Time Machine interface is unresponsive
My 1TB Time Capsule appears to be backing up just fine over wireless. The initial backup took around 30 minutes to complete, but the Time Capsule was connected directly to my mac. Taking backups every hours seemed a little excessive to me (and I can't find any way on configuring it) so, for now, I've disabled it. I'm performing manual backups. Anyway...
My problem is that I'm finding that when I "Enter Time Machine", the interface is unresponsive. The starfield is moving along smoothly, but nothing happens when I click on anything (cancel, forwards, backwards etc) or press ESC. Then, all of a sudden (and after several minutes), it seems to catch up with my clicks, and my previously attempted actions are played out in front of me. Then is closes, presumably because of my previous clicks on "Cancel" and pressing ESC in my vain attempts to exit the sluggish application.
It's completely unusable! Is no one else experiencing this?
It's rendered the whole backup process unusable, as I can't navigate through the backups to recover anything.
LBowers wrote:
My problem is that I'm finding that when I "Enter Time Machine", the interface is unresponsive. The starfield is moving along smoothly, but nothing happens when I click on anything (cancel, forwards, backwards etc) or press ESC. Then, all of a sudden (and after several minutes), it seems to catch up with my clicks, and my previously attempted actions are played out in front of me. Then is closes, presumably because of my previous clicks on "Cancel" and pressing ESC in my vain attempts to exit the sluggish application.
See #E4 in the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip,* also at the top of this forum.
Similar Messages
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Can't browse some older backups via Time Machine interface
Problem started after updating to Yosemite. I am running 10.10.1. I can find all my backups, going back to 2010 in fact, when browsing my external FW800 hard drive directly in the Finder. But if I click the menubar icon and choose "Enter Time Machine," I can see some recent backups for some folders, but I cannot access some older backups that I know are there on that same drive. The window title bars in the TM interface are totally grayed out for those older backups. But again, there are all on the same FW800 external HD, and I can search them just fine and extract the files just fine using the Finder.
Is the Time Machine interface totally broken in Yosemite?
Clearly there is nothing wrong with my external FW800 HD, otherwise I wouldn't be able to manually browse and extract files via the Finder. And yes, it makes regular TM backups every day too. It's only the "Enter Time Machine" UI that is partly broken. I say "partly" because some backups (very recent) display, but I cannot access all the backups. It's very strange.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thank you.We need some clarification on what your requirements might be, since you state that you want to be able to open Time Machine and see backups that were made since you installed Yosemite.....AND....older backups on the drive that were made before you installed Yosemite.
When Yosemite is installed it is supposed to add all of the data included in the Yosemite operating system and combine that with your history of backups with other operating systems. For a number of reasons.....Yosemite does not always do this.....so what happens is that Yosemite starts a whole new "master" backup of your Mac at the time and then begins to add incremental backups since Yosemite has been installed.
When that happens, and you click Enter Time Machine from the menu bar at the top of the screen, you will only see the backups that have been made since Yosemite was installed. Other backups are grayed out on the Time Machine interface display and cannot be accessed......even though the backup data is present on the hard drive, and you can see the data or folders displayed using the Finder.
If you want Time Machine to display current backups.....AND....older backups when you click Enter Time Machine, your only option would be to try to reinstall Yosemite to see if the new installation will display current backups and older backups on the same Time Machine interface.
There is absolutely no assurance that this will be successful if you try it. Your call on that.
What might work......IF.....you can lower your requirements to have both new and old backups displayed on the same Time Machine interface.....and instead have current Yosemite backups displayed on one Time Machine interface and the older backups on another, or separate Time Machine interface.......is to try the Browse Other Time Machine Disks option.
You do not mention at all whether or not you have tried the Browse Other Time Machine Disks in this post or in your video. I assume that you tried this, since it is mentioned in Pondini's documentation and also other Apple Time Machine documentation, and it also did not work for some reason.
But, if you have not done this......and you can lower your display requirements......you might want to try.
1) From your normal Mac desktop, make sure that the "dock" , normally at the bottom of the screen, is displayed......and that the Time Machine icon is displayed there as well.
2) Control-Click.....or.....Right-Click the Time Machine icon to see if an option to Browse Other Time Machine Disks is displayed
3) Click on Browse Other Time Machine Disks
4) If an option to use another disk is displayed, click on the disk to highlight it, then click Use This Disk
What happens when you do this? -
OS X Yosemite hangs when exiting Time Machine Interface
Hi all,
Under special circumstances, OS X hangs when we exit the Time Machine interface. This seems to be related to the "Login Window".
Let's me explain the steps to reproduce the bug :
1. Boot normally and log into your session (with password).
2. Then, enter the Time Machine interface and do some browsing (or not).
3. Exit Time Machine interface by clicking the "Cancel" button.
For this first time, all is working as expected, no hang.
4. Now, go to the "Login Window" (with the method shown on the image below) . IMPORTANT: Do not close your session, only switch to the "Login Window" by keeping your active session in background.
5. Relog into your session normally by entering your password.
6. Then, reenter the Time Machine interface and do some browsing (or not).
7. Exit Time Machine interface again by clicking the "Cancel" button.
This time, the mac is supposed to freeze and not come back to life (Beach Ball of Death)...
Can you replicate this on your Mac, just to see if I'm not alone ??!!
Thanks,
TorpEDIT:
In the meantime, you can workaround this bug (without force shutdown your Mac) by assigning a keyboard shortcut to call the "Login Window". I use "Lock Me Now" (http://www.igrsoft.com/en/lockmenow/) to do this. So, next time your OS X hangs, all you have to do is to call the "Login Window" with your keyboard shortcut and relog to your session and the "spinning beach ball" should go away ! -
Time Machine Interface Doesn't Show Backups
I've had my 2GB TC for about 3 months now and it has actually already saved me. I did a complete restore via Time Machine and I was back in business in just a couple of hours and it couldn't have been easier. After the restore, everything seemed to be working just fine - including Time Machine. However, just today, I happened to go into Time Machine and noticed that none of my backups were there. Even if I force Time Machine to do a "Back Up Now", the backup is not listed in Time Machine yet when I peruse my Time Machine Backups via Finder, I see them. So, it would appear that Time Machine is backing up but I can't see them through the Time Machine interface. Has it somehow lost where it thinks they are? Any ideas on what's going on?
Message was edited by: George Cutrell
Message was edited by: George CutrellTry the things in #E4 of the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum.
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Why are photos inaccessible In time machine interface
I,recently posted something similar to this dilemma a couple of days ago on this discussion board. I also have had zero responses to this issue,must be that I am the only person that has experienced this problem,or maybe no one understands the words in context that I used in my previous post in regards to this problem with TM and iphoto. Since I posted the other day I have reformatted my external hard drive that I use for TM . I'm still having the same issue that I previously stated in the next paragraph that I had written in similar context a couple of days ago.
When I open iPhoto and then start Time Machine and I get the Time Machine interface with pages of iPhoto interfaces I am not able to access any of the photos on the interface while in TM. If I exit out of TM I am able to access any of the photos. When the iphoto interface is present in the TM interface an and you click on a event or a photo the interface doesn't open the photo it just retracts further into the interface of TM. It is though the interfaces are stuck in the middle of the screen. Has any one experienced this with TM?
I,will wait and hope that someone has maybe an answer to this problem. If not I will be going to talk to a genius at the local Apple Store.I'm using ilife 09, this was installed sometime at the end of March. I cannot recall having any issues prior to the install of 09. I just recently noticed this dilemma the other day. I don't recall having this problem prior to install of 09 of course I haven't needed to use it until now. I know that I can replace the photos by using finder and going to that particular folder that they are stored in,but the point of TM is that you should be able to use the interface of any application and recover what you need.
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Back ups not visible in Time Machine interface
They are in the sparsebundle when I mount it I can see backups all the to 11/30/08, but when I open the Time Machine interface it shows only now.
I have tried everything I can think of and the few things Apple can suggest. I upgraded to 10.5.7 and renamed the disk in case it was the naming issue.
There are no errors reported in the Time Machine preferences and that shows that Time Machine is backing up regularly and correctly, which it is.
I tried turning Time Machine off and deselecting the disk. Then turning it back on and re selecting the disk.Tryagin wrote:
Wow. I spent all day researching and even spoke to Apple and didn't find that anywhere! Where did you come up with it? Yes it works, but I do have to mount the disk image, and then Time Machine sees all of my backups including the most recent. So there should be a way to make it see this as the regular time machine disk and save the extra steps, no?
Probably not.
Have you had any of the following lately: hardware repairs to your Mac (if so, what); done a full restore; gone several days without a successful backup; changed your System Name (via System Preferences > Sharing)?
Do you have a Time Capsule, or a USB drive attached to an Airport Extreme?
