Time Machine doesn't see previously used partition

I made the mistake of starting my TM backup with the drive connected directly to my Mac and then switching it to my AEBS. Of course, TM decided that it would like to start the entire backup process all over again. I cancelled that and killed the backup files that were on the drive and attempted to start the whole process via wireless. For some reason, TM now refuses to recognize that drive partition anymore.
I have two partitions on the drive, both are formatted as journaled. I also have a second drive attached to the AEBS. TM sees both the little drive and the one partition of the big drive, but it will not see the partition I originally started the process on. I've even removed the partition and recreated it with a completely different name. No dice.
Is there somewhere - a plist or something - that I can flush TM's memory of that original partition so I can begin again?

Try Sections B and C from Pondini's excellent information here...
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

Similar Messages

Time Machine doesn't see internal disk

Hi,
I did a backup on an external disk, but obviously I did something wrong. Now I can't back up on my internal disk because Time Machine doesn't see it. What can I do to make it work again? (The backups on external disk work out fine though, it's just that there is no way to select the internal disk as the main backup because it doesn't show on the "select disk" option...)
Thanks!

Sorry but your picture is not presenting.. it is not your fault.. it will present on your computer but not on other computers.
If I try and download the picture it is 209bytes.. clearly too small. This is trying to open your picture.
This picture showing the failure is normal screenshot.. does it show for you??
I have suggested reducing the file name.. pic1.png as I think the long names with spaces could be an issue.
Here is the same picture with the name changed.
You cannot select the source disk for the target in TM.
Here is mine.. the source disk is never ever listed as available to use as a target.

HT3275 Time Machine doesn't see the back-up disk

Time Machine doesn't see the back-up disk after I've logged off and then back on, even though the disk is available to the iMac 24/7. Turning the disk off and then on in the current session works, but this seems to defeat the purpose of an unattended back-up disk. I can't find a setting that ensures the back-up disk is recognized after log-in or restart. Is there a solution?

Is this Mountain Lion??
It seems to have made some changes that make the disk drop out.. it does this even if you are continually connected to the TC and we don't have a solution yet.
For your login issue, is the TC using a disk password.. or are you setting it to default? Could you try just turning on the guest account in the TC to read and write access and see if this helps. Tell us how it goes.
There is another fix.. but it involves using disconnect all users from v5 airport utility.. Apple removed the function in v6.
If you are on Lion or Mountain Lion even you can install the v5 utility.
How to load 5.6 into ML.
1. Download 5.6 for Lion.
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1482
Click to open the dmg but do not attempt to install the pkg.. it won't work anyway.
2. Download and install unpkg.
http://www.timdoug.com/unpkg/
Run unpkg on the desktop.. it is very simple.. drag the AirPortUtility56.pkg file over to unpkg.. and it will create a new directory of the same name on the desktop.. drill down.. applications utilities .. there lo and behold is Airport utility 5.6 .. drag it to your main utilities directory or just run it from current location.
You cannot uninstall 6.1 so don't try.. and you cannot or should not run them both at the same time.. so just ignore the toyland version.. the plastic hammer.. and start using 5.6.. a real tool.

Nas on airport extreme not recognized by time machine. same nas was previously used as time machine backup on different airport extreme. are there any configuration files that i can delete to fix this problem ?

nas on airport extreme not recognized by time machine. same nas was previously used as time machine backup on different airport extreme. are there any configuration files that i can delete to fix this problem ?

