Time Machine no longer finds the backup disk

Time Machine running smoothly for the past 6 months. Then had an error that the "......sparsebundle" was in use by another user. So, went into Time Machine preferences, removed the Backup Disk I had been using. Also renamed the hard drive on my laptop (which shouldn't have anything to do with this issue). Now, wehn I go into Time Machine preferences, no disks are available. The disk that I had been using is online with no issues, I can connect to it from my laptop no problem (it is connected physically to my Mini). Can't figure out a way to get TIme Machine to recognize that its there (it's a Seagate drive). Ideas?

Backing up to a third-party NAS with Time Machine is risky, and unacceptably risky if it's your only backup. This is an example of what can happen.
If you want network backup with Time Machine, use as the destination either an Apple Time Capsule or an external hard drive connected to another Mac or a mini-tower (802.11ac) AirPort base station. Only the 802.11ac base station supports Time Machine, not any previous model.

Similar Messages

I have an iMac with OS X 10.5.8 and Time Machine no longer finds the backup device. It had initially worked. I have checked the connections and restarted the backup device but cannot make it work. What actions should I take to correct this?

Time Machine no longer finds the backup device

Have you looked through Pondini's extensive TM help site?
http://Pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
Can't imagine something not being covered there.

Since I upgraded to Mavericks, Time Machine no longer finds the Time Capsule Disk on my network

Hi,
Since I upgraded to Mavericks, Time Machine no longer finds the Time Capsule Disk on my network.
Five minutes before upgrading it however performed successfully a last backup.
I found several posts on this forum and proposed solutions:
- restarted both the mac and capsule
- deleted the /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist (twice rebooting in between)
Still have the issue.

What brand of drive is it?
Disks You Can Use
Troubleshooting backup issues
Time Machine Can’t Find Backup Disk

Time Machine Backup Error. Time machine could not delete the backup disk image .sparsebundle

Time Machine is giving an error message. Time Machine couldnt complete the backup. I am using the Seagate GoFlex Home. Error message states Time Machine could not delete the backup disk image "/volumes/Go Flex Home Backup/iMAc.sparsebundle". Does anybody have any ideas?

I have deleted all files in the Time Machine backup via Windows, Finder, and GoFlex UI.
I think this is your problem.. you need to follow the exact setup from seagate to get TM running again.. please read the manual... I do not have one but I do have another brand of NAS and setting up TM involves a fairly complex set of instructions.. because it is not a native Apple device.. your computer does not recognise it as TM capable.. you need to use the work around the manual will explain.

"Time Machine could not delete the backup disk"

This morning, I got the "Time Machine must create a new backup for you" message referred to here: http://pondini.org/TM/C13.html
I went ahead and told it "start new backup" but after a few minutes, got this message, ending in error message -1: "Time Machine could not delete the backup disk." It did not reference a sparsebundle file or some other specific file name as I've seen in some other threads, and I haven't been able to find this exact issue anywhere in the forum or on Pondini's page.
I went ahead and told it manually to do a new backup, but I am concerned that it will "lie to me" about the verifiability of the files per Pondini's page above (orange box at the bottom). I'll attempt to force it to manually verify once this backup completes to see what happens, I guess.
I'd appreciate any input.

And now an effort to manually start a backup produces this error: "This backup is too large for the backup disk. The backup requires 233.73 GB but only 188.30 GB are available."

HT3275 what do I do about this time machine error message? The backup disk image "/Volumes/Data/Paul Brandow's Computer.sparsebundle" is already in use.

How to resolve the following time capsule error message:
The backup disk image “/Volumes/Data/XXXX Computer.sparsebundle” is already in use.

If you are running Mountain Lion try this:
Open AirPort Utility (If you are in Mountain Lion this will be 6.0 or Higher)
Select you Time Capsule
Select the Disk Tab
Deselect "Enable File Sharing"
Click OK Let the Time Capsule Re-Boot
Go Back into AirPort Utility and re-select "Enable File Sharing" and let it Re-Boot again.
This should fix the problem.
If you are not running Mountain Lion the advice provided by other should work (http://pondini.org/TM/C12.html). The main thing is to reset users.

