Time Machine won't connect over WiFi

I'm running 10.7.4 on my MacBook Pro. I have an airport extreme that I have a Western Digital 2Gb network drive connected to. I performed a full backup over the network and have had subsuquent backups work fine. Recently I have been getting the following message and I can't get Time Machine to backup any changes I have on my computer. "The backup disk image “/Volumes/TimeMachine/dave (2).sparsebundle” is already in use." If I reboot the computer and the drive, I still can't get it to backup. I am able to access the drive by selecting connect to server in the GO menu, but the Time Machine won't connect. Any suggestions? Thanks.

See C17
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
But your doing something that is not supported and frankly many people find does exactly what you experience... it works well for a while and then just won't work.. you can verify the disk.. see A5 in the same post as listed. You probably need to wipe it and start again.. but this will keep happening.. The AEBS is not suitable for this task.
See http://pondini.org/TM/Airport.html
Pondini is our guru on all things Time Machine.
When he says jump, the response is how high?? Not why?

Similar Messages

Time Machine won't connect to sparsebundle, wants to start over. Pls help!

I was in the midst of a 40GB iTunes Folder recovery, when it stopped after 5GB.
Now, when I go to Time Machine preferences and connect to the backup drive, it wants to start over rather than "reconnecting" to the old sparsebundle.
I've double-clicked the sparsebundle to open it and see that all my backups are in there... but of course, they're backed up in increments. I need to know how I get Time Machine to continue with the backups it already has.
I'm using Mac OS 10.6.7 on a MBP 13". Time Machine is being used on an Airport Extreme with connected Air Disk (WD hard drive). I know this may be officially unsupported, but I've had no problems with it for the year that I've been using Time Machine to back up and recover various files. I don't think anything is wrong with the sparsebundle other than it isn't seeming to want to reconnect to it.
I would really appreciate your help. I would hate that I started replacing (and lost) an entire 40GB iTunes folder for the silly reasons I'd wanted to restore it.

Harv Nagra wrote:
Time Machine is being used on an Airport Extreme with connected Air Disk (WD hard drive). I know this may be officially unsupported, but I've had no problems with it for the year that I've been using Time Machine to back up and recover various files.
That's likely the cause of the problem, and is the reason we advise against it -- it may work, for a while, but sooner or later, the backups tend to turn up corrupted.
Try repairing them, per #A5 in [Time Machine - Troubleshooting|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Troubleshooting.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
If that doesn't help, you might be able to view and restore from the backups in that sparse bundle via the +*Browse Other Time Machine Disks+* option, per #E2 in Troubleshooting.
Whether you can recover the data or not, you're playing with fire. Please see #2 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum), for supported destinations; and #27 for advice on "secondary" backups.

IOS devices and Exchange won't connect over Wifi

Neither my ipad nor my iphone 5 will connect with my exchange server over my wifi network. The problem is limited to IOS devices on wifi and Exchange. The phone will connect with exchange over the cellular network. My windows laptop works fine over wifi with exchange and everything else. The ipad and iphone will connect to wifi and have no problems with web browsing, gmail, etc. I've used both devices successfully for months and the problem started yesterday. I did not do any IOS updates yesterday.
iPad and iPhone are both on IOS 7.0.4
The message on the screen: Cannot Get Mail. Server error. Contact your server administrator.
It also says: Cannot Get Mail. The connection to the server failed.
What I've tried:
Resetting network settings (only tried on iPad, since it didn't work)
Powering off each device then turning back on
Powered down the wireless router and powered back up
Confirmed with the exhange hosting company (GoDaddy) that they've made no changes