Time Machine has been working just fine, but in the last week or two it has given up the ghost. I reset the connections to the drive, and it will basically save a few bytes of data and then hang.
Although Apple originally announced, prior to the release of the first 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Stations (AEBSn), that it would support Time Machine backups to AirPort Disks, they removed that option before they did finally release the base station for sale.
Since then, Apple has posted (as you have noted) that they DO NOT support Time Machine backups to AirPort Disks. As far as I know, they have not changed from that position and those who do these backups find that they become corrupted over time. Sorry, but it sounds like you just confirmed that for yourself.
1) Has one of the recent updates either on the AE (firmware) or OSX disabled this function?
No. Again, this feature has never been supported by Apple for every generation of AEBSn released.
2) Are there any changes I can make to get this working again?
If your data backups are critical to you, then you will want to use a different solution for your Time Machine backup destination drive strategy. I would suggest that you connect your WD My Book directly to your Mac in the mean time.
Your other options would be to either use a Time Capsule (which interestingly does support TM backups to AirPort Disks) or a non-Apple solution like the Drobo FS or HP MediaSmart server.

Time Machine doesn't see MyBook Live NAS.

I just got a new SMC-D3GNV gateway from Comcast and now Time Machine doesn't see my NAS MyBook Live. I can access all my files on the MyBook Live via finder. Also, all software/firmware is current. Any idea's?

mwithers wrote:
I know variations on this question have been asked many times before, but I've just read many of those threads, and I don't see an answer.
Time Machine does not see my La Cie Network Space NAS and neither does Disk Utility (the La Cie support pages imply that it should, believe it or not).
If your Mac can contact the NAS, it should appear in a Finder sidebar (if your Finder preferences are set for that). If you can set Time Machine up to back up to it, it will create a +sparse bundle+ on it. That sparse bundle, when mounted, will appear in Disk Utility's sidebar, and you can do a +*Repair Disk+* on it. Otherwise, no, Disk Utility won't see network drives.
Does not matter if it is connected via WiFi or directly through ethernet. I suspect this means that it is not Mac OS extended formatted, and not formattable (by Disk Utility) either.
Correct; Disk Utility can't format a network drive.
Review the LaCie specs and setup instructions carefully. My quick read on their site does not turn up any claim that it's Time Machine compatible, though.
Can you return it?

Time Machine Doesn't Show Previous Back-Ups

Hi,
Just reconnected a TC after a 2 year hiatus. I can connect as a shared disk and see the the contents of the TC which includes a sparsebundle - so I know content is there. But when I launch Time Machine I dont see any previous content. I haven't performed a Time Machine back-up yet.
What would be the best way to proceed? I dont want previous back ups to get wiped. Also, I take it connecting via wired Ethernet would speed up what initial back-up I might perform as much on my computer has changed in two years.

mrhifi wrote:
Hi,
Just reconnected a TC after a 2 year hiatus. I can connect as a shared disk and see the the contents of the TC which includes a sparsebundle - so I know content is there. But when I launch Time Machine I dont see any previous content. I haven't performed a Time Machine back-up yet.
What would be the best way to proceed?
What's changed in those 2 years? Any hardware repairs, especially a new logic board?
If not, try Repairing the backups, per #A5 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, try the Browse... option, per #E2 there.
I dont want previous back ups to get wiped.
2 year old backups? That makes me wonder if you deleted things from your Mac, counting on Time Machine to keep the backups indefinitely. If so, see #20 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum).
After that long, Time Machine will almost certainly do a new, full backup. That, of course, will take a lot of space, so if there isn't enough room on your TC, it will have to delete old backups, perhaps a LOT of them, to make room. Depending on the sizes, it may delete all but the most recent one, then fail because there still isn't enough room.
See how much space is available on the TC. If that's less than 120% of the amount of data on your Mac (or the estimated size of a full backup under the exclusions box in +Time Machine Preferences > Options,+ backups will have to be deleted. How many is impossible to predict.
Also, I take it connecting via wired Ethernet would speed up what initial back-up I might perform as much on my computer has changed in two years.
Yes, absolutely!
If old backups have to be deleted, that can be an excruciatingly slow process, even via Ethernet. Because of the way sparse bundles work, TM must mount it, delete the oldest backup, dismount it, compact it, then mount it again to see if that made enough space. If not, repeat, repeat, repeat . . .
So, if it looks like a lot of old backups will have to go, and you really don't want that to happen, your best bet is to connect a USB or FireWire disk directly to your iMac and start backing-up to it. That's much faster and more reliable anyway. You should still be able to see and restore from the old backups via the Browse... option.
By the way, please click +My Settings+ at the right of this page, and update your Mac and OSX specs. I'm assuming you're still on the iMac, but clearly not 10.4.5 )