There's another thing you need to watch for. TM may not delete ("thin") the backups in the old set of backups, which means when it runs out of room, it may delete newer ones instead.
If none of your backups appear via +Enter Time Machine,+ you're probably ok. But if recent ones do, and older ones don't, you may not be.
To monitor this, Download the +Time Machine Buddy+ widget from: http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/status/timemachinebuddy.html. It shows the messages from your logs for one TM backup run at a time, in a small window.
Among other things, each deleted backup will be documented here. If the proper ones are being deleted, you're not going to have a problem. Note that many recent backups ("daily" backups) should be deleted after 24 hours, in accord with the schedule on the TM Preference panel.
More info on some of the common messages are in item 7 of the +Frequently Asked Questions+ post at the top of this forum. -
Slow Time machine interface with time capsule
The complete backup of the 250GB over ethernet took me about 6 hours. The time capsule is now connected wirelessly and the backup is successfully performed every hour. However trying to recover pictures from iphoto I realized that the time machine interface is so sloooowwww that it is useless (it takes for ever to move from one time point to another). Is there a way to speed up or to use another user interface? Doesn't time machine store a catalog locally ?
I understand that Time Machine and TCD are integrated into your application-there is a thread here somewhere about it. Launch iPhoto and it is in your Apple Menu somewhere as in "browse backups",I hope that this might help,let us know.
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Time Machine interface problems-Can anyone help?
I can only enter Time Machine through its file folder. The graphic interface only opens a blank window. Weird. Can anyone help?
I'm having the same problem.
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Time Machine interface frozen. Must exit using command, option, escape.
When I enter Time Machine (from Finder, email etc) I am presented with the usual interface, but apart from the starfield animation, it is frozen.
The cursor can still be moved and background apps continue to run ok, but nothing happens when I click anything and there are no animations when I scroll over the timescale on the RHS of the screen.
The only way out is to use Cmd, Opt, Esc
Looking at my backup USB drive using Finder I can see that backups are working OK.
No antivirus software in use
Diagnostic on external backup drive (using the Mac Disk Repair utility) indicates all OK
Can anyone advise steps to troubleshoot and to resolve?
Thanks
Dave
I'm running Mavericks on late 2012 Mac desktop. Backup to 1TB G-Technology G-Drive connected direct to Mac by USB.Hardware Information:
iMac (27-inch, Late 2012)
iMac - model: iMac13,2
1 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 4 cores
8 GB RAM
Video Information:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX - VRAM: 2048 MB
System Software:
OS X 10.9.1 (13B42) - Uptime: 1 day 2:27:12
Disk Information:
APPLE HDD WDC WD10EALX-408EA0 disk1 : (1 TB)
EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
disk1s2 (disk1s2) <not mounted>: 999.35 GB
Recovery HD (disk1s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
APPLE SSD SM128E disk0 : (121.33 GB)
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
disk0s2 (disk0s2) <not mounted>: 120.99 GB
Boot OS X (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 134.2 MB
USB Information:
HGST G-Drive Mobile USB 1 TB
EFI (disk3s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
G-DRIVE mobile USB (disk3s2) /Volumes/G-DRIVE mobile USB: 999.86 GB (864.59 GB free)
Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
DYMO DYMO LabelWriter 400
FireWire Information:
Thunderbolt Information:
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Kernel Extensions:
com.trusteer.driver.gakl_driver_2 (1)
Problem System Launch Daemons:
Problem System Launch Agents:
Launch Daemons:
[System] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist 3rd-Party support link
[invalid] com.dymo.pnpd.plist
[System] com.orbicule.witnessd.plist 3rd-Party support link
[System] com.sonos.smbbump.plist 3rd-Party support link
[System] com.teamviewer.teamviewer_service.plist 3rd-Party support link
[System] com.trusteer.rooks.rooksd.plist 3rd-Party support link
Launch Agents:
[System] com.orbicule.WitnessUserAgent.plist 3rd-Party support link
[System] com.teamviewer.teamviewer.plist 3rd-Party support link
[System] com.teamviewer.teamviewer_desktop.plist 3rd-Party support link
[System] com.trusteer.rapport.rapportd.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Launch Agents:
User Login Items:
iTunesHelper
Dropbox
Mail
Canon IJ Network Scanner Selector EX
Internet Plug-ins:
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 12.0.0.38 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
DYMO NPAPI Addin: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
DYMO Safari Addin: Version: (null) - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
Flash Player: Version: 12.0.0.38 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
Audio Plug-ins:
BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9
AirPlay: Version: 1.9 - SDK 10.9
AppleAVBAudio: Version: 2.0.0 - SDK 10.9
iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9
3rd Party Preference Panes:
Flash Player 3rd-Party support link
Trusteer Endpoint Protection 3rd-Party support link
Witness 3rd-Party support link
Bad Fonts:
None
Old Applications:
DYMO Label: Version: 8.5.0.1836 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
/Applications/iWork '09
/Library/Frameworks/DYMO/DLS8/Addins
DYMO Excel Addin: Version: 8.5.0.1836 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
DYMO Word Addin: Version: 8.5.0.1836 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
Time Machine:
Skip System Files: NO
Mobile backups: OFF
Auto backup: YES
Volumes being backed up:
Destinations:
G-DRIVE mobile USB [Local] (Last used)
Total size: 931.19 GB
Total number of backups: 72
Oldest backup: 2013-04-16 15:24:27 +0000
Last backup: 2014-01-27 15:48:05 +0000
Size of backup disk: Excellent
Backup size 931.19 GB > (Disk size 0 B X 3)
Time Machine details may not be accurate.
All volumes being backed up may not be listed.
Top Processes by CPU:
4% WindowServer
2% Mail
2% mds
1% EtreCheck
0% hidd
Top Processes by Memory:
631 MB com.apple.IconServicesAgent
238 MB WindowServer
238 MB Safari
197 MB Finder
188 MB mds_stores
Virtual Memory Information:
1.49 GB Free RAM
3.92 GB Active RAM
1.69 GB Inactive RAM
917 MB Wired RAM
850 MB Page-ins
0 B Page-outs -
Time Machine interface buttons missong
Time machine has been working fine for me, but I've noticed that when I went into the interface, the cancel and restore buttons are missing.
I can still click on either area where the button is supposed to be, but the image is gone.Well, this got buried quick, but I'll post this fro posterity:
I reinstalled the newest combo update, and that fixed the interface. Simple enough fix. -
Time Machine interface not working
Hi all,
I have a problem with the interface in Time Machine - it doesn't allow any item to be selected for restoration.
The disk was recently erased and a new complete backup was made hoping that it would fix the problem, but it hasn't.
The interface is slow until it gets working, then seems fine, but doesn't allow clicking onto items even if I perform 1 click and wait a few minutes.
Backups themselves work, but if they aren't recoverable then what's the point?
Any ideas guys?
Thanks,
AaronIn the Finder, right-click or control-click the folder icon and select Show View Options from the contextual menu. In the dialog that opens, select None from the Arrange by menu. Close the dialog, enter Time Machine, and try again.
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Has anyone else noticed that the text displaying the date and time is behind the forward and back arrows? I find it frustrating and it restricts usability.
The problem you are seeing must be related to your aspect ratio or bit depth. On my 23" Cinema Display set at 1920 X 1200 (connected to a MBP) the date and time of the backup is a half inch to the right of the forward and back arrows and clearly visible.
Maybe the Time Machine display is optimized for wide monitors? -
I'm running Pages version 5.2 on a Desktop Mac version 10.9.2. With the Pages app open how do I use the Time Machine to go back five hours to see my page? Can I access Time Machine within an app like Pages? How do I enter Time Machine within the application? It always takes me to the Finder. I apolgise for the mumbo jumbo. I simply do not know how to use Time Machine. It makes sense when I follow the Tutorial but then I lose it.
OK. You've kind of skipped over the reason why you want to go back five hours, but my assumption would be that you've made changes to a Pages file that you want to revert.
There are two ways to tackle this. From Pages itself, open the current version of your document, and from the File menu, click Revert To, and Browse All Versions. You'll then be in the Time Machine interface for that file, and can browse back to the version you want.
Or, outside of Pages, you can select the file (or the folder it was originally in, if you've since deleted it) and enter Time Machine from the TM menu (it sounds like you've already tried this?)
best
Matt -
Time Machine - TROUBLESHOOTING
This article provides some troubleshooting tips for common Time Machine errors and problems.
It does not cover problems specific to Time Capsule or other wireless backups. See the Airport and Time Capsule forum, in the Digital Life section.
