Time Machine icon on backup drive is missing

I just got a new external backup drive to replace my old one that was full. Once mounted on the desktop the drive icon had the well known orange icon with the FireWire symbol on it.
After my first backup to the new drive I expected it to get the Time Machine icon automatically, but this did not happen. My old Time Machine backup drive had the green Time Machine icon on it with the arrow.
Can anyone tell me why this did not happen with the new drive, and how I can get the time Machine icon attached to the drive. I would like to have that icon attached to the backup drive so I can differentiate that drive from two other external drives I use for other purposes.

Addition to my above post:
When I mount my previous backup drive, and choose this drive in the Time Machine preference pane of System Preferences under Change Disk, it still does have the Time Machine icon. But the new drive does not have this icon.

Similar Messages

HT204057 is there a way to use time machine with a backup drive connected to my AirPort?

is there a way to use time machine with a backup drive connected to my AirPort Extreme?

Unfortunately, this is not officially supported by Apple......if you still have the 4th Gen AirPort Extreme that you list in your equipment profile.
However, the new "tower" shaped version of the AirPort Extreme does now officially support Time Machine backups to a drive at the USB port of the device.

Time machine icon on wrong drive?

One of my machine (a Mac Book pro) is showing the time machine icon for it main disk "Macintosh HD" as well as for the external USB drive that time machine is actually using. This system was an upgrade from 10.4 and the external drive had a bootable system on it (via super duper) from before the upgrade which may have confused things.
How do I get my HD icon back from my main drive?

I also had the time machine icon on the main drive. I went into the information window, and attempted to delete the icon. Nothing happened apparently, and I assumed it failed. I forgot about it, and went about my business. When I rebooted a few days later, the icon had been changed to the normal disk drive icon. It seems to be staying that way now after a few more reboots...
Steve

Can I use Time Machine as a backup drive for my Vista 32 PC?

I cannot see any of my Mac computers or Time Machine on my network through my Vista PC, even though I have a wireless card in the PC which can connect wirelessly. I have my PC sitting next to my Time Machine that is the hub for my network. I am connected to the internet via ethernet connection daisy chained through my Time Machine which is connected to my cable router.
I cannot figure out why my PC cannot "see" my Imac, emac, Time Machine, and macbook that are all connected to my wireless network. The PC and Time machine are the only devices with an ethernet wired connection.
I would like to use the Time Machine's 1 terabyte drive to back-up my Vista PC.

I would first set up my mac and vista to do simple file sharing and then work my way from there. If you are unable to figure out simple fire sharing i would go look on other forums or advice. Its rather simple to do but it can also cause a lot of headaches. I have wanted to connect my mac and windows server to my network for a while and just recently figured it out.

I need to reinstall OS X, will Time Machine recognise my backup drive?

Due to permissions problems I need to reinstall my OS. Will my backup drive still be recognised by my MacBook Pro after a fresh install? Also will the permissions problems simply still be there if I restore using Time Machine?

Glyn In Wales wrote:
I have a huge list of permission errors.
Most or all aren't really a problem. Why they keep being reported is a mystery, but they're innocuous.
Here's the scoop: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1448
I have booted from my install disk and repaired permissions.
Not necessary. Use Disk Utility in your Applications/Utilities folder.
The reason I checked permissions in the first place was because a program was not opening (Limewire). The dock icon would bounce once then nothing.
You need to find out why that is. Reinstalling your entire OS is vast overkill, and probably won't help anyway. The simplest solution might be to re-download and reinstall it. If that doesn't help, your best bet might be to first search for Limewire in the +Using Leopard+ forum to see if anybody else has had the same problem. If not, post it there, with as much detail as you can.
Anti virus software shows no viruses
There are no Mac viruses. None. Most Mac users don't run any anti-virus software. Most of the anti-virus software, especially the stuff you pay for, is worse than a virus!
Some folks do run it, to keep from passing Windoze viruses they might get on to their PC friends. The free ClamXav is most often recommended here by those who know about such things, and they say it's the least obnoxious. Do a search for virus in the +Using Leopard+ forum, and read some of the many threads.

