My Time Machine keeps asking to complete a new backup instantly after I just created a new back up

I recentlly starting using a Seagate wireless external hard drive to back up with Time Machine. The initial back up took 8-10 hours and that was at the beginning of April. Now at least once a week if not more Time Machine will give me a prompt saying "Time Machine completed a verification of your backups on "XXX." To improve reliability Time Machine must create a new backup for you. Click start new back up to create a new back up. This will remove your exisiting backup history. This could take several hours."
I understand how the initial back up can take hours. What I don't understand is why Time Machine is no longer taking snapshots of my computer to back up and instead has to delete what back up history I have and start all over. It's time consuming and doesn't make me feel very safe about my back ups. I've tried exploring the Time Machine preferences but there really isn't much I can figure out to change. I contacted Seagate directly and since I'm not using their software only their device they say it's an Apple and Time Machine problem.
Why is this happening and how can I change the settings to avoid having to create an entirely new backup weekly?

Backing up to a third-party NAS with Time Machine is risky, and unacceptably risky if it's your only backup. I know this isn't the answer you want, and I also know that the manufacturer says the device will work with Time Machine, and that it usually seems to work. Except when you try to restore, and find that you can't.
If you want network backup with Time Machine, use as the destination either an Apple Time Capsule or an external hard drive connected to another Mac or to an 802.11ac AirPort base station. Only the 802.11ac base stations support Time Machine, not any older model.
If you're determined to keep using the NAS for backup, your only recourse for any problems that result is to the manufacturer (which will blame Apple.)

Similar Messages

After upgrade to mavericks: time machine keeps asking for my back up disk and won't open unless i plug in the disk. any solutions?

after upgrade to mavericks: time machine keeps asking for my back up disk and won't open unless i plug in the disk. any solutions?
before the upgrade, i could open time machine without the need for having the back up disk plugged in.

Ok. I got it to work, sort of....
As I mentioned before I tried the "disk password" and the "Time capsule Password" options to see if I can start the back up again or start a new backup. Neither worked. So I tried the firmware down grade, but like you said that did not work. I then decided to try the "Account password" option and I have never used this option before becasue it states that if there is data on the drive it would not be acessable after creating an account. Since I wiped out the disk that was nno problem. When I created the new account and choose the drive it asked for the user name and password. I entered the info for the new account I just created(FYI this has nothing to do with your login username and password), bingo! It worked!
Now I have two partitions on the TC disk. The old one and now the new account. I am guessing this is to be used if I have multiple computers, which I don't.
I any case, I am going to wipe out everything again and try again to do a backup the way I had it before.

Time Machine keeps asking for password to connect to the Time Capsule server

I just got my MPB back from having the logic board replaced.
Nothing was changed on my Mac OS 10.6.8, except that when my MPB went kaput I used a Windows OS PC and loaded the Air port Utility and did do a firmware upgrade to 7.6.1 for the Time Capsule(TC)
Now that I am trying to do a backup of my MPB I keep getting a message asking me to enter the password for the (TC) server so that Time Machine(TM) can connect to it. I typed in the disk password and the weird thing is that the disk icon flashed quickly showing the TM clock icon and the immediately went to the 3 people holding hands icon. When I waited or forced the backup it would come up with an error stating that my user name and password are incorrect. The other weird thing is when I put in a wrong password it starts "connecting..." but then hangs causing Sys Prefs to stop responding. I either have to cancel the connection or force quit Sys Prefs.
Steps already taken:
- Deleted all the Keychain passwords for the TC
- Reset the TC both by using the menu option and push button power cycle
- I have tried using the "Time Capsule password" option for file sharing
It does the same thing with other external drives connected via the USB on the TC. However, that same external drive connected directly to the computer USB port works just fine and the icon stayed as the TM clock icon.
It just does not want to the connect to the TC drives!
I have read about the firmware being the problem, but how do I revert to the previous FW version for the TC?
This is going to be stupid not being able to use the TC drive to do the backups, but for the meantime I am using the external drive connected via USB 2.slow!
Thanks in advance!