Nor does it include general information about Time Machine. For those, see the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
_*C o n t e n t s*_
*Section A. _TOOLS YOU MAY NEED*_
*A1. Time Machine Buddy widget*
*A2. Time Tracker*
*A3. Tinker Tool*
*Section B. _SET - UP PROBLEMS*_
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*B1. I can't select my drive for use with Time Machine*
*B2. The Change Disk option doesn't work*
*B3. No last or oldest backup date shown*
*B4. Wrong icon shown for TM drive/partition on desktop and/or Finder sidebar*
*Section C. _BACKUP FAILURES*_
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*C1. Initial Backup Failed*
*C2. Other Backup Fails*
*C3. "An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume"* or *"Aborting backup because indexing a file failed"*
*C4. "This backup is too large"*
*C5. "You do not have appropriate access privileges to save file “.<nnnnnnn>” in folder <Name>"*
*C6. The backup volume is read only*
*C7. "Error (12): Link of previous volume failed."*
*C8. Backup fails after Logic Board replacement*
*C9. "The back-up disk image could not be created."*
*C10. Error: (-50) Creating directory*
*C11. Drive does not appear to be the correct backup volume for this computer (Cookies do not match)*
*Section D. _OTHER PROBLEMS RUNNING BACKUPS*_
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*D1. Stuck in Preparing*
*D2. Backup is Slow or "hung"*
*D3. TM is doing a full backup for no good reason*
*D4. My backups seem too large*
*Section E. _PROBLEMS VIEWING, RESTORING, or DELETING BACKUPS*_
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*E1. Backups were deleted unexpectedly*
*E2. I can't see some backups*
*E3. I can't see backups for a disk/partition that's no longer connected*
*E4. Time Machine Interface ("Star Wars") won't display properly, or crashes*
*Section A. _TOOLS YOU MAY NEED*_
There are some free 3rd-party tools that may be useful in diagnosing problems with Time Machine. You'll see references to them in several places below.
_*A1. Time Machine Buddy widget*_
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Click here to download the +*Time Machine Buddy*+ widget.
It shows the messages from your logs for one TM backup run at a time, in a small window. An explanation of some of the error messages is in section #C2 below. Other common messages are explained in item #7 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
You can copy these messages by selecting them via dragging your mouse over them (be sure to get them all, as they may overflow the small window), then pressing CMD-C. This copies them to your "clipboard," so you can post them in a thread here (via CMD-V) to get help diagnosing a problem. (Occasionally, the widget won't let you copy while a backup is running.)
If the message area is blank, but you know there were backups, your user account may not have permission to view your logs. Try signing-on as an Admin User. You can grant "read" rights to the folder /var/log for the other user.
Note that the widget may only let you look back a few days. If you need to look back farther, you'll need the Console app (in your Applications/Utilities folder) to look at your older system logs (named +*system.log.1.bz2, system.log.2.bz2,+* etc). Click +*Show Log List*+ in the toolbar, then navigate to the desired logs in the sidebar that opens up. You can select only the messages from TM backups by typing backupd in the Filter box in the toolbar.
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_*A2. Time Tracker*_
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Click here to download the TimeTracker app. It shows most of the files saved by TM for each backup (excluding some hidden/system files, etc.). This can help you figure out just what is (or is not) being backed-up.
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_*A3. Tinker Tool*_
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Click here to download the +*Tinker Tool*+ app. It allows you to change the Finder to show hidden files (among many other things). Select the first option under Finder, then click +Relaunch Finder+ at the bottom. Reverse this when done.
Do not use any of the other options unless you know the possible consequences.
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*Setcion B. _SET - UP PROBLEMS*_
_*B1. I can't select my drive for use with Time Machine*_
If the drive/partition you want to use for TM backups doesn't appear in the list when you select TM Preferences > Change Disk, it's probably not formatted correctly. See item #C1 for help determining whether it's right, and how to fix it.
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_*B2. The Change Disk option doesn't work*_
If the +*Change Disk*+ button in TM Preferences doesn't do anything, try turning-off the +*Back To My Mac*+ application temporarily.
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_*B3. No last or oldest backup date shown*_
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If these dates don't appear when selecting the TM icon in your Menubar, or TM Preferences, try the following:
1. Do a +*Back Up Now.*+ That will often recover the info.
2. De-select your TM Drive via TM Preferences (select "none"), quit System Preferences, then re-select it and do a +*Back Up Now.*+
3. A Log Out or Restart may fix it.
4. If they're still not shown, try a *"Full Reset:"*
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a. Turn TM Off, de-select the drive (select "none"), note any exclusions in Options, quit System Preferences.
b. Eject, disconnect, and power-off the drive for a few moments, then reconnect it.
c. Delete the file /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist (in your top-level Library folder, not your home folder).
d. Re-select your drive (and re-enter any exclusions).
e. Do a +*Back Up Now*+ or wait for the next scheduled backup.
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_*B4. Wrong icon shown for TM drive/partition on desktop and/or Finder sidebar*_
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Try de-selecting, then re-selecting the "Show" option in Finder > Preferences > General and/or Sidebar.
Try a "Full Reset" as in item #B3.
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*Section C. _BACKUP FAILURES*_
_*C1. Initial Backup Failed*_
The most common cause is the TM drive not being formatted correctly (even, on occasion, if TM formatted it!). Use Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder) to verify the setup:
First, select the second line for your internal HD (usually named "Macintosh HD"). Towards the bottom, the Format should be +Mac OS Extended (Journaled),+ although it might be +Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled).+
Next, select the line for your TM partition (indented, with the name). Towards the bottom, the *Format must* be the same as your internal HD (above). If it isn't, you must erase the partition (not necessarily the whole drive) and reformat it with Disk Utility.
Sometimes when TM formats a drive for you automatically, it sets it to +Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled).+ Do not use this unless your internal HD is also case-sensitive. All drives being backed-up, and your TM volume, should be the same. TM may do backups this way, but you could be in for major problems trying to restore to a mis-matched drive.
Last, select the top line of the TM drive (with the make and size). Towards the bottom, the *Partition Map Scheme* should be GUID (preferred) or +Apple Partition Map+ for an Intel Mac. It must be +Apple Partition Map+ for a PPC Mac. If this is wrong, you must completely erase the disk and reformat it. See item 5 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
Once you're sure your disk/partition is formatted correctly, if your backups still fail, continue to the next item:
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_*C2. Other Backup Fails*_
If this is your first backup, or the first one to a new external drive/partition, the most common cause is the drive not being formatted properly (even, on occasion, when Time Machine formatted it for you!). So if there's any question, see the previous item.
If a backup fails, note any message it sends, and start with this Apple article: Troubleshooting Time Machine backup issues. It includes a wide range of problems, and has links to many other Apple technical articles.
Those messages/problems are not repeated here, except for a couple that Apple doesn't cover completely.
If that doesn't solve your problem, get the Time Machine Buddy messages (see #A1). Many of the common and normal messages are detailed in item 7 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum. Only the ones that might indicate a problem are repeated here.
*Messages that might indicate trouble:*
Event store UUIDs don't match naming your internal HD (or any other drive/partition being backed-up). TM can't be sure the OSX internal log of file changes that it normally uses is correct. This is seen on your first backup of a disk, or after an improper shutdown, a full restore, certain hardware repairs, removal of certain exclusions, a large volume of changes (such as an OSX update), or many days without a successful backup. It may cause a lengthy backup, so if you see it frequently, without a good reason, you need to figure out why.
Event store UUIDs don't match naming an external drive/partition. TM isn't sure that everything on it is what TM expects. This may be because the drive was disconnected improperly, or it doesn't appear to be the drive TM expects. Again, if you see this without a good reason, investigate.
. . . node requires deep traversal. Instead of the log of file changes TM normally uses, it must examine every file and folder on the named drive/partition, and compare it to the last backup, to figure out what's changed and needs to be backed-up. Obviously, this is a lengthy procedure; and especially lengthy if you're doing wireless backups. As this is part of the "Preparing" phase, you may not see any more messages for quite a while. Try not to interrupt the backup, as this must be done again (and again) until a backup is completed successfully.
Error: backup disk is full - all nn possible backups were removed, but space is still needed. This is pretty clear. TM deleted as many old backups as it could (and they're all listed in the first failed backup's messages). See item #C4.
Bulk setting Spotlight attributes failed. or Waiting for index to be ready. There may be a problem with your TM drive, or difficulty communicating with it. See item #D2.
Error: (-36) SrcErr:YES Copying {a file path} to {"null" or another file path}
or Indexing a file failed. Returned -12 for: {a file path}, {another file path}
These may indicate a problem with the first file referenced. See the next item.
If you don't see any of these messages, or nothing here seems to help, copy and post all the messages from the failed backup in a new thread here, along with specifics of your set up.
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_*C3. "An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume"* or *"Aborting backup because indexing a file failed"*_
Occasionally, backups will fail with this message for no good reason, and the next one will complete normally. So either wait for the next scheduled backup, or do a +*Back Up Now*+ from the TM icon in your Menubar, or by control-clicking (right-clicking) the TM icon in your dock. If that backup completes normally, there's no real problem.
