Time Machine backs up everything every time

Hi
I've just had my hard drive replaced (as part of the Apple recall) and I have just had my external 2TB LaCie hard drive replaced as well due to a fault. I plugged the external hard drive in for the first time yesterday - partitioned it into 3 (one specifically for backups) and did a full backup and now Time Machine backs everything up each hour and takes forever - it's only backing up 4.39GB (it's taken 15 minutes to backup up 754kb). Very frustrating. Any advice would be great.
cheers

You can import directly to an external drive. Just select the external drive from the import from camera screen. The external drive must be formatted as Mac OS Extended (journaled). You can buy them this way, or you can buy a drive formatted for Windows and reformat it yourself. Let me know if you need instructions.
For existing Events and Projects, you can move them to the external drive following these instructions.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4141
For videos of my children and the family, my practice is to keep everything. I just buy extra external drives to keep it on. It is very important to keep backups of everything that is irreplacable. What I do is create an archive copy of my camcorder files. I back that up rather than backing up the whole event. I import to the iMovie Event from the Archive copy. Once I know the archive copy is good, I reformat the card in my camera and shoot some more.

Similar Messages

  • Time Machine backing up everything EXCEPT my Desktop

    Well i used Time Machine to back up my LaCie 500GB Firewire HD. Never a hassle before, but i'm wondering if there is a glitch possibly with 10.5.7 that isn't allowing it to backup my Desktop.
    I went into the Time Machine preferences, into the Options, and there is nothing listed in the "Do Not Backup" pane - except for the External drive itself. I did not physically tell it to exclude anything, and there is nothing else there.
    So it appears that everything is being backed up normally, except when i enter Time Machine, there is no Desktop folder, just all the other folders/files, etc. Even going "Back In Time" i was unable to locate a backed up Desktop folder.
    So i messed up anyways and did a clean install on my MacBook Pro (knowing that i could use Migration Assistant to get my machine back up and running again). And when i did this, it restored everything except what was on my Desktop.
    So now i'm back up and running again with a perfectly normal computer (except what should be on my Desktop now), and i selected my Time Machine backup disk again, and made double sure there was nothing in the "Exclude" window pane - but there is still no desktop folder again after i did a complete backup all over again.
    Does anybody have any ideas, or know if there is possibly a glitch with maybe 10.5.7 or something that is not allowing it to backup my Desktop? Thanks!
    Jason

    That is truly odd. Not really sure why this would occur, but for a start do this:
    Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
    Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger and Leopard.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
    If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger, and 4.1 for Leopard) and/or TechTool Pro (4.6.1 for Leopard) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
    Does this fix the problem after you force another TM backup?

  • Time Machine backs up everything all the time

    Time Machine is backing up every file all the time. This is a recent development.
    Don't know if this is related but I installed 10.6 on an external HD recently. I was told there wasn't room on the time machine disk so i turned off time machine. I used that boot disk for a week and then switched back to the 10.5.8 drive. After that but I can't be sure the exact date is correlated I noticed the Time Machine backup.

    trinko wrote:
    I figured out how much is being backed up by looking at the size of the files on the time machine disk in the finder and with omnidisksweeper.
    Those won't show an accurate picture. Time Machine uses an unusual and complex structure, involving multiple hard links (sort of like aliases) at both the file and folder level. The files that were the same at the time of each backup will be counted +*in each backup,+* although they were only backed-up once; the total will exceed the total amount of space used on the disk.
    For some reason on Mar 6 Time machine did a new full backup--650GB. Then it said it couldn't do any incremental backups because there wasn't enough free space--the drive had about 300GB free but Time Machine said it needed another 302GB which makes me think it wanted to do another full backup.
    Yes, that's possible. Some of the common causes are listed in #D3 of the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip,* also at the top of this forum.
    When TM decided it needed to do a full backup, it likely deleted all but the last one, trying to make enough room. Unfortunately, your logs for March 6 are probably gone by now, so we can't figure out exactly what happened then, much less why.
    I then excluded all but 100G of files. Time machine did a full backup of that 100G and then on the next days backup it also did a full backup. Files that hadn't been touched were copied based on looking in the Finder and omnidisksweeper said the files were taking the full amount of space as well.
    Again, that's not necessarily so. Click here to download the TimeTracker app. It shows most of the files saved by TM for each backup (excluding some hidden/system files, etc.). Some prefer the BackupLoupe application.
    Either one should clarify whether everything is really being backed-up each time. Take a look at the subsequent backups from after you excluded all but 100 GB, and post back with your findings.