Some things to try first:
1. Turn Off your iPad. Then turn Off (disconnect power cord for 30 seconds or longer) the wireless router & then back On. Now boot your iPad. Hopefully it will see the WiFi.
2. Go to Settings>Wi-Fi and turn Off. Then while at Settings>Wi-Fi, turn back On and chose a Network.
3. Change the channel on your wireless router (Auto or Channel 6 is best). Instructions at http://macintoshhowto.com/advanced/how-to-get-a-good-range-on-your-wireless-netw ork.html
4. Go into your router security settings and change from WEP to WPA with AES.
5. Renew IP Address: (especially if you are droping internet connection)
    •    Launch Settings app
    •    Tap on Wi-Fi
    •    Tap on the blue arrow of the Wi-Fi network that you connect to from the list
    •    In the window that opens, tap on the Renew Lease button
6. Potential Quick Fixes When Your iPad Won’t Connect to Your Wifi Network
http://ipadinsight.com/ipad-tips-tricks/potential-quick-fixes-when-your-ipad-won t-connect-to-your-wifi-network/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fix WiFi Issue for iOS 7
http://ipadnerds.com/fix-wifi-issue-ios-7/
Fix WiFi Issue for iOS 7
http://ipadnerds.com/fix-wifi-issue-ios-7/
iOS 6 Wifi Problems/Fixes
Wi-Fi Fix for iOS 6
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4823738?tstart=240
How To: Workaround iPad Wi-Fi Issues
http://www.theipadfan.com/workaround-ipad-wifi-issues/
Another Fix For iOS 6 WiFi Problems
http://tabletcrunch.com/2012/10/27/fix-ios-6-wifi-problems-ssid/
Wifi Doesn't Connect After Waking From Sleep - Sometimes increasing screen brightness prevents the failure to reconnect after waking from sleep. According to Apple, “If brightness is at lowest level, increase it by moving the slider to the right and set auto brightness to off.”
Fix For iOS 6 WiFi Problems?
http://tabletcrunch.com/2012/09/27/fix-ios-6-wifi-problems/
Did iOS 6 Screw Your Wi-Fi? Here’s How to Fix It
http://gizmodo.com/5944761/does-ios-6-have-a-wi+fi-bug
How To Fix Wi-Fi Connectivity Issue After Upgrading To iOS 6
http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/09/fix-wi-fi-connectivity-issue-after-upgrading- to-ios-6.html
iOS 6 iPad 3 wi-fi "connection fix" for netgear router
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsWS4ha-dn0
Apple's iOS 6 Wi-Fi problems
http://www.zdnet.com/apples-ios-6-wi-fi-problems-linger-on-7000004799/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal
http://ipad.about.com/od/iPad_Troubleshooting/a/How-To-Boost-Your-Wi-Fi-Signal.h tm
Troubleshooting a Weak Wi-Fi Signal
http://ipad.about.com/od/iPad_Troubleshooting/a/Troubleshooting-A-Weak-Wi-Fi-Sig nal.htm
How to Fix a Poor Wi-Fi Signal on Your iPad
http://ipad.about.com/od/iPad_Troubleshooting/a/How-To-Fix-A-Poor-Wi-Fi-Signal-O n-Your-iPad.htm
iOS Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1398
iPad: Issues connecting to Wi-Fi networks http://support.apple.com/kb/ts3304
WiFi Connecting/Troubleshooting http://www.apple.com/support/ipad/wifi/
How to Fix: My iPad Won't Connect to WiFi
http://ipad.about.com/od/iPad_Troubleshooting/ss/How-To-Fix-My-Ipad-Wont-Connect -To-Wi-Fi.htm
iOS: Connecting to the Internet http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1695
iOS: Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4199
How to Quickly Fix iPad 3 Wi-Fi Reception Problems
http://osxdaily.com/2012/03/21/fix-new-ipad-3-wi-fi-reception-problems/
iPad Wi-Fi Problems: Comprehensive List of Fixes
http://appletoolbox.com/2010/04/ipad-wi-fi-problems-comprehensive-list-of-fixes/
Connect iPad to Wi-Fi (with troubleshooting info)
http://thehowto.wikidot.com/wifi-connect-ipad
10 Ways to Boost Your Wireless Signal
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372811,00.asp
Fix iPad Wifi Connection and Signal Issues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwWtIG5jUxE
Fix Slow WiFi Issue https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2398063?start=60&tstart=0
How To Fix iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch Wi-Fi Connectivity Issue http://tinyurl.com/7nvxbmz
Unable to Connect After iOS Update - saw this solution on another post.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4010130
Note - When troubleshooting wifi connection problems, don't hold your iPad by hand. There have been a few reports that holding the iPad by hand, seems to attenuate the wifi signal.
Some Wi-Fi losses may stem from a problematic interaction between Wi-Fi and cellular data connections. Numerous users have found that turning off Cellular Data in Settings gets their Wi-Fi working again.
You may have many apps open which can possibly cause the slowdown and possibly the loss of wifi. In iOS 4-6 double tap your Home button & at the bottom of the screen you will see the icons of all open apps. Close those you are not using by pressing on an icon until all icons wiggle - then tap the minus sign. For iOS 7 users, there’s an easy way to see which apps are open in order to close them. By double-tapping the home button on your iPhone or iPad, the new multitasking feature in iOS 7 shows full page previews of all your open apps. Simply scroll horizontally to see all your apps, and close the apps with a simple flick towards the top of the screen.
Wi-Fi or Bluetooth settings grayed out or dim
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1559
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If any of the above solutions work, please post back what solved your problem. It will help others with the same problem.
 Cheers, Tom

