Time Machine back up never completes as estimate backup grows

Following a recent HD failure on my 2008 IMAC I have invested in a new 2014 Mac Mini (2.6 GHz Intel Core i5) with 8GB RAM and 1TB HD.
I have restored my IMAC data to my Mac Mini from an old WD External drive so the Mac Mini now holds 399GB data.
I have also purchased a 2TB Time Capsule.
The problem I have is when trying to perform the first full back-up of the Mac Mini to the Time Capsule using Time Machine the back-up never completes.
Steps followed:
- I click options within Time Machine where you have the chance to exclude back-ups, this shows estimated back-up size as 399GB agreeing with my HD view.
- I start back-up and and as soon as it commences it reads backing up 0.00GB of 431.25GB (Not sure where the extra 31GB comes from)
- I leave this to run and when the first figures gets to around 390GB of 431GB both figures start to increase. This never ends!
- I have tried the Time Capsule via WIFI and cable and same issue occurs.
- I have tried switching the Time Capsule for the old WD Hard Drive and again the same issue.
- My sons Mac Mini back-ups fine using TM with either of these drives so it appears that there is something wrong with TM on my new iMac.
I have considered purchasing an alternative to TM but would rather use TM as it has worked fine for me over the years.

Try:
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

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Pull the power cable from the back of the Time Capsule
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http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

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See Pondini's TM FAQs for starters.

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i erase time captule content and start back up as new but still the same.
so i can't use time machine back up anymore?
what is the deal? any solution?
please help.

Hi there RichNads!
I have an article here that can help you troubleshoot this issue with your Time Capsule and backing up your computer. That article can be found here:
Time Machine: Troubleshooting backup issues
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3275
Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities!
Cheers,
Braden

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Hi I'd like to jump in here. Your app showed me this:
Time Machine:
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If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.
Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.
Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left. If you don't see that menu, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar.
Enter the word "Starting" (without the quotes) in the String Matching text field. You should now see log messages with the words "Starting * backup," where * represents any of the words "automatic," "manual," or "standard." Note the timestamp of the last such message that corresponds to a failed backup. Now
CLEAR THE WORD "Starting" FROM THE TEXT FIELD
so that all messages are showning, and scroll back in the log to the time you noted. Select the messages timestamped from then until the end of the backup, or the end of the log if that's not clear. Copy them (command-C) to the Clipboard. Paste (command-V) into a reply to this message.
If all you see are messages that contain the word "Starting," you didn't clear the text field.
If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Don't post many repetitions of the same message.
When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.
Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
Some personal information, such as the names of your files, may be included — anonymize before posting.

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You need to do a bit of troubleshooting.. and it isn't an easy one to solve.
TM could be stuck on a corrupted file..
It could be slow due to network issues.. wireless is terrible.. use ethernet if at all possible.
Is there an error message??
Look at Pondini.. http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
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Verify both the source and backup sparsebundle. A5
Look at some of the reasons he gives for over long backups.
Look at section D.
I would also need to have more info. Did this just start when you upgraded the TC firmware that was recently released.. if so expect issues.
Are you running Mountain Lion.. expect issues??
To help further we need more info.

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Hmmm.. Office is not hard to restore.
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See Troubleshooting.
A1, A4 and A5 for further info.
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
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I would also download carbon copy cloner.. it is $40, but you can use it free for a time.. forget if a week or a month??.. to try out.. and make a proper backup before you start.. CCC is far more reliable than TM.. and in fact you might decide to simply forget about TM if it works and pays the $40.. because you can produce a bootable clone on the external drive which is a heck of a lot easier to use than TM.

