Time Machine cannot complete the backup.

Time Machine software is not "remembering" the exceptions I put into the settings in System Preferences, and is trying to backup the whole HDD to the Time Capsule (which doesn't have enough space). It's trying to stuff 421GB of stuff into 350GB of remaining space.
Once I delete and put in the exceptions (the size goes down to 175GB), and it can backup. But after that one time, it "forgets" the exceptions and the errors return.

That sounds like the preferences file may be corrupted. Try a "full reset" of Time Machine, per #A4 in [Time Machine - Troubleshooting|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Troubleshooting.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum).
If that doesn't help, something may be corrupted in your installation of OSX. I'd suggest downloading and installing the 10.6.5 "combo" update. That's the cleverly-named combination of all the updates to Snow Leopard since it was first released, so installing it should fix anything that's gone wrong since then, such as with one of the normal "point" updates. Info and download available at: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1324 Be sure to do a +Repair Permissions+ via Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder) afterwards.
If still no help, reinstall OSX from your Snow Leopard Install disc (that won't affect anything else), then apply the "combo" again.

Similar Messages

  • TS1550 I keep getting the message that my sparsebundle is already in use and that Time Machine cannot complete the backup.  Any ideas?

    I keep getting a message that says Time Machine could not complete the backup.  It says that my home wifi sparsebundle is already in use.  I do not know how to solve this problem.  Any ideas?

    Disconnect the power from your backup device, wait two minutes, then reconnect the power. This usually solves the problem.
    See The Backup disk image ... sparsebundle ... is already in use.

  • HT1218 How do I troubleshoot this: Time Capsule cannot complete the backup. The backup disk image "/Volumes/Data/ MacBook Pro.sparsebundle" is already in use.

    This is the second time I've encountered this issue with Time Capsule using Time Machine automatic backup. I haven't found the following specific error message in the list of troubleshooting issues: "Time Capsule cannot complete the backup. The backup disk image “/Volumes/Data/MacBook Pro.sparsebundle” is already in use."
    I'm not certain what causes this issue. I think it may have something to do with having to force shutdown with apps still open when the beachball hangs and the MacBook has to be rebooted.
    Has anyone else dealt with this issue?

    Welcome to Apple Support Communities
    Restart your Mac and the Time Capsule. In most of the cases, this should solve the problem.
    If it doesn't work, see > http://pondini.org/TM/C12.html

  • HT3275 My Time Machine cannot complete a backup.

    My Time Machine cannot complete a backup.  The error message reads "The backup disk image "/Volumes/Brad Blocksidge's Time Caps/Macintosh.sparsebundle" is already in use.  Suggestions???

    Most common error reported here.. absolutely stock standard what you expect with Mountain Lion.
    Restart the TC will fix 98% of them..
    Pull out the power cord.. count to 10.. plug in the power cord.
    Check the info here for further info.
    C12
    http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

  • HT3275 Time machine cannot complete my backup

    Time machine cannot complete my backup because 'an error occurred while creating the backup folder'.  How do I solve this problem?

    Failed again this morning.  I checked my logs and one thing it showed was, "Error: (-50) Creating directory..."  I saw this...
    ssls6
    Re: Time Machine Issue-Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder. 
    Jan 29, 2012 10:42 AM (in response to HMR529)
    one thing you can try
    Open system prefs and go to spotlight, in the privacy section add your Macintosh HD and any other drives you back up.  Give it a few seconds then remove your Macintosh HD and any other drives you added.  Close system preferences.  Watch the spotlight symbol on the top menu bar "looks like a magnifying glass".  It should have a dot in it as in is indexing all your drives again.  When the indexing is over (it can take a long time of your drive is big) now try to create a new backup with time machine...."
    As usual, it's gonna take a couple days to see if it works.  I'll let y'all know...and y'all should try it also, and let us know.

  • Time Capsule cannot complete the backup, backup disk not available. Help please!

