Missing folders on source drive after time machine backup

This morning I noticed folders starting with 'S' to 'Z' was missing from iMac in a particular directory. I have time machine enabled with Apple time capsule. Last successful backup was around 5pm yesterday. I've since recovered the missing folders from time machine. Any ideas what might have caused this. I've been using time machine for the last 2 years without any issues. The logs all look fine. Software versions: time capsule 7.4.2, airport utility 5.5.1, 1TB time capsule.
Thanks
Chris

you haven't lost anything. that's just the gigabyte discrepancy as i suspected. the advertised capacity of 500GB is measured in decimal GB while the actual capacity is measured in binary GB. This is a well known bait and switch used by all hard drive manufacturers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigabyte
The result is that a 500Gb drive will actually format to about 466Gb.

Similar Messages

Permissions cannot be edited after time machine backup

Issue: Permissions cannot be edited on backups stored on an external drive after time machine restore and reinitializing my computer.
Mac Book Pro
Processor: 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512 MB
software: Mac OS X Lion 10.7.5 (11G63)
external hard drive:
format: Mac OS extended (Journaled)
capacity: 2 TB
Available: 1.59 TB
used: 405,332,070,400 bytes (405.33 GB on disk)
external hard drive:
     System           "Read & Write"
     admin             "Read & Write"
     everyone        "Read & Write"
Folder permissions on external hard drive issue:
I have entered my password, selected a "Read & Write" and an "-" still appears on the folders and no permissions granted even though it looks as if the change was accepted
Then I tried "Read Only" same thing.
Also, weird Name like, "wheel" is displayed in the left column of the folder Information dialog box.
typical display in the left column of the folder Information dialog box:
     Fetching...           "Read & Write"
     everyone             "No Access"

So, is this "feature" new? I was able to complete backups this way just a few weeks ago (prior to an upgrade).
Prior to the initial release of the 1G AEBSn, Apple hinted that support for Time Machine with AirPort Disks was going to be implemented, but it never came about even with the latest generation (5G) of these models.
If one wants to use Time Machine via wireless, must I use Time Capsule?
Basically, yes. However, the are other TM backup destinations that are supported that can be used besides the TC. A number of NAS manufacturers provide TM backup support with their products.

Is it possible to use more than one external hard drive for Time Machine backups?

I want to use two hard drives for Time Machine backups.
Bigger one keep at home and be sure it is safe.
Second one (very small pocket size) keep with me for travels.
I want to backup to both drives to be sure I can restore everywhere and to be sure if something bad happened with my small travel disk I can restore from home backup.
Is there any problem with listed schema? Is it normal for Time Machine to handle backups for different drivers and keep everything consistent and smooth?

I really need some help! I have been using an Iomega NAS 1TB HD for the past year. And I received an error message. I believe I have ran out of memory on this drive.
Then recently in the last couple of months I got a ReadyNAS Duo 2TB with 2TB RAID. Should I switch my back ups to this one and delete the other back up file or keep the old back up image file on the Iomega?
Can I transfer the old image back up to this new ReadyNAS? How do I do this?
I appreciate any help.

Is it possible to use an external hard drive for time machine backup and also as a regular hard drive?

Is it possible to use an external hard drive for time machine backup and also as a regular hard drive?

I am using an external drive in the exact way that you described. You just keep it plugged in to the computer when you want to access the movies and files. In order to put files on it, just go to finder open up the drive under devices and drag and drop files onto the drive. It is just like using a usb drive with a terabyte of space.

HT201250 new external hard drive for Time Machine backup suggestions?

Ok, I have 3 external hard drives; unfortunately I've used them on my PC and they are read only on my iMac. So, I need to buy a new external hard drive for Time Machine backup. I'm a little confused; can I buy any EHD and them format it so Mac can use it or are there special EHD's I need to purchase?
Anyone have a particular EHD that is working well for you? Thanks, Blue

Bluehowler wrote:
Ok, I have 3 external hard drives; unfortunately I've used them on my PC and they are read only on my iMac. So, I need to buy a new external hard drive for Time Machine backup. I'm a little confused; can I buy any EHD and them format it so Mac can use it or are there special EHD's I need to purchase?
Anyone have a particular EHD that is working well for you? Thanks, Blue
Unless you need all three external drives for your PC, you can reformat in one of them in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for use with Time Machine. However, since Time Machine backs up hourly, you'd need the external drive to be running constantly. That means ventilation of the drive becomes an issue since some, such as Seagate, can get very hot in their sealed enclosures. Some drive manufacturers try to get around this by spinning down the drive when not in use, but I've read complaints that that doesn't play well with a Mac. So whether you reuse one of your current externals or get a new one, it's a good idea to keep the drive's ventilation in mind.

