Time Machine Backups Failed/Delayed

After I had my NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor replaced, I have been unable to back up my files on Time Machine. I am using a Western Digital My Book Essential Edition external hard drive with 1TB with a USB port. I have 771.4GB of 931.2GB available. I used Disk Utility on my hard drive to see if it needed to be repaired and it said it was ok. Also when I want to retrieve a file it will not let me go through Time Machine only if I open the icon and pull the file by folder (hope that makes sense).
Thanks.

sassyshang wrote:
Thanks. I tried the Browse...option and Time Machine did start a new set of backups. I selected the original folder but it defaults to the new folder to back up.
Yes. Time Machine thinks you got a new Mac.
I read the instructions from the page you recommended http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080128003716101 and do not understand what a terminal is. I typed in terminal under Help on the menu bar and still didn't get it. Sorry I am not technically savvy
Yes, you do not want to try that if you're not comfortable with UNIX and the Terminal app. Even those of us with limited familiarity have tried it, and messed it up somehow (I did, twice!).
but at least now I can enter Time Machine to retrieve my files from the first folder.
Right. The one problem you'll have, eventually, is that Time Machine won't delete anything from the old set of backups when it runs out of room. Instead, it will delete the oldest backup from the new set that started about July 23.
What I would suggest is, check the +Warn when old backups are deleted+ box in +Time Machine Preferences > Options.+ (If it's already checked, remove the check, quit System Preferences, then go back and check it again.)
Then, eventually, when your Time Machine disk gets full, you'll get a message like the one in the tan box in #C4 of Time Machine - Troubleshooting (unless you've upgraded to Snow Leopard by then. Snow Leopard handles it differently, with a warning after it starts deleting things, per the blue box in #C4).
Then you'll need to start deleting the backups from the old set manually, per the procedure in #12 of Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum). That's a tedious process, but the only way to get rid of them.

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Time machine backup fails; error creating folder. Western Digital drive requires password which is perhaps/likely the issue. I can't eliminate the password/encryption.

Time Machine backup fails on new WD external drive (My Passport Studio); error creating folder (after several hours of Time Machine apparently working).
Background: I purchased a Western Digital drive from an Apple Store to use for Time Machine backup. I followed the Western Digital instructions that came with the drive for Mac. I didn't get the Time Machine prompt which the instructions indicated I would receive--namely to select whether I want to encrypt my Time Macine backups. (I already have a Time Machine backup I use at another location, which is perhaps why I didn't receive a prompt.)
I decided to install the Western Digital utilities and security software that comes on the disk--with a view to potentially encrypting the disk (since I still wanted to have an encrypted backup since I was mobile). I forgot that (from experience 2-years previous) that I shouldn't install Western Digital software because it just makes life really complicated.
I tried several times to do a Time Machine backup with failures each time (error creating the backup folder). I tried to get help from WD but I don't think the technicians were following what my issue was. Potentially I was not helpful in explaining it. I deleted the WD applications from my system after the first contact with WD. However the problem persisted--I still had an encrypted hard drive. After three phone sessions with three different WD techs I still could not get a solution. (By the second call I was not at all interested in having an encrypted drive--I just wanted to format and restore the drive to an unencrypted state so that I could have SOME kind of Time Machine backup.)
I still don't have a solution--either to get Time Machine working with the WD encryption/password on the drive, or to remove the encryption so I can backup. Right now my options are to return the drive to the Apple Store -- or get a return authorization from WD. Seems crazy since the drive is fine and I have the working password.

Never install "helpful software" provided by WD and Seagate (or any HD mfg.)
All such stuff is fluff and nonsense that interferes with normal HD operation.
Always when you buy a new HD, format it for Mac and then use it to TM backup or clone a HD, or archive data.
Less is more on HD new out of box. A "blank brick", no fluff and cotton candy software

Time Machine backup fails because "volume could not be found".