Time Machine doesn't see shared drive

iMac running 10.5.8 with an external hard drive
MacBook running 10.6.7
On the iMac I've been successfuly using Time Machine to back up to the external drive. I now want to use the same drive to back up the MacBook. The problam I'm having is that Time Machine on the MacBook doesn't seem to see the shared drive. O can see the share in Finder on the MacBook but not in Time Machine where I have to select the drive.
I do notice that in Finder on the MacBook all the shares, including the disk, use the file icons. Should the disk be showing up with a disk icon and is Time Machine perhaps not seeing it because it thinks it's not a disk and just a folder?
When I share the drive, to which account do I need to give access? I have accounts with the same names on both machines. Is there is special hidden Time Machine account?

Thanks for the tip. So I figured out how to mount the drive and I now can select it in TM. The next question is will the drive be mounted whenever the system starts up or do I need to manually mount it? I would like it to be mounted automatically at boot time and not at user log in time. Is there a way to do that? I want it always mounted, regardless of who is logged on or even if no one is logged on, so that it is always available for TM.

Time Machine doesn't see my NAS?

Well after talking on the phone will Apple about the AirPort Extreme's USB port "connection failed." every day. I was told that Time Machine is NOT supported with the AirPort Extreme and that I should get a NAS.
So, I walked into NCIX and picked up the Patriot Javelin S4. It says Time Machine compatible and Mac compatible on it. I have set it up but Time Machine doesn't seem to find the NAS? I am running Lion.

mikeseth wrote:
Well after talking on the phone will Apple about the AirPort Extreme's USB port "connection failed." every day. I was told that Time Machine is NOT supported with the AirPort Extreme.
That is correct. See Using Time Machine with an Airport Extreme Air Disk.
So, I walked into NCIX and picked up the Patriot Javelin S4. It says Time Machine compatible and Mac compatible on it. I have set it up but Time Machine doesn't seem to find the NAS? I am running Lion.
Just because it says it's compatible doesn't mean it is, unfortunately. And, some NASs that were compatible with Time Machine on Snow Leopard didn't get updated for Lion's tighter security requirements.
So, first, check with the maker to be sure it's compatible with TM on Lion (they may have an update).
Then, be sure you're following their setup instructions exactly. Each NAS has it's own mini-operating system, that interacts with OSX, and they all do it differently (even some made by the same company don't do it the same way!).

Time machine doesn't see external hard drive on network

I have a pair of external hard drives connected to my iMac, which is connected to my 2WIRE modem/router via Ethernet. I'm using one of them as a Time Machine drive. For the past couple years, I've been backing up the laptops in the house to that Time Machine drive without fail.
Now none of the laptops (a MacBook and an iBook) won't see either external drive connected to the iMac, even though the iMac has file sharing turned on (as it always has) and both laptops are connected to the iMac via the Finder. Both laptops can see the iMac and the external drives connected to it via the Finder, but in Time Machine, when I try to select my Time Machine drive, nothing appears in the window.
I was having a problem with the Time Machine drive and had to wipe and reformat it, but I don't understand why Time Machine won't see the other external drive either, even if there is a problem with the TM drive. I recall Time Machine picking up all available hard drives as possible backup destinations, as long as they're also seen in the Finder.
The iMac has been having some OS X issues. The Finder will crash sometimes, and I have no choice but to hold down the power button to shut it down and then start it up. When it starts, it takes longer than it normally does, I assume because it's checking and/or fixing some things. However, those issues have been going on for a long time (I think I need to reinstall OS X in it, since Disk Utility finds nothing wrong; also, the hard drive in the iMac crashed about 2 months ago and I put a new one in; I then restored the TM backup to it, and the OS X issues have persisted, which tells me it's software-related, not the drive).
Also, the iMac backs up to the Time Machine drive just fine. Of course, the TM drive is connected to it locally, whereas the laptops have to get to that drive via wireless file sharing.
I did try plugging one of the external hard drives on the iMac into my MacBook, and Time Machine saw it immediately, so my guess is the issue must lie with my router and/or the iMac, but I don't know what to check next. I've restarted the iMac, I've restarted the laptops, I've turned TM on and off on the laptops, and I've turned file sharing on and off on the iMac; none of those things reestablished the connection.
I suppose I could just go with external hard drives for the laptops, but my wife moves her iBook all over the house, so I know hers won't get backed up regularly. That was the nice thing about the system I had in place, which I realize wasn't as elegant as a Time Capsule.
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