If the next one fails also, then there most likely is something wrong -- the question is, what?
Get the Time Machine Buddy messages (see #A1). Look for the message(s) about a file that couldn't be copied, such as:
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Error: (-36) SrcErr:YES Copying {a file path} to {"null" or another file path}
or Indexing a file failed. Returned -12 for: {a file path}, {another file path}
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If you're not familiar with file "paths," it can be a little difficult to read these messages. They look something like this:
/Users/<Name>/iMovie Events.localized/clip-2008-04-02.mov to /Volumes/TM Backups/ . . . etc.
The end of the file in question is usually indicated either by " to " or just a comma and space before the next one.
If it's a file you're sure you don't need, you can delete it. If not, for now, don't touch it. Instead, exclude it from TM:
Go to TM's Preferences and click Options.
In the next panel, click the plus sign at the bottom.
In the sidebar of the next panel, select your computer name, internal HD, or home folder as necessary; then navigate to the file listed, or, perhaps, it's enclosing folder.
Select it, click Exclude, then Done.
Then do a +*Back Up Now*+ from the TM icon in your Menubar, or by control-clicking (right-clicking) the TM icon in your dock.
If the backup runs ok, then you need to figure out what's wrong with that file.
If it fails again, check it's messages. If it's the *exact same* file, you didn't exclude the right one, or you need to do a "full reset" (see item #B3).
If you get the same message for a different file, you may need stronger stuff:
a. Exclude your TM disk from any anti-virus scanning.
b. Also exclude it from Spotlight indexing, via System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy.
c. Do a +*Repair Disk*+ (not permissions) on your TM drive/partition, via Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder).
d. If the original file is on an external disk, do a +*Repair Disk*+ on it, too.
e. If the original file is on your internal HD, do a +*Verify Disk*+ (not permissions) on it. If that reports errors, you'll have to boot from your Leopard Install disc and use it's copy of Disk Utility to repair it:
1. Insert your Leopard Install disc and restart while holding down the "C" key. This will take a few moments.
2. Select your language when prompted.
3. On the next screen select Utilities in the Menubar, then +*Disk Utility.*+
4. Do a +*Repair Disk*+ on your internal HD. If it doesn't fix all the errors, run it again (and again), until it either fixes them all, or can't fix any more.
5. Reboot normally.
If all else fails, you may have a problem with the drive, or communicating with it. Try all the suggestions in #D2 below.
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_*C4. "This backup is too large"*_
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For one reason or another, TM is out of room on the backup disk/partition. When it's space gets near full, TM will normally delete as many old and expired backups as it can to make room for new ones.
There are some backups that Time Machine *will not delete,* however. It won't delete the most recent backup, or any backups from a different Mac. Sometimes TM will start a new "sequence" of backups, as if you had a different Mac, and it won't delete any from the prior sequence, either.
Also note that, although it deletes a backup, it doesn't necessarily delete it's copies of all the items that were on that backup. It only deletes it's copies of items that no longer exist on any other backup. Thus you won't lose the backup of anything that's currently on your system.
When this happens, you have a few options:
1. De-select the +*Warn when old backups are deleted*+ option in TM Preferences > Options, and try again.
2. Erase the TM disk/partition and let TM start over, with a new, full backup of your entire system.
3. Manually delete some old backups via the TM interface (do not use the Finder!). This is rather tedious, as it must be done one at a time, and there's no way to tell in advance which ones will be quick (and not gain much room) and which will take a long time and recover more space. See item #12 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum for detailed instructions.
4. Get a different disk/partition for your Time Machine backups. Then either:
Give it a different name, and use the +Change Disk+ button in TM Preferences to select it. Let TM start fresh on the new drive/partition, with a full backup of your entire system. Keep the old drive/partition for a while (disconnected) until you're sure everything is working and you don't need the old backups anymore.
Or, duplicate the current backups to it via the Restore tab of Disk Utility in your Applications/Utilities folder. Note that you must duplicate an entire disk/partition to another entire disk/partition. See item #18 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum for detailed instructions.
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_*C5. "You do not have appropriate access privileges to save file “.<nnnnnnn>” in folder <Name>"*_
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Open the Terminal app (in your Applications/Utilities folder).
Be extremely careful when using Terminal. It is a direct interface into UNIX, the underpinning of OSX. Unlike the Finder, there are few protections against making a mistake, which can cause untold damage.
In Terminal, the prompt looks like this: user-xxxxxx:~ <your name>$
(where <your name> is your short user name). It's followed by a non-blinking block cursor (unless it's been changed via Terminal > Preferences).
At the prompt, type the following exactly as shown in the example, substituting the name of your TM drive exactly, including any spaces, between the quotes; and the string of numbers & letters from the message where the series of x's are (keep the dot):
<pre> *sudo chmod 644 /volumes/"TM drive name"/.xxxxxxxxxxxx*</pre>
example: *sudo chmod 644 /volumes/"TM Backups"/.0a1b2c3d4e5f*
Press Return. You'll get some warnings and a request for your Administrator's password. Type it in (it won't be displayed) and press Return again.
Then try a +*Back Up Now*+ from the TM icon in your Menubar, or by control-clicking (right-clicking) the TM icon in your dock.
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_*C6. The backup volume is read only*_
First, follow the Apple article mentioned above: Troubleshooting Time Machine backup issues.
If that doesn't correct it,
If you only have a partial backup, or don't need the ones you've done, the simplest thing to do is just erase the disk/partition with Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder).
If you don't want to erase it, here's a workaround:
First, you need to find the name of the hidden file that's causing the problem. If the Time Machine Buddy (see #A1) shows a message like the one in item #C5, follow the instructions there.
If not, use the TinkerTool app (see #A3) to show hidden files.
In a Finder window, select your Time Machine drive/partition. The very first file shown should have a name consisting of a period (dot) followed by 12 numbers and/or letters. (This is your Mac's Ethernet address). Copy or make a note of it.
Then follow the rest of the instructions in item #C5.
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_*C7. "Error (12): Link of previous volume failed."*_
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This usually happens when you replaced a drive with a different one, but with the same name as the original.
Because of the way Time Machine keeps track of drives, at one point it thinks they're the same, but later on realizes they aren't.
Either rename the drive (append "_2" or something), or delete all previous backups of it, via the instructions in item 12 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
And note that TM will probably do a full backup of the drive. If there isn't much space on your TM drive/partition, see #C4. You may need to do item 2, 3, or 4 listed there.
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_*C8. Backup fails after Logic Board replacement*_
The logic board contains your Ethernet "Mac Address", which is a unique number that TM uses to be sure it knows which Mac is which. So, to TM, it is now a *different computer.*
This is so it can keep each Mac's backups separate (you can back multiple Macs up to the same external disk or Time Capsule). It does this by putting a hidden file containing this address on the TM disk.
There is a fairly elaborate way to attempt to persuade TM that the existing backups really are for your "new" Mac: http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080128003716101
It is very easy to make an error with Terminal, get no error message, and have it not work, or worse, so try it at your own risk.
But there is an alternative: hold down the Option key while selecting the TM icon in your Menubar, or control-click (right-click) the TM icon in your Dock. Then use the (badly named) +*Browse Other Time Machine Disks*+ option. It will take you into the normal TM interface where you can see and restore from the old set of backups.
Even if you're successful with the Terminal work, your first backup with the new logic board may be a full one -- every file and folder on your system. If TM decides to do that, you cannot prevent it.
So if your TM disk/partition isn't over twice the size of the data it's backing-up, your best bet may be to just erase it with Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder) and let TM start over.
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_*C9. "The back-up disk image could not be created."*_
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If you get this message when backing-up wirelessly, check your +*System Name*+ at the top of the System Preferences > Sharing panel.
It must not be blank; it should not be more than 25 characters long; and you should avoid punctuation (except periods and underscores), and unusual characters.
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_*C10. Error: (-50) Creating directory*_
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This may indicate a problem with your TM drive. Use Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder) to do a +*Repair Disk*+ (not permissions) on it. If any errors are found that Disk Utility can't fix, run it again (and again) until they're all fixed or it can't fix any more.
If no errors are found, or they're all found and fixed, but you still get the message, try a "full reset" as in item #B3.
If Disk Utility can't fix them all, the disk may be failing. Copy the messages from the last run of Disk Utility and post them in a new thread in this forum for advice.
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_*C11. Drive does not appear to be the correct backup volume for this computer(Cookies do not match)*_
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If this happens after getting a new Logic Board, see item #C8.
This also happens on occasion after switching a TM drive from one Mac to another, erasing your TM disk/partition, or attaching a new TM drive with the same name as an old one.
