Time machine says the backup file is too big but...

Hi. My time machine back up stopped working.  It tells me that the back up file is too large.  I have a WD external 500GB Mybook.  I am trying to back up my 500GB MacBook.  "Get Info" on the MacBook indicates that there is 153GB on disk.  "Get Info" on the Mybook indicates that there is 278.8 GB available.  However, when I attempt to run backup in Time Machine I get the following message: "This backup is too large for the backup volume.  The backup requires 378.4 GB but only 278.8 GB are avalable..." 
Why is Time Machine telling me that the backup file is 378.4GB when my MacBook shows that I only have 153GB on disk?  If I only have 153GB on disk, 278.8GB of free space in the backup volume should be sufficient for me to back up right? What am I missing here?

Same problem here, found any solution yet guys?

Similar Messages

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  • Help! Time machine says my backup disk is too small

    I have a 500 gig back up disk for time machine back up and my hard drive on my imac is 500gigs but for some reason it is saying I don't have enough space on my back up disk for time machine to back up. how can that be if they are the same size.

    Bucknut wrote:
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  • Time Machine Error:  "The backup disk image could not be created."  Help.

    I have two Macbook Pro's. One is able to backup to the Time Capsule with no problems. The other connects just fine to Airport Utility, but I get the following error after I attempt to backup: Time Machine Error: "The backup disk image could not be created."
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    You have to delete the .dmg file and start over. This happened to me 3 times already, I finally switched to Déjà Vu, works perfect and only once a day instead of 24 times a day.
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  • "Time Machine Error   The backup volume is read only"

    Lately, every time I try to backup to my Time Capsule using Time Machine it fails and I get a message saying "Time Machine Error The backup volume is read only. To select a different volume, open system preferences and choose Time Machine" So I do that and I see the Time capsule listed. I don't want to select anything but the Time Capsule, cuz what else do I have, right? Am I wrong in assuming the "backup volume" is the Time Capsule? Anyway, I have tried changing the permissions on the time capsule, but when I get the "get info" box for the time capsule, there is not an option to change those settings, they are grayed out. Every thing worked well for about a week and then this started. My backup volume must have been "Read & Write" at first, because I can see what was backed up when I open Time Machine. Anybody have a clue what's going on? How can I make the back up volume "Read & Write" again and why did it change to "Read Only?"

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  • HT3275 Time Machine Error: The backup disk image "Volumes/Data/My Macbook Pro.sparsebundle" is already in use. (How do I correct this issue?)

    Time Machine did not back up:
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    Thanks!

    You need to be careful Bob.. people might take this literally.
    Bob Timmons wrote:
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    Call the exterminator to get rid of the bugs in Lion and Mountain Lion.
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  • I keep getting this error when trying to backup time capsule with time machine. The backup disk image "/Volumes/Data-1/Dan's iMac.sparsebundle" is already in use.

    I keep getting this error when trying to backup time capsule with time machine. The backup disk image “/Volumes/Data-1/Dan’s iMac.sparsebundle” is already in use.

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  • I am running 10.7.5 and getting Time Machine error The backup disk image "/Volumes/Data/Kathy P's MacBook.sparsebundle" is already in use. what do i do now?

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  • I am trying to confirm the time at which a particular backup occurred using an external hard drive that I have since misplaced. Although time machine lists the backup times for some backups, it does not list them for all. Can someone help?

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  • HT4847 my backup file is too big?  how can i change some of the items that are being backed up to decrease size?

    my backup file is too big?  how can i change some of the items that are being backed up to decrease size?

    In iPhoto, Select All the Photos you want to move... Then goto  > File > Export >
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  • HT3275 TIME MACHINE ERROR: The backup disk image "/Volumes/Data/Sean McGuire's MacBook Pro.sparsebundle" could not be created (error 1).

    I can select a disk (Time Capsule) and initiate the backup.  It only "waits to back up" then "making backup disk available" and remains frozen there.  I tried to update the software a while back and was unsuccessful, I think that may be the issue.
    Any insight would be greatly appreciated.  This is the error message I receive.
    TIME MACHINE ERROR: The backup disk image “/Volumes/Data/Sean McGuire’s MacBook Pro.sparsebundle” could not be created (error 1).
    Thanks

    See #C17 in Pondini's excellent support document Time Machine - Troubleshooting
    http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

  • What can I do when I get this message from my Time Machine?  The backup disk image "/Volumes/Data/Jeanne's iMac.sparsebundle" is already in use.

    What do I do when I get this message on my Time Machine?  "The backup disk image “/Volumes/Data/Jeanne’s iMac.sparsebundle” is already in use."

    See C12.
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