HT3275 Time machine keeps ejecting backup drive

I haven't been able to make a time machine backup in 63 days. Getting very concerned. Running OSX 10.8.2. Time machine spends a lot of time preparing, and after it finally starts making a backup it fails part way through. I used to be able to make backups just fine using the same external drive. Verified both backup and Mac disk. Deleted TimeMachine prefs, re-started....still won't work. Console only shows these messages for the daemon:
2012-09-30 8:21:43.989 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Finished scan
2012-09-30 8:26:54.891 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Found 638403 files (107.51 GB) needing backup
2012-09-30 8:26:55.397 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: 134.17 GB required (including padding), 39.51 GB available
2012-09-30 8:26:55.472 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Deleted backup /Volumes/Mac Backup/Backups.backupdb/LarryH/2012-08-14-075425.inProgress/E3E8FC8B-ECD0-4074- 8CB5-EC0A04A7A609 containing 4 KB; 39.51 GB now available, 134.17 GB required
2012-09-30 9:52:22.463 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Deleted backup /Volumes/Mac Backup/Backups.backupdb/LarryH/2012-08-14-075425.inProgress/F7D26A34-AA10-4B80- B63A-FF13FBC55552 containing 6.67 GB; 46.22 GB now available, 134.17 GB required
2012-09-30 9:52:22.467 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Removed 2 expired backups so far, more space is needed - deleting oldest backups to make room
2012-09-30 10:11:09.000 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Backup failed because the destination disk was ejected or disconnected unexpectedly!
2012-09-30 10:11:10.294 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Error: Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-36 "The operation couldn’t be completed. (OSStatus error -36.)" (ioErr: I/O error (bummers)) deleting backup: /Volumes/Mac Backup/Backups.backupdb/LarryH/2011-04-23-070957
2012-09-30 10:11:10.294 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Deleted 2 backups containing 6.67 GB total; 46.22 GB now available, 134.17 GB required
2012-09-30 10:11:10.294 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Backup date range was shortened: oldest backup is now May 7, 2011
2012-09-30 10:11:10.295 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Error writing to backup log. NSFileHandleOperationException:*** -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Input/output error
2012-09-30 10:11:10.296 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Error writing to backup log. NSFileHandleOperationException:*** -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Input/output error
2012-09-30 10:11:10.296 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Error writing to backup log. NSFileHandleOperationException:*** -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Input/output error
2012-09-30 10:11:10.296 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Error writing to backup log. NSFileHandleOperationException:*** -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Input/output error
2012-09-30 10:11:11.240 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: couldn't determine volume-uuid of mount point: /Volumes/Mac Backup/Backups.backupdb/LarryH, error: Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=4 "The file “LarryH” doesn’t exist." UserInfo=0x7f9eb1d42a50 {NSURL=file://localhost/Volumes/Mac%20Backup/Backups.backupdb/LarryH, NSFilePath=/Volumes/Mac Backup/Backups.backupdb/LarryH}
2012-09-30 10:11:11.805 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Backup canceled.
2012-09-30 10:16:23.420 PM com.apple.backupd-helper[603]: Not starting scheduled Time Machine backup - time machine destination not resolvable.

It's a 1 TB drive and my Mac Pro drive is 500Gb. Time machine is supposed to prune old backup sets as needed to make space. If you read the messages it appears that it was about to prune some more when the disk got unmounted.
2012-09-30 9:52:22.467 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Removed 2 expired backups so far, more space is needed - deleting oldest backups to make room
2012-09-30 10:11:09.000 PM com.apple.backupd[211]: Backup failed because the destination disk was ejected or disconnected unexpectedly!
Besides, since when is it okay that Mac OSX spontaneously unmounts an external drive?