You can usually fix this by simply re-selecting your TM drive in TM Preferences > Change Disk.
If that doesn't help, try a complete reset. See item #B3.
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*Section D. _OTHER PROBLEMS RUNNING BACKUPS*_
_*D1. Stuck in Preparing*_
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See this Apple Support document: Time Machine may display "Preparing" for a longer time
Try not to interrupt the backup, as this procedure must be done again (and again) until a backup is completed successfully.
Also see the next topic:
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_*D2. Backup is slow or "hung"*_
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Get the Time Machine Buddy messages (see #A1).
If it shows Event store UUIDs don't match
and/or . . . node requires deep traversal, it may not be "hung" at all. See item #C2.
If it shows Waiting for index to be ready and/or Bulk setting Spotlight attributes failed messages, there may be a problem with your TM drive, or difficulty communicating with it. Unfortunately, any of a number of things may cause this. The list of things to try is:
1. Exclude your TM disk/partition from any anti-virus scanning.
2. Exclude it from Spotlight (System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy).
_*If backing up to a Time Capsule or External Disk connected to an Airport Extreme:*_
3. Check your System Name via System Preferences > Sharing. It it's blank, that's likely the problem. If it's over 26 characters long, trim it. If it has any unusual characters, try removing them.
4. Try moving the TC or AEBS and Mac closer together.
5. Look for interference with another wireless device. Turn anything else off, or move it farther away.
6. Try repairing the Sparse Bundle with Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder). Mount the Sparse Bundle, then drag it into the Disk Utility sidebar, then use +*Repair Disk*+ (not permissions).
_*If backing up to an External hard drive:*_
7. Do a +*Repair Disk*+ (not permissions) on it via Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder).
8. At least temporarily, de-select +*Put the hard disk(s) to sleep ...+* in System Preferences > Energy Saver.
9. Be sure it's connected directly to your Mac (no hubs, and not the USB port on the keyboard).
10. Try different port(s), cable(s).
11. See if your drive has an automatic sleep or "spin down" feature you can disable.
12. Check the maker's web site (support or forum) for any updates.
If nothing helps, your drive may be failing.
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_*D3. TM is doing a full backup for no good reason*_
Time Machine may do a full backup after any of the following:
Using a new disk or partition for backups (always).
A full restore (probably).
Some hardware repairs, especially a new internal hard drive (probably) or logic board (always, but see #C8).
Changing your computer's name via System Preferences > Sharing (probably).
Renaming a disk/partition that's being backed-up (probably).
Going several days without a backup (probably; also seems to depend on the volume of changes).
Exactly why it doesn't always do full backups for the items marked "probably" is not clear, so to be safe, assume it will.
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_*D4. My backups seem too large*_
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Time Machine may be doing a full backup of your entire system. See item #D3.
Doing an OSX update can cause a large backup, as it may add or update several thousand files.
Removing exclusions, such as your top-level System and/or Library folders, can be sizeable.
Renaming a folder or disk drive, or moving a file or folder, will cause the entire item moved or renamed to be backed-up. This includes all files and sub-folders in a moved or renamed folder.
There are some OSX features and 3rd-party applications that cause large Time Machine backups. Common ones are FileVault, vmWare Fusion, Parallels Desktop, Entourage, and Thunderbird. Any application that uses a single large file or database may do this. See item 9 of the Frequently Asked Questions post.
You can use the +Time Tracker+ app (see item #A2) to see just what was copied on any particular backup. There may be ways to minimize the size of such backups; search and/or post in this forum for help.
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*Section E. _PROBLEMS VIEWING, RESTORING, or DELETING BACKUPS*_
_*E1. Backups were deleted unexpectedly*_
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Time Machine manages it's space for you, automatically. When it's drive/partition gets near full, it will begin deleting your oldest backups to make room for new ones. See item #C4 for more info and your options.
Usually when this happens unexpectedly, it's because TM has done a new full backup, which of course requires a lot of space. See item #D3 for the common reasons.
If in doubt, get the widget messages (see #A1). They'll show how much it was trying to back up. See item #7 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum for explanation of those messages.
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_*E2. I can't see some backups*_
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TM keeps the backups for each Mac separate, and normally only shows the ones for the Mac it's running on, even if there are other Macs' backups on its disk/partition.
Also, sometimes TM will start a new "sequence" of backups, as if they were from a different Mac. See item #D3.
To see these "other" backups, you need the (badly named) +*Browse Other Time Machine Disks*+ option. It's available by holding down the Option key while selecting the TM icon in your Menubar, or by control-clicking (right-clicking) the TM icon in your Dock.
You'll see a selection screen showing all the disks/partitions that have TM backups on them. Select the one you want, and you'll be taken to the normal TM "Star Wars" interface, where you should see all the backups on that disk/partition.
Note that, unfortunately, you cannot merge or combine two different "sequences" of backups.
Also note that you cannot use the normal Restore button at the bottom of the screen to restore items, since they're from a different Mac. Instead, select the desired item(s), then click the "Gear" icon in the Finder window's toolbar and select the +*Restore <item> to ...+* option. You'll then get a prompt to specify the destination.
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_*E3. I can't see backups for a disk/partition that's no longer connected*_
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Open a Finder window and press ShiftCmdC (or select your computer name in the Finder Sidebar).
Then either +*Enter Time Machine*+ or +*Browse Other Time Machine Disks*+ (see #E2).
On the first Finder window in the "cascade," labelled +*Today (Now),+* you'll see all the volumes currently attached to your Mac.
Select the Finder window for any backup, and you'll see a folder for each drive/volume that was backed-up, including any that are no longer connected. Navigate from there to whatever you're looking for.
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_*E4. Time Machine Interface ("Star Wars") won't display properly, or crashes*_
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Do a +*Repair Disk*+ (not permissions) on your TM drive, via Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder).
Re-select your TM drive via TM Preferences > Change Disk.
If you're using Spaces, try disabling it, at least temporarily.
If you have any sort of video out cable, especially HDMI, try disconnecting it, at least temporarily.
Do a "complete reset" of TM, as in item #B3.This article provides some troubleshooting tips for common Time Machine errors and problems.
It does not cover problems specific to Time Capsule or other wireless backups. See the Airport and Time Capsule forum, in the Digital Life section.
Nor does it include general information about Time Machine. For those, see the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
_*C o n t e n t s*_
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*Section A. _TOOLS and PROCEDURES YOU MAY NEED*_
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*A1. Time Machine Buddy widget*
*A2. Time Tracker*
*A3. Tinker Tool*
*A4. Full Reset of Time Machine*
*A5. How to do a Repair or +Verify Disk+*
*Section B. _SET - UP PROBLEMS*_
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*B1. I can't select my drive for use with Time Machine*
*B2. The +Change Disk+ button doesn't work*
*B3. No last or oldest backup date shown*
*B4. Wrong icon shown for TM drive/partition on desktop and/or Finder sidebar*
*Section C. _BACKUP FAILURES*_
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*C1. Initial Backup Failed*
*C2. Other Backup Fails*
*C3. "An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume"* or *"Aborting backup because indexing a file failed"*
*C4. "This backup is too large"*
*C5. "You do not have appropriate access privileges to save file “.<nnnnnnn>” in folder <name of TM drive>"*
*C6. The backup volume is read only*
*C7. "Error (12): Link of previous volume failed."*
*C8. Backup fails after Logic Board replacement*
*C9. "The back-up disk image could not be created."*
*C10. Error: (-50) Creating directory*
*C11. Drive does not appear to be the correct backup volume for this computer (Cookies do not match)*
*Section D. _OTHER PROBLEMS RUNNING BACKUPS*_
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*D1. Stuck in "Preparing" or "Calculating changes"*
*D2. Backup is Slow or "hung"*
*D3. TM is doing a full backup for no good reason*
*D4. My backups seem too large*
*Section E. _PROBLEMS VIEWING, RESTORING, or DELETING BACKUPS*_
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*E1. Backups were deleted unexpectedly*
*E2. I can't see some backups*
*E3. I can't see or restore from backups for a disk/partition that's no longer connected*
*E4. Time Machine Interface ("Star Wars") won't display properly, or crashes*
*Section A. _TOOLS and PROCEDURES YOU MAY NEED*_
There are some free 3rd-party tools that may be useful in diagnosing problems with Time Machine. You'll see references to them in several places below.
_*A1. Time Machine Buddy widget*_
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Click here to download the +*Time Machine Buddy*+ widget.
It shows the messages from your logs for one TM backup run at a time, in a small window. An explanation of some of the error messages is in section #C2 below. Other common messages are explained in item #7 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
You can copy these messages by selecting them via dragging your mouse over them (be sure to get them all, as they may overflow the small window), then pressing Cmd+C. This copies them to your "clipboard," so you can post them in a thread here (via Cmd+V) to get help diagnosing a problem. (Occasionally, the widget won't let you copy while a backup is running.)
