Time Machine -Error Red "i" message: "Unable to complete backup. "

Trying to use Time Machine to backup to a Maxtor Basic Desktop Storage device. Keep getting error message. I have read all posts I could on the discussion boards. Repairing the disk doesn't work... it says it is working correctly.
It starts the backup and then quits after about 10 minutes. The storage is 500 GB. There is nothing on it. Help. First time with an Apple issue. Need very basic instructions! Thanks!

RDP1 wrote:
Mr Podini, Sorry to break into this discussion but you were helping me in the Spring and we never resolved the issue with TM. My TM pref's box still states, "206.1GB remains of 232.8GB - Oldest Backup - --, Latest Backup - June 8. 2008; Next backup: Today 3:25pm". I downloaded the Time Machine Buddy widget per your request, but the thing sits "frozen" on my desktop as we speak and doesn't seem to work at all.
That sounds like you're signed-on as a user that doesn't have permission to read your logs. Try it as your Admin user; if that works, you can grant the other user permission to read the folder /private/var/logs and it's enclosed files. As Admin, from the Finder select +Go > Go to Folder+ and type /Private/var/ in the box provided. Then find the logs folder, do a +Get Info+ on it, click the padlock at the bottom, enter your Admin password, and select the user in question. That should give it read rights.
The external HD blinks typically, while the computer is on, like it's backing up something. When I enter TM, it seems to be backing up everything. at least from "today", back 4 windows to June 8, 2008.
When I first had Leopard(12/07), the backup seemed to work okay and in the months following December 2007, there were Many windows when I opened TM, to look through. How the heck can this thing be working correctly? I apologize again for breaking in, but you seem to know more about TM, than anyone else that I've read in the past months.
I'm not entirely sure what you mean. TM performs hourly backups if it's on and the backup disk/Time Capsule is available. But it doesn't keep all of them for long.
TM keeps one backup per week as long as there's room, and one per day (the first) for a month. All others are deleted after 24 hours.
If you see something else going on, please start a +*new thread+* with full details of your setup, and try to explain what you're seeing and why you think it's wrong.

Similar Messages

HT3275 This help article says Red "i" message: "Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume." Restart, then try the backup once again." OK, I've done that a few times and still receive the same error message. No

My Time Machine backup is repeatedly failing -- instead I receive a message saying it's unable to complete backup because an error has occured. The only "Help" advice is to restart the computer and try to back up again, but that did not solve the problem. Help, please?

Restart the whole network.. not just the computer.. restart in correct order with everything off.
modem
TC or router
clients
2min gap.
If you still have trouble, give us the whole network layout.. what broadband? what modem? any other router? are you using wireless? what mode is the TC in?
I am assuming you are using a time capsule.

HT3275 Red "i" message: "Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume." Restart, then try the backup once again. "

I have tried reset, worked last week.
But today got the same message and does not work yet, even with restart.
Please help

Is this Lion or Mountain Lion (ML)?
We were hoping the new OS would fix the issues with ML.. but they got worse.
Read C12, C17 and a brief scan over the rest.
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
If you upgrade installed ML I would expect issues to abound.

I am trying to use Time Machine to back-up to an external hard drive and I get the following message.Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder. Does anyone know what I should do?

I am trying to use Time Machine to back-up to an external hard drive and I get the following message.Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder. Does anyone know what I should do?

Hello Drake, I suspect one or more of the Drives needs repairing, but...
Have you looked through Pondini's extensive TM help site?
http://Pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
Can't imaging something not being covered there.

HT3275 Since updating OS to Mountain Lion from leopard, I get the following error message when trying to backup with time machine on external drive. Could not complete backup to media share. The network backup disk does not support the required AFP feat

Since updating OS to Mountain Lion from leopard, I get the following error message when trying to backup with time machine on external drive. "Could not complete backup to media share. The network backup disk does not support the required AFP features." What are AFP features and how do I get Time Machine to backup to my current external backup?

