.
Bonus info
I tride to use disk utility to repair my disk, but no luck there.
when i select the drive, it whont let me repair disk permissions, no matter what disk i choose.(3)
I am able to access and mount the time machine image, browes the backup and copy files manually.

No, both the backup and the new system are OSX10.6.
I'm afraid your solution doesn't work. If I go through finder and open up the folders on the backup, and try, for example, to open my "Movies" folder (which is one I dearly hope to recover), I get a message that:
"The folder "Movies" can't be opened because you don't have permission to see its contents."
I have tried Repair Permissions, but this doesn't help. All of the important folders have a little red stop sign on them.
Thanks though.

Migration Assistant won't see my Time machine backup disk

Hi,
I've seen some other discussions but they apply to slightly different situations and turn out to be too complex for me to follow. My situation is this. My Dec 2008 Macbook running Lion just died. Not sure what the problem is but it seems to be the hardrive. It will take me a while to get it fixed and in the meantime I have a farly new mac mini running Lion.
I also have been making Time Machine backups to an external drive. I read that I could migrate content from a time machine backup and I connected the backup to my mac mini and launched Migration Assistan (MA), seleted the option to migrate from a Time Machine backup. MA is stuck trying to find my disk even though it shows up in Finder. This is the screen I'm talking about http://screencast.com/t/AC0OiVzxx
I'm hoping there is the equivalent of a little on/off switch that I'm not seeing and you can direct me too.
How can I get MA to see my Time Machine backup disk? Thanks for your help.

sorry, i don't know what else it could be then. if you have another external drive you can try doing a full system restore from the TM backups onto that drive and see if MA will recognize that drive and migrate from it. other than this there is always manual migration. slow and tedious but it can be done. see this link for help with that
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=6185507

Finding password email in time capsule backup file

My iMac died last week and is in the Apple shop getting a new logic board and hard drive.
In the meantime, there is a web site that I want to access, but I don't have the password. My iMac always recalls the file when I used to log in from there.
I've used the "Back-in-Time" application to access some files from my Time Capsule while using my laptop. Is there a way to find a web site password? (I've already tried the 'forgot your password' link, and for some reason it did not send the password to me).
I also know I have an email in Apple Mail with the password on it. They sent it to me when I originally joined the site. Is there a way to search for specific emails from "Back-in-Time"?

VecchieAbitudini wrote:
Can I use it as storage (iTunes library, iPhoto pictures, iMovie stuff...) directly from iMac ? Is it visible as a normal network drive where I can store files ?
Yes, but as Bob says, your best bet will be to create one or more +disk images+ (via Disk Utility, in your Applications/Utilities folder) for that data.
The reason for this is, Time Machine is designed to use all the space available to it for backups; once it's full, TM begins deleting the oldest backup(s) when it needs room for new ones.
Thus making +disk image(s)+ will reserve a certain amount of space that Time Machine can't fill.
Also, be sure you have other backups of any data you put there. When the TC's disk fails (and all disk drives fail, sooner or later), you may lose anything on it.

HT4889 Migration assistant refuses to see my Time machine backup in mountain lion

I made a full Time machine backup on a 1 TB hard disk.
I connect this to my other mac.
I follow EXACTLY the apple support instructions TO THE LETTER.
Time machine says - "looking for other computers" - there are no other computers - only the time machine backup disk which is correctly powere and can be seen in OSX prior to loading backup assistant.
I wait
and wait
and wait
three hours later it becomes apparent this isnt working
I try again - same result
I try again with a different disk
same result
I do a new FULL time machine backup on yet annothe disk
Same result
I try with two different macs - same result
What am I doing wrong and how do I fix it?
I am following the EXACT instructions as posted on the apple website... what does it not tell you? For example does this not work if your mac is a core2-duo - or does it have to be a particulr brand of external hard disk? There must be something becuase I simply cannot get this to work AT ALL period.

This simple procedure will clear your Time Machine settings, including exclusions. The backups won't be affected. If you have a long exclusion list that can't be recreated easily, you may prefer a more complicated procedure that preserves the exclusion list. In that case, ask for instructions. Otherwise, do as follows.
Triple-click the line below on this page to select it:
/Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist
Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select
Services ▹ Reveal
from the contextual menu. A Finder window should open with a file selected. Copy the file to the Desktop. Then move it (the original, not the copy) to the Trash. You'll be prompted for your administrator password. Reboot and recreate your settings in the Time Machine preference pane. It will show that you have no backups. Don't worry; that's expected. Run a backup to test. The backup may take much longer than usual. If TM now performs as expected, delete the file you copied to the Desktop.

Does Migration Assistant use the most recent time machine backup?

About to transfer my old macbook pro harddrive to my new imac..and when im in migration assistant it allows me to select ALL applications (not individual ones unfortuantely) to transfer from my time machine backup...curious, does it transfer all apps I have ever had on all my backups? - there is probably 20 different backups. I have cleared a ton of useless apps off my MBP and did a fresh backup hoping those would be the only ones to get transfered?
Thanks

Only one version is transferred, the last saved one.

Purchased a new Macbook Pro 13". I used migration assistant to transfer. I can't backup to time capsule. I am getting on error The backup disk image "/Volumes/Herb's Time Capsul/Herb MacBook Pro.sparsebundle" could not be created (error 17). Help

Purchased a new Macbook Pro 13". I used migration assistant to transfer. I can't backup to time capsule. I am getting on error "The backup disk image “/Volumes/Herb's Time Capsul/Herb MacBook Pro.sparsebundle” could not be created (error 17). Help!