Ok. I got it to work, sort of....
As I mentioned before I tried the "disk password" and the "Time capsule Password" options to see if I can start the back up again or start a new backup. Neither worked. So I tried the firmware down grade, but like you said that did not work. I then decided to try the "Account password" option and I have never used this option before becasue it states that if there is data on the drive it would not be acessable after creating an account. Since I wiped out the disk that was nno problem. When I created the new account and choose the drive it asked for the user name and password. I entered the info for the new account I just created(FYI this has nothing to do with your login username and password), bingo! It worked!
Now I have two partitions on the TC disk. The old one and now the new account. I am guessing this is to be used if I have multiple computers, which I don't.
I any case, I am going to wipe out everything again and try again to do a backup the way I had it before.

Time Machine Error Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while ...

Hi,
I've looked all around the forums for the answer to this one and I'm still unable to get it. So I'm getting this error "Time Machine Error Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while linking files on the backup volume". This started happening after I turned off and on FileVault. I was having a problem with it and turning it on an off got rid of that problem, but created this one. I've noticed that when I shut down the computer and filevault accesses the TM hard drive, it can back up.....but then when I'm logged on, or I want it to back up I get the error. I've tried fixing the drive, removing the in progress file and resetting the PRAM (i think that's what it was called). I'm starting to run out of options and have no other drive to back all this info on to reformat it.
I really don't want to loose all my stuff.
Please help!
Daria

nautical_stars wrote:
Hi,
I've looked all around the forums for the answer to this one and I'm still unable to get it. So I'm getting this error "Time Machine Error Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while linking files on the backup volume". This started happening after I turned off and on FileVault.
Usually this message happens when you replace an external disk that was being backed-up by Time Machine with another one of the same name.
Since File Vault works by making a sparse image of your home folder, and it's treated as a volume just as a HD is, that's probably what's happening here: the new sparse image has the same name as the old one, but isn't the old one.
First, consider whether you really need File Vault. It doesn't work well with Time Machine: you can't see or restore individual items in your home folder, and it only gets backed-up when you log out.
If you have a lot of other things, say photos, videos, and/or music that don't need to be encrypted, perhaps there's an easier way to secure our sensitive data. You can create an encrypted disk image via Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder), then copy the sensitive documents into it. Then the rest of your home folder is backed-up normally, and individual items can be viewed and restored in the usual fashion.
But if you do continue using FileVault, you may have to use TM to delete all backups of it, via the instructions in item #12 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum. That should then allow the new version of your encrypted home folder to be backed-up by TM.

Time machine keeps losing backups

Time machine keeps losing backups on 10.8 machine.
I do Verify Backups or Enter Time Machine or Browse Other Time Machine Disks and all I can see is an older, concurrent machine.
While I can tell it to run a backup, and it will complete apparently successfully (and I'll be able to view it) the backups won't be there tomorrow. This makes Time Machine unusable at best.
What gives? Why are the backups vanishing?
WD MyBookLive
2010-mid MacBook Pro
This maching is also having trouble with scp, and other secure connections. But why would Time Machine report that it works, only to throw everything away?
Need help.
-Crissa

Triple-click anywhere in the line below to select it:
tmutil listbackups | awk -F/ '{print $NF}'
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C).
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V).
Post any lines of output that appear below what you entered — the text, please, not a screenshot.

Time machine is asking for a password. What password is it asking for, and where is it?