If the message area is blank, but you know there were backups, your user account may not have permission to view your logs. Try signing-on as an Admin User. You can grant "read" rights to the folder /private/var/log and it's contents for the other user.
Note that the widget may only let you look back a few days. If you need to look back farther, you'll need the Console app (in your Applications/Utilities folder) to look at your older system logs (named +*system.log.1.bz2, system.log.2.bz2,+* etc). Click +*Show Log List*+ in the toolbar, then navigate to the desired logs in the sidebar that opens up. You can select only the messages from TM backups by typing backupd in the Filter box in the toolbar.
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_*A2. Time Tracker*_
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Click here to download the TimeTracker app. It shows most of the files saved by TM for each backup (excluding some hidden/system files, etc.). This can help you figure out just what is (or is not) being backed-up.
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_*A3. Tinker Tool*_
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Click here to download the +*Tinker Tool*+ app. It allows you to change the Finder to show hidden files (among many other things). Select the first option under Finder, then click +Relaunch Finder+ at the bottom. Reverse this when done.
Do not use any of the other options unless you know the possible consequences.
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_*A4. Full Reset of Time Machine*_
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a. Go to TM Preferences, turn TM Off, de-select the drive (select "none"), and click the Options button. Note any exclusions in the +Do Not Back Up+ box, and other option(s) on that panel. Then quit System Preferences.
b. Eject, disconnect, and power-off the drive for a few moments, then reconnect it.
c. Delete the file /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist (in your top-level Library folder, not your home folder).
d. Go back to TM Preferences, re-select your drive, re-enter any exclusions and other options.
e. Do a +*Back Up Now*+ or wait for the next scheduled backup.
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_*A5. How to do a Repair or +Verify Disk+*_
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This will Repair or Verify the +File System+ on a disk, partition, or sparse bundle (not the actual hardware). Use the +*Disk Utility+* app, in your Applications/Utilities folder. Do this when TM backups are turned-off, or at least not running.
To Repair an *external disk attached to an Airport Extreme,* disconnect it from the Airport, connect it directly to your Mac and select it in the Disk Utility Sidebar.
To Repair an external or *internal Time Machine* disk/partition, select it in the Disk Utility Sidebar.
To Repair the *sparse bundle* on a Time Capsule, connect via an Ethernet cable if you can; it will be much faster. Then mount the sparse bundle by opening the TC in the Finder and double-clicking on the sparse bundle. Drag the sparse bundle into Disk Utility's sidebar and select it.
With the desired partition or sparse bundle selected, click the +*Repair Disk+* (not permissions) button. This may take a while, especially on a Time Capsule. If errors are found, but not all of them were repaired, run the +*Repair Disk+* again, and again, until it either fixes all the errors or can't fix any more.
To Verify your internal (boot) drive/partition (since you can't Repair the one you're running from), select it in Disk Utility's sidebar and click the +*Verify Disk+* (not permissions) button. If it shows errors, you'll need to fix them via this procedure:
1. Insert your Leopard/Snow Leopard Install disc and restart while holding down the "C" key. This will take a few moments.
2. Select your language when prompted.
3. On the next screen, select Utilities in the Menubar, then +*Disk Utility.*+
4. Do a +*Repair Disk*+ (not permissions) on your internal HD. If it doesn't fix all the errors, run it again (and again), until it either fixes them all, or can't fix any more.
5. Reboot normally.
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*Section B. _SET - UP PROBLEMS*_
_*B1. I can't select my drive for use with Time Machine*_
If the drive/partition you want to use for TM backups doesn't appear in the list when you select TM Preferences > Change Disk, it's probably not formatted correctly. See item #C1 for help determining whether it's right, and how to fix it.
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_*B2. The +Change Disk+ button doesn't work*_
If the +*Change Disk*+ button in TM Preferences doesn't do anything, try turning-off the +*Back To My Mac*+ application temporarily.
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_*B3. No last or oldest backup date shown*_
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If these dates don't appear when selecting the TM icon in your Menubar, or TM Preferences, try the following:
1. Do a +*Back Up Now.*+ That will often recover the info.
2. De-select your TM Drive via TM Preferences (select "none"), quit System Preferences, then re-select it and do a +*Back Up Now.*+
3. A Log Out or Restart may fix it.
4. If they're still not shown, try a Full Reset (see #A4).
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_*B4. Wrong icon shown for TM drive/partition on desktop and/or Finder sidebar*_
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Try de-selecting, then re-selecting the "Show" option in Finder > Preferences > General and/or Sidebar.
Try a "Full Reset" as in item #A4.
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*Section C. _BACKUP FAILURES*_
_*C1. Initial Backup Failed*_
The most common cause is the TM drive (but not a Time Capsule) not being formatted correctly (even, on occasion, if TM formatted it!). Use Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder) to verify the setup:
First, select the second line for your internal HD (usually named "Macintosh HD"). Towards the bottom, the Format should be +Mac OS Extended (Journaled),+ although it might be +Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled).+
Next, select the line for your TM partition (indented, with the name). Towards the bottom, the *Format must* be the same as your internal HD (above). If it isn't, you must erase the partition (not necessarily the whole drive) and reformat it with Disk Utility.
Sometimes when TM formats a drive for you automatically, it sets it to +Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled).+ Do not use this unless your internal HD is also case-sensitive. All drives being backed-up, and your TM volume, should be the same. TM may do backups this way, but you could be in for major problems trying to restore to a mis-matched drive.
Last, select the top line of the TM drive (with the make and size). Towards the bottom, the *Partition Map Scheme* must be either GUID (preferred) or +Apple Partition Map+ for an Intel Mac. It must be either +Apple Partition Map+ (preferred) or GUID for a PPC Mac. If this is wrong, you must completely erase the disk and reformat it. See item 5 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
Once you're sure your disk/partition is formatted correctly, if your backups still fail, continue to the next item:
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_*C2. Other Backup Fails*_
If this is your first backup, or the first one to a new external drive/partition, the most common cause is the drive not being formatted properly (even, on occasion, when Time Machine formatted it for you!). So if there's any question, see the previous item.
If a backup fails, note any message it sends, and start with this Apple article: Troubleshooting Time Machine backup issues. It includes a wide range of problems, and has links to many other Apple technical articles.
Those messages/problems are not repeated here, except for a couple that Apple doesn't cover completely.
If that doesn't solve your problem, get the Time Machine Buddy messages (see #A1). Many of the common and normal messages are detailed in item 7 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum. Only the ones that might indicate a problem are repeated here.
*Messages that might indicate trouble:*
Event store UUIDs don't match naming your internal HD (or any other drive/partition being backed-up). TM can't be sure the OSX internal log of file changes that it normally uses is correct. This is seen on your first backup of a disk, or after an improper shutdown, a full restore, certain hardware repairs, removal of certain exclusions, a large volume of changes (such as an OSX update), or many days without a successful backup. It may cause a lengthy backup, so if you see it frequently, without a good reason, you need to figure out why.
Event store UUIDs don't match naming an external drive/partition. TM isn't sure that everything on it is what TM expects. This may be because the drive was disconnected improperly, or it doesn't appear to be the drive TM expects. Again, if you see this without a good reason, investigate.
. . . node requires deep traversal. Instead of the log of file changes TM normally uses, it must examine every file and folder on the named drive/partition, and compare it to the last backup, to figure out what's changed and needs to be backed-up. Obviously, this is a lengthy procedure; and especially lengthy if you're doing wireless backups. As this is part of the "Preparing" (Leopard) or "Calculating changes" (Snow Leopard) phase, you may not see any more messages for quite a while. Try not to interrupt the backup, as this must be done again (and again) until a backup is completed successfully.
Error: backup disk is full - all nn possible backups were removed, but space is still needed. This is pretty clear. TM deleted as many old backups as it could (and they're all listed in the first failed backup's messages). See item #C4.
Bulk setting Spotlight attributes failed. or Waiting for index to be ready. There may be a problem with your TM drive, or difficulty communicating with it. See item #D2.
Error: (-36) SrcErr:YES Copying {a file path} to {"null" or another file path}
or Indexing a file failed. Returned -12 for: {a file path}, {another file path}
These may indicate a problem with the first file referenced. See the next item.
If you don't see any of these messages, or nothing here seems to help, copy and post all the messages from the failed backup in a new thread here, along with specifics of your set up.
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_*C3. "An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume"* or *"Aborting backup because indexing a file failed"*_
Occasionally, backups will fail with this message for no good reason, and the next one will complete normally. So either wait for the next scheduled backup, or do a +*Back Up Now*+ from the TM icon in your Menubar, or by right-clicking the TM icon in your dock. If that backup completes normally, there's no real problem.