  • HT201250 Will Time Machine Back Up Everything On My Mac?

    I have to submit my Macbook Pro into the store to get the USB Port fixed and they recommended backing up my computer before submitting it. I found Time Machine on here and started to back up on it... I just wanted to make sure everything will be backed up (i.e. iPhoto pictures, music on iTunes...etc)

    It should.
    I'd make 2 backups on 2 different drives - oops happen. It can be either 2 Time Machine or Time Machine and a clone.
    Clone  - Carbon Copy Cloner          (Often recommended as it has more features than some others)
    Clone – Data Backup
    Clone – Deja Vu
    Clone  - SuperDuper
    Clone - Synk
    Clone Software – 6 Applications Tested
    Commonly Used Backup Methods

  • Time Machine backs up 300mb every time regardless

    I love time Machine but it is giving me grief. Every hour it backs up at least 250 - 300 mb in information even if I haven't been doing anything on the computer. This process takes about 20 - 30 minutes with all of the preparing, transferring and finishing up and so it seems like all my computer does is back up data.
    I have it set to back up only user's accounts, no applications or system folders. When I exam the log messages in Console, it tells me that it's backing up around 40,000 files. I can't possibly have manipulated that many files every hour, even when the computer is idle.
    Other explanations like entourage mail files and parallels disk images are not the reason as I don't use the first and I've excluded parallels files from the backups.
    If anyone has had this problem and solved it, I would certainly be glad to hear it.

    This could be a large monolithic database or package/vault being backed up... Some examples are the Entourage mail database, DEVONthink Pro database, Aperture vault, iPhoto library.
    Check programs you use a lot (or that run in the background) and have a large database or package/vault. You might want to exclude these files and back them up via another application such as Backup.app, SmartBackup, etc..

  • Does time machine back up everything???

    Hi guys im fairly new to macs, just made the switch a couple of months ago and i was just wandering if it is necessary to back up my itunes and iphoto libraries separately or is time machine a one in all solution that backs up my entire hard drive including photos and music/movies??

    If you look into /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist you'll find what's excluded. It is in three parts: ExcludeByPath; ExcludeByVolume; and SkipPaths.
    I find that in ExcludeByPath non of the items are ones I told it to exclude.
    Also there is a SkipSystemFiles boolean which is set to 'no'.
    I've heard that VMWare fusion exclude it's files "automatically" - presumably by writing the plist during installation. It certainly makes sense as the Windows "disk" file is large and changed constantly which will quickly fill up the backup disk.
    There are a number of other types of files that one should exclude. For example I exclude my Lightroom catalogs and Previews databases as they are large and change any time they're opened. Since they contain the history within them, conventional backup is better suited for preserving them.

  • ICloud backup size - backs up everything every time?

    Hi all,
    I have just backed up my iPhone 4S and it is almost 14GB. You can imagine that took a long time on an ADSL line.
    Now my question is, since I continue taking photos and videos, will each backup from now on be bigger and bigger. In other words, will my iPhone include stuff that was previously backed up in an earlier session or will it recognize the newly added stuff and back them up only?
    Thanks,
    SY

    The problem is caused by an obscure bug in OS X. I don't know what triggers it.
    The only solution that seems to work consistently is to erase the source volume in Disk Utility and restore from a backup.
    You should have at least two complete, independent backups of any volume you're going to erase. One backup is not enough to be safe. To erase the boot volume, you need to boot into Recovery.

  • Does Time Machine *really* back-up everything?