Time machine won't connect to my shared external hard drive connected to my airport utility

I connected my hard drive directly to my iMac and have backed up my system. Ive since connected the external hard drive to my airport utility. I can save documents to my hard drive wirelessly however when I've tried to back it up again I'm unable to do so. The drive is visible when I go into utility settings I just can't back up to it. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Officially, like Bob said, it's not supported by Apple at all. Unofficially, it is really hit/miss for most people but may be worth a shot if you've got a spare afternoon to try it out.
As an anecdote, I had a first-generation 802.11n AEBS and it did not work for me at all. However, a few years later, I upgraded to a 3rd Gen AEBS (Dual-Band), it has worked just fine. In fact, it recognizes the drive as a Time Capsule backup.
My guess is it has or had something to do with converting Ethernet/Wi-Fi––>Router––>USB––>SATA (HDD) whereas the Time Capsule is simply Ethernet/Wi-Fi––>Router––>SATA (HDD). The Time Capsule is an ideal setup but if you've already got an AEBS and don't need two routers, it may be worth a shot.
I'm using a Western Digital 2TB "green" drive with a cheapie Acomdata USB 2.0 enclosure between an iMac (ours) and a Macbook (hers). I still back my personal laptop up manually simply because of the tradeoff of speed vs. convenience. For instance, our iMac is wired via Gigabit Ethernet to the AEBS while my wife's Macbook is always wireless (via 802.11n). The difference in backup speed for either of them is rather indistinguishable but the initial backup takes more than a few hours depending on how many GB of data you have. Hooked up directly, the backup is a fraction of time in comparison. Therefore, the point is: If you regularly make LARGE backups (i.e. Virtual Machines, Videos, etc.), it's worth it to backup locally. Otherwise, if your backups are rather small (i.e. Text docs, a few songs, pictures, etc.), it's a wash.
The idea of NAS for Time Machine backups is really nice but hardly ideal if you're routinely backing up large files (or equally large changes to them).

Time machine won't find my wireless network for backup

Time machine won't connect to my external hard drive. It still exists in timemachine set up, but airport utility can't find it - says it doesn't exist. The option to set up airport utility manually is greyed out and not available. The problem happened when i changed my wireless router. The hard drive is a WD MyBookLive and the router is a Belkin. I'd really appreciate your help - this is driving me nuts! :-)

Well, the set up is this:
Motorola modem connects to
Belkin N300 by Cat 5 cable which then connects to
D-Link gigabit switch which connects to
Macbook pro by ethernet cable.
The Belkin also creates the wireless network, which is used by various devices in the house, including the printer.
Error messages I have received are:
From Time Machine (which lists the MyBook as one of its choices, but then can't find it): "
The server "MyBookLive.local" may not exist or it is unavailable at this time. Check the server name or IP address, check your network connection, and then try again."
From the MyBook (which was previously working fine):
Hoping this may assist!
Many thanks,
Bruce

Since the last updating of the system, my Ipad 2, it won't connect to wifi more than 5 minutes at a time unt

Since the last updating of the system, my Ipad (model MC769C), it won't connect to wifi more than 5 minutes at a time until I reset the router. Anyone can help ?