I just had my logic board replaced in my Macbook Pro and went to do a backup (yeah, I didn't do this right before it crashed) and now Time Machine backup fails with the message "volume could not be found" Under Time Machine/Choose Disk, it appears that the drive is the one selected. The computer "sees" the drive and I can read files on it. The only other thing that has happened in the meantime is that a friend helped pull a file off the hard drive that I needed for a project. No apparent issues there. Any suggestions?

You might try going to /Library/Preferences, then drag the file com.apple.TimeMachine.plist to the Desktop. Reboot your Mac, then try declaring the backup disk for Time Machine. It might help if you mount the backup disk first.
Are you using Time Machine to write its backups to the disk of a Time Capsule? If not, since this discussion section is for Apple's Time Capsule AirPort base station, a discussion involving Time Machine should be held on the discussion section for whatever version of OSX that you're using.

Time Machine backup fails in extended network

Dear all,
I've recently setup an extended network using 2 additional AirPort Express units connected to the main Airport Extreme modem (all working well). I'm using the Extreme for Time Machine Backups, which used to work just fine as well.
However, when connected to the Expresses, the Time Machine Backups fail with the message that the backup file is already in use. I'm guessing the Express modem tries to connect to the backup file, while the Extreme is keeping the file stand-by or something.
Does anybody know a fix to this problem?
Kind regards,
Dennis

It took a Snow Leopard a while but after 2 days it started working again. I've checked whether the connection was directly to the Extreme, but the connection actually went through one of the bridged Expresses.
I guys one just has to hope for the best ;-)
I've upgraded to Lion last week and backup works fine with the new operating system as well.

Time machine backup fails in my seagate 3tb external drive

Time machine backup fails in my seagate 3tb external drive

Without any specifics it's impossible to assist you, however the best tool for debugging TM failures is using Pondini's Time Machine Troubleshooting guide.
Good luck.

Time Machine Backup Failed even though I still have 1.9TB of a 2TB Time Capsule. I am using Yosemite.

Time Machine Backup Failed even though I still have 1.9TB of a 2TB Time Capsule. I am using Yosemite 10.10.3 on an iMac (mid 2010)

The recent update in Yosemite (10.10.3) is causing some issues for some users.
Try a complete network power cycle as follows:
Power off each and every device on your network......modem, Time Capsule, computers, printers, etc......in any order that you want
Wait a minute
Power up the modem and let it run 2-3 minutes
Then, power up the next device that is connected to the modem an let it run a full minute
Then, continue to power up devices one at a time about a minute apart until everything is back up
Check the network
Wait for a backup to occur and report on your results

File Sharing drops regularly, Time Machine Backups are delayed on OSX 10.7.3. Solution?

Hi there folks,
I'm having an issue with the new 10.7 server. We're running 10.7.3 Server on an Late 2006 XServe with 10GB RAM , connected to a Drobo Pro for Time Machine Backups of our 50+ users via our internal network.
Recently, Time Machine backups have been getting delayed, stating that they can't connect up to the backup drive (which is out Drobo Pro handling 16TB of space). The Drobo Pro hass not unmounted, and all the IP Addresses coming from and going to the Server handling the backups will still ping.
We've also be having trouble with Server resident drives and shared folders that people can mount using the ⌘+K shortcut or "Connect to Server" option in finder. People will choose the IP address, and finder will think for a few minutes then give an error stating that it cannot connect the the specified IP. The only way I can reestablish connection to the file sharing through a remote computer is to remote or physically login to the server, then go into System Preferences and turn "File Sharing" off, then on again. After that, the ⌘+K on a remote machine can find the drives again.
It's driving me crazy why this is ocurring. I don't know why, and people in the office are beginning to complain that they can't access certain files on the servers or are worried because their backups are not completeing.
It should also be known that a majority of the machines we have in the ofice are still running 10.6.8, with only a handful on 10.7, as we haven't had the time to make the major switchover yet.
I'm not the best when it comes to server software or Unix CLI managment (the office outsourced our Network Admin to the east coast), so I'm a bit stumped.
Does anyone have any suggestions to try? Is there a link between the number of Time Machine Users and the connection failures? Should I just tel the NetAdmin to create a script that will restart the File Sharing protocol on the server every couple of hours?
Hopefully someone will be able to help.
Thanks,
JYHASH

I started having connectivity issues to my 10.6.8 server from my 10.7 client immediately after updating the client to 10.7.3. FWIW. Takes forever to connect, when it does. After just milliconds before.