    Hi,
    I've only ever been able to complete one back up using my time capsule and have been having problems for months! I've tried resetting and restarting the TC, it re-installs successfully and the green light comes onto the TC. However, when I try to backup I get the following message:
    Time Capsule cannot complete the backup. The backup disk is not available.
    I've tried taking it into the Apple store to the genius bar and they seem to think it is working fine. It seems to have connected successfully to my network at home so I'm struggling to work out what to do. Does anyone have any ideas?
    Thanks.

    Have you updated to the latest Time capsule firmware?
    AirPort Utility software and firmware downloads

  • Time machine cannot find the backup disk, need to reset but previous data cannot be accessed.

    Lately, my time machine/time capsule has the problem to find the backup disk in the time capsule and cannot perform the backup. I have to reset (at the back of the unit) then the backup can start again, but I can only access the backup data since the last backup, all my previous backup data is no longer available.
    Does anyone face the similar situation and how to fix it?

    Hi there!
    Did you try upgrading to the latest WD Firmware?
    It fixes the following:
    WD Universal Firmware Updater 3.1.0.10:
    Fixes:
    Now works with 10.7.x (Lion OS-X)
    Now works with new My Book Studio (without Electronic Paper Display), new MyPassport for Mac, and new My Passport Studio model.
    Made device detection more robust.
    Here's the link to the firmware:
    http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/wdsmartwareupdate/firmware.asp?id=wdfGeneric&os=ma c
    Regards

  • HT3728 My Time Machine tells me it cannot complete the backup to my Time Capsule because the backup disk image sparsebundle is already in use.

    The 2GB hard drive on my iMac failed and has just been replaced under warranty.
    When I got it back I restored my Time Capsule and started back ups of the iMac and the MacBook Pro.
    Now 2 days later it is telling me that  Time Machine couldnt complete the back up to my Time Capsule as the backup disc image sparsebundle is already in use. It is saying this for both machines which presumably means a problem within the Time Capsule.
    What does this mean and what should I do about it?

    See # C12 in Time Machine --- Troubleshooting
    http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

  • Time Machine cannot complete backup to MyBookLiveDuo

    Time Machine cannot complete backup to MyBookLiveDuo
    I am trying to use TimeMachine to setup a backup from a mid-2011 iMac running OSX 10.9.3 to a 4TB WD MyBook Live Duo drive on a network. I have 3 other MacBooks setup to use this shared drive using Time Machine as well as a PC using WD backup software.
    The backup from the iMac is failing with a message “The backup disk image /Volumes/TimeMachine/PM’s iMac.sparsebundle could not be accessed (error(null)).”. After looking through Pondini I change the name of the iMac from "PM’s iMac" to "Family" but the problem is not fixed.
    In fact the iMac seems to still uses the old machine name in the error message.
    In the console I see the following messages
    5/29/14 3:02:47.124 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Failed to eject volume /Volumes/TimeMachine (FSVolumeRefNum: -106; status: -47; dissenting pid: 0)
    5/29/14 3:02:47.125 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Waiting 60 seconds and trying again.
    5/29/14 3:03:22.547 PM spindump[427]: Saved hang report for Disk Utility version 13 (517) to /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Disk Utility_2014-05-29-150322_Family-iMac.hang
    5/29/14 3:03:29.854 PM mds[37]: (Normal) Volume: volume:0x7fcffb877000 ********** Bootstrapped Creating a default store:0 SpotLoc:(null) SpotVerLoc:(null) occlude:0 /Volumes/TimeMachine
    5/29/14 3:03:53.026 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Network destination already mounted at: /Volumes/TimeMachine
    5/29/14 3:04:49.260 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Failed to eject volume /Volumes/TimeMachine (FSVolumeRefNum: -106; status: -47; dissenting pid: 0)
    5/29/14 3:04:49.261 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Waiting 60 seconds and trying again.
    5/29/14 3:05:32.882 PM mds[37]: (Normal) Volume: volume:0x7fcffb89d400 ********** Bootstrapped Creating a default store:0 SpotLoc:(null) SpotVerLoc:(null) occlude:0 /Volumes/TimeMachine
    5/29/14 3:05:52.689 PM apsd[61]: Unrecognized leaf certificate
    5/29/14 3:05:55.561 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Network destination already mounted at: /Volumes/TimeMachine
    5/29/14 3:06:44.339 PM mds[37]: (Warning) Volume: vsd:0x7fcffb82d600 Open failed.  failureCount:6 {
        DisabledRecycleCount = 6;
    5/29/14 3:06:52.608 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Failed to eject volume /Volumes/TimeMachine (FSVolumeRefNum: -106; status: -47; dissenting pid: 0)
    5/29/14 3:06:52.609 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Giving up after 3 retries.
    5/29/14 3:06:52.814 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Backup failed with error 21: 21
    5/29/14 3:07:12.831 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Failed to eject volume /Volumes/TimeMachine (FSVolumeRefNum: -106; status: -47; dissenting pid: 0)
    Ha anyone seen this problem and been able to resolve it.
    Thanks!