If the next one fails also, then there most likely is something wrong -- the question is, what?
Get the Time Machine Buddy messages (see #A1). Look for the message(s) about a file that couldn't be copied, such as:
|
Error: (-36) SrcErr:YES Copying {a file path} to {"null" or another file path}
or Indexing a file failed. Returned -12 for: {a file path}, {another file path}
|
If you're not familiar with file "paths," it can be a little difficult to read these messages. They look something like this:
/Users/<Name>/iMovie Events.localized/clip-2008-04-02.mov to /Volumes/TM Backups/ . . . etc.
The end of the file in question is usually indicated either by " to " or just a comma and space before the next one.
If it's a file you're sure you don't need, you can delete it. If not, for now, don't touch it. Instead, exclude it from TM:
Go to TM's Preferences and click Options.
In the next panel, click the plus sign at the bottom.
In the sidebar of the next panel, select your computer name, internal HD, or home folder as necessary; then navigate to the file listed, or, perhaps, it's enclosing folder.
Select it, click Exclude, then Done.
Then do a +*Back Up Now*+ from the TM icon in your Menubar, or by right-clicking the TM icon in your dock.
If the backup runs ok, then you need to figure out what's wrong with that file.
If it fails again, check it's messages. If it's the *exact same* file, you didn't exclude the right one, or you need to do a "full reset" (see item #A4).
If you get the same message for a different file, you may need stronger stuff:
a. Exclude your TM disk from any anti-virus scanning.
b. Also exclude it from Spotlight indexing, via System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy.
c. Do a +*Repair Disk*+ on your TM drive/partition. See #A5 above.
d. If the original file is on an external disk, do a +*Repair Disk*+ on it, too.
e. If the original file is on your internal HD (your boot drive), do a +*Verify Disk*+ on it. See #A5 above.
If all else fails, you may have a problem with the drive, or communicating with it. Try all the suggestions in #D2 below.
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_*C4. "This backup is too large"*_
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For one reason or another, TM is out of room on the backup disk/partition. When it's space gets near full, TM will normally delete as many old and expired backups as it can to make room for new ones.
There are some backups that Time Machine *will not delete,* however. It won't delete the last remaining backup, or any backups from a different Mac. Sometimes TM will start a new "sequence" of backups, as if you had a different Mac, and it may not delete any from the prior sequence, either.
Also note that, although it deletes a backup, it doesn't necessarily delete it's copies of all the items that were on that backup. It only deletes it's copies of items that no longer exist on any other backup. Thus you won't lose the backup of anything that's currently on your system.
When this happens, you have a few options:
1. De-select the +*Warn when old backups are deleted*+ option in TM Preferences > Options, and try again.
2. Erase the TM disk/partition with Disk Utility (in Applications/Utilities) and let TM start over with a new full backup.
3. Manually delete some old backups via the TM interface (do not use the Finder!). This is rather tedious, as it must be done one at a time, and there's no way to tell in advance which ones will be quick (and not gain much room) and which will take a long time and recover more space. See item #12 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum for detailed instructions.
4. Get a different disk/partition for your Time Machine backups. Then either:
Give it a different name, and use the +Change Disk+ button in TM Preferences to select it. Let TM start fresh on the new drive/partition, with a full backup of your entire system. Keep the old drive/partition for a while (disconnected) until you're sure everything is working and you don't need the old backups anymore.
Or, duplicate the current backups to it via the Restore tab of Disk Utility in your Applications/Utilities folder (in Snow Leopard only, you can copy the Backups.backupdb folder via the Finder). Note that you must duplicate an entire disk/partition to another entire disk/partition. See item #18 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum for detailed instructions.
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_*C5. "You do not have appropriate access privileges to save file “.<nnnnnnn>” in folder <name of TM Drive>"*_
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Open the Terminal app (in your Applications/Utilities folder).
Be extremely careful when using Terminal. It is a direct interface into UNIX, the underpinning of OSX. Unlike the Finder, there are few protections against making a mistake, which can cause untold damage.
In Terminal, the prompt looks like this: user-xxxxxx:~ <your name>$
(where <your name> is your short user name). It's followed by a non-blinking block cursor (unless it's been changed via Terminal > Preferences).
At the prompt, type the following exactly as shown in the example, substituting the name of your TM drive exactly, including any spaces, between the quotes; and the string of numbers & letters from the message where the series of x's are (keep the dot):
<pre> *sudo chmod 644 /volumes/"TM drive name"/.xxxxxxxxxxxx*</pre>
example: *sudo chmod 644 /volumes/"TM Backups"/.0a1b2c3d4e5f*
Press Return. You'll get some warnings and a request for your Administrator's password. Type it in (it won't be displayed) and press Return again.
Then try a +*Back Up Now*+ from the TM icon in your Menubar, or by right-clicking the TM icon in your dock.
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_*C6. The backup volume is read only*_
First, follow the Apple article mentioned above: Troubleshooting Time Machine backup issues.
If that doesn't correct it,
If you only have a partial backup, or don't need the ones you've done, the simplest thing to do is just erase the disk/partition with Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder).
If you don't want to erase it, here's a workaround:
First, you need to find the name of the hidden file that's causing the problem. If the Time Machine Buddy (see #A1) shows a message like the one in item #C5, follow the instructions there.
If not, use the TinkerTool app (see #A3) to show hidden files.
In a Finder window, select your Time Machine drive/partition. The very first file shown should have a name consisting of a period (dot) followed by 12 numbers and/or letters. (This is your Mac's Ethernet Address). Copy or make a note of it.
Then follow the rest of the instructions in item #C5.
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_*C7. "Error (12): Link of previous volume failed."*_
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This usually happens when you replaced a drive with a different one, but with the same name as the original.
Because of the way Time Machine keeps track of drives, at one point it thinks they're the same, but later on realizes they aren't.
Either rename the drive (append "_2" or something), or delete all previous backups of it, via the instructions in item 12 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
And note that TM will probably do a full backup of the drive. If there isn't much space on your TM drive/partition, see #C4. You may need to do item 2, 3, or 4 listed there.
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_*C8. Backup fails after Logic Board replacement*_
The logic board contains your Ethernet "Mac Address", which is a unique number that TM uses to be sure it knows which Mac is which. So, to TM, it is now a *different computer.*
This is so it can keep each Mac's backups separate (you can back multiple Macs up to the same external disk or Time Capsule). It does this by putting a hidden file containing this address on the TM disk.
There is a fairly elaborate way to attempt to persuade TM that the existing backups really are for your "new" Mac: http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080128003716101
It is very easy to make an error with Terminal, get no error message, and have it not work, or worse, so try it at your own risk.
But there is an alternative: hold down the Option key while selecting the TM icon in your Menubar, or right-click the TM icon in your Dock. Then use the (badly named) +*Browse Other Time Machine Disks*+ option. It will take you into the normal TM interface where you can see and restore from the old set of backups.
Even if you're successful with the Terminal work, your first backup with the new logic board may be a full one -- every file and folder on your system. If TM decides to do that, you cannot prevent it.
So if your TM disk/partition isn't over twice the size of the data it's backing-up, your best bet may be to just erase it with Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder) and let TM start over.
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_*C9. "The back-up disk image could not be created."*_
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If you get this message when backing-up wirelessly, check your +*System Name*+ at the top of the System Preferences > Sharing panel.
It must not be blank; it should not be more than 25 characters long; and you should avoid punctuation (except periods and underscores), and unusual characters.
If that doesn't help, apply the same rules to the name of your Time Capsule.
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_*C10. Error: (-50) Creating directory*_
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This may indicate a problem with your TM drive. Do a +*Repair Disk*+ on it. See #A5 above.
If no errors are found, or they're all found and fixed, but you still get the message, try a "full reset" as in item #A4.
If Disk Utility can't fix them all, the disk may be failing. Copy the messages from the last run of Disk Utility and post them in a new thread in this forum for advice.
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_*C11. Drive does not appear to be the correct backup volume for this computer(Cookies do not match)*_
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If this happens after getting a new Logic Board, see item #C8.
This also happens on occasion after switching a TM drive from one Mac to another, erasing your TM disk/partition, or attaching a new TM drive with the same name as an old one.
You can usually fix this by simply re-selecting your TM drive in TM Preferences > Change Disk.
If that doesn't help, try a full reset. See item #A4.
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*Section D. _OTHER PROBLEMS RUNNING BACKUPS*_
_*D1. Stuck in "Preparing" or "Calculating changes"*_
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See this Apple Support document: Time Machine may display "Preparing" for a longer time
Try not to interrupt the backup, as this procedure must be done again (and again) until a backup is completed successfully.
Also see the next topic:
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_*D2. Backup is slow or "hung"*_
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If this is your first backup under Snow Leopard after updating from Leopard, try cancelling the backup, doing a Restart, and trying again.