I am having issues with Time Machine. Error message "The backup disk image could not be created.

Error message "The backup disk image could not be created." I have tried everything I have found online in the community from TM full reset to changing my computers name. Anything else I can try? I am using a Seagate external HD with a connection through my router. I spent an hour on the phone with seagate and everything is ok on the HD end.
TM sees it and it is mounted but cannot go any further. HELP?!!!!
Thanks
-A

How should it be connected? It has a usb port and ethernet. The USB on the ExHD looks like the port on the back of my computer, so I would need one wth the same ends? Do they make those?
I can usually fix most my comp problems myself, but this new ExHD has stumped me.
Thanks for your help.
-A

Time machine can't access the backup disk ''time machine backup'' on WD My Cloud, Time machine can't access the backup disk ''time machine backup'' on WD My Cloud?

Every time I try to start my Mac's time Machine receive above message and it seems no possible to reopen/start properly the application.
What is error OSS 2?

WD Back up connection problems for Networked WD hard drive
“Connection failed”
“Can not find server”
“There was a problem connecting to the server “WD ShareSpace-Backup”.”
There may be two problems and associated solutions:
Read only access
It may be necessary to “create” a disk for the WD back up.
Change Read Only Access
The WD hard drive may automatically create a share for the Time Machine. This share appears in Finder as “WD_Backup”
If you open WD interface through a web browser and go to
Advanced Mode > Users>Folder Share permissions
You will see it as “back up” or similar.
As indicated by others click on the icon on the far left – a pencil and paper – and change the “NFS Access” from “Read Only” to “Full Access”
For Networked back up dives it may be necessary to “create” a disk for the WD back up.
The WD hard drive may automatically create a share for the Time Machine. This share appears in Finder as “WD_Backup”
The password is “backup”, although others have suggested it is sometimes “admin”
If when you open “Time Machine” and “Select Disk” time Machine says it “can not find…” or “can not connect to…” the server/disk it may be necessary to “create”, ”map”, or manually force your mac to connect to the “WD_Backup” folder share.
To do this
Open Finder
Select GO>Connect to Server
In the box at the top enter the IP address for your WD drive. You can find this in the top of your web browser or through your web browser interface with your WD Drive:
Advanced Mode >Network>LAN
The IP address will probably be in the format
“192.168.0.X” where “X” is a number particular to your network
In my case X used to be 2 but then changed to 3 – I don’t know why.
Click “Connect” and enter the Name and password
Name: “WD_Backup”
Password: “backup”
Click “registered user” and click “connect”
Click the “+” button to add the server to the list in the lower box.
Now open “Time Machine”
Click “Select Disk”
Your new “disk” / Folder share should appear in the list with the IP address below it thus:
WD_Backup
On “192.168.0.X”
As in the screen shot below.
Select this disk by clicking on the disk and then on “use disk”.
You should now be away………….

Time Machine Back Up Delayed, The backup disk is not available

Just noticed that my Time Machine has not backed up my MacBook Pro to my Time Capsule in three days:
Selecting Back Up Now brings up this error message
The Time Capsule is on the network, as I'm connecting to the Internet through it right now.
The date of the last backup is the date that I had to reboot and reset my Time Capsule as I needed to connect to the Internet via Ethernet and had problems when trying to reconnect over WiFi.
I unplugged the Time Capsule and plugged it back in. That didn't help.
Any idea how I can get Time Machine working again? Thanks!

Resetting an AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule FAQ

Time Machine can't access the backup disk "Data".

The operation couldn't be completed. ( OSStatus error 22. )
anyone else having this problem when trying to back-up on TC ?