iOS 6 Wifi Problems/Fixes
Fix For iOS 6 WiFi Problems?
http://tabletcrunch.com/2012/09/27/fix-ios-6-wifi-problems/
Did iOS 6 Screw Your Wi-Fi? Here’s How to Fix It
http://gizmodo.com/5944761/does-ios-6-have-a-wi+fi-bug
How To Fix Wi-Fi Connectivity Issue After Upgrading To iOS 6
http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/09/fix-wi-fi-connectivity-issue-after-upgrading- to-ios-6.html
iOS 6 iPad 3 wi-fi "connection fix" for netgear router
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsWS4ha-dn0
Apple's iOS 6 Wi-Fi problems
http://www.zdnet.com/apples-ios-6-wi-fi-problems-linger-on-7000004799/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Look at iOS Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1398
iPad: Issues connecting to Wi-Fi networks http://support.apple.com/kb/ts3304
WiFi Connecting/Troubleshooting
http://www.apple.com/support/ipad/wifi/
How to Fix: My iPad Won't Connect to WiFi
http://ipad.about.com/od/iPad_Troubleshooting/ss/How-To-Fix-My-Ipad-Wont-Connect -To-Wi-Fi.htm
iOS: Connecting to the Internet
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1695
iOS: Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4199
Additional things to try.
Try this first. Turn Off your iPad. Then turn Off (disconnect power cord for 30 seconds or longer) the wireless router & then back On. Now boot your iPad. Hopefully it will see the WiFi.
Go to Settings>Wi-Fi and turn Off. Then while at Settings>Wi-Fi, turn back On and chose a Network.
Change the channel on your wireless router (Auto or Channel 6 is best). Instructions at http://macintoshhowto.com/advanced/how-to-get-a-good-range-on-your-wireless-netw ork.html
Another thing to try - Go into your router security settings and change from WEP to WPA with AES.
How to Quickly Fix iPad 3 Wi-Fi Reception Problems
http://osxdaily.com/2012/03/21/fix-new-ipad-3-wi-fi-reception-problems/
If none of the above suggestions work, look at this link.
iPad Wi-Fi Problems: Comprehensive List of Fixes
http://appletoolbox.com/2010/04/ipad-wi-fi-problems-comprehensive-list-of-fixes/
Fix iPad Wifi Connection and Signal Issues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwWtIG5jUxE
Fix Slow WiFi Issue https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2398063?start=60&tstart=0
Unable to Connect After iOS Update - saw this solution on another post.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4010130
Note - When troubleshooting wifi connection problems, don't hold your iPad by hand. There have been a few reports that holding the iPad by hand, seems to attenuate the wifi signal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If any of the above solutions work, please post back what solved your problem. It will help others with the same problem.
 Cheers, Tom

Why when I connect my macbook air to time machine can't I use wifi any longer?

Whenever I want to send files from my computer to the time machine, I can't use any internet features...
If I look to which network my computer is logged on to, it says, Lara's Time Machine, which is not my wifi internet network.
Thanks in advance!
Lara

It sounds like you have two different Wi-Fi networks, one created by a Time Capsule and the other by your router, and the Time Capsule is not connected to the Internet. You should either use the TC as your router, or else connect it to the router with an Ethernet cable (if possible) and set it up to extend a wireless network in AirPort Utility. Details are in the built-in help of that application.

Suppose I have two identical laptops loaded with my current time machine back up. I take one on a trip and update it with time machine but leave it. I come back w time machine HD and connect the home laptop, will it just update or start over from scratch?

Suppose I have two identical laptops loaded with my current time machine back up. I take one on a trip and update it with time machine but leave it behind. I come back with the time machine HD and connect it to the home laptop, will it just update or start over from scratch? is there a way to make it just update it?

You might have better luck using a clone.
Clone - Carbon Copy Cloner (Often recommended as it has more features than some others)
Clone – Data Backup
Clone – Deja Vu
Clone - SuperDuper
Clone - Synk
Clone Software – 6 Applications Tested
Commonly Used Backup Methods

Time machine won't backup, yet plenty of space & not much used on Mac HD

Well, this is yet another "Time machine won't backup becuase there is not enough space" thread. I have searched Google and threads here but it's still a mystery why this error is occurring and it seems there is no clear solution. I also looked at the Apple Time Machine errors FAQ as well.
Here are my specs and what I have tried so far.
2010 Mac Pro Quad Core with 1 TB hard drive with 12 GB RAM. (137 GB used so far on internal Mac hard drive disk, so about 863 GB free space).
- New external 1 TB hard drive initialized as Time Machine backup disk when inserted for the first time.
The exact error I am getting is this: "This backup is too large for the backup disk. The backup requires 1.80 TB but only 999.20 GB are available."
I have tried deleting the Time Machine system preference, reinitializing the external disk, clearing the system caches with Cocktail, restarting and letting Time machine ask me all over again if I wanted to use the external drive for Time Machine. Still the same error.
My question is how on earth can 1.80 TB be required for the backup when I only have 137 GB of used space?

danomatic12 wrote:
My question is how on earth can 1.80 TB be required for the backup when I only have 137 GB of used space?
Two possibilities:
There's another disk (or disks) connected to your Mac. If they're formatted HFS+, Time Machine is trying to back it/them up as well. You can exclude them per #10 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum). The 1.8 TB includes 20% for temporary workspace on the TM drive, so TM is estimating the backup at about 1.5 TB.
Something on your internal HD is corrupted, causing an incorrect calculation. Verify your internal HD, per #6 in [Formatting, Partitioning, Verifying, and Repairing Disks|http://web.me.com/pondini/AppleTips/DU.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of the +Using Snow Leopard+ forum).