That should say "Now none of the laptops (a MacBook and an iBook) will see either external drive..." I hate typos.
Anyway, after rereading my post, I'm starting to think I just need to reinstall OS X on the iMac, given the other issues it's experiencing. Any advice for doing that would be appreciated, if that's indeed the solution. Thanks.

Time Machine doesn't see/find my last backup

I made a fresh, new backup on my Time Capsule 1 week ago, because I had to get my MacBook Pro repaired. I got a new logic board. Now Time Machine doesn't find or see my last backup. But it's definitely on my Time Capsule. I can see the sparsebundle file on the disk. And if I try to do a backup (I had to select my Time Capsule as volume in the settings first...?), it isn't possible because there is not enough space on the Time Capsule. Of course there is not, because my last backup is on it. Time Machine seems to ignore that there is already a backup of my system on the Time Capsule.
What can I do?
Thank you very much

DId you get an answer to this? I too have the same problem except that all I did was move, change dsl companies and rehook up the time capsule...and nothing. The sparse bundle is there but whenever I back up it wants to do a whole new backup
Thank
Robert

Time Machine doesn't see La Cie NAS

I know variations on this question have been asked many times before, but I've just read many of those threads, and I don't see an answer.
Time Machine does not see my La Cie Network Space NAS and neither does Disk Utility (the La Cie support pages imply that it should, believe it or not). Does not matter if it is connected via WiFi or directly through ethernet. I suspect this means that it is not Mac OS extended formatted, and not formattable (by Disk Utility) either.
So do I have a shiny black doorstop, or is there something I should try?
Thanks!

mwithers wrote:
I know variations on this question have been asked many times before, but I've just read many of those threads, and I don't see an answer.
Time Machine does not see my La Cie Network Space NAS and neither does Disk Utility (the La Cie support pages imply that it should, believe it or not).
If your Mac can contact the NAS, it should appear in a Finder sidebar (if your Finder preferences are set for that). If you can set Time Machine up to back up to it, it will create a +sparse bundle+ on it. That sparse bundle, when mounted, will appear in Disk Utility's sidebar, and you can do a +*Repair Disk+* on it. Otherwise, no, Disk Utility won't see network drives.
Does not matter if it is connected via WiFi or directly through ethernet. I suspect this means that it is not Mac OS extended formatted, and not formattable (by Disk Utility) either.
Correct; Disk Utility can't format a network drive.
Review the LaCie specs and setup instructions carefully. My quick read on their site does not turn up any claim that it's Time Machine compatible, though.
Can you return it?