    Time Machine cannot complete backup to MyBookLiveDuo
    I am trying to use TimeMachine to setup a backup from a mid-2011 iMac running OSX 10.9.3 to a 4TB WD MyBook Live Duo drive on a network. I have 3 other MacBooks setup to use this shared drive using Time Machine as well as a PC using WD backup software.
    The backup from the iMac is failing with a message “The backup disk image /Volumes/TimeMachine/PM’s iMac.sparsebundle could not be accessed (error(null)).”. After looking through Pondini I change the name of the iMac from "PM’s iMac" to "Family" but the problem is not fixed.
    In fact the iMac seems to still uses the old machine name in the error message.
    In the console I see the following messages
    5/29/14 3:02:47.124 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Failed to eject volume /Volumes/TimeMachine (FSVolumeRefNum: -106; status: -47; dissenting pid: 0)
    5/29/14 3:02:47.125 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Waiting 60 seconds and trying again.
    5/29/14 3:03:22.547 PM spindump[427]: Saved hang report for Disk Utility version 13 (517) to /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Disk Utility_2014-05-29-150322_Family-iMac.hang
    5/29/14 3:03:29.854 PM mds[37]: (Normal) Volume: volume:0x7fcffb877000 ********** Bootstrapped Creating a default store:0 SpotLoc:(null) SpotVerLoc:(null) occlude:0 /Volumes/TimeMachine
    5/29/14 3:03:53.026 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Network destination already mounted at: /Volumes/TimeMachine
    5/29/14 3:04:49.260 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Failed to eject volume /Volumes/TimeMachine (FSVolumeRefNum: -106; status: -47; dissenting pid: 0)
    5/29/14 3:04:49.261 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Waiting 60 seconds and trying again.
    5/29/14 3:05:32.882 PM mds[37]: (Normal) Volume: volume:0x7fcffb89d400 ********** Bootstrapped Creating a default store:0 SpotLoc:(null) SpotVerLoc:(null) occlude:0 /Volumes/TimeMachine
    5/29/14 3:05:52.689 PM apsd[61]: Unrecognized leaf certificate
    5/29/14 3:05:55.561 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Network destination already mounted at: /Volumes/TimeMachine
    5/29/14 3:06:44.339 PM mds[37]: (Warning) Volume: vsd:0x7fcffb82d600 Open failed.  failureCount:6 {
        DisabledRecycleCount = 6;
    5/29/14 3:06:52.608 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Failed to eject volume /Volumes/TimeMachine (FSVolumeRefNum: -106; status: -47; dissenting pid: 0)
    5/29/14 3:06:52.609 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Giving up after 3 retries.
    5/29/14 3:06:52.814 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Backup failed with error 21: 21
    5/29/14 3:07:12.831 PM com.apple.backupd[220]: Failed to eject volume /Volumes/TimeMachine (FSVolumeRefNum: -106; status: -47; dissenting pid: 0)
    Ha anyone seen this problem and been able to resolve it.
    Thanks!

