Time Machine hung: a solution!

I've just found a solution to a persistent Time Machine problem: at first doing incredibly large and time consuming backups (e.g. 16.8 Gb – twice in a row) each time even when there has been no activity, then taking forever Indexing Backup, then getting hung completely on Indexing Backup. AppleCare for a month was of absolutely no help – until today I managed to connect to a very useful and helpful senior advisor who actually did what he promised to do.
So, the problem was that my external hard drive was not formatted correctly. It should be formatted: Mac OS Extended (Journalled). Be careful: there are other options that look almost the same, but are not. I was directed to Applications/Utilities/Disk Utilities. Then I selected the external hard drive on the left pnae, then in the centre the proper formatting such as above. Then Delete. Then go to Time Machine Preferences, and select the disk as the Time Machine. Problem solved! The first complete backup started almost immediately and took 2 hours. Normal. Subsequent backups have been taking just seconds.
So, why are these various formatting options for the Time Machine external disk? I just followed the instructions in the Time Machine, never given an option or an instructions about formatting. And it seems that not all AppleCare advisors are aware of this, which I am now learning may be a common problem, especially with Lion.
So, now I can feel more secure about my backups. And spend my time using my new MacBookPro rather than on trying to fix it.

Time Capsule is the only Apple supportrf network drive for Time Machine.
Since you have have eliminated that then I have to say no.

Similar Messages

Time Machine - hung

I was doing my first backup and TimCapsule is hung... Just sits there with the message Stopping Backup. It is on a new iMac and there is nothing loaded yet so shouldn't take this long.... it has been over 5 hours.
Should I unplug the TIme Capsule?
Thanks for your help

First, see #D6 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).
Second, do the initial backup via Ethernet if at all possible; it will be much faster.
You should expect somewhere in the neighborhood of 24 GB/hour via Ethernet, and perhaps 12 GB/hour via a good WIFI connection, although the rate will vary widely during the backup, depending on what's being backed-up at the time.
If your backup is considerably slower than that, over a period of time, see #D2 in Troubleshooting.

Time Machine hung while intial backing up to external HD

Hello all,
I am trying to help a client here to do an intial back up with her Time Machine and external HD but it kept on hung up every time.
Here's the picture:
She have iMac 21.5" with Snow Leopard OS (10.6.8) connected to 2TB Seagate external hd for Time Machine use only.
I formatted the seagate external HD to Mac Journaled format and everything looks good. The Time Machine starts to back up for very first time and it got stuck in the middle of back up. I formatted the external HD again and tried to do intial back up again and it got stuck again on 111.17 GB out of 278.8 GB for a over 2 hours. It hasn't moved.
I downloaded "Time Machine buddy" widget and it shows:
Starting standard backup
Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb
Ownership is disabled on the backup destination volume. Enabling.
Error parsing SystemMigration.log to determine source volume of system migration.
Backup content size: 278.8 GB excluded items size: 3.0 GB for volume mac_HD
No pre-backup thinning needed: 330.92 GB requested (including padding), 1.82 TB available
Waiting for index to be ready (101)
Copied 74.4 GB of 275.8 GB, 225989 of 1215218 items
I've tried the troubleshooting with this link and it doesn't work:
http://pondini.org/TM/Home.html
Hope this issue can be resolved soon!
Thanks,
Matt

First, a terminology problem: this is the Time Capsule forum -- a piece of Apple hardware combining a wireless router and HD, usually used as a destination for Time Machine backups.
Time Machine is the Apple software that performs backups, to external HDs, Time Capsules, etc.
Does the HD have the GUID partition map scheme? If not, reformat it that way. I doubt that's the problem, but you never know.
From the messages, it looks like Time Machine finished the initial backup "pass." Normally, if more changes are made while it's backing-up, it will do a small, quick second pass to catch up. But there's no message starting the second pass (another of the "requested" and "available" messages), and the amount copied doesn't match the 111.17 GB where it stuck.
Try verifying the internal HD; there might be a directory problem that Time Machine's tripping over.
If that doesn't help, look directly at the system.log via Console, for the time of the backup. There may be some related messages there, but sent by other processes than backupd, that will provide a clue.

Time Machine hung up while "backing up"

Time Machine's first attempt at a back up failed this morning. And as this has happened before, I simply did what I had done in the past ... a manual "back up now". But today, it didn't work. Instead, the Time Machine preferences states that it is "backing up" and seems to get hung up like that. When you check the TM Buddy widget, the following line is listed over and over 10-15 times ...
Waiting for index to be ready (915 > 0)
TM has been hung up for hours ... seriously hours ... like this. I've manually stopped the back up, restarted the computer, etc. all to no avail. And now when I've tried to b/u, my widget displays nothing. So, I don't even have anything to post to aid in assistance. TM is currently turned off.
Any help on where to go from here is greatly appreciated.