I'm trying to restore a machine that has ben seriously compromised... I have a disk image, I have backups, I have Time Machine.
Time Machine is asking for a password to restore - there is no password in keychain, no administrator password works, I have no idea what the password to the share is. I have other machines accessing the share just fine. My written records say I put it as a stupid password: guest. But that doesn't work. How do I recover this password?
I've tried to recover from the disk image, but Disk Utility says it doesn't have disk space to do so. I've tried via rsync, and while I seem to have built a computer, it says it cannot find the OS when I attempt to boot.
I'm pretty lost. Why is Time Machine asking for a password? Where can I find this password? Why is it not in Keychain?
-Crissa

Apparently the mybooklive isn't so good about keeping passwords.
Do:
Open Safari
Bookmarks > Show all Bookmarks
Bonjour
mybooklive
users
administrator
update password
Bizarre solution that I can write to it, retreive it from a working system, but I can't restore from it! Augh.
-Crissa

MOUNTAIN LION, MBP RETINA : Time machine keeps saying to improve reliability, TM must create a new backup for you

Hello
I have a little network with 2 x Macpro, 1 x Macbook pro Retina, 1 x Mac Mini server and one DiskStation.
I have no problem to backup the two Macpro and the Macmini on the Diskstation
But I only have problem with my Macbook pro Retina.
I was told to start the 1st backup using Ethernet
After a few complemantary backup in WIFI I get the message :
I have done this MANY times
I have tried to repair the Backup file
THE PROBLEM IS ONLY WITH THE MACBOOK PRO RETINA IN MOUNTAIN LION
I had Apple support, answer : "no support because you are using a disk station" (I have used this diskstation since many years without ANY problem)
Looks like it is a WIFI problem !!!!
Thanks in advance for your help
Best
Cyril

Scott F wrote:
Time Machine completed a verification of your backups. To improve reliability, Time Machine must create a new backup for you.
Yes. See #C13 in [Time Machine - Troubleshooting|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Troubleshooting.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
My Time Machine drive is a 500GB drive connected to an Airport Extreme via USB.
I hate to have to tell you this, but backing-up that way is "iffy" and +*not supported by Apple.+* See [Using Time Machine with an Airport Extreme Air Disk|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Airport.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
You really should find a more reliable way to back up. See #2 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum) for your options.
I find this message confusing. Why must TM create a new backup?
As in the first link above, because they're damaged beyond Disk Utility's ability to repair them. Exactly what that is, we mere mortals don't know. It's only on network backups, and even folks using Time Capsules see this occasionally.

Time Machine Keeps hanging

We had a power failure in our street for 24 hours over the weekend. So I assumed my Time Machine would have failed also.. no power etc... So I decided to look at the Time Machine widget I had to see where I was... and found out my back ups had been failing for weeks!!!! with the following message:
This was the first message after power restored..
Starting standard backup
Attempting to mount network destination using URL: afp://[email protected]/WD_Backup
NetAuthConnectToServerSync failed with error: 89 for url: afp://[email protected]/WD_Backup
Backup failed with error: 19
Attempting to mount network destination using URL: afp://[email protected]/WD_Backup
NetAuthConnectToServerSync failed with error: 89 for url: afp://[email protected]/WD_Backup
& this the subsequent messages..(& this message was the one that had been there for the previous 10 days - every day)
Starting standard backup
Attempting to mount network destination using URL: afp://[email protected]/WD_Backup
NetAuthConnectToServerSync failed with error: 89 for url: afp://[email protected]/WD_Backup
Backup failed with error: 19
So I disconnected & rebooted the external HD (WD MyBookWorld) and tried to reconnect through TM. However, although my WD MyBookWorld is there in Finder & has the other Macs on my LAN and their respective backups, when I go into TM and ask to chose a Backup destination it hangs and I have to force quit System preferences. I just can't get past the chosing of the WD as a back up... It is driving me MAD
HELP!