Unable to select two drives for time machine backup?

I had a notification from Time Machine saying "This backup is too large for the disk..." and that I needed to omit items or select another drive. I've read online that it's possible to select multiple drives for Time Machine backups (so it switches between the available drives). When I go into Time Machine preferences and click "Select Disk" the drive I want to use in addition to my current Time Machine is there, but when I choose the additional drive I do not get the option to replace or "Use Both" (like pictured). Instead the additional drive is selected as the sole Time Machine and the current Time Machine drive is replaced.
In short, Time Machine is not giving me the option to "Use Both" - why would this be and how do I remedy this?
Thanks.

The reason is that that feature is Only offered in "Mountain Lion" OS X 10.8; and you are using "Lion" 10.7.
Hope this helps

No internet after time machine backup

I sit here on a new computer under a different user name from my old backup. I can't get internet on my old user name. I realized my internet was working fine when I logged into my old computer at the same time to see if it was an internet issue or a computer issue. I'd hate to have to transfer all of my old info from my old user name if there is an easy fix for this that I'm not seeing.
I've rebooted the modem several times, I've run disk utility, and run all of the maintenance scripts for ONYX. I haven't deleted any preferences and I guess that should be my next step.
What's odd is that my old user name gets literally 1kbps internet, the new user name gets 1.5mbps, the usual for my internet. I've turned off the old computer to see if maybe there was a conflict with that as well, but the issue still happens.

it's all the same as far as I can tell. No sharing, and I only use airport and one network.
I went ahead and deleted a bunch of the preferences in the users>library>prefs. It reset all of the network options, but the lag still exists.
One thing I forgot to mention was that on my first attempt at the time machine backup, it got hung up at the very end when it said "transferring network preferences". This makes me think the time machine backup has some corrupted file in the network prefs. I wish when I had made my second and successful attempt at the backup was that I unchecked the network prefs to be tranferred.
I opened up terminal to see if there's some extraneous process running, and there's a lot of stuff running and I can't really decifer if the root processes are supposed to be running or not.
Anyway, I'm giving up and just starting over on a new account. I've searched around the web, and this seems to not be an uncommon problem (no internet after time machine backup), and there's no apparent solution either.
At least I don't have to reinstall the programs, just move a bunch of stuff. It's a pretty odd bug and I hope Apple picks up on this one to fix.

Lost folders after time machine backup

I have been moving my office and did not do a time machine since 2/09. Finally found the drive while unpacking and plug it into my laptop...took a bit but finished with no issues. This morning I turned the laptop on and every folder that had a 2009 label is GONE!...missing, everything from photo folders to work and customer folders with everything inside too. Even my 2009 Quickbook program is gone alone with the data!
I finally got back from the office and plugged in the time machine backup and there is nothing there either!
HELP, any ideas?

SLee_Meridian wrote:
The drive is portable and hard wired when running TM. Both backups are in a folder called Backups.backupdb. There are a few other folders on the drive, but I looked through them and nothing there either.
What is strange is that many recent files and folders are still on my computer and on yesterdays backup. It is only folders that started with 2009 (and the contents) that are missing.
Are you talking about the +backup folders+ or your +data folders?+
Via the Finder, in List mode, you should see something like this (dots representing indentations):
(note: be *extremely careful not to move, change, or delete anything via the Finder.)*
Backups.backupdb
....Your Computer Name
........Date/Time
............Your HD Name
........Date/Time
............Your HD Name
. . . etc . . .
...Your Son's Computer Name
........Date/Time
............His HD Name
........Date/Time
............His HD Name
. . . etc . . .
Each of those Date/Time folders represents one backup. What are the last three dates & times shown for your Mac?

2 user folders after time machine backup. Macbook Pro 13", Mac OS X 10.6.8

After a time machine backup my macbook pro runs fine, however the backup has created a 2nd user file. my new user file is now named like my old one, just with " 1" added. I have 2 user folders, can I delete the old one?
After a random check of the content in both user folders I found out that it's not identical. Some files that weren't backed up with the time machine before the re-setup are in the original folder, while the new uder folder obviously only backup what it could find on the time machine disc. (Time machine backed up my whole hdd about 2 days before the crash & re-setup)
Due to this situation my local HDD is almost full now. The original user folder has 205 GB, the new one user 1 has 210 GB, plus applications with a 500GB HDD, I now have only 44GB left.
Can I delete the old user folder?
Can I then re-name the new one (user 1) back to "user"?
Thanks
J.