Time Machine for 2 backup drives

I want to back up to 2 externals. I understand this can be done now.
<Subject Edited by Host>

Yes you can use as many external drive as you like to make Time Machine backups to. But you can only do one at a time, then disconnect that drive and connect another and then select that other drive as the Time Machine backup drive. Then you can do another full or partial TM backup to that other drive. But the next time you connect the original TM backup drive you will again need to Select it AS the TM Backup drive. It will then pickup the original backups you have made to it and backup changed files to it. Then you can disconnect it, reconnect the second drive and again SELECT that drive as the TM Backup drive.
You can do that as many time as you like to as many external drives as you like, 2-4-10 whatever number of externals. But you will need to Re-Select that newly connected drive AS the TM backup drive. TM only keeps a record of the Last Drive used. Not s series of drives used.

What happens to Time Machine if my backup drive isn't connected?

I've got Time Machine set up to back up a MacOS Leopard Macbook to an external drive. Because of the way this computer is used, it's usually not plugged into the backup drive.
What does Time Machine do in this situation? Does it keep track of all the changes since it last saw the backup drive, or does it only keep one increment between the last backup and the current one? Does it still automatically back up, or do I have to prompt it?
I understand that Lion has a feature that keeps local backups until it sees the backup drive again, but it's not clear to me (because Apple updates the Time Machine support documents to reflect only the latest version of the OS...) whether something like this happens in Leopard.

Sockatume wrote:
***I've got Time Machine set up to back up a MacOS Leopard Macbook to an external drive. Because of the way this computer is used, it's usually not plugged into the backup drive.***
Time machine will recommence back ups from the last point backed up.
***What does Time Machine do in this situation? Does it keep track of all the changes since it last saw the backup drive.
Apple updates the Time Machine support documents to reflect only the latest version of the OS.***
It should scan and pick up alterations to previous back ups as a matter of course.
For all matters dealing with Time machine Google 'Pondini' and a variety of options about it will appear.
For trouble shooting ...Time machine. http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

Time Machine: removing the backup drive and using it for other data

I am trying to stop the time machine backups of my data and use my External HD for other data. Ia m new to the MAC world and I need to know how to do this. Almost like I want to shut Time Machine down and reformat the disk that was being used for the backups. Thanks for the help.

The big switch in the Time Machine preference pane stops Time Machine from performing automatic backups. I would be inclined to recommend you switched that to off but left the disk assigned as designated backup disk on the Change Disk panel because, if there is nothing assigned there, Time Machine will ask you every time a disk is attached which it could use whether you wish to so assign it.

Hard Drive Showing up with Time Machine Icon

I have two hard drives in my Mac Pro. I use one as the time machine backup drive. When I set that one up it changed the icon to the Time Machine icon. Today when I logged into my computer my normal drive changed from the regular hard drive icon to the time machine icon. Any ideas?

FYI...
The problem was that before I started using Time Machine, I had used the FW portable drive to back up my laptop using Carbon Copy Cloner (which makes a bootable copy of your HD). I didn't erase the drive before using it as my Time Machine backup disk so both the FW drive and the HD had the same disk ID associated with them so the time machine icon ended up being associated with both of them.
I erased the portable HD completely (yes, I lost my TM backups but that's a reasonable loss) and then reviewed the Startup Disk under System Preferences. Only the boot drive was listed there correctly (before the erasure, both drives showed up there).
I did a complete backup using TM overnight and then rebooted the system this morning....all is well now. The boot disk now has it's correct icon associated with it.
Regards,
Vicki

Missing time machine icon

My time Machine icon in the tool bar had a 'Question mark in it' what does that mean?
I reformatted the drive and deleted the icon, now I cant find the icon anywhere in applications how do i restore the icon?
Time Machine is still there in the top menu bar but not in my lower toolbar

the Time Machine application should be in the Applications folder. The ? in the dock icon means the application is not there. If you have a Time Machine backup that included the system, you should be able to fine the application there, using Finder

I have my Time Machine on an external drive (not connected to Airport Extreme) and I have an external HD attached to airport extreme. Is it possible to have Time Machine backUp computer HD AND external HD connected to Airport Extreme. How?

I have my Time Machine on an external drive (not connected to Airport Extreme) and I have an external HD attached to airport extreme. Is it possible to have Time Machine backUp computer HD AND external HD connected to Airport Extreme. How?