Strange.. two in a row looks bad.
I want you to ensure you have ipv6 set to link-local for both wireless and ethernet on the computer.
Power down the TC and leave it for an hour or two.
Then power it up again.. does it still have the same issue.
Do a full factory reset.
Universal Factory Reset.. any model TC or AE.
Unplug your TC/AE from power or turn off at the power point.
Hold in reset. and power the TC/AE back on.. all without releasing reset and keep holding in for about 10sec. (this is often difficult without a 2nd person or a 3rd arm).
Release it when the status light flashes rapidly. If it doesn’t flash rapidly you have missed it and try again.
Note..
Be Gentle! Feel the switch click on. It has a positive feel.. add no more pressure after that.
TC/AE will reboot after a couple of minutes with default factory settings and will wipe out previous configurations of the router.
No files are deleted on the hard disk in a TC.. No reset of the TC deletes files.. to do that you use erase from the airport utility.
Power down and see if it will come up again after an hour with the same problem.
Go to the Disk tab of the airport utility .. is the erase button working.. please try and do a quick erase first.. does that work? If not try a one pass erase?
If everything fails.. ring apple support .. or do that anyway and let them talk you through the problem.
The fact that it worked for 3days and failed and the first was dead out of the box might mean you have some other issue.. but I cannot figure out what it could be. Hard drive failure early on is not unusual.. two in a row is.

HT3275 (After an OS upgrade to Mountain Lion) Time Machine does not find the backup on my time capsule; it insists on a new backup.

(Self explanatory, I hope.)

That seems unusual unless you changed drives.
If you upgraded the drive it sees the computer as a different one to the original backup..
I am not sure that it isn't better to do a fresh backup but you can try and inherit the old backup..
See Pondini
B5 B6 http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

Time machine cannot find the backup disk, need to reset but previous data cannot be accessed.

Lately, my time machine/time capsule has the problem to find the backup disk in the time capsule and cannot perform the backup. I have to reset (at the back of the unit) then the backup can start again, but I can only access the backup data since the last backup, all my previous backup data is no longer available.
Does anyone face the similar situation and how to fix it?

Hi there!
Did you try upgrading to the latest WD Firmware?
It fixes the following:
WD Universal Firmware Updater 3.1.0.10:
Fixes:
Now works with 10.7.x (Lion OS-X)
Now works with new My Book Studio (without Electronic Paper Display), new MyPassport for Mac, and new My Passport Studio model.
Made device detection more robust.
Here's the link to the firmware:
http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/wdsmartwareupdate/firmware.asp?id=wdfGeneric&os=ma c
Regards

HT1178 I have set up Time Capsule to use with Time Machine. When I open Time Machine it 'cannot find' the Time Capsule and I have the Select the Disk each time. In the Next Backup tab it always says "When disk is connected" even though the disk is alrea

I have set up Time Capsule to use with Time Machine but when I open Time Machine it 'cannot find' the Time Capsule and I have to 'Select the Disk' each time. In the Next Backup tab it always says "When disk is connected" even though the disk is already connected.

Your pro doesn't matter.. I presume it is happily working.
Your imac setup has got messed up because you changed from a local (my book being USB type I presume) to network drive. Did you do a clean install of Lion?
Did you use the backup from the Pro on the imac? Otherwise I don't see how the Pro shows up in use previous disk. Where is Pondini when you need him??
You cannot download Time Machine as an App and replace the current version. It is built into the OS.. the only way to do it is a clean install. Unfortunately that might be the only way around the issue.
There is a number of issues that Pondini has covered in the setup issues of troubleshooting.
This is the most relevant I think. http://pondini.org/TM/B6.html
But look at the whole section B setup problems.
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
If it was me, I would store all the info you need.. not using TM but using a straight copy of files.
Then clean install Lion. I doubt any of these issues would exist if you had not installed Lion over existing setup or used a different backup.
See if you can get Pondini to respond.. !!