I've never heard of a 'problem' as you're having - and I searched Pondoni's Time Machine Troubleshooting FAQs and couldn't fine anythig similar.
I would be wary of deleting anything manually from your TM backup - the sparsebundles are rather sensitive. If you like, however, you could always erase your TM backups and start anew... that's the only way I would know to 'fix' the problem.
Good luck,
Clinton

HT201250 How can I revert to my internal drive for time machine backups after using an external drive?

Hi. I've been using an external drive for time machine back ups and decided to revert to my internal drive, but it isn't available in the time machine options. The only available option is to set up a time capsule, which I don't own.
Is it because not enough space is available on my internal drive (approx 50GB)?
Thanks!

50 Gb free on your internal drive is relly very low and of course not enought for a any kind of backup.
How big is your internal HD ? If you have left only 50 GB free it is probably 90% full. Let's imagine you have a 500 Gb. This means 450 Gb data and 50 Gb free. How can you backup 450 into 50 ?
Second point. The backup on your internal HD is a nonsense evenif it is big enough. If it stops working you will have no bakup.
Do you have an iMac or a portable ?
The portable automatic uses the internal HD if the external is not connected, but this is intended for a short time.
This could give you some more links to read about https://discussions.apple.com/message/20726927#20726927

None of my purchased applications on hard drive after time machine restore

Hi,
My hard disk wiped out. I restored from my last backup using time machine, but now, all the applications I added to the basic package (eg handbrake, sibelius, MS office etc) have disappeared. I search and can't find them anywhere. When I look back at my previous time machine backups, I can't see an applications folder at all.
Anyone got any ideas?- Have I messed this one up? Many thanks in advance.

Did you exclude the Applications folder from backup in Time Machine's preferences? If so, it was never backed up.

Can i include external usb drives in Time Machine backups

Can I include external usb drives and sticks in Time Machine backups?
This was the question I searched a week for. My machine is a MBAir with Yosemite. I have a bunch of USB HD and sticks. This is a sharing of what it took to solve. I lost a couple of important document revisions lately because of not having differential backups on them, so wanted to include them in Time Machine.
Yes it can, I found. But it's a wee bit backwards. And apparent inconsistencies drive you crazy. Time Machine is supposed to do this by default, and wants you to tell it what NOT to include. Trouble is, formats create many troubles.
But the USB sticks and HD's you buy are PC formatted. And you'd like to share, as the Apple does with FAT16, FAT32, and exFAT (to overcome the 4G size limit on the others). Even NTFS can be plugged in and be read-only. Turns out you just can't incorporate into TM backups.
Open Time Machine Options, and look at the drives listed in the exclusion window. Drives that you know to be plugged in and registered by Finder, may or not be registered in the exclusion window, and if registered and their icons may be bright or dimmed. Bright will NOT be included. Dimmed are excluded. Normally the operation is to use the or to exclude these drives from your next BU operation. (this instruction is lost the next time in manual mode). So if a drive or stick is shown and is bright it WON'T be backed up. If you it from the window, then it will grey out and WILL be backed up. If it's not there to offer you exclusion, you can browse to such a file or device so you can exclude it. TM's exclusion window will show the PC formats: FAT16, FAT32, and exFAT greyed out (as not included). NTFS is bright looking like it might work, but when doesn't dim, it disappears, and is ignored in the actual BU.
Sources are supposed to be included in the backup if it isn't shown bright in the exclusion window. In this respect I only use TM manually, and not for programmed BU's, so I cannot speak to that.
If everything you have is formatted for the Apple disc system (Mac OS Extended) then there are no contradictions or partial equivalences. The mounted disc or stick will show in TM exclusions window, and if you it, you'll see it in the Time Machine pile of calendared directories, with all the files. And of course it will do the differential backups for it that we use TM for in the first place. Just remember to prepare the BU by not excluding.
BUT NOW THE VARIABLES. It now depends upon the formats. I use the Paragon NTFS program to permit writing NTFS. (Apple can normally read but not write NTFS). Paragon is lovely because for normal computer use, I can read and write both Apple and PC files and disc formats in Finder (for 3 years now). But Time Machine cannot be reached by Paragon so it's NTFS behaviors are outrageous. Paragon reaches Disk Doctor so you can read, write, format and heal both Apple and PC formats. And this really confused things respecting Time Machine. I literally worked through every variable, from stick to disc to prove what did work, and when false appearances of working showed up.
Respecting that very Time Machine display of Finder windows piled backwards through time there's a confusing bug. When first opened, TM shows NOW as the current setup and works just like a Finder window in present time. And the outboard discs and sticks show as in Finder. BUT working back in time, the left window DOES NOT SHOW THE CONDITIONS AT BACKUP but rather in all left windows shows the present setup. So you need to work from the right hand side dates and times to go back and see when you had that stick or HD plugged in. And then, finally, you will see the files you wanted saved. But if there is a stick on the left than TM doesn't like but Finder likes you'll see it left but nothing will be in the files. Clicking on the pretender just jumps to the root.
My Disk Doctor provisions (with Paragon) show, Mac OS Extended (Journaled), Mac OS Extended (Case Sensitive Journaled), MS-DOS (FAT), exFAT, Windows NT Filesystem, Windows NT Filesystem (compressed). It's a better utility than in Microsoft and I use it for such maintenance.
Bottom line, I like TM very much. 2 years ago I lost my air and TM was able to reconstruct my machine many times in the course of the troubleshooting - all the way from the start to the last without ever missing a beat or a file. So I accept this limitation and make copies to another HD formatted in NTFS when I work on PCs.
Hope's this sorts out being lost in the desert for a few of you.
Jock
<Personal Information Edited by Host>