Is it possible to have Time Machine backUp computer HD AND external HD connected to Airport Extreme.
Sorry, but no.
Time Machine will backup your Mac, but not the hard drive attached to the AirPort Extreme.
Time Machine will back up a hard drive only if it is attached directly to your Mac via USB or FireWire.

Time machine icon in Menu bar no longer rotates during backups

Ever since upgrading to Mavericks, the Time Machine icon in my menu bar does not turn while it's doing a backup. I have to click on it to see whether it's doing a backup. This started with Mavericks, and was not fixed in 10.9.1. Will it be addressed in 10.9.2?

That's just the way it is now.
Apple - Mac OS X - Feedback

Using Mac Mini, Time Machine and External Hard Drives as a Backup Server

Hello...
I own a graphic design studio and have been looking for a long time to create/buy a no-thinker backup system for my macs. I have 4 workstations that I would like to backup to one central "server".
So what I was thinking was buying a Mac Mini, 3-4 external USB 2.0 Hard drives, external Blu-Ray burner and upgrade all our systems to OS 10.5. What I need to know is, will each work station with Time Machine on it back up across the network to a specific drive on the Mac Mini? If I have each workstation automatically mount one external across the network onto the desktop, will Time Machine recognize that hard drive as a legitimate drive to backup to?
Having the external Blu-Ray disc burner will give me the ability to burn data to a disc so I will have a way to take some of my information off-site. Since we are a graphic design studio, we use large amounts of disc space and regular DVD-R (4.6 gigs) is just not enough to back up some projects.
Can someone enlighten me, and tell me if this would work or not. It's the only way I can see me creating something that has enough space, will back up automatically across the network and allow me to make off-site copies of my data without spending $5,000.00.
Thanks for any comments you might have on this topic.
-SoupGFX

I'm a member of a freelance graphic artist team and have been scraping by with my MacMini and CS3. I recently obtained a used iMac (approx. 2 years old) and, instead of painstakingly transferring everything left on the Mini to the iMac, I wanted to know if it's possible to turn the MacMini into a pseudo external hard drive using the FW800 port.
I already had an external attached to the Mini and plan on using that as well, but I tend to hoarde information and run out of space really quickly. So keeping the mini around, preferably in a way that I can access it as an external through my iMac, would be perfect. I have very little experience with networking and don't have a wireless connection (yay modem cables!) so I don't quite know how to figure this out.
Has anyone done this? Would a FireWire 800 work? Would I need to set up a network between the two and use them as independently connected computers?

Time Machine does not backup home/user directory (on separate drive)

I recently installed a SSD into my Mini. Due to size restrictions, my home/user directory has to be kept on another drive. I retained the stock 1TB drive that came with the Mini for this.
Ok, installed the SSD, restored a Time Machine backups (sans user data). Used a different admin user and configured my user to use the 1TB drive for it's home directory (/Volumes/1TB/home/<user>). Restart, log in as my user, all is good. All data, settings, etc is there. Everything looks normal.
Time Machine REFUSES to backup this directory. It will backup the 1TB drive and anyting else I create in it, but not the home directory. I tried every permission trick I could think of or found online. I even tested it further by formatting the 1TB drive fresh, adding a new user, configuring the user to use the 1TB for their home directory and it still won't back it up (this was a test of permissions the OS set, to make sure I didn't change my data perms somewhere along the way). Time Machine would not backup the new user's home directory on the 1TB drive.
Any thoughts? I can't be the first person to have their home directory on a non-OS drive.
If I were to create a folder/file in /Volumes/1TB/<test file> ... Time Machine gets it perfect. It just will NOT touch /Volumes/1TB/home/<anything here>
Thanks!

Open the Time Machine preference pane and unlock the settings, if necessary. Click the Options button. If there is one particular folder with items that are not being backed up reliably, add it to the list of excluded items. If there are many such folders, add your home folder to the list, or add a whole volume (i.e., what Apple calls a "disk.") Save the changes.
Start a backup, or wait for one to happen automatically. When it's done, open the preference pane again and remove the exclusion(s) you made earlier. Back up again and see whether there's a change.

Time Machine icon on backup drive is missing

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for