Time Machine doesn't see the WD Hard drive attached to the AEBS

I've been having issues of dropped connections with my WD HD connected to the AEBS vis USB. My backups have been failing and I sometimes get this error message:
The server may not exist or it is not operational at this time. Check the server name or IP address and your network connection and try again.
I wouldn't mind if I had to start over by trashing prefs but, in the Time Machine preference window I can't select the HD connected to AEBS as it doesn't show in the Change Disk window.

sperkins921 wrote:
I'm having an issue with my external HD not being recognized as a drive for Time Machine. Is it because it's NTFS formatted?
Yes. It must use either the GUID (preferred for Intel) or +Apple Partition Map+ (preferred for PPC Macs) *Partition Map Scheme,* and the +Mac OS Extended (Journaled)+ Format.
Is there anything I can do?
Yes. Make two (or more) partitions, which you should do anyway if you want to put anything on the drive besides TM backups. Use the first for TM, format the other(s) however you want. See item #5 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
Also, should I be able to create a back up file on the internal drive? Not even that drive appears in the list.
Not in the same partition as OSX. You could make a second partition there, but you'd get a warning from TM reminding you that it's not a good idea to have your originals and backups on the same drive.
Sorry for noob style questions- I never bothered with TM before, and having my other MBP stolen has led me to want to use it....
Yup, most of us learn things the hard way, don't we?
You might want to review these:
Time Machine Tutorial
Time Machine 101
How to back up and restore your files
Time Machine Features
Apple - Support - Mac OSX v10.5 Leopard Time Machine
and perhaps browse the rest of the FAQ Tip.

Time machine doesn't see possible disks

Hi there,
Have several Macs in house and they are all Tiger. Now we have also few month old MacBook and that one is only one with Leopard. I am trying to setup automatic backups with Time Machine and it stops in second screen where it suppose to see possible hard drives used for backup.
we have Airport Extreme with big USB hard drive connected to it.
All Macs including this one see and communicate with that shared USB hard drive but it doesn't show up on the list of available drives for Time Machine. I expected to see iDisk and that HD but nothing.
Any suggestions?? thank you in advance,
Zack

Zack,
It's likely that the USB Hard disk is not partitioned correctly. Even though you may have reformated it Mac OS Extended (Journaled) long ago, It may still not be partitioned correctly. See the following:
*_How Should a Time Machine Hard Disk be Prepared?_*
For Time Machine to work properly, the hard disk must be formatted “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” and its’ Partition Scheme should be either GUID or Apple Partition Map.
Time Machine is incompatible with disks partitioned as Master Boot Record (MBR). Unfortunately, this describes nearly every hard drive you can buy because MBR is a Windows partition scheme. (Naturally, this DOES NOT apply to Apples’ Time Capsule.)
For some, Time Machine begins to perform as expected with a new external hard disk. But then the initial full backup or subsequent incremental backups fail. The user only later discovers the hard disk was still partitioned as Master Boot Record (MBR).
One article on Time Machine made this observation: “Virtually everybody will have to open Disk Utility and repartition the disk as APM or GUID. It doesn't really matter which one because the Time Machine disk will not be bootable anyway. APM allows a disk to boot a PowerPC, GUID allows the disk to boot an Intel processor but both are easily digestible by Time Machine on either kind of processor.” [http://www.girr.org/mac_stuff/backups.html]
It’s been recommended by many here that your reserve +at least+ double the size of your primary hard disk, that way Time Machine backups have room to grow as the size of your data grows. Additionally, the more space you give Time Machine the more history it can preserve. The less space you reserve for Time Machine the sooner older backups & deleted items will disappear.
One poster recommended this regarding multiple partitions: “If you do create multiple partitions (half and half would be a good place to start), make sure you use the first partition for Time Machine, and the second for your own stuff (the first one will be on top in the graphical representation shown in Disk Utility; you'll understand when you see the partition tab). This way, you can expand the Time Machine volume at any later time by deleting the second partition. Disk Utility allows this dynamic re-sizing of volumes, but volumes can only be expanded toward the end of the drive, when a volume that comes after is deleted to create the room.” [http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1712437&tstart=0]
Procedure
Connect the hard disk you wish to use for Time Machine backups.
Launch Disk Utility.
It will appear twice in the pane on the left. (Make sure you recognize that it is different from the 2 icons that represent your Macs' internal drive.) The upper entry represent the device as a whole, including the controller inside. The lower entry represents the hard disk contained within the device.
Click on the upper icon of the external hard disk.
Select the "Partition" tab.
For "Volume Scheme" choose "1 partition". (Choose 2 partitions if you intend on storing other data on the disk besides your Time Machine backups. Ensure that the two partitions have different names.)
Name the disk.
Format should be "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)".
Click "Options".
Select either GUID or Apple Partition Map. (See above for significance)
Click "OK".
Click "Apply". Then click “Partition”.
Once the external hard disk is repartitioned, select it again in Time Machine preferences and use it for your backups. If you chose to create 2 partitions, then select the first partition for Time Machine backups, and the second for additional files/folders.
Let us know if this was helpful.
Cheers!