  • My time machine cannot complete my back up saying the "sparse bundle could not be accessed" error -1  Help please

    My time machine cannot complete my back up.  The message I receive says the "sparse bundle cannot be accessed.  (error -1)  Help please.

    GG,
    Please read over Pondini's Time Machine Troubleshooting guide, specifically C17.

  • I am trying to get space on an external hard drive which has some old time machine back up files that I do not need but can not eliminate, even by going into the time machine, clicking on the backup file to be eliminated and using the drop down eliminate

    I am trying to get space on an external hard drive which has some old time machine back up files that I do not need but can not eliminate, even by going into the time machine, clicking on the backup file to be eliminated and using the drop down menu with the gear box symbol to eliminate

    I cannot find this 300GB "Backup" in the Finder, only in the Storage info when I check "About This Mac".
    You are probably using Time Machine to backup your MacBook Pro, right? Then the additional 300 GB could be local Time Machine snapshots.  Time Machine will write the hourly backups to the free space on your hard disk, if the backup drive is temporarily not connected. You do not see these local backups in the Finder, and MacOS will delete them, when you make a regular backup to Time Machine, or when you need the space for other data.
    See Pondini's page for more explanation:   What are Local Snapshots?   http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
    I have restarted my computer, but the information remains the same. How do I reclaim the use of the 300GB? Why is it showing up as "Backups" when it used to indicate "Photos"? Are my photos safe on the external drive?
    You have tested the library on the external drive, and so your photos are save there.  
    The local TimeMachine snapshot probably now contains a backup of the moved library.  Try, if connecting your Time Machine drive will reduce the size of your local Time Machine snapshots.

  • Time Machine cannot find internal backup disk.Lost disk image in Finder for internal backup volume.  OS 10.7.3.

    Lost disk image in Finder (Desktop) for backup disk on Intel Mac Pro OS 10.7.3. Time Machine cannot find the internal backup disk. The volume is grayed out in Disk Utility, though it CAN verify the volume. How do I get it back on my desktop?

    First, restart the Time Capsule by disconnecting the power adapter and reconnecting it. If other devices on the network can see it, you can skip this step.
    From the menu bar, select
     ▹ System Preferences ▹ Network
    Click the lock icon in the lower left corner of the window and authenticate to unlock the settings, if necessary. Click the Advanced button, then select the TCP/IP tab in the sheet that drops down. Click Renew DHCP lease.
    Try again to back up.

  • Hallo. My time machine cant do the backup.  It cant make the folder for the safety-backup. How do I solve this?

    Hallo. My time machine cant do the backup.  It cant make the folder for the safety-backup. How do I solve this?

    Have a look at Pondini's Time Machine information pages: http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

  • HT3275 Can some HELP, I keep getting this error with my Time Machine Back up, "The backup disk image "/Volumes/JKPN Safe/JKPN IMAC.sparsebundle" is already in use.

    Can some one HELP me , I keep getting this error with my Time Machine Back up, "The backup disk image “/Volumes/JKPN Safe/JKPN IMAC.sparsebundle” is already in use.

    See > http://pondini.org/TM/C12.html

  • HT3275 time machine error says: The backup disk image "/Volumes/Data/Apple 's iMac G5.sparsebundle" could not be accessed (error -1).

    While backing up to Time Machine, I receive this message: time machine error says: The backup disk image “/Volumes/Data/Apple ’s iMac G5.sparsebundle” could not be accessed (error -1).

    Welcome to Apple Support Communities
    That message is caused by several reasons. Read the Pondini's site to fix the problem > http://pondini.org/TM/C17.html

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