This means that your NAS does not support the required encryption. Update your NAS to the latest firmware or ditch it and buy a Time Capsule (they are the most reliable when using TM).

Time capsule won't back up - Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder. Any ideas?

I have tried all the resets, the firmware is the latest version, the green light is on.
But I get this message "Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder."
Any ideas?

Do setup again.. but make sure both your wireless and your ethernet have ipv6 turned on to local link.
Done this OK, but no idea about IPv6 - something new to me and rather Appley I think?
Unplug the WAN for the moment.. Just LAN port TC to the MBPr ethernet via thunderbolt.. (thunderbird was the kids puppet series.. Thunderbirds are go!!). Done - New real people Thunderbirds movie coming out soon I believe!!!
Reset the TC again.. sorry.. !! You're welcome ... done.
Make sure the ethernet now has an IP address.. 10.0.1.2 - Yep - done that - on ethernet anyway ...
You need to open the network preferences to find out. Yep - that's good ...
****** I then reconnect the TC WAN to the router - is this right?
And then I think I start going round in circles ... boot, reboot, restart, reboot again ...
The final result is green light on TC, but error message when trying TM is "Backup disk is not available".
Then open the airport utility and you should be able to setup the TC.
Do as little setup as possible and then run the TM backup and see how it goes.
I have managed to get Thunderbird to LAN on TC to create a folder on TC and copy a file onto it.
So I guess the drive is working - it must be the software, settings or perhaps even the operator that isn't quite so clever ...
I named network RFG, named device RFGTC. RFG network shown as IP 192.168.0.72
Wireless router is BT Homehub 3 with IP of 192.168.0.254 - is this issuing new IP addresses when rebooting TC?
I have three wireless networks here - the BT Homehub3 wireless, the TC wireless, and also a D-link power socket ethernet thingy for an ethernet connection to the telly - DHP-W310AV which is also wireless link. All are effectively connected to the BT Homehub - is there a conflict there?
Have several times achieved in Airport Utility schematic with internet shown as green, RFGTC shown as green, light on TC green, but no TM backup run ... "backup disc not available."
And there are no tall building around here to hurl myself off ... at least you can go to Sydney Harbour bridge - not too far away ... it was my son in Sydney that persuaded me to scrap Windows and go Apple ... it's all his fault ...

Time Machine error message "Unable to complete backup....."

I just purchased Time Capsule and attempted to do my initial backup. I had to stop during the middle of the process. When I returned to resume the backup I get the following error message: "Unable to create backup. An error occurred creating the backup directory." Has anyone else gotten this error message? If so, any suggestions on how to fix this. I tried doing everything that Setup Guide suggested with no success.
After reading some of the posts here, I've made sure that my Time Capsule name is short and without special characters but nothing has worked. Any help would be appreciated.

My initial backup (350GB on WiFi N 5Ghz wide-channel) seemed like it would take 3 days (which is fine), but after 1 day, I too got that error. I started the backup again and it went for an hour, then the same error. Started again, went for 5 minutes, same error. Now I can't even start it again--I've tried many times and the error is now instantaneous.
The first time the error happened, the backup seemed to pick up where it left off. After that, though, all progress each time was lost.
The network itself has never gone down, and the light has stayed green. And the 2Wire DSL router it's attached to seems to be fine as well.
I'm wiping the drive (with the zero option in the hopes of catching and physical defects early) and will try again tomorrow.
All software and firmware is up-to-date: I made sure before turning on the Time Capsule.
Ethernet is not really an option--I'd have to run a long cord though a high-traffic area, and accidents would happen.

HT201514 Trying to back up Time Machine to My Passport Air external hard drive, which is supposed to be compatible with my iMac and Mountain Lion, but get the message: Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder. Help!

