Time machine backups? What happened?

My hard drive recently crashed. I had been making backups using Time Machine. The apple store put in a new hard drive and I sent my backup drive to them. The last backup was May 5, 2010. Most of the files restored were only from late 2009 and previous. What happened to the backups I had made up to May 5th? Any help in understanding what happened is appreciated. Most applications were ok but also needed updating.
What is sense of using time machine if it doesn't back up everything?

There's no telling what the Apple Store did.
Check via the "Star Wars" display; see if there's a backup from May 5 or so. If there is, and if you didn't exclude things like System Folders from your backups, just do the restore properly.
See #14 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).

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In migration assistant, using a time machine backup, what is the extra data that appears after I deselect all the checkmarks under the user?

When restoring a time machine backup using Migration Assistant, I'm given a choice of what to restore. If I click on a user, and I deselect everything(Desktop, Music, Movies, Documents, etc.) there is still 40 Gygabites of stuff. What is in the 40 Gygabites?!

Is the HDD in the 2009 15" MBP dead? (The original source of your data) If not, you might want ot take it out and put it in an enclosure.
You might try spotlight on know files to see if that gives you any clues where your data is located.
You might down load from the Internet OmniDiskSweeper (free) and open it. It should show you all of the files you have on your MBP and enable to locate them.
Ciao.

In the installation process lion will not install as message reads MAC HD 904 gb available this disk is used for time machine backups .What is the next step

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Time machine needs its own partition to operate. So you are not going install a OSx Lion on that volume.
If there is enough room you may be able to partition the drive on the fly with DiskUtility
Are you saying you clean installed Lion and you are trying to move your user Data over with TM via the migration Assistant? Please explain.

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reset your PRAM http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379
let us know how it goes.

What Files are Saved during a Time Machine Backup??

Hi,
When I carry out a time machine backup, what files are saved?
I have just plugged in my external hard drive to carry out a back up and its 56GB!, my last TM backup was only 2 weeks ago and I haven't downloaded that much data!
Many Thanks
Chris

Sorry, that wasn't typed very well!!
The TM backup is 56GB
;o)

Time Machine Backup and storing certain files, switching to lion

Hey Gang,
I need to unload my harddrive.
Whats the best way to do this? I want to keep some files off my harddrive to free up space. But i want to access them anytime. Should i just do i time machine backup then delete the files and still have access to them? Or should i keep the files out seperate from a time machine backup.
what do you think?
also, i'm getting a 2 tb drive to do a time machine so i can switch over to lion, and if i dont like it, switch back. Any idea's on that front?
Thanks

I woke up 05:00 a.m this morning, so I'll try to grab my coffe and be more specific:
Of course, in general you should not delete backups.
But:
1) How does your Time Machine Volume react/get filled if you happen to MOVE 100 GB of files between backuped volumes, for instance?
2) If the license for Leopard and Snow Leopard or other software, REQUIRES me to delete all copies of the software from the machine, I need to know a) How I delete all backups of the Snow Leopard partition files. And b) Other software: if the App spreads itself into Libraries, Caches and whatever places, I actually need to know more of the general subject on how I according to the legalese and my own wish, need to find such places in the file system. And delete all copies in Time Machine backups.
I am familiar with the general principle of never deleting anything if I do not have to. I have zillions of mail files from the nineties still left in my Mail folders. Never do something that is hard to reverse, if there is not good reason for it.
I am new to participating in the Communities, so, yes I'll try to keep the discussion to what the question was!
But right now - please if anyone could answer the problem I already described here, I would be thankful. I'll not argue that Time Machine deletions has to do with the general problem of exactly how Apps occupy the file system.
But I now realise that I could ctrl-click my Snow Leopard partition and delete it from the Time Machine volume. I'll try that when I get so far!
Thanks!
/groundliner

Is there a way to recover files deleted from a time machine backup

My time machine backup drive was full so I wanted to delete some of the Virtual Machine files created with VMWare Fusion from the time machine backup. I accidentally deleted them all, instead of just some older ones, so I want to know if there's a way to recover or salvage the files I deleted from time machine.

If is possible do you have a Time Machine backup, What type of files are missing?

What happens if you Time-Machine backup an encrypted file-vault HD?

This is related to my previous post - but deserves special mention for those people who are using time-vault AND Time-Machine.
My question is this: If the backup of my Hard-drive is encrypted, and I then reinstall from backup, what will this situation likely produce?
This is what I have done. I also Archived and installed my Mac prior to installing from my Time-Machine backup.
I now have an error message that displays the following message at the login screen:
"Unable to log into the file-vault account "......." at this time. An error has occurred."
My password IS CORRECT. I have not changed it, and the log in window does accept my password, but it doesn't progress any further than the error message I gave above.
I'm wondering if the encryption process of file-vault is linked directly with the original installation I had of Mac OS-X before I Archived and installed.
Any thoughts/knowledge/Insight?? I want my old Mac back! (I don't recommend using file-vault). Any body else had this problem or can see what is happening to me here?
Thank you
Greg