Time Capsule won't connect to anything

I was using my time capsule for about a year and never had an issue until I moved. Now that I'm in the new house, no devices will connect to it except my MacBook Pro. Hard wired LAN or over WIFI my smart TV won't connect neither will my PlayStation or my iPhones or iPad. Nothing. Again... My computer connects over WIFI but nothing else. And nothing works directly hooked up from the Time Capsule to any device via LAN cable.

TC needs a full factory reset when put in a new network.
It remembers far too much from the previous setup.
So.
The Factory Reset Gen1-4.
Unplug your TC. Hold in reset. and power the TC back on.. without releasing reset for about 10sec. When the status light flashes rapidly; release it.
Be Gentle! Feel the switch click on. It has a positive feel.. add no more pressure after that.
TC will reboot after a couple of minutes with default factory settings and will wipe out previous configurations.
No files are deleted on the hard disk.. No reset of the TC deletes files.. to do that you use erase from the airport utility.
Do do a new setup .. if the modem you have is cable pure type modem.. the TC must be in bridge.. you MUST turn off the cable modem for 20min for the MAC address capture to time out.. then power up the modem and power up the TC which is in DHCP + NAT mode.
If the modem is a router.. put the TC in bridge mode..
If you run into troubles give us more info.
what modem.. make and model and type.
What model is the TC.. A1xxx from the base.
What version firmware?

Time machine won't restore to my new MacBook Pro

Early 2011 15" MacBook Pro is now needing its fourth new keyboard/logic board in one year.
So I bought a new 15" MacBook expecting to easily migrate to it. Migration Assistant did well moving the applications over but failed with my Documents.
I concluded that I would restore my documents using Time Machine backups.
Except that Time Machine won't allow me to see the documents that need to be restored. I did the "Inherit older backups" thing, and there IS a pink time line showing the older machine backups - I just can't access them.
Any thoughts on how to resolve this?

Since you have both machines connected why don't you use Migration Assistant to transfer your Home folder? Or you can simply drag your documents from the old computer's connected hard drive.
I hope you realize that Migration Assistant will not transfer your Home folder if you have a new Home folder with the same name. Instead it will create a whole new Home folder with a different name. Have you checked to see if you have two user folders located in your /Users/ folder?

I bought a new external hard drive for backups, but time machine won't do a full back up. I think it is remembering backing up onto previous external hard drives, which I don't own anymore. How do I do a new full backup?

I bought a new external hard drive for backups, but time machine won't do a full back up.
I think it is remembering backing up onto previous external hard drives, which I don't own anymore. How do I do a new full backup?
When I bought the new (used) iMac, I also bought an external hard drive for backups. It worked fine, but my husband stole it.
Then I bought a new external hard drive (Seagate) and it worked fine for three weeks, then died.
So I just got a new external hard drive, which was put together from an internal hard drive and a hard drive enclosure.
Time machine did the first backup today, and it should have taken 9 hours like it did on the previous first time full back up. Instead, it took 30 minutes. That can't be right. I want to start over and do a full backup to make sure everything gets onto my new external hard drive, but I can't figure out how to do that. Please help.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below to select it:
tmutil compare -E
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C).
Launch the Terminal 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 Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V).
The command will take at least a few minutes to run. Eventually some lines of output will appear below what you entered.
Each line that begins with a plus sign (“+”) represents a file that has been added to the source volume since the last snapshot was taken. These files have not been backed up yet.
Each line that begins with an exclamation point (“!”) represents a file that has changed on the source volume. These files have been backed up, but not in their present state.
Each line that begins with a minus sign (“-“) represents a file that has been removed from the source volume.
At the end of the output, you’ll get some lines like the following:
Added:
Removed:
Changed:
These lines show the total amount of data added, removed, or changed on the source(s) since the last snapshot.