    I've run into some problems with my computer and will have it repaired tomorrow. They will be replacing the hard disk, so I need to make sure I have everything before I give it to them tomorrow morning. I used Time Machine to back up things, so all should be fine. Theoretically, I guess... ;-)
    I've now restored from Time Machine back-up to a different computer - this is the one I'll be using while my own is being fixed. But: About 40GB (of about 300GB in total) seems to be missing! The file number reported by Disk Utility is about the same (I've been using the "new" Mac for a day, so I expect it to be different), and I've used "du" in terminal to find out whether there are any major discrepancies but haven't found any. Maybe a few massive swap files that are ignored? Or what could it be?
    Any idea what's going on???
    Sebastian

    No one is an idiot.
    It is worth going to Apple's website and reading all the info on their pages about these products. They tell a lot and there are usually links to tutorials.
    Time Machine backs up everything the first time. Then it only backs up changes. When you enter time machine you will seethe series of what ever folder you are in running back into space. You can go to a specific date and the version of say a letter will be in the state it was in at the time of that back up.
    The same is true for the contest of a folder. If a back up runs at 2:00 pm and the you delete the file at 3:00 the file will remain in the 2:00 pm back up.
    There is an option to exclude files from the back up. My opinion is that backing up the system files all the time isn't worth it. I find if there is a system problem I want to reinstall the whole thing fresh.
    This works if you don't mind sitting through software installs.
    Time Machine if left alone will back up the entire system and keep it current. Once the back up drive is full however it will start deleting old back ups. It will let you know it is going to do this. You can choose to let that happen or add a new drive. It isn't the best system for a permanent archive.
    I have excluded everything but my home folder. I expect to get at least a years worth on my drive and at that point a new drive wouldn't be that big a deal.
    Hope this helps.
    Greg

  • Time Machine Backing up too much data (fixed, I think)

    About a month ago, I upgraded my Mac Pro from Leopard to Snow Leopard, and in so doing hooked up new external drive for TM backups.
    First backup was large, bit slow, and expected.
    All backups after that were fairly slow, which I took initially to be partially related to doing recent OS upgrade.
    Within last week or so, I started to notice that my backups seemed to be much larger than expected. I went down about 350 GB on the backup drive in a matter 2 to 3 weeks, while adding at most 10 GB of data in that time.
    Well today, I discovered the issue via the (freel) app Time Tracker, which showed 10+ GB of data for each backup was coming from TechTool Protection (in Application Support). I went into TM and did a 'delete all' for this backup, and it restored a good 350 GB back to my TM drive.
    As I typed this, I initiated a TM backup, that is now 10 MB, which seems normal and expected.
    I still feel like a relative novice when it comes to the fine details of using TM, but glad I found this solution.
    Definitely have to give shout out to Pondini for pointing me to Time Tracker and for the umpteen other tips I've received from reading the Pondini.org site.
    As I marked this as a question, I would say there are 2 items for me that are still outstanding:
    1 - the backup of 10 MB is slow - still showing under 100 KB. As I'm used to this from last few weeks, not a big deal, but I'm up for any pointers from anyone who thinks this can be fixed or ought to be fixed.
    2 - I'm still curious about exclusions, especially within a 10.6 OS environment. I've excluded items that make sense, either cause I have them backed up elsewhere (i.e. iTunes Library) or because I didn't see the need (i.e. Apple Loops in Library/Audio folder). The ones that perhaps make less sense to exclude, but I'm currently not backing up are:
    - Applications folder (did initial TM backup and then excluded)
    - DropBox folder
    - Library/Caches
    - Library/Mail Downloads
    - Public folder and Users/Shared folder
    If you feel these ought to be included, let me know. And if you feel there is anything else to exclude, I'm up for hearing that.
    Thanks.

    incidently it seems that time machine backs up everything the first time and only uses the exclusion list on subsequent times

  • Does Time Machine back up my OS?

