Time Machine won't mount Firewire 800 drive after restart / Finder crashes

I've been having problems with Finder crashes. I first suspected Spotlight might be the problem because sometimes when I started typing a search, it would display the first 3 characters and then lock up. I could force quit the Finder, but it wouldn't relaunch and required the computer to be shutdown and restarted with the power button. Once restarted, I had no keyboard and no mouse click (the mouse would move across the screen but I could not click on anything). After waiting several minutes (3-5) the mouse and keyboard worked properly.
After some research suggested the Spotlight index might be corrupt, I forced Spotlight to rebuild the index (add the drive to the exclude list under "Privacy" and then remove it from the list) and then repaired disk permissions. After that Spotlight was noticeably snappier and I thought my Finder crashes had been solved until........
Part 2: I have been using Time Machine (connected to a Fantom GreenDrive via Firewire 800) for several months now and ever since the beginning, I have noticed that the drive will NOT mount after a restart. I must turn the drive off and back on again to get it to mount. After that Time Machine picks it up and seems to work fine.....well, that is until this Finder crashing thing started several weeks ago. Anyway, I inadvertently set up an experiment last weekend when I installed some software update and forgot to remount the Time Machine drive after the restart. That was last Sunday night. The computer did not crash all week long. I thought my Spotlight fix had finally solved my problems, but now it seems I was wrong. This morning (Saturday, six days later), I noticed my Time Machine drive was not mounted. I mounted it, told Time Machine to "Back Up Now" and went away for a few hours. When I came back the Finder was locked up.
So guess my question is this: Are there any know problems with using Firewire 800 with Time Machine? and What can I do to fix this? In the meantime I'm trying another experiment - I've disconnect the Firewire 800 connection and replaced it with USB.

shaneeudy wrote:
So guess my question is this: Are there any know problems with using Firewire 800 with Time Machine?
Hi, and welcome to the forums.
Not in general. Some drives don't always wake or "spin up" fast enough; often that's seen when the system wakes from sleep, though, not so much after a system Restart. Many Western Digitals do that; I don't recall seeing any posts here about yours, but you might want to search the forums for Fantom
In the meantime I'm trying another experiment - I've disconnect the Firewire 800 connection and replaced it with USB.
Good plan - that may provide a clue.
Also, check with the maker -- there may be a firmware or driver update.
And try verifying your internal HD, and repairing your backups, per #A5 of Time Machine - Troubleshooting (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum). Either might cause that.

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Time machine can't mount disk ,hard drive,after its been formatted for windows

i want to use time machine but it can't mount disk as it has been used with windows

You will need to repartition and reformat the drive for use with OS X:
Drive Partition and Format
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Apply button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.

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 "un-exclude" external drive

Any help appreciated. I have a Western Digital Passport 120G external hard drive that Time Machine won't backup. It's mounted fine; operates fine; when I go to Preferences>Time Machine>Options it's listed under "Do not back up" but it's grayed out. It won't allow me to "un-exclude" it.
Any suggestions?
Cliff

Well, I checked and it was factory formatted FAT32. I'll move my data to a DVD and reformat. I tried to read up on Apple.com but couldn't find any TM/HFS+ docs; I never would have found this info. Thanks, Barry.

Time Machine won't allow second backup drive?

I want to create a second backup of Time Machine on another external hard drive. However it won't give me an option to backup to both drives. When I insert drive II, it only allows me to use it if I delete backup drive one. I attached photos of the prompt.
Any help appreciated greatly. Thank you :-)

Howdy Kgkgkg12,
It sounds like this drive you are wanting to use with Time Machine is not in the same format that Time Machine needs to operate. According to this article:
Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac
Your Time Machine drive needs to be formatted as Mac OS X Extended (Journaled). If you select an NTFS or FAT-formatted drive, Time Machine prompts you to reformat the drive. Important: Reformatting erases any files on the destination drive. If you're not sure if you want to erase the drive you connected, choose a different drive.
You can check the format of the drive with these steps:
OS X Yosemite: View file, folder, and disk information
Get individual item info: Select the item(s), then choose File > Get Info, or press Command (⌘)-I.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Sterling

Will Time Machine identify a back up hard drive after main has been erased?

I went to the Genius Bar a couple of days ago and was told that in order to fix some of the problems I was having I should do a achieve and install (or maybe erase and install I can't remember.) Then use Time Machine to restore all the files on my computer except for the system and library folders (since there is a lot of stuff inside them that has been causing errors.)
My question is will Time Machine be able to identify my disk after the achieve and install? I looked at the Time Machine Backup from another start up disk and Time Machine just showed up blank. Is that what would happen if I wiped my drive? Or would that only happen if I completely erased the hard drive and not be an issue if I went with the achieve and install?