Ok hadn't changed password... Got onto WD support. We ended up restoring to factory settings. Interestingly the othe MAC on my LAN seems to have backed up fine - there are two sparse bundles on it.. one mine one the other machine. I have used Disk Utility to check out the Time Machine Backups and the Sparse bundle. Both had problems but now Disk Utility says they are fine. However, I keep getting this error from my Time Machine Widget....
Starting standard backup
Network destination already mounted at: /Volumes/WD_Backup
Warning: Destination /Volumes/WD_Backup does not support TM Lock Stealing
Warning: Destination /Volumes/WD_Backup does not support Server Reply Cache
Failed to attach to image: /Volumes/WD_Backup/Alex.sparsebundle, DIHLDiskImageAttach returned: 35
Disk image /Volumes/WD_Backup/Alex.sparsebundle mounted at: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups
Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb
No pre-backup thinning needed: 116.25 GB requested (including padding), 912.88 GB available
Indexing a file failed. Returned 200 for: /Users/alex/Documents/TomTom/HOME/Backup/GO/Backup01/InternalMemory/Western_and _Central_Europe/cspeech_FRA.dat, /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb/Alex/2011-06-20-174808.inProgress/7C790CB6-F696-4C20-B 782-890C64D7B1D2/Macintosh HD/Users/alex/Documents/TomTom/HOME/Backup/GO/Backup01/InternalMemory/Western_a nd_Central_Europe/cspeech_FRA.dat
Aborting backup because indexing a file failed.
Stopping backup.
Copied 102 files (101 bytes) from volume Macintosh HD.
Copy stage failed with error:11
Backup failed with error: 11
Ejected Time Machine disk image.
Ejected Time Machine network volume.
New error message... it's gone from 89 to an 11!

How can I force Time Machine to make a complete backup of my Hard Drive. I just installed a new external drive for Backup since my previous one failed. Now when I back up, Time Machine only backs up my data folder and the Users folder.

How can I force Time Machine to make a complete backup of my Hard Drive. I just installed a new external drive for Backup since my previous one failed. Now when I back up, Time Machine only backs up my data folder and the Users folder.
When I start a backup. Time Machine says "Oldest Backup: None; Latest Backup: None", so it seems like it should do a complete backup, but it only does a partial.

Hi I'd like to jump in here. Your app showed me this:
Time Machine:
          Skip System Files: NO
          Mobile backups: OFF
          Auto backup: YES
          Volumes being backed up:
                    Macintosh HD: Disk size: 749.3 GB Disk used: 453.81 GB
          Destinations:
                    Plastic Wrapper [Local] (Last used)
                    Total size: 999.86 GB
                    Total number of backups: 64
                    Oldest backup: 2013-07-24 23:25:11 +0000
                    Last backup: 2013-11-17 01:40:47 +0000
                    Size of backup disk: Too small
                              Backup size 999.86 GB < (Disk used 453.81 GB X 3)
          Time Machine details may not be accurate.
          All volumes being backed up may not be listed.
          /sbin excluded from backup!
          /usr excluded from backup!
          /System excluded from backup!
          /bin excluded from backup!
          /private excluded from backup!
          /Library excluded from backup!
          /Applications excluded from backup!
Aside from the size of my backup drive, which I will increase at some point, I'd really like to have time machine backing up all system folders, especially Applications. How to I reset this hidden exclusions?
Thanks,
Darcy

I am trying to update my time machine backup on time capsule, but time machine keeps trying to create an entirely new backup (evidenced by the 200GB backup size). How can I get time machine to modify my old backup rather than create a new one?

I am trying to update my time machine backup on time capsule, but time machine keeps trying to create an entirely new backup (evidenced by the 200GB backup size). How can I get time machine to modify my old backup rather than create a new one?

It must have found the old backup corrupt.. so you will more than likely have little choice. You can archive off the old backup if it is still useful.
You can also verify it. See A5 http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
He also has some info on this problem. eg C13.

My Time Machine keeps backing up and won't stop.