Hello, I've just bought a Mac compatible Passport Air external hard drive, which is supposed to be compatible with the OS I am using (Mountain Lion) but I keep getting an error message saying Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creting the backup folder. I've tried all the help suggestions, but nothing with this actual message comes up - it appears to be partititioned correctly etc, so don't know what I'm doing wrong - any help would be greatly appreciated thank you.

Were you not plugged in via USB to begin with?
I would recommend performing some resets just to be on the safe side. Unplug the external HD, and try these steps:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379

Time Machine... error msg...unable to complete backup....

Can someone please explain to me why I am getting the following error message, which I have received 2x in the last 2 days:
"Unable to complete backup. An error has occurred while copying files to the backup volume."
Note: I have TM backup to an external hard drive and I do have space left.
Thanks!

is this message intermittent? There is a bug introduced by 10.5.3 updates that makes TM backups fail sporadically with that message. usually, the very next backup completes fine. This is a common bug and there is nothing to be done about it but wait for a fix from Apple.

HT3275 Got the message "Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder."

My time machine backup has stopped working. I received an error message that is not one listed on the support page: "Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder." I am on a new MacBook pro running Mountain Lion and using a 1 TB Passport drive as a time machine backup. Running DiskUtility finds no problem on the Passport.

See #C10 in Pondini's excellent Time Machine Troubleshooting.
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

Time Capsule message:Unable to complete backup. time Capsule already in use. If I try to ess Time Macine, it says: that the sparse image is temporarily unavailable.acc

Normally, my Time Capsule backups without issue. however, recently, it failed and I was unable to either complete a backup (done automatically) or enter Time Machine. I received a message that:" Unable to complete backup. Time Capsule already in use" when backup is attempted. When trying to access Time Machine when this occcurs, The message is" sparse image temporarily unavailable". Why does this happen? How can fix it without erasing the who;e image and starting all over?
I have Mac OS Mountain Lion.

You might need to if the bundle is damaged.
You can verify the bundle.
Read A5 here http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
Also try C12 and C17
Just a reboot of the TC might get it working again.

HT203177 iMAC & maverich Time Machine error message "unable to complete backup folder

iMAC with OSX10.9.4 ; 8GB ram ; two partitions external disk formatted MAC jurnaled ; connected via Fire Wire or USB2 .
During Backup the sistem get stack and display into the "details window" Time machine was unable to complete the backup because unable to complete the backup folder.
This problem happens with USB and Fire Wire.
The file backups.backupdb is excluded from virus scanning.
Also happens time to time that (without doing things) both the partitions of the external disk disappaire from the desk-top and a message "the disk must be ejected properly" is diplayed.
This two problems are independent une to the other.
I have change the backup disk but both the problems persist.
Thanks for any help
Gian Luigi

These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.
Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.
The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select
SYSTEM LOG QUERIES ▹ All Messages
from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar at the top of the screen.
In the top right corner of the Console window, there's a search box labeled Filter. Initially the words "String Matching" are shown in that box. Enter the word "Starting" (without the quotes.) You should now see log messages with the words "Starting * backup," where * represents any of the words "automatic," "manual," or "standard."
Each message in the log begins with the date and time when it was entered. Note the timestamp of the last "Starting" message that corresponds to the beginning of an an abnormal backup. Now
CLEAR THE WORD "Starting" FROM THE TEXT FIELD
so that all messages are showing, and scroll back in the log to the time you noted. Select the messages timestamped from then until the end of the backup, or the end of the log if that's not clear. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.
☞ If all you see are messages that contain the word "Starting," you didn't clear the text field.
☞ The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of which is irrelevant to solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.
Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.
☞ Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

Time Machine Error Message. What to do?