Time MAchine won't back up due to not enough space, but there is

TIme Machine won't back up. Displays this:
Actual capacity of the external backup drive is 999.68 GB and available is 135 gb .
The imac internal HD capacity is 999.01GB and used space is 636.321 GB.
This problem has occured periodically in the last 12 months or so, so prior to OS version10.8 install in Jul 2012.
I previously called AppleCare, as I have a contract, and tech said I just need to reformat the external drive and start over.
I did that the last time this happened a few months ago, but I don't like that option, as it eliminates all the prior backups,
What if I needed to try to recover something I deleted 3 weeks ago, for example. I couldn't do so as all backups would have been deleted, of course, by me having refomatted the drive and basically starting over. Also, I noted in another post about a person having a problem due to using a partitioned drive. Mine is not partition, as far as I can tell. See this:
Any ideas? Thanks

The solution is essentially "simple." You need a larger hard drive for these backups or you need to use a different backup solution. By this I mean using backup software that does not preserve an archive of old copies of a file, but simply erases old copies in order to replace them with the new copies. By replacing your backup drive can always accommodate the drive it backs up if it is large enough - say the same size. I can suggest:
Backup Software Recommendations
Carbon Copy Cloner
Data Backup
Deja Vu
SuperDuper!
Synk Pro
Tri-Backup
Others may be found at VersionTracker or MacUpdate.
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.
All of the above are capable of being scheduled. Synk Pro makes immediate backups of any changed file on the hard drive. You may configure it to archive changes (like Time Machine) or to delete prior copies.

Time Machine won't back up external drive to Time Capsule

I recently got a Time Capsule, and successfully set it up to back up my iMac's primary drive, but for some reason Time Machine won't back up my external drive to the Time Capsule.
I removed the external drive from the exclusion list in System Preferences > Time Machine > Options, and from what I've read this should be sufficient to make Time Machine back up the drive.
The external drive is connected to my iMac via Thunderbolt > Thunderbolt-to-Firewire adaptor > Firewire 800 input, and the Time Capsule is connected via Ethernet to my LAN.
Since I'm using Ethernet, I've disabled Wi-Fi on the Time Capusule by going to AirPort Utility > My Time Capsule > Edit > Wireless > Network Mode > Off.
The reason I believe the external drive is not being backed up is because when I click the Time Machine icon in the upper-right status bar and choose "Enter Time Machine", none of the folders on external drive show any older versions.
Furthermore, when I click Finder > Time Machine Backups > Backups.backupdb, I can see only one sub-folder which has the name of my iMac's primary drive. I can't see any equivalent folder for my external drive.
Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

I don't see anything you have done wrong.. perhaps it does backup in a different way.
Load the widget.. A1 here... http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
That will allow you to track the log of TM to see what it is doing.
I would also try rebooting the computer.. exclude the drive again.. reboot.. and remove the exclusion.
You should be able to check the actual settings of TM in plist file.
And you can do a full reset of TM as well.. See A4. Check what is in the file. Pondini lists the location for you.
Nothing surprises me with Mountain Lion ...!!

Time Machine won't start after migration to new MacBook Pro.

I upgraded to a new MacBook Pro. Both machines are running OS X 10 (10.7.5 on old, 10.8.2 on new). I used an ethernet cable for the data migration.
I'm trying to use the Time Capsule we've been using all along for Time Machine, but Time Machine won't start because there's only 5.1GB free on the device and it wants to run a full backup. "The backup is too large for the backup disk. The backup requires 252.33 GB but only 5.07 GB are available."
What are my options? I'd hate to lose prior versions of all the data I've moved to the new machine, but if I have to, then I have to. But then I'm not sure how to access the Time Capsulre base as a non-backup drive and delete what's there.
Thanks for yor help.
Vince

Windows in VM is going to know it's on a different machine, so you'll still have to hop through Microsoft's hoops or you won't get updates.
Just an FYI: when moving a Fusion virtual machine, the first time you run the virtual machine, you are prompted if you "moved it" or "copied it". Selecting "moved it" will retain the UUID and prevent Windows from prompting for reactivation. (However, if it is a copy of the virtual machine and you wanted to run both copies simultaneously on the same network, you must select "copied it" otherwise the copies can't run at the same time.)
If one did select "copied it" accidentally, then just follow the reactivation prompts. As long as you're not reactivating a lot then it usually will work the normal way over the internet. Even if you're forced to call, just tell the support rep that you're reinstalling Windows and type in the really long code that they say. The few times I've had to call, it was less than 15 minutes. Again, as long as you're not reactivating a lot (so looking suspiciously like a pirate,) reactivation is a pain, but relatively quick.

Time Machine won't connect over WiFi

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for