My Time Machine keeps backing up and won't stop. The problem started when it said I was out if space. It is supposed to delete the oldest backup. Now I cannot even backup at all. It just keep going and never stops, although it really does not work at all. I have used the disk utilities and iI have Zeroed out. The TC is a 1 TB and is about 13 months old. Right now it says "79.9 MB of 104.9 MB" and "backing up 961,837 items". I do not have the check mark in "Notify after old backups are deleted." It will stay stuck like this for hours and hours. The TC is plugged into a U-verse router and the 27" MAC is plugged into the TC.

So you already wiped the old backup and started again??
If that is the case it did a fresh full backup ok?
How much free space is on the TC now?
Do you happen to have multiple network links? Meaning do you have TC bridged to the U-verse router.. with both ethernet and wireless working at the same time. I discovered this one all by my loansome.. having multiple paths does not seem to worry most things on the computer.. but it totally kills TM.
I had the same sort of thing happening in testing a TC I am fixing. So I have multiple ethernet and wireless. The incremental backups became extremely slow.. by turning off wireless and one ethernet so there is only one route to the TC.. it flys again.

Time Machine Error "Unable to complete backup"

I have not backed up my hard drive for about 30 days. When I plug my external hard drive in, Time Machine "prepares backup" for a while, then gives me the following message:
*Time Machine Error*
Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume.
I tried unplugging and re-plugging, rebooting my computer, trashing the ".inprogress" backup file and restarting. It did not help. While it time machine is preparing the backup, my computer runs crazy slow, with the rainbow pinwheel spinning for about 5-10 seconds just about every time I click the mouse, in any program.
Per someone's suggestion, I put "sudo grep backupd /var/log/system.log" into terminal, and this is what came up:
"No pre-backup thinning needed: 4.98 GB requested (including padding), 70.16 GB available
Waiting for index to be ready (906 > 0)
Unable to rebuild path cache for source item. Partial source path:
Indexing a file failed. Returned -12 for: /Applications/iChat.app, /Volumes/Time Machine Backups 1/Backups.backupdb/My Computer (2)/2011-01-13-113417.inProgress/CB0D491E-EF04-48A0-9AE9-32AE43E9209C/Macintosh HD/Applications/iChat.app
Aborting backup because indexing a file failed.
Stopping backup."
This time, it was apparently iChat, but in each of the three times I've tried to backup and gotten this error message, a different file has been the culprit for the indexing error.
Any suggestions?

orchestr wrote:
Indexing a file failed. Returned -12
see [this_|http://web.me.com/pondini/TimeMachine/C3.html] user tip by Pondini.
JGG

Does Time Machine keep backups of my emails?

I was wondering if Time Machine keeps a backup of all my stored emails and the folders I created in Mail.
Anyone know about this?
Thanks

I gave up on TM as a worthwhile backup solution, but dee if the gree demo of BackInTime can help...
http://www.tri-edre.com/english/backintime.html
Have you looked through Pondini's extensive TM help site?
http://Pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html

My time machine keeps saying the backup disk cannot be mounted. how do I fix it?

my time machine keeps saying that the backup disk cannot be mounted. we cannot figure out why this is happening. We have a 500GB time capsule /wireless router and using a Macbook . any ideas?

Try deleting your iPod Photo Cache folder. See:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1314

Change which old backups Time Machine keeps

Any body know how to change what older backups Time Machine keeps? I know how to change how frequently Time Machine backs up (sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.backupd-auto StartInterval -int XXXX),
but what I want is for it to not save so many recent backups and keep more of the old ones. Right now it saves hourly backups for the last 24 hours, daily for the last month, and weekly for each month until you run out of space. I don't need all the daily stuff, and would really like to keep more of the monthly. The older the info, the harder it is to recover by other means. What I'd like to do is keep older backups and lose more of the intermediate ones.
Any ideas?

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.
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. Post the messages timestamped from then until the end of the backup, or the end of the log if that's not clear.
Post the log text, please, not a screenshot. 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 a message.
Some personal information, such as the names of your files, may be included — edit that out, too, but don’t remove the context.

My Time Machine keeps asking to complete a new backup instantly after I just created a new back up

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for