Time machine backup failed to restore

HHaving had major issues with Mail I decided to restore from a Time Machine backup. With hindsight I wish I hadn't! Having foolishly agreed to the 'this will erase everything' warning I waited 8 hours (twice) to get the message that my backup failed to restore. No more detail than that. Does anyone have any ideas / suggestions? I have a MBA with latest upgrade of Yosemite (last upgrade probably caused my Mail issue). Everything is backed up using Time Machine to a Netgear NAS. When going through the restore process I have no is

TThanks Eric. At present I can't connect the NAS directly. I dont seem to have a usb to usb cable. It is connecting via a network cable. My MBA can see the NAS and I've successfully entered my login details and chosen the backup I want to restore.
On C's recommendation I tried reinstalling OSX and planned to then try importing all my files on,y to find that there was not enough disk space. I've now erased everything as it occurred to me that starting with most of my 250G drive free might help. I'm having one more go at restoring directly from the TM backup as this would be my preferred solution (indeed what I had assumed Time Machine was meant for). On,y another 7 hours 26 minutes to wait. If that fails I will have another go at a fresh OS X install and reimport from TM (on the assumption that an empty hard disk will allow that this time).
ANd do all this because MaIl stopped working with my old POP account and I screwed up the switch to IMAP (by dragging my old Pop account contents across to the new IMAP account is created - will need to do that more carefully if I ever get back to where I started!).

Time Machine backup fails about once a week

I'm backing up to an external firewire drive.
About once a week, a Time Machine backup will fail.
I have no other information on the failure. There are no errors in any of the log in
Console.app. Time Machine simply reports "Last Backup Failed", and that's it.
I looked through system.log, and found this;
system.log:Nov 25 08:59:51 kilroy-3 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[3897]: Error: (-43) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/mauroj/Notebook/.DS_Store to /Volumes/TimeMachine/Backups.backupdb/kilroy/2008-11-25-085528.inProgress/D2D3A 24A-4AC2-4BBE-B95B-70F6C122AA07/MacIntosh HD/Users/mauroj/Notebook
Nov 25 08:59:51 kilroy-3 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[3897]: Copied 1132 files (90.0 MB) from volume MacIntosh HD.
Nov 25 08:59:51 kilroy-3 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[3897]: Copy stage failed with error:11
Nov 25 08:59:56 kilroy-3 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[3897]: Backup failed with error: 11
I'm not 100% sure this is the reason Time Machine failed and aborted, but it correlates
time-wise. So it appears backupd (aka Time Machine) is reporting it can not or will not
copy one particular file. There is no indication as to why.
This is buggy behavior for backup software. The message is broken, because there's no
"why" to the failure mode, and the software is broken, because it should be able to
recover from this, complete the backup, and simply report that a specific file was not
backed up.
If I can, I'll file a bug. Note to Apple - We RELY on backups. Stuff like this in the backup
software does NOT make us feel warm and fuzzy.
/jim

this is a known bug introduced by 10.5.3 update. lots of people have it (including myself). it's been acknowledged by apple. there is nothing you can or should do about it yourself. we have to wait for a fix from apple.

Time Machine backups fail with no error message

My Time Machine hasn't successfully completed a backup since 3/19. It starts the backup on schedule, indexes over 2 million objects, goes through the phase of preparing objects, and then just stops. I know that there have been many changes since that time, but it isn't backing them up. Please tell me how to fix this.