"Time Machine could not complete the backup. The backup disk is not availab

I have a Seagate 750 MB external disk connected to the USB port of my Airport Extreme Base Station. It worked fine with Time Machine under Leopard but it's not working the way it was under OS X 10.6.2. I'm hopeful someone can help me solve the problem.
Let's say the name of my Airport Extreme Base Station is "Airport." If I remember correctly, under Leopard time machine would start a wireless backup not long after I turned on the Seagate drive. That no longer happens.
I've erased and re-formatted the Seagate drive with 2 GUID partitions, one for my 24" iMac and one for my 17" MacBook Pro. Both computers are about 3 years old. In order to do the re-partitioning, I had to unplug the Seagate drive from the base station and plug it into one of the iMac's USB ports. If I didn't do this, nothing other than the iMac's drive appears in the left pane of Disk Utility, although the name of my base station, i.e, "Airport" does appear in the Finder and PathFinder (a replacement for Finder that I use).
In fact, Time Machine works under 10.6.2. as long as the Seagate drive is plugged into the iMac's USB port. As soon as I plug the Seagate drive into the USB port of the base station, Time Machine no longer works. The backup is "delayed." When I click on "Back Up Now" a few seconds go by and I get the following dialog box: "Time Machine could not complete the backup. The backup disk is not available."
In my Airport Extreme Base Station setup (Airport Utility version 5.4.2), the "Disks" pane sees both partitions on the Seagate drive. File sharing is enabled on the "File sharing" pane and "Secure Shared Disks:" is set to "With a disk password." "Airport Disks Guest Access:" is not allowed, nor is "Share disks over WAN."
When the Seagate drive is plugged into the base station and I click on "Airport" in the Finder or PathFinder, I'm prompted for the password I mentioned above because the shared disks are secured with a password. Once the password is typed, both partitions on the Seagate drive appear in Finder and PathFinder. When I try a Time Machine backup at this point, I get the same error I described above, i.e., "Time Machine could not complete the backup. The backup disk is not available."
One last thing, I did an "Archive and Install" when I upgraded to Snow Leopard since I thought the changes were relatively minor as compared with past OS X upgrades. Normally, I do a clean install but didn't feel like it this time. I also tried deleting the file /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist to no avail and restarted my iMac to no avail.
At this point I'm completely stumped. As I said, Time Machine works as long as the Seagate drive is plugged directly into one of the iMac's USB ports as opposed to the base station's USB port. But doesn't this defeat the purpose of having wireless backup? Once again, the wireless backup worked fine under 10.5.8.
I hope my message is clear and a solution would be most welcome.
Thank you,
Richard

I'm having the same problem. If my TimeMachine drive is not connected, I'll get the "Time machine could not complete the backup" "The backup disk is not available" warning a couple times a day. This is extremely problematic if I'm giving a presentation. I have tried changing my TimeMachine drive, removing that drive, repairing permissions, and have not been able to solve the problem.
Please help!

The message I get is: Time Machine could not complete the backup. This backup is too large for the backup disk. The backup requires 111.27 GB but only 42.1 GB are available.

I have a problem with my Time Capsule. The message I get is: Time Machine could not complete the backup. This backup is too large for the backup disk. The backup requires 111.27 GB but only 42.1 GB are available. As a result, my backups are no longer running. My umderstanding was that the Time Capsule would automatically delete old backups to make space. Can anyone help me figure out how to get my backups to run again?

If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.
Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.
Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left. If you don't see that menu, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar.
Enter the word "Starting" (without the quotes) in the String Matching text field. You should now see log messages with the words "Starting * backup," where * represents any of the words "automatic," "manual," or "standard." Note the timestamp of the last such message. Clear the text field and scroll back in the log to that time. Select the messages timestamped from then until the end of the backup, or the end of the log if that's not clear. Copy them (command-C) to the Clipboard. Paste (command-V) into a reply to this message.
If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Don't post many repetitions of the same message.
When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.
Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
Some personal information, such as the names of your files, may be included — anonymize before posting.

Time Machine no longer finds the backup disk

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