I just did a backup, moved a folder with 600mb of images into a different folder, and did another backup. The free space on the backup drive dropped by the size of the folder's contents. The backup copied the files as I watched in System Preferences, and it looked like it was really copying the files to the external drive again. It looks like Time Machine isn't as smart as I hoped in this regard.
Still - I'd think the wasted space is only in the every-hour-for-the-last-24-hours bucket of Time Machine. I'm guessing the every hour backups are like a sliding window, where a backup that's 24 hours old drops out every hour rather than all the hourly backups getting wiped at midnight and starting over.
Regardless, only one version of the moved folder will eventually be stored as the daily backup for that day. I don't have proof, but that's what I think.
So, if you've moved a bunch of folders around or renamed them, the extra copies of the same exact files should drop off within 24 hours.
That's my interpretation, but I'm in no way positive!! The lengthy Ars review didn't offer an answer to this question.

Time Machine backup created on Mac with a large hard disk. What happens when restore to MacBook Air with small SSD drive?

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It is not the HD size, but rather the size of the data it contains. If you right-click your 500GB drive and select "Get Info" you can see how much is actually being used.
Naturally if you are using more space than the new drive has, then you have to make some choices about what you want to keep and what you want to keep archived.
I don't know what options are available but you may simply have to do a manual restore of files you want, in groups.

WHat happened to my time machine backup disc?

What happened to my time machine backup disc? It is no longer visible from finder or the time machine utility.

It doesn't show up in Disk Utility, and it is not discoverable from the Time Machine setup.
I've restarted, shut off and on, etc. It was displaying in the Time Machine list of discs but erroring out on actually doing a backup. I removed it to see if I could reconnect, but now I can't even find it.
All cables are plugged in securely.
My guess is this is the is related to the 10.9.2 update.
Any other ideas?

What happens to my Time Machine backups if I upgrade to Mt.Lion?

I have Snow Leopard and have been backing up using Time Machine. If I upgrade to Mt. Lion what do I do about my Time Machine backups? Do I just keep backing up from where I left off, or do I have to somehow start over?

You should be able to continue from there. Note though some applications that are Snow Leopard compatible are not Mountain Lion. Keep at least two backups just in case, and have your 10.6 installer disc ready if you find a necessary application or driver is not compatible.

I just backed up my mac to an external hard drive using Time Machine. What would happen if I turn Time Machine off and then plug the external hard drive back into my computer?

I just backed up my mac to an external hard drive using Time Machine. What would happen if I turn Time Machine off and then plug the external hard drive back into my computer?
What I am ultimately wanting to do is make more room on my computer by backing up all of my files onto the external hard drive and then deleting them off of my computer. However, neededing to be able to retrieve them from the external hard drive later down the road.
From what I have read and am trying to understand, is that I probably shouldn't have used time machine. I need to use the external hard drive like a basic flash drive where I can put things on and get things off without having it automatically update through time machine everytime I connect it to my computer.
Not tech savvy at all and barely understand basics. I need very simple and easy to understand explanations.

sydababy wrote:
and then deleting them off of my computer.
BIG BIG MISTAKE ..... youre making a linchpin deathtrap for your data trying to shove everything on a single fragile HD.
Dont suffer the tragedy other people make, buy another or 2 more HD, theyre cheap as dust.
The number of people who have experienced terror by having a single external HD backup is enormous. One failure that WILL HAPPEN, and kaput,......all gone!
Dont do it, its all about redundancy, redundancy, redundancy.
follow here:
Methodology to protect your data. Backups vs. Archives. Long-term data protection
Deleting them off your computer is fine....having only ONE copy is extremely BAD.
The Tragedy that will be, the tragedy that never should be
Always presume correctly that your data is priceless and takes a very long time to create and often is irreplaceable. Always presume accurately that hard drives are extremely cheap, and you have no excuse not to have multiple redundant copies of your data copied on hard drives and squirreled away several places, lockboxes, safes, fireboxes, offsite and otherwise.
Hard drives aren't prone to failure…hard drives are guaranteed to fail (the very same is true of SSD). Hard drives dont die when aged, hard drives die at any age, and peak in death when young and slowly increase in risk as they age.
Never practice at any time for any reason the false premise and unreal sense of security in thinking your data is safe on any single external hard drive. This is never the case and has proven to be the single most common horrible tragedy of data loss that exists.
Many 100s of millions of hours of lost work and data are lost each year due to this single common false security. This is an unnatural disaster that can avoid by making all data redundant and then redundant again. If you let a $60 additional redundant hard drive and 3 hours of copying stand between you and years of work, then you've made a fundamental mistake countless 1000s of people each year have come to regret.

What is the correct procedure to follow after restoring a Mac from a Time Machine Backup?