    Hey everyone, haven't actually used time machine yet as I'm still deciding on an ext HD but I'd like to know does using time machine back up everything, include my Leopard OS?
    If the answer is yes, does that mean that I could using my external HD as a boot of my OS/files, on another mac?
    B./

    b_sheridan wrote:
    does using time machine back up everything, include my Leopard OS?
    Yes. It can will even back up your connected drives if you don't exclude them.
    does that mean that I could using my external HD as a boot of my OS/files, on another mac?
    No. It is not bootable.
    EDIT: Snapped by Paul
    -mj
    [email protected]
    Message was edited by: macjack

  • Time machine back up problem after new hard drive install

    After having my hard drive replaced I restored using time machine (Seagate backup drive)  There are 2 users of  this iMac.  After restoring I seem to have all my stuff back but the other user has nothing, no pics etc.  I assumed that time machine backed up everything on the computer.  Is it possible that it only backed up my data? If not, how do I restore the other users data.  Appreciate any help with this!

    How did you restore the computer? If you used migrate it is important you prepared the computer correctly. If you already setup the user name that pre-existed on the old hard disk migrate will not work properly.. you cannot restore to the same username. So you might need to do the restore again.. (migrate but to a different location eg a USB drive and pick up the files from there).. TM should backup all users that previously were on the computer.. but how you restored will affect how it behaves now.

  • HT3275 I've 1.85TB empty space on my time Machine, but it only backs up to the beginning of the previous month. it should have weekly back-ups for every month before that. Any ideas why it deletes stuff older than a month?

    I've 1.85TB empty space on my Time Machine, but it only retains back-ups to the beginning of the previous month. I should be able to access weekly back-ups for every month before that until the disk is full. Any ideas why it deletes stuff older than a month?
    Thanks, Rigby.

    If you are using Ethernet to connect your Mac to the Time Capsule, are you allowing at least 2-3 minutes for Time Machine to fully load when you open the application to see your backups?
    If you are using wireless to connect, you may need to allow 8-10 minutes or longer for everything to fully load, depending on the speed of your wireless connection.
    If you see only white time "bars" on the timeline at the right of the screen, you are seeing temporary backups. Permanent backups are displayed with purple "bars".

  • The disk drive in my iMac 8,1 has stopped working, so I now use an LG 8x Slim Portable that works.  However, every time I use the LG drive, I lose contact with my Time Machine back-up drive that has to be deleted and reinstalled.  Help!

    The disk drive in my iMac 8,1 has stopped working, so I now use an LG 8x Slim Portable that works.  However, every time I use the LG drive, I lose contact with my Time Machine back-up drive that has to be deleted and reinstalled.  Help!

    It's not Logic that can't find them, it's your Komplete apps, though if you did exaclty as you say I can see no reason why they can't.
    Do you know where the apps installed them in the first place? I chose a non-standard locarion for mine, but I'm sure it installs sounds to your documents folder/native instruments/name of app.
    Go into the prefs of each app and choose the library location button on the library tab and point it to the relevant folder in documents/native instruments and see if that works
    jake

  • I can't migrate from a time machine Back up. I select my TC and it says "some backups can't be opened." My HD failed and I'm Trying to get everything back... Can anyone make a suggestion?

    I can't migrate from a time machine Back up. I select my TC and it says "some backups can't be opened. Make sure that all of your network devices are connected and turned on. It appears that some backups are already in use. If you don't see the backup you need, make sure it is not currently mounted by another machine and try again."
    My HD failed and i installed a new one... I'm Trying to get everything back... Can anyone make a suggestion?

    Read the section E about restore issues.
    http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
    But you should be able to mount the sparsebundle and backup the major items if they are not damaged. You might also do a disk verify to see if the corruption can be repaired.
    Have a look here also for restore of selected items.
    http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html

  • I have the new 2011 macbook pro, with lion preinstalled. I want to change the harddrive. I have backed up everything on time machine. when i put my new blank hard drive in will the lion screen startup.How do i get the lion dmg when i am already using lion

    I have the new 2011 macbook pro, with lion preinstalled. I want to change the harddrive. I have backed up everything on time machine. when i put my new blank hard drive in will the lion screen startup.How do i get the lion dmg when i am already using lion

    NicholasLiban -
       When you use the Lion restore as described, it does a fresh install on the hard drive that you can select at the beginning of the process.  This provides a complete install of the very latest version of Lion, including the recovery partition.  The drive that you choose for the installation destination winds up like what you would have on a brand new computer from Apple. 
       - Randy

Maybe you are looking for