I have the same problem - Time Machine fails to backup with no error message - after a brief foray into Mavericks. Each time it tries to backup, TM creates a new folder in the "in progress" directory but fails to complete. Otherwise TM looks normal with no obvious errors. I have several HDDs. I installed Mavericks on an external drive, migrated my data over to it. Booted from it and after a day or two decided I just didn’t' like it and booted from my Snow Leopard partition. All was fine but apparently, I had forgotten to turn OFF Time Machine while booted into Mavericks. Thereafter, Time Machine failed to backup. Here's what I've done and the error logs:
Deleted the NEW directory that Mavericks created on TM
Done a full reset of TM (deleted: /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist
Re-entered the exclusions
Rebuilt the directory structure on the boot disc using DiskWarrior
Repaired the TM disc using Disc Utility
Resynced the Spotlight cache on the boot disk
TM also seems not to do a deep traversal since it just stops after checking files to backup.
Here are the error logs from the TM Buddy widget:
Starting standard backup
Error loading /Library/Plug-ins/DiskImages/VirtualPCDiskImagePlugin.bundle/Contents/MacOS/Vir tualPCDiskImagePlugin: dlopen(/Library/Plug-ins/DiskImages/VirtualPCDiskImagePlugin.bundle/Contents/Ma cOS/VirtualPCDiskImagePlugin, 262): no suitable image found. Did find:\n /Library/Plug-ins/DiskImages/VirtualPCDiskImagePlugin.bundle/Contents/MacOS/Vir tualPCDiskImagePlugin: mach-o, but wrong architecture
Cannot find function pointer MacDiskImagePluginFactory for factory 7F1FD83E-6684-11D8-968F-000A957703C0 in CFBundle/CFPlugIn 0x102f00930 </Library/Plug-ins/DiskImages/VirtualPCDiskImagePlugin.bundle> (bundle, not loaded)
Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb
Event store UUIDs don't match for volume: Mac Pro Data
Forcing deep traversal on source: "Mac Pro Data" (mount: '/Volumes/Mac Pro Data' fsUUID: B4BEA50F-15B1-34BB-92F1-B7605139B852 eventDBUUID: BA019CB5-8123-4C99-9806-C9593D4EFA34), {1, 1, 1, 0}
Event store UUIDs don't match for volume: Music HDD
Forcing deep traversal on source: "Music HDD" (mount: '/Volumes/Music HDD' fsUUID: FF1EF8F5-30D0-34C0-BC02-ACDB5AD18B3A eventDBUUID: 92A95F63-5F4A-4987-90DB-5444ADF33D40), {1, 1, 1, 0}
Node requires deep traversal:/ reason:must scan subdirs|
Error: Flushing index to disk returned an error: 0
Backup canceled.
I don't know what to do next. Any ideas?
Thanks,
John

Time Machine Backup fails after Restore

Had my 500GB HD on my iMac fail. After being replaced by Apple, I performed a restore from 1TB time machine backup. After this was done, I set time machine back up to back up to this 1TB drive. I want it to append to the previous backups. However, the backup fails due to "backup is too large for the backup volume". It doesn't seem to want to append to previous backups but thinks this is an entirely new backup, which I guess is mostly true. I suspect this has to do with UUIDs of the new and old drives, but I'm not sure how to correct it (I'd prefer not to just wipe the backup disk and start over). I migrated backups before from one extenal HD to another but can't remember what I did... If anyone has steps to fix this, let me know em. Thanks.
Here's the time machine log:
Starting standard backup
Backing up to: /Volumes/MyBook-Mac/Backups.backupdb
Event store UUIDs don't match for volume: Macintosh HD
Node requires deep traversal:/ reason:kFSEDBEventFlagMustScanSubDirs|
Starting pre-backup thinning: 506.55 GB requested (including padding), 502.31 GB available
No expired backups exist - deleting oldest backups to make room
Error: backup disk is full - all 0 possible backups were removed, but space is still needed.
Backup Failed: unable to free 506.55 GB needed space
Backup failed with error: Not enough available disk space on the target volume.
Message was edited by: Delmonte3161