Time Machine doesn't see new AirPort Extreme

My old Time Capsule died. Hardware failure. Too bad. So I bought a new one, a 2TB AirPort Extreme. 'Upgraded' to OSX 10.9.1 (which crippled a lot of my software, and seems generally more buggy & slower than 10.6.8, but that's beside the point) just to be able to administer it. Setting up the WiFi network was easy. Fine.
Now when I go into Time Machine preferences and click on the "select backup disk" button, the new AirPort Extreme is not listed. There is an option for "Other Time Capsule." If I click on that, the AirPort Extreme shows up. OK. If I click on it, I get a window with IP info, etc. There's an option to "edit". Clicked on that but found nothing about setting up the Time Capsule. I tried clicking on the disks tab, but that returns an empty list of partitions and file-sharing options.
I tried reseting the device with the little button on the back and starting again. Same story. What am I missing?
To be clear, I am not trying to use an external disk. I am trying to use the 2TB disk I am told is inside the AirPort Extreme.

Is it possible to know from the serial number whether I have a misbehaving Time Capsule presenting itself as an AP Extreme, unaware of the hard disk it conceals, or a perfectly functional AP Extreme?
That would be a question for Apple Support.
http://www.apple.com/support/contact/
If you can locate a model number on the device....it might be on the bottom in very small print.......it will start with an "A" followed by four numbers.....we can tell you what you have.
But a clue might be that an AirPort Extreme sells for about $200. A Time Capsule sells for $300-400 depending on the size of the internal hard drive.
And to anyone from Apple reading this, could you please make your new software compatible with hardware you produced in last 3 yrs?
It is extremely unlikely that anyone from Apple will ever see your post on a user-to-user support forum. Best to contact Apple directly with your comments:
Apple - Time Capsule - Feedback

Time machine doesn't see my external hard drive.

Why doesn't Time Machine recognize my external hard drive? The icon is on the desktop but it won't back up and fails saying the backup volume can't be found.
It works on my mac mini but not on my intel core 2 duo. I have other backup files on my external hard drive. Any suggestions ????

I used it with my imac power pc before and now am using with my intel iMac. Is this possible without reformatting? Here is information you requested.
Format : Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Name : My Iomega HDD
Type : Volume
Disk Identifier : disk1s3
Mount Point : /Volumes/My Iomega HDD
File System : Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Connection Bus : FireWire
Device Tree : /PCI0/RP04@1C,3/FRWR@0/node@d0b87de0002bb1/sbp-2@c000/@0:3
Writable : Yes
Universal Unique Identifier : 4692F5BF-C808-3459-8090-F05D5724133C
Capacity : 298.0 GB (319,938,674,688 Bytes)
Free Space : 199.7 GB (214,375,014,400 Bytes)
Used : 98.3 GB (105,563,660,288 Bytes)
Number of Files : 367,381
Number of Folders : 85,981
Owners Enabled : No
Can Turn Owners Off : Yes
Can Be Formatted : Yes
Bootable : Yes
Supports Journaling : Yes
Journaled : Yes
Disk Number : 1
Partition Number : 3

Time Machine doesn't see previously used partition

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