Launch the Keychain Access 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 Keychain Access in the page that opens.
Select the System keychain in the list of keychains in the sidebar of the window. If you don't see the list, click the down-arrow icon below the sidebar.
Then select Passwords in the Category list at lower left. Click the Kind heading in the list of keychain items to arrange it by Kind.
Locate the AirPort Disk Password with the name of your Time Capsule. Double-click the item and check the box marked Show Password in the inspector window that opens. You'll be prompted for the administrator login password. Make a note of the AirPort password, then close the inspector window and delete the item.
Also delete any other AirPort DIsk Password items for that same Time Capsule, which may have had a different name in the past.
Quit Keychain Access and try again to back up.

Attempting to use Migration Assistant to restore a Time Capsule backup to a mounted partitioned drive?

Had a power surge and my Mac Pro did not fare well. Was able to boot from one of the drives in read only mode, so I did a Time Capsule backup of everything on the drive. Reinstalled Mountain Lion. Booted the computer up and am trying to use Migration Assistant to take the Time Capsule backup and restore it to the 1TB drive. When I use Migration Assistant, it says that there is not enough space on the drive to do the restore. I looked in Disk Utility and saw that the start up disk is another one of the 1TB drives with about 600GB used, therefore not enough space to do the restore. I want to restore to the original drive, but it says it is a "Mounted Partitioned Drive". Can I use Migration Assistant to restore a Time Capsule backup to this mounted partitioned drive?
Thanks in advance for any help - greatly appreciated.

I am not sure, never had to go there, I have multiple bootable clones of the system online and off, and a couple 1500VA/900W UPS units powering everything.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427
http://www.recovermymac.co.uk/data-recovery/time-capsule-data-recovery/
This is a great article:
http://pondini.org/OSX/SetupLion.html
Most questions about TimeCapsule and TimeMachine are under Mac OS X forum as in -
https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os/os_x_mountain_lion#/?tagSet=1468

Cannot find time capsule backup to restore

Hello - I have a MacMini (Intel Core 2 duo) runing OS 10.6.7. I used Time Machine to backup my data daily to a remote Time Capsule on my local network; I should also say at this point that I use Time Capsule to backup 4 machines in total. The hard drive crashed, and needed to be replaced. Now I am trying to restore my data to my computer. However, neither migration assistant nor time capsule can find the correct image (sparsebundle) to be mounted - for example, when I "Choose Time Machine Disk to Browse" no disks show up. Migration Assistant behaved a little differently, showing me 2 (out of 4) Time Capsule backups, but not the one relevant for this particular computer.
I know that backups have been performed, and I can manualy mount the specific Time Machine Backup through the finder - at which point I can "see" folders named "yyyy-mm-dd-xxxxxx," just as interesting is a file "yyyy-mm-dd-xxxxxxx.inProgress" - and which appears to be the latest date at which the folder was accessed. I have attached a screen shot of the contents of the folder.
Any thoughts? I really just need to restore the most recent backup, the rest are not necessary past this point.
Thanks!

Hi,
I just ran into the same problem, neither the Migration Assistant nor "Restore from Backup" from the 10.5 Install DVD would find a valid backup on my Time Capsule (which kinda renders it useless).
After some googling and trial and error I found a workaround using Terminal. I don't know why mounting the sparebundle image with Disk Utility wouldn't work, but it isn't available when your computer crashed anyway... So here is my method:
-Boot from the System DVD, choose the language
(-Goto Utilities and start the Disk Utility and reformat your drive, if on Intel check that you partition it with GUID, NOT Apple Partition Scheme NOR MBR, restart from DVD) only if something went wrong with your disk like in my case
-Goto Utilities and start Terminal
-In Terminal first make a directory for the mount, type: mkdir /Volumes/MyBackup
-Then mount the Time Capsule and link it to the folder you created, type: mount -t afp afp://myuser:mypassword@IPAdressOfMyTimecapsule/VolumeWhereMyBackupIs /Volume/MyBackup
-The AFP-Volume is now mounted, but you can't see anywhere.
-Quit Terminal, this will bring you back to the 10.5 Installer.
-Goto Utilities and choose "Restore System From Backup"
-The Dialog will ask you for a Backup Source. You should now see your Time Capsule and an already mounted Time Machine Volume at the location you specified in Terminal.
-Select the Time Machine Volume and press Continue, it'll take a while you show you all the backups, choose the one you want, choose a destination, drink tea.

My Macbook pro Early 2008 is randomly slow at starting up and when I am backing up to my time capsule I am receiving the following message 'Time machine could not complete the backup. '' ''The backup disk image ''/Volumes/name time capsule/ my name MacBoo

My Macbook pro Early 2008 is randomly slow at starting up and when I am backing up to my time capsule I am receiving the following message 'Time machine could not complete the backup. '' ''The backup disk image ''/Volumes/name time capsule/ my name MacBook Pro (4).sparsebundle'' could not be accessed (error-1).
Problem started after deleting parrell desktop and window7 ?
Please help?

Look at the more like this column on the right.. this is the most frequently asked question in this discussion area.
Reboot the TC.. restart the whole network if the simple reboot did not work.. start in order. modem.. router/TC.. clients. 2min gap.
Read C12 here. http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

Migration assistant finds no volumes in time capsule backup

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