Delmonte3161 wrote:
Had my 500GB HD on my iMac fail. After being replaced by Apple, I performed a restore from 1TB time machine backup. After this was done, I set time machine back up to back up to this 1TB drive. I want it to append to the previous backups. However, the backup fails due to "backup is too large for the backup volume". It doesn't seem to want to append to previous backups but thinks this is an entirely new backup, which I guess is mostly true. I suspect this has to do with UUIDs of the new and old drives,
yes, that's correct. TM will make a full backup after a full system restore on a new hard drive because the UUIDs of the new drive is different from the old one.
you may try the following hack to get around it
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20090213071015789
But I make no promises about how well it works.
but I'm not sure how to correct it (I'd prefer not to just wipe the backup disk and start over). I migrated backups before from one extenal HD to another but can't remember what I did... If anyone has steps to fix this, let me know em. Thanks.
Here's the time machine log:
Starting standard backup
Backing up to: /Volumes/MyBook-Mac/Backups.backupdb
Event store UUIDs don't match for volume: Macintosh HD
Node requires deep traversal:/ reason:kFSEDBEventFlagMustScanSubDirs|
Starting pre-backup thinning: 506.55 GB requested (including padding), 502.31 GB available
No expired backups exist - deleting oldest backups to make room
Error: backup disk is full - all 0 possible backups were removed, but space is still needed.
Backup Failed: unable to free 506.55 GB needed space
Backup failed with error: Not enough available disk space on the target volume.
Message was edited by: Delmonte3161

Time machine backup failed

My time machine is not backing up my files anymore. Everytime I start it, it prepares for a very long time (maybe 30min or longer) and then eventually does start. But in the middle of the backup, an error pops up saying that I need to verify the space needed for the backup. But there is definitely space on my back up drive and Time Machine also recognizes the external harddrive. I've tried re-backing up a few times already but it doesn't work properly each time. I can still enter Time Machine and see the older back ups. If anyone has any suggestions, I would really appreciate it.

Time Machine always gets corrupted, eventually and inevitably. It just gets more complex by the hour. I pretty much always recommend that a user erase the Time Machine drive on a regular basis - a very active computer should have it erased and started over every few months. Average home computer doing general duties maybe go 6 months. Longer than that and you risk it being not useable.
In test run here on 7 computers we failed every Time Machine backup within 10 months. All of them failed in a different way. One looked like it was backing up, but no data was stored, another the computer wouldn't even do minor duties when TM was running. A third looked good, but had not updated the backup in many months. My own computer the recover window wouldn't pull up anything, ever, once the corruption occurred. Cannot even tell you when as I didn't keep track for weeks at a time. One day it didn't work and nothing I could do would change that.
I do not know if anyone can answer the question of whether you can go backwards in OS and have it run. I doubt it will work. But because the database created by TM is proprietary and totally useless unless Time Machine can put it all together, there is nothing you can do except try things like going backwards in OS and/or TM utility revision.

Time Machine Backup Failed, don't have old backups

Last night I ejected my external hard drive to use that USB port to plug in a card reader and download a bunch of videos and images. This afternoon, when I plugged my external drive back in, I got a Time Machine Error: "This backup is too large for the backup volume". When it tries to back up, I get the more detailed message that this backup needs 6.7 GB of space but there are only 6.2 GB available.
This is the only computer I've ever attached to this external hard drive, so the 49.38 GB that are currently being used should be being used by Time Machine to back up this computer (and so Time Machine should delete old weekly backups to make room for the most recent backup). However, when I open Time Machine to go look at my backups, it says I only have one backup, from last night.
I do like the fact that I can go restore old stuff I've deleted or disastrously edited, so, if possible, I'd like to get my old backups back. Failing that, I guess I need to clear the external drive and just do a new back up.
If someone can help me 1) get my old back ups back or 2) get Time Machine do a successful completely new backup, I'd be really grateful.