Hi all,
I did a Time Machine backup of my entire system (Time Machine Backup 1) before bringing my Macbook Pro to the Apple Store to to have it tested. After the TM backup I wiped the laptop leaving only the OS (Mountain Lion) on it so that I could determine whether the problems with my system were hardware or software related. The computer passed all tests.
After bringing my Macbook home I did a fresh intall of all the software and everything worked fine. At this point I did another Time Machine backup (in the same location as the previous backup) so that if I ever had problems with my system I could revert to this working backup (Time Machine Backup 2.0). I used my laptop without issue and created a number of new documents. I did not transfer the documents from the previous time machine backup (Time Machine Backup 1). As time progressed I did regular Time Machine backups (backups 2.1 etc.) installed a few new pieces of software and started having system issues again.
At that point I did another Time Machine backup (in the same location as the previous backups) (Time Machine Backup 3) so that my new documents would be safe. At this point I could see all of my TM backups in finder. Then I used Command + R while booting up and restored my system from what I thought was the clean backup (Time Machine Backup 2). In fact it the TM backup I used was not the correct backup (It was one of the backups between 2.0 and 3 and I needed to go back further). I was concerned, at this point, because I did not (and still do not) know what type of effect restoring the system from an old Time Machine backup would have on the Time Machine structure going forward I was unsure whether doing so and having an "old" system backed up might break the structure so I stopped Time Machine from running a new backup.
When I attempted to look for one of the older versions of the Time Machine backups I discovered that there were no longer any listings for TM backups in their previous location. In fact, the only thing I could see was one line in the place where the multiple backups were previously. I took my laptop and NAS (where the TM backups were stored) to the Apple Store and the "genius" said something about the TM backup being "parsed"? He also described it as a "broken window" and he "sees the broken glass but has no idea how it broke". He also said "neither he nor anyone at Apple would be able to assist me" and that I'd have to go to a data recovery place.
Fortunately I did use a second drive to backup the original system (Backup 1) but I really don't want to lose the files created ater Backup 2 / prior to Backup 3.
Does anyone know what happened / how I can get my Time Machine backups back without forking out tons of cash?
thanks
John
OS ML 10.8.4, Macbook Pro Retina
Synology DS412 (time machine backup to a file folder)

I actually already checked Pondini's and didn't find the answer. Any other suggestions?
thanks

HT201250 How do I find out what portable drive was the drive I used for Time Machine Backup?

Hi, I have 10.7.4 and need to figure out what drive I was using for Time Machine Backup. I have three drives and I have connected each of them to my macbook pro, but I get an error, "Time Machine Error, The backup disk is not available" when I hit the time machine icon on the top of the screen and the "backup delayed" prompt. If I try Back up Now I get message, "Time Machine could not complete the backup. Back up disk is not available." I am trying to figure out what the time machine back up would actually look like as a file on the drives but I don't see a folder/file name Time Machine. If I enter Time Machine I can see in the far right column, in purple, the last back up date (Sept. 12, 2012), but when I hit it nothing happens. In the Time Machine preference box the select disk has, in red and to the right, "Delayed" with an "i" within a circle, and the option indicates, "Next backup: when disk is connected."
I know I have a years worth of backups on one of the three drives, but I can't figure out how the heck to find them or how to determine what was the last drive I used for the backups within Time Machine. Help please.

Hi, I have 10.7.4 and need to figure out what drive I was using for Time Machine Backup. I have three drives and I have connected each of them to my macbook pro, but I get an error, "Time Machine Error, The backup disk is not available" when I hit the time machine icon on the top of the screen and the "backup delayed" prompt. If I try Back up Now I get message, "Time Machine could not complete the backup. Back up disk is not available." I am trying to figure out what the time machine back up would actually look like as a file on the drives but I don't see a folder/file name Time Machine. If I enter Time Machine I can see in the far right column, in purple, the last back up date (Sept. 12, 2012), but when I hit it nothing happens. In the Time Machine preference box the select disk has, in red and to the right, "Delayed" with an "i" within a circle, and the option indicates, "Next backup: when disk is connected."
I know I have a years worth of backups on one of the three drives, but I can't figure out how the heck to find them or how to determine what was the last drive I used for the backups within Time Machine. Help please.

What's The ETA On A Time Machine Backup After Mavericks Install?

Installed Mavericks and all is fine, albeit took forever to install, I updated from Mountain Lion.
The Time Machine backup is taking forever, over an hour and still "Preparing Backup", any thoughts?
I re-mapped the HDD in time machine preferences, and since Mountain Lion killed acces to my WHS, I have an external HDD hooked directly to my MBPro via USB.
Details:
- MB Pro mid 2010
- 4 GB Memory
- WD 1TB External HDD hooked up to the MB Pro via USB
Thoughts?
Thanks.

Well, round 2 now....I fully realize time is dependent on the amount of data to back up, but given my backups are frequent this is a bit too long.
If they overwrite past backups that'll stink, but that's were redundency comes in on the users part.
I now realize I wasn't getting the 'new' icon look, so I turned time machine off and back on...now I got the "new" icon...So I will wait and see, it's been 30 minuntes so far and still "preparing backup".
We'll see what happens.

HT201250 My MacBook Pro (using OSX 10.7.5) suddenly can't find the Time Machine backup disk, which is on the harddrive of my desktop iMac. What to do?

My MacBook Pro (using OSX 10.7.5) suddenly can't find the Time Machine backup disk, which is on the harddrive of my desktop iMac. What to do?

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Time machine backups? What happened?

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