Storing normal data files on the Time Capsule is unfortunately not as easy as dropping the folder on the Time Capsule.
Open up Macintosh HD on the Mac
Look for the SHARED heading on the left
Click on the Time Capsule icon and a folder named "Data" will appear (unless you have renamed it)
Double click the "Data" folder to mount the drive on the desktop. You may need to enter the device password for the Time Capsule when you do this the first time
Once the drive icon is on the desktop, you can drag data to the icon and drop it there. Double click the icon to open up the drive and see the files

Reformatting my External Hard Drive from Time Machine Backups

I used an existing external hard drive as my Time Machine Backup, but it only has 80 GB capability while my hard drive is 30 GB. I will buy a new one external hard drive and I want to revert the existing one back to a shared external hard drive. How do I reformat my existing external hard drive? Do I open it through iMac and delete the folders and rename the drive?

How do I reformat my existing external hard drive? Do I open it through iMac and delete the folders and rename the drive?
NO. There are some hidden files/folders TM uses, and which you won't be able to delete through Finder.
Open /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility, select the non-indented drive just above the external (make sure you have the right one, NOT your internal), select the "Erase" tab, and erase it, formatting it to Mac OS Extended (Journaled). While you're there, make sure it's partitioned as GUID if you have an intel-based Mac, and APM if you have a PPC-based mac.
Both those operations will completely wipe the drive. You won't be able to recover any files from them after the wipe.
Good luck!
Message was edited by: joshz

Can no longer connect to shared drive for Time Machine backups

I have a Firewire drive connected to my iMac and sharing enabled. 2 MacBook Airs then connect wirelessly to the same network and backup to the drive.
It has worked perfectly for the last couple of years with Lion and Mountain Lion.
Yesterday I upgraded to Mavericks and now neither laptop can see the shared drive in Time Machine, although the drive displays quite happily in Finder.
I have disabled and re-enabled sharing. Booted and re-plugged the drive in and still when I go to Time Machine preferences and select drive, nothing is listed.
Any ideas?

After hours and hours of constant searching and testing I still can't get it to work?
Any ideas?
I think sharing has changed in Mavericks.

I reformatted drive with Time Machine Backups, can I recover them ?

I had an iMac and an External Firewire drive used for Time Machine Backups, All my Personal Files and Music were backed up to the External Drive using Time Machine. The external Drive is a LaCie 500GB Triple Interface Drive. After a few days of upgrading to Leopard on my iMac I noticed that the External Drive was causing some problems, programs were hanging and as a result I had to remove the drive to use my iMac. I later ran Disk Utility to find that there was invalid node struture on the drive. this for some reason could not be repaired.
In between I bought a new Mac Pro and sold my iMac, when I went to transfer everything from the external drive backup from Time Machine I was still having problems so it took me ages but I transferred 11GB of data from the External to another iMac I got a loan from my friend.
I repaired and reformatted the external on my friends iMac not using Leopard and the drive is perfect now, I then transferred the files 11GB back from my friends iMac to the external drive but now all I seem to have is thousands of alias's.
I don't know really how Time Machine stores its backups and this is my own fault for not reading up on it first. Currently I am using Data Rescue II to scan my external drives free space for my deleted files hoping to recover all of them to my new Mac Pro.
Can someone please advise if this will work and if not how can I get my files back. Also is is worth mentioning that when I was having problems with the external drive I noticed that there was something like 250GB Free, and 11GB used not sure where the rest of the 239GB went to? Does Time Machine have files stored invisible or something?

Use migration assistant to move your files. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4889

Missing folders on source drive after time machine backup

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for