My first reaction was that that couldn't possibly be the problem (because I've had no problems at all backing things up for the past year and a half), but it appears that you are correct.
Apparently, all of the pictures and videos are, in fact, too much for my Time Machine external hard drive. I don't have anything else on the external hard drive, but my TM drive is, in fact, much, much smaller than my internal HD.
Time Machine Backups
Capacity: 55.57 GB
Available: 6.19 GB
Used: 49.38 GB
Macintosh HD
Capacity: 232.57 GB
Available: 175.45 GB
Used: 57.12 GB
I see the problem. I guess I'll move all of the videos to a folder that I can exclude from backups. (I much prefer to have excel spreadsheets I put data on every day backed up than blizzard videos shot with my spouse's camera: those I can lose.)
I was so certain that I wasn't running out of space that I didn't check, so I was thinking that I should still have old backups. Since they've been deleted, that's fine with me.
Thanks for asking me to check the relevant sizes!

Restore from Time Machine Backup fails half-way through...

I'm trying to fix my mom's 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo 24" Aluminum iMac (w/ 2GB of RAM). It was stuck on the white screen with the Apple logo and a spinning wheel. I tried a few things to get it to boot up but nothing worked, so I booted up using my OX 10.5 Leopard disk (the retail box version) and tried to repair the disk using Disk Utility. Disk Utility couldn't un-mount the disk so I decided to erase the disk and start from scratch.
So I erased the disk and formatted in OS Extended (Journaled). Then I ran the repair disk function and the disk checks out OK. So, here is my problem:
When I tried to restore from a Time Machine backup, everything worked normally until it got about 20% through the restore process. At that point it froze for a while and then gave me an error message that the restore failed and asked if I would like to restart?
I've tried this a few times, all with approximately the same result (it either freezes or gives me the error/restart message).
What's wrong with my mom's computer?

c.d.stone wrote:
The restore process is just spinning it's wheels and the log says "erasing" drive name.
Is the drive name your internal?
UPDATE: When I stopped the restore function I checked the error log again and it said "could not un-mount disk for erasure" Not sure what that means. Anyone know how to fix that?
I'm pretty sure something is wrong with the hard drive installed on the iMac at this point. I tried to do a clean install of 10.5.0 from the Leopard retail DVD and that stalled early in the process as well.
Yes, it sure sounds like it. It now sounds like both the TM restore and Erase and Install are unable to erase your internal HD. It's not even getting to your TM backups, or installing OSX.
Let's double-check and try again. Boot from the Install disc again, and completely reformat the internal HD. Be sure to use the GUID Partition Map scheme if it's an Intel Mac, or the +Apple Partition Map+ scheme if it's a PPC. And use the +Mac OS Extended (Journaled)+ format.
It might be worth taking the time to then do a +Zero Out.+ Select Erase, then +Security Options,+ then +Zero Out Disk+ (the one-pass option is sufficient). That will, obviously, write zeros to the entire disk. If this fails, the disk is dying and likely the cause of the whole mess. If it passes, it isn't necessarily ok, but it's a pretty good sign, and you may be able to proceed with the restore.

Time Machine Backup fails

After working fine for several years, my Time Machine backup suddenly started consistently failing about a week ago. It spends a very long time "preparing backup", then gives the error something like "Backup could not be completed. There was an error copying files. Try again later. If the problem persists, use the Disk Utility to repair the disk". I've repaired the disk (several times) as well as all the other disks in my system, but the problem keeps occuring. Restarting the system also did not help. I can still access backups on the disk and in in fact went in a deleted a bunch of old stuff to insure there was plenty of disk space.
I have a 2011 iMac backing up to a 2 TByte Hitachi drive. I backup files from both the local hard disk and an external Seagate drive.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks. In the end it turned out that it was failing to copy the directory of my newly installed X11 libraries, and that caused the entire backup to terminate (which strikes me as kind of crazy).
Following the advice on your link, I excluded that directory, did a backup, then reincluded it and it backed up fine. It must be a very subtle bug in the Time Machine code.
I find it profoundly annoying that Time Machine didn't simply tell me what the error was, rather than make me search through the system logs to find it. That would have saved a great deal of time.
Thanks for your help.

Time Machine Backups Failed/Delayed

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