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Hi all,
my son has a Macbook Pro running Lion. Yesterday it hung when downloading the 10.7.3 update and wouldn't reboot properly.
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When I set up the Time Machine Back-ups I always have selected (as recommended by Apple and Western Digital) the Guest user. Therefore I have no idea what the username or password should be??? I've hunted on the web for any kind of answer however theres no certain answer...
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I think you are not restoring your files in the correct way.
If what you want to do is to restore a complete Time Machine backup, you have to do it in OS X Recovery, so first hold Command and R keys while your Mac is starting up. Then, choose the option to restore a Time Machine backup, and follow its steps.
If you want to restore individual files, you cannot restore that type of user files because you are using them. Instead, you can restore individual files in your user folders. Read > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427

Time machine back-up abysmally slow

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It also slows my entire iMac down, especially since I foolishly upgraded to Mavericks (now everything's slow).
Very annoyed. Apple should come out and admit that the Time Machine/Mavericks process is a failure as it is not commercially acceptable to use such a slow system for back-ups. I'm switching to a separate system, but will let this one run so I can see how long it will actually take.
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Find the Console app - it is in your Utilities folder and looks like this
You can find it by selecting Utilities from the Finder's Go menu.
Open Console.
If the log list column on the left is not already displayed, show the log list by selecting Show Log List from Console's View menu.
Locate system.log in the list and select it. Many date and time-stamped entries will appear, hundreds of them, and you must find the entries relevant to your Mac's problem.
To do that type the words backupd in the Filter field at the upper right of the Console window. That will cause all log entries to be hidden, except for the entries containing those words.
Copy and paste those log entries in a reply. If hundreds of the same repetitive messages appear, please edit them before posting.
Most of the entries will be cryptic but will contain information you might consider personal such as your Mac's name. If you do not want that information to appear, delete or obscure it when posting your reply. Leave enough information so that the entries can be deciphered.
... No virus software but CleanMyMac is installed -
Get rid of it.
Good luck with that because its uninstallation instructions are ineffective, contrary to MacPaw's recently posted update. They didn't work prior to that update either. Lacking any explanation from the developer, one is left to unproductive speculation that won't help you fix what's wrong. Whether CMM is the sole cause of your difficulties or merely a contributing factor is unknown, but its presence can only complicate matters.
Like most ill-conceived "cleaning" programs, "CleanMyMac" is trash capable of corrupting a Mac to the point that erasing it completely is the only practicable means of recovery.
Follow the applicable recovery procedure below:
If you have a backup that you created prior to using CleanMyMac, now is the time to use it. For Time Machine, boot OS X Recovery, and at the Mac OS X Utilities screen, choose Restore from Time Machine Backup. Choose a date preceding the installation of CleanMyMac.
If you do not have a backup that predates the use of CleanMyMac, create one now. To do that read Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac.
The recovery procedure will require that you erase the Mac using OS X Recovery, and then create a new user whose contents will be empty. You will then be able to use Setup Assistant to migrate your essential documents including photos, music, work products and other essential files.
When doing so, select only your previous User account and do not select "Applications", "Computer and Network Settings" or "Other files and folders". De-select those choices.
Subsequent to using Setup Assistant, you will need to reinstall the essential software you may require, once again remembering to install software only from their original sources, and omitting all non-essential software
"Essential software" is defined to specifically exclude all so-called "cleaning", "optimizing", and "anti-virus" utilities - anything that does not directly relate to the ability to use your Mac for the work or entertainment needs you presumably bought it to accomplish.
To erase and install Mavericks read: OS X Mavericks: Erase and reinstall OS X
To migrate your essential documents read: OS X: How to migrate data from another Mac using Mavericks and follow the procedure under Time Machine or other disk migration.
Other problems may exist but those concerns will be rendered moot by erasing your system, which must be accomplished.

I have 2 macbooks each with an account for me and one for my wife. I use one Macbook logged in with my account and my wife uses the other Macbook only loged in on her account. We both make regular time-machine back-ups each on a separate external disk

I have 2 Macbooks each with an account for me and one for my wife. I use one Macbook logged in with my account and my wife uses the other Macbook only logged in on her account. We both make regular time-machine back-ups each on a separate external disk. Is it possible to update her account on my macbook using her external disk without overwriting my stuff on the same Macbook and vice versa?

Time Machine does not do individual accounts. It records the complete drive. So if you were to use her TM backup on your Mac it would make your Mac just like hers. Both yours and her account on your MAC.
Just copy the missing files over from her Mac to yours. If there are differennt programs on each then they would need to be installed on both.

Time Machine back up never completes as estimate backup grows

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