Hjeirce wrote:
Waiting for index to be ready (915 > 0)
Hi, and welcome to the forums.
This can be caused by several things.
First, are you sure it's formatted properly? Use Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder). Select the top line (with the make and size). Down towards the bottom, *Partition Map Scheme* should be GUID for an Intel Mac, +Apple Partition Map+ for a PPC Mac.
Then select the second line. Down towards the bottom, Format should be +Mac OS Extended (Journaled)+
If you're running any anti-virus scans, exclude your TM disk from them.
Also exclude it from Spotlight, at least temporarily, via System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy.
If those don't help, that leaves the drive itself:
Is it FireWire or USB?
If USB, does it have it's own power supply, or does it get power from your Mac? If it uses your Mac's power, try another port (not one on your keyboard), and try unplugging other USB devices such as printers.
The drive may be "spinning down" at idle. Try System Preferences > Energy Saver and de-select +Put the hard drives to sleep ...+ Some drives respond to that setting, some don't.
Does it have an automatic "Spin down" mode of it's own? If so, can you disable it? Check with the manufacturer's web site, support, and/or forums. Some WD drives, I think, have a recent firmware update that may fix this.

Time Machine Hung Up

I set up Time Machine to a Seagate Free Agent Drive about 5 weeks ago. It's worked fine until recently; I noticed yesterday that the TM icon was continually spinning, & when I go into TM Preferences it shows that it is backing up "1 kb of 42 kb". About half an hour ago I clicked on "Stop Backing Up." Now I have a "Stopping Backup" & "Stop Backing Up" in gray, & it is still spinning around showing the "1 kb" message. Any thoughts???? Thanks.

Terence Norman wrote:
Pondini, thanks for your real-time assistance on this - I hope I'm not being presumptious posting blow-by-blow - I'm retired so I sometimes forget that others may have things (like work!) to do So don't let me impose on your good nature.
I'm retired, too, but in and out today doing yard work.
I wondered about running Software Update and looking for any new(er) drivers? - Terry.
I doubt there's anything from Apple, especially since you're on Leopard. Then again, updating to 10.5.8 might be worth a shot, if you're really still on 10.5.6. I'd suggest downloading and installing the "combo" update. That's a combination (thus the clever name) of all the updates to 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/downloads/MacOS_X_10_5_8_ComboUpdate Be sure to do a +Repair Permissions+ via Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder) afterwards.
And/or try the things in #D2 of the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip* at the top of this forum. The last item (not necessarily the least likely) may be what you need.

Time machine "hung up" and won't finish a backup

TM was working fine for me. But it has sat at the same place for almost 20 hours now. I have plenty of disk space. The progress shows it is stuck at 40.3MB of 145.9MB. An OSX update was installed yesterday, is that the reason? Any steps to get this back on track would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

Normally, a long 'Preparing' session after an update is OK. If you take a look at the Console logs Time Machine is reporting that your backups need "deep traversal". That's fine. Time Machine knows what is wrong and how to fix it. Let it do it's thing. If you have alot if data, it may take quite awhile.
After your update to 10.5.5 Time Machine realized the system no longer matched what it looked like during the previous backup. So it has determined that it's earlier catalogue of what-should-be-where is 'untrustable'. So it is going to go item-by-item comparing the before and after of your system.
However, in your instance, it is simply taking too long and seems to have choked.
*Anti-Virus Software*
Running anti-virus software can interfere with the backup process. Either disable it altogether, or try the suggestion outlined here, “If you use third-party anti-virus scanning software and have issues, make sure your Time Machine back up folder (Backups.backupdb on the Time Machine disk) is excluded from virus scanning.” (http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1516)
*Reselect Backup Disk*
There is the possibility that the first backup after a major OS update will fail. The Console may report that the backup disk is ‘not owned by backupd’. Essentially, Time Machine no longer recognizes the backup disk.
Go to System Preferences --> Time Machine.
Click the "Change Disk..." button.
Select "None" and click "Stop Backing Up".
Now click "Choose Backup Disk" and reselect your drive again.
Close System Preferences and try backing-up again.
Let us know if this helps.

Restore from Time Machine hung on "Looking for source"

Had to buy a new Macbook Air to replace my old one which was water damaged.
I have a full Time Machine backup on a portable USB hard drive which is divided into two partitions: Time Machine backup and a storage partition.
Old Macbook air has the previous operating system, updated.
New MA has mavericks of course.
Setup assistant didn't see the Time Machine backup when attached.
So I setup an account on the new computer, got to the main screen, started migration assistant to see if that would work.
(With the new account, the portable USB drive is recognized and both partitions show in the finder.)
Same problem. Migration assistant sits with spinning icon at "Looking for source".
What can I do to show it where the Time Machine backup is?
Thanks.

mjmorris11733 wrote:
I start TM, I can see the NAS drive as a TM-mount point, I select it
Does that mean you selected it on the Time Machine Preferences window? If not, do that.
If that doesn't help, the preferences file may be damaged. Try a "full reset" per #A4 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.
If still no help, the backups themselves may be damaged. Try to repair them, per #A5 in the same link.