Hello,
My G5 has 2 built-in drives, each 160Gb. I have reserved one of these drives exclusively for Time Machine. There is no issue regarding the connection of these drives since they are internal.
I started Time Machine 3 weeks ago, and it has been running successfully. With each backup, the available space has been declining. Tonight the available space reached the megabyte range - insufficient space for the next backup. It is my understanding that when new space is required by TM, old backup(s) are AUTOMATICALLY deleted.
Tonight when a backup starts, the window (System Preferences) shows that the backup is preparing. However, as soon as it starts copying to the TM drive, I receive the following error message:
"TIME MACHINE ERROR
Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume."
No further information is provided for diagnosing the problem. I have no idea about the cause or what to do.
Can anyone identify the problem and a workout? I would appreciate some help. Thank you. Dale

Hello,
I'm back on this thread after having been absent for several weeks. I hope that the original helpers are still subscribed to this issue. I continue to get the message: "Time Machine Error . . . Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume."
Below is the system.log file pertaining to backupd. I am not a technician, so I cannot understand the entries. Can someone help, please? Thank you, Dale
Feb 20 19:23:29 sherborn-g5 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[335]: Backup requested by automatic scheduler
Feb 20 19:23:29 sherborn-g5 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[335]: Starting standard backup
Feb 20 19:23:36 sherborn-g5 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[335]: Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Mach 160Gb HD/Backups.backupdb
Feb 20 19:23:37 sherborn-g5 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[335]: Event store UUIDs don't match for volume Leopard HD
Feb 20 19:23:37 sherborn-g5 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[335]: Node requires deep traversal:/ reason:kFSEDBEventFlagMustScanSubDirs|kFSEDBEventFlagReasonEventDBUntrustable|
Feb 20 19:27:47 sherborn-g5 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[335]: No pre-backup thinning needed: 10.18 GB requested (including padding), 14.37 GB available
Feb 20 19:27:52 sherborn-g5 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[335]: MDBackupIndexFile returned -12 for: /Library/Application Support/5221530, /Volumes/Time Mach 160Gb HD/Backups.backupdb/Sherborn G5/2008-01-25-202510.inProgress/0FA23087-5ECE-44FB-8C5D-C089622A374E/Leopard HD/Library/Application Support/5221530
Feb 20 19:27:52 sherborn-g5 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[335]: Aborting backup because MDBackupIndexFile failed
Feb 20 19:27:52 sherborn-g5 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[335]: Canceling backup.
Feb 20 19:27:54 sherborn-g5 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[335]: Copied 2 files (18 KB) from volume Leopard HD.
Feb 20 19:27:54 sherborn-g5 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[335]: Copy stage failed with error:11
Feb 20 19:27:55 sherborn-g5 /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[335]: Backup failed with error: 11

HT3275 Time Machine Error

I get the "Red "i" message: "Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume."" but restarting it does not help at all.

Not one of Apple's better messags.
Most likely, there's a problem with a file on your system that's causing Time Machine to choke. See #C3 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting. It will show you how to locate the message(s) that describe the problem, then help you fix it. If that doesn't help, post back with details, including all the messages, your setup (especially the destination for the backups), what you've done, and the results.

Time Machine Error Message: Errors while copying to this drive

PLEASE someone help me! I've used Time Machine since it's inception, and suddenly I'm getting these error messages that are not helpful. I'm not a computer expert, I don't know much about file extensions (re: discussions about removing certain files), and really am lost about what to do. I've rebooted, I've purchased TWO new external drives (sitting here with nothing on them) -- I haven't backed up in a month -- and I'm very concerned about this. Do I need to use an online backup system? I really would like help with this. Again -- I'm attempting to backup using Time Machine and keep getting the error message: Unable to complete backup. Errors while copying files to the drive. I've been on the phone with Apple Support -- and I get started on a new backup (it will actually begin to backup) and in a few minutes I get the error message. Are there certain files to delete? I'm certainly willing to do that -- but I need specific instructions about where to find them and how to delete them. Many thanks.

I have been having the same problem. I haven't backed up since June 4 and I tried yesterday and I got the message about errors while copying the files to the drive. I tried it again and again, but no dice. I have been using Time Machine without incident since I bought my White Macbook (late 2007).

Time Machine -Error Red "i" message: "Unable to complete backup. "

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