The Time Machine disk certainly shouldn't look blank - that could indicate a pro blem with your backups not running when you expect.
When you look at your Time Machine disk you should see a 'Backups.backupdb' dire ctory which contains subdirectories for each Time Machine snapshot.
If you don't see these then your Time Machine isn't backing up and you shouldn't re-install your machine :)
If you do see that, then you should be OK (as long as the subdirectories cover r ecent dates), in which case you can run the re-install - I'd go for a 'clean ins tall' and use the 'Copy my settings from a Time Machine backup' which is one of the options after the first boot.

Pondini, I beseech thee....Time Machine won't back up external drive partitions

Pondini (or anyone else that would like to help),
I am running Mac OS X 10.7.5. At my edit bay, we utilize a Facilis Terrablock 24D for storage, which connects to our system via fibre cables. Before upgrading to 10.7.5, Time Machine would back up all of our drive partitions on the Terrablock. Since the upgrade, Time Machine still recognizes the drives, we can add or subtract files from the drives, and it appears to make and save the changes, but when Time Machine backs up, it will only back up the local hard drive. No error messages come up. It just does its thing but only for the local HD.
All of the drive partitions are Mac OS Extended Journaled. All of the permissions seem to be in order.
I have contacted Facilis and their technical support claims that they never tested their products with Time Machine (as they sell their own backup equipment) but in theory that it should work.
I'm not sure what other information you might need but please let me know and I'll do my best. I was wondering if anyone else has come across an issue like this? Thank you for your time.

LALB wrote:
Upon including this partition and all of its contents, it disappears from the exclusion list as it should AND its size is reflected in the Estimated size of full backup. But this is the kicker! Upon clicking "Save" and starting Time Machine's backup, I receive the error "Time Machine could not complete the backup. There are no disks available to be backed up." Upon going back into TM Preferences > Options, I find that the external drive / partition has been put back on the Exclusion list. It's like it is automatically rejecting the partition after I have saved my exclusion list.
That's quite strange.
TM does that if you try to back up a USB Thumb drive (I've filed a bug report), but this is the first I've heard of it under any other circumstances. Then again, I don't recall a post by anyone trying to back up from a drive connected this way.
If a drive isn't formatted for a Mac (ie, FAT32, ExFat, NTFS, etc), Time Machine cannot back it up, and will list it in gray on the exclusion list (same as the backup drive), and won't let you remove it from the list, so it's clear.
This sounds like a "cousin" of the way it treats a thumb drive, so sure seems like a bug. TM will back up USB, FireWire, and Thunderbolt drives without a problem, if they're formatted right.
If you have any Macs under 90 days old, or covered by AppleCare, a call to them is free, and the best way to get a quick answer (you may have to escalate to a "specialist" however, and it still may take a few days for something unusual). Otherwise it's $50 U.S.
An alternative is to file a Bug Report, per the green box in Reporting a Problem to Apple. That most likely won't get a response for quite a while, though.
Sorry, wish I had a fix!
Let us know what, if anything, you find out.

Time Machine backup problems with firewire 800 since Mavericks

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Forgot to mention I did that. Completely erased and reformatted HD and then reconnected to TM. Didn't help. I did have the mac hang up while installing Mavericks and had to eventually shut off the external drive. It did that to me the firs time I tried to install Mavericks and I lost all my data because it did a clean install after that. I had another back up on CCC so I just restored from there. This time the update to Mavericks transferred my data. I have had TM hang up my mac in the past on occasion, but I was always able to shut down the drive and then the mac would return to normal. Perhaps I should try to erase and reformat again?

Time Machine Won't Recognize External Hard Drive

Hi there,
My father has a 2009 iMac running Mac OS X 10.8.3. Recently, Time Machine stopped recognizing his external Maxtor OneTouch backup hard drive.
I've tried the whole litany of ideas and tips listed in this forum and other websites:
Rebooting both the desktop and the external hard drive
Changing USB ports
Checking Disk Utility (won't even display)
Can you offer any solutions? He hasn't had an issue before, so it seems to be an isolated incident. This desktop is for his business, so it's very important for the files to be backed up.
Thanks.
Update: After submitting this, I received a dialogue box that said the computer cannot read the external hard drive.

If the drive has more than one interface (USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt, eSATA), try one of the other interfaces.
Check that the data cable is securely inserted at both ends.
Try a different cable.
If you're connecting the drive through a hub, connect it directly to a built-in port on the Mac.
If you're connecting it directly, try a different port.
Disconnect all other devices on the bus, or as many as possible.
Test the drive with another Mac. Test another drive with this Mac.
If the drive is bus-powered, but has an AC adapter, connect the adapter.
Boot into Recovery and launch Disk Utility. Is the drive recognized?
Start up in Safe Mode and test.
Reset the System Management Controller
If the drive doesn't work under any of the