Time machine hung on calculating changes (stuck at 99%)

Im experiencing a few problems with time machine which is currently set to back up wirelessly to a time capsule. This has been working great for about a year now never any problems with any backup in the past but over the last day i can not get a backup to complete.
N.B; i have been staying away for the past two weeks as i am at university so i'm aware the first backup will be large with a two week gap. Though this is not usually a problem. The other change is i have recently changed the net work set up, before Time capsule was connected to another router (BT Voyager 205) in bridge mode, now i have a new router (BT home hub 2.0) and have re-configured time capsule to simply join the wireless network for back up and storage purposes.
Heres what i have tried:
Powering down the time capsule and my laptop several times
unselecting the disk in the time machine options, selecting none and then re-selecting the disk
a full reset of time machine (followed the steps found here; http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2057525)
Heres the console log messages:
05/03/2010 12:09:02 com.apple.backupd[281] Starting standard backup
05/03/2010 12:09:02 com.apple.backupd[281] Attempting to mount network destination using URL: afp://James%20Clough@James%20Clough's%20Time%20Capsule.afpovertcp.tcp.local/Data
05/03/2010 12:09:02 com.apple.backupd[281] Mounted network destination using URL: afp://James%20Clough@James%20Clough's%20Time%20Capsule.afpovertcp.tcp.local/Data
05/03/2010 12:10:41 com.apple.backupd[281] Disk image /Volumes/Data-1/James MacBook_0023df8f4ff4.sparsebundle mounted at: /Volumes/Backup of James MacBook
05/03/2010 12:10:47 com.apple.backupd[281] Backing up to: /Volumes/Backup of James MacBook/Backups.backupdb
05/03/2010 12:10:53 mds[36] (Normal) DiskStore: Rebuilding index for /Volumes/Backup of James MacBook/Backups.backupdb
05/03/2010 12:13:35 com.apple.backupd[281] Event store UUIDs don't match for volume: Macintosh HD
05/03/2010 12:16:33 com.apple.backupd[281] Node requires deep traversal:/ reason:must scan subdirs|new event db|
05/03/2010 12:16:36 mds[36] (Normal) DiskStore: Creating index for /Volumes/Backup of James MacBook/Backups.backupdb
05/03/2010 12:20:16 com.apple.backupd[281] Node requires deep traversal:/Users/James/Pictures/iPhoto Library reason:contains changes|must scan subdirs|found in deep scan|missed reservation|
also noticed for the first time that when clicking into spotlight search at the right of the screen i see:
"Indexing backup of James' Macbook"
with an estimating time bar below which keeps spinning giving no time, just says estimating??
thankyou to anyone who can help shed some light on this problem.

vengenceJC wrote:
also noticed for the first time that when clicking into spotlight search at the right of the screen i see:
"Indexing backup of James' Macbook"
with an estimating time bar below which keeps spinning giving no time, just says estimating??
The combination of symptoms sounds like your backups may be corrupted. Cancel the backup and Repair them per #A5 in the Troubleshooting Tip.
You might want to exclude the drive from Spotlight indexing temporarily, until the backup is done, via +System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy.+
And since Time Machine has to do a "deep traversal," connect to the Time Capsule via Ethernet if at all possible -- both the "deep traversal" and actual backup will be faster that way.

Time machine hung? reboot?

I bought a new 2TB drive and installed it and I am using TM to transfer everything. It took two hours for it to do the back up -then the screen said 'less than a minute' for the last ten hours - transferring files - moving support applications. Is it hung? Should I reboot or leave it? (125g was on it before)

you may have a drive that 'fell asleep' or fell off the channel.
Green 2TB or not?
FW400 or USB or eSATA?
Do you really want to use timemachine? or perhaps CCC and SuperDuper would fit your needs and be better (even if you use TM I'd use something else as well) - not your primary backup method - but maybe to get people that never backed up before to start doing so.
I think TimeMachine does what you are seeing and was very much "1.0" in too many ways.
Leopard TimeMachine
http://www.apple.com/support/timemachine

Version 2 and Time Machine

There was a problem with backing up photos in Aperture with Time Machine. The "solution" was to exclude the Aperture data from Time Machine.
Does version 2 fix this issue?