Otherwise, get the Time Machine Buddy messages (see #A1).
If it shows Event store UUIDs don't match
and/or . . . node requires deep traversal, it may not be "hung" at all. See item #C2.
If it shows Waiting for index to be ready and/or Bulk setting Spotlight attributes failed messages, there may be a problem with your TM drive, or difficulty communicating with it. Unfortunately, any of a number of things may cause this. The list of things to try is:
1. Exclude your TM disk/partition from any anti-virus scanning.
2. Exclude it from Spotlight (System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy).
_*If backing up to a Time Capsule or External Disk connected to an Airport Extreme:*_
3. Check your System Name via System Preferences > Sharing. It it's blank, that's likely the problem. If it's over 26 characters long, trim it. If it has any unusual characters, try removing them. Remove any punctuation and spaces. Do the same with the Time Capsule or Airport Extreme name.
4. Try moving the TC or AEBS and Mac closer together.
5. Look for interference with another wireless device. Turn anything else off, or move it farther away.
6. Try repairing the TC's Sparse Bundle or AEBS drive's TM disk/partition. See #A5 above.
_*If backing up to an External hard drive:*_
7. Do a +*Repair Disk*+ on it. See #A5 above.
8. At least temporarily, de-select +*Put the hard disk(s) to sleep ...+* in System Preferences > Energy Saver.
9. Be sure it's connected directly to your Mac (no hubs, and not the USB port on the keyboard, as some are USB 1.0).
10. Try different port(s), cable(s).
11. See if your drive has an automatic sleep or "spin down" feature you can disable.
12. Check the maker's web site (support or forum) for any driver or firmware updates.
If nothing helps, your drive may be failing (they all do, sooner or later).
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_*D3. TM is doing a full backup for no good reason*_
If this is your first backup on Snow Leopard after upgrading from Leopard, try cancelling the backup, doing a Restart, and trying again.
Time Machine may do a full backup after any of the following:
Using a new disk or partition for backups (always).
A full restore (probably).
Some hardware repairs, especially a new internal hard drive (probably) or logic board (always, but see #C8).
Changing your computer's name via System Preferences > Sharing (maybe).
Renaming a disk/partition that's being backed-up (probably).
Going several days without a backup (probably; also seems to depend on the volume of changes).
Exactly why it doesn't always do full backups for the items marked "probably" is not clear, so to be safe, assume it will.
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_*D4. My backups seem too large*_
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Time Machine may be doing a full backup of your entire system. See #D3.
Doing an OSX update can cause a large backup, as it may add or update several thousand files.
Removing exclusions, such as your top-level System and/or Library folders, can be sizeable.
Renaming a folder or disk drive, or moving a file or folder, will cause the entire item moved or renamed to be backed-up. This includes all files and sub-folders in a moved or renamed folder.
There are some OSX features and 3rd-party applications that cause large Time Machine backups. Common ones are FileVault, vmWare Fusion, Parallels Desktop, Entourage, and Thunderbird. Any application that uses a single large file or database may do this. See item 9 of the Frequently Asked Questions post.
You can use the +Time Tracker+ app (see item #A2) to see just what was copied on any particular backup. There may be ways to minimize the size of such backups; search and/or post in this forum for help.
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*Section E. _PROBLEMS VIEWING, RESTORING, or DELETING BACKUPS*_
_*E1. Backups were deleted unexpectedly*_
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Time Machine manages it's space for you, automatically. When it's drive/partition gets near full, it will begin deleting your oldest backups to make room for new ones. See item #C4 for more info and your options.
In addition, regardless of space, TM also routinely "thins" your backups. It keeps one per week for as long as there's room; one per day (the first) for a month; all others for 24 hours.
Usually when old weekly backups are deleted unexpectedly, it's because TM has done a new full or large backup, which of course requires a lot of space. See #D3 or D4 for common reasons.
If in doubt, get the +Time Machine Buddy+ widget messages (see #A1). They'll show how much it was trying to back up. See item #7 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum for explanation of those messages.
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_*E2. I can't see some backups*_
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If you can't see the backups for a disk/partition that's no longer connected, see #E3 below.
TM keeps the backups for each Mac separate, and normally only shows the ones for the Mac it's running on, even if there are other Macs' backups on its disk/partition.
Also, sometimes TM will start a new "sequence" of backups, as if they were from a different Mac. See item #D3.
To see these "other" backups, you need the (badly named) +*Browse Other Time Machine Disks*+ option. It's available by holding down the Option key while selecting the TM icon in your Menubar, or by right-clicking the TM icon in your Dock.
You'll see a selection screen showing all the disks/partitions that have TM backups on them. Select the one you want, and you'll be taken to the normal TM "Star Wars" interface, where you should see all the backups on that disk/partition.
Note that, unfortunately, you cannot merge or combine two different "sequences" of backups.
Also note that you cannot use the normal Restore button at the bottom of the screen to restore items, since they're from a different Mac. Instead, select the desired item(s), then click the "Gear" icon in the Finder window's toolbar and select the +*Restore <item> to ...+* option. You'll then get a prompt to specify the destination.
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_*E3. I can't see backups for a disk/partition that's no longer connected*_
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Open a Finder window and press ShiftCmdC (or select your computer name in the Finder Sidebar).
Then either +*Enter Time Machine*+ or +*Browse Other Time Machine Disks*+ (see #E2).
On the first Finder window in the "cascade," labelled +*Today (Now),+* you'll see all the volumes currently attached to your Mac.
Select the Finder window or TimeLine entry for any backup, and you'll see a folder for each drive/volume that was backed-up, including any that are no longer connected. Navigate from there to whatever you're looking for.
Also note that you cannot use the normal Restore button at the bottom of the screen to restore selected items, since they're from a different disk/partition. Instead, select the desired item(s), then click the "Gear" icon in the Finder window's toolbar and select the +*Restore <item> to ...+* option. You'll then get a prompt to specify the destination.
You can restore an entire disk/partition to a different one (erasing any previous contents) via the procedure in item #14 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
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_*E4. Time Machine Interface ("Star Wars") won't display properly, or crashes*_
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This can be caused by any of a number of things. Try these fixes:
If you're using a Finder replacement (such as Pathfinder), be sure the Finder is running.
If you're using Spaces, turn it off temporarily.
If you have a second monitor, or anything plugged-in to a video-out port, disconnect it temporarily.
De-select your TM drive via TM Preferences > Change Disk (select "none"), then re-select the correct one.
Do a "complete reset" of TM, as in item #A4.
Do a +*Repair Disk+* on your TM drive. See #A5 above.
Try or create another user (System Preferences > Accounts). If it works ok from that user, delete the file:
+*<home folder of the user where it doesn't work>/Library/Preferences/com.Apple.Finder.plist+* -
Issue with mailbox in Time Machine
Hello,
I did a back up with my Time Machine before replacing my HDD with a NEW HDD.
I want to recover all data in Time machine to my New HDD but it's not working. Time machine is not detected in boot option but shows up on desktop. When i enter Time Machine, The back ups from the New HDD allows system restore but the old HDD back up will not allow me to restore my system with it. I have the full back of the old HDD. I have seen errors Saying that is not the original version and unable to locate the original.
At the end, i did a manual restore, But i am having problem with my mailboxs. My old emails which is over 3000 are missing in my inbox. I am receiving new mails with no problems. I really want to have my old emails back to my inbox ....is important to me. I used POP configuration in entourage.
Please, can someone help me with a Step by Step guide to get my emails back? Or if possible install my Old HDD backup from Time machine.
Thanks in Advance.
NB: I have little experience with MAC / leopard.Thanks.
This is all in the Time Machine interface, right?
I'm only guessing here, and someone else may see this and correct me, but it may be that as you go back in the TM interface to particular points in time, TM displays only files meeting the search criteria +which were modified on that date+.
Here's my reason for that speculation:
I did a search in TM for a file named "Gray01" which exists on my source drive now, and when I clicked the big "back" arrow in TM it went back a few days (even though that file existed on my drive every day in between) and stopped at the last-modified date, and then when I clicked the "back" arrow again it did the same thing, until I got to the creation date.
This may be implementation of a feature. "Mac 101: Using Time Machine" indicates:
+Besides restoring deleted files, Time Machine can restore previous versions of an existing file. For example, if you made changes to a really important presentation, then accidentally saved unwanted changes to the original file, Time Machine can restore the previous version, and preserve the current version too!+
So while you may have a number of files meeting your search criteria that existed in a particular backup, when you navigate in the TM window to that particular date and time TM first sees all the files that meet your criteria but then filters its display to only those which were modified on that particular date.
This would make sense to me if TM is designed to enable you to locate a particular prior version of a file.
What do you think?
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