based on what I've seen tonight on my iMac, Time Machine is now 'compatible' with Aperture 2 by ignoring the Aperture library package if and while Aperture is running.
tonight while Aperture was running, Time Machine deleted the Aperture Library from the backup disk (250GB of space was created) in preparation for an update (insufficient room on the backup disk to add a copy of the library without deleting the existing one), but refused to actually back up the library file until I quit Aperture (i.e., for several hours, I had no backup of my Aperture Library). this may be how Apple worked around the 'inconsistency' problem, by not backing the library up while Aperture's running.
if my assumption is correct, Apple opened up the possibility of losing your library. if they don't back up Aperture Library files while Aperture is running, then they also shouldn't delete existing Aperture Library files from the backup while Aperture is running.
there is nothing in Apple's support documents to clarify how Time Machine in 10.5.2 works with Aperture to create consistent backups.
to answer your question though, I don't think Time Machine backs up the entire library every time it backs up but I'll need to do some quick tests to verify this.
sincerely,
Gregory

File Vault and Time Machine

Hi, I am new mac users, and I need to know how to secure my time machine drive so if you plug in to other mac should ask for password, by googling some info, I found some trick to set our mac with file vault, so all user data will be encrypted.
but after my imac sets file vault, time machine only works for shared folders, and not realtime backup my main data and system, it inly backup when I log out or shut down my mac.
so I assume my backup data from my time machine will not work for restoring file as normal time machine backup
any solution for this? thanks

Time Machine and File Vault aren't a particularly good combination.
See #25 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 this forum), for details and some possible alternatives.

Time Machine Issues

Time Machine Issues
Receiving "Can't connect to a current Time Machine backup disk" error when entering Time Machine
Hello, there! Austin here. I started receiving this error after I completed my first Time Machine backup. It happens every time I try to enter time machine. Any solutions would be greatly appreciated.

Time Machine Issues
Receiving "Can't connect to a current Time Machine backup disk" error when entering Time Machine
Anyone?

Question about restoring from Time Machine

Hi Everyone, first post so i'll make it a simple one.
Thankfully, i have never had to restore too much from my back up (TM) drive, Photos/maybe a movie etc... But i always keep an up to date backup, just in case.
Does anyone know whether or not when you restore an application, for example, if time machine will restore all the necessary preferences/additional information?
Also, I have a new Macbook Pro on the way. I've read up about moving my photos/music over to a new machine. But how would be a good way of moving applications? I'm not sure if i can move Aperture etc... over and keep the full licensed copy i got way back when it first came out?
Basically, will time machine be the solution i need to get my new mac, full of everything i had on my old one?
Many thanks.
Rich.

Be sure you have a full, complete recent back-up of your old system on Time Machine (don't exclude any files or folders). Then, with your Time Machine back-up drive attached, put in the install disk that will come with your new machine, choose your language, and on the next page choose restore from back-up, selecting your most up-to-date TM backup. That should give you the exact same machine on your new computer as your old one.

HT1176 I am trying to add my iPhoto library to files to be backed up on time machine. I am told to click on the Options Minus butto, but it is greyed out. What is the solution ?

I have been trying to add my iPhoto Library to files for time machine backup.
I was instructed to click on the Options minus button - but it is greyed out and not functional.
What is the solution ?
Your help will be much appreciated.
Thank you.
Roberto Kay

You can "see" the iPhoto library in Time Machine backups, but you cannot "open" the library or "browse" the contents while you are in Time Machine.
Apple makes you restore the entire iPhoto library to another destination...like your desktop....if you want to retrieve a few older images that you may have deleted by mistake.
This is a convoluted mess, but unfortunately, that is the way it is.
See Pondini's excellent, detailed information on this:
http://pondini.org/TM/15.html
You might also want to post in the iPhoto support area to see if the experts over there might have a workaround for you. I cannot find one, but I'm not an iPhoto expert.
iPhoto

After upgrade to mavericks: time machine keeps asking for my back up disk and won't open unless i plug in the disk. any solutions?

after upgrade to mavericks: time machine keeps asking for my back up disk and won't open unless i plug in the disk. any solutions?
before the upgrade, i could open time machine without the need for having the back up disk plugged in.

Ok. I got it to work, sort of....
As I mentioned before I tried the "disk password" and the "Time capsule Password" options to see if I can start the back up again or start a new backup. Neither worked. So I tried the firmware down grade, but like you said that did not work. I then decided to try the "Account password" option and I have never used this option before becasue it states that if there is data on the drive it would not be acessable after creating an account. Since I wiped out the disk that was nno problem. When I created the new account and choose the drive it asked for the user name and password. I entered the info for the new account I just created(FYI this has nothing to do with your login username and password), bingo! It worked!
Now I have two partitions on the TC disk. The old one and now the new account. I am guessing this is to be used if I have multiple computers, which I don't.
I any case, I am going to wipe out everything again and try again to do a backup the way I had it before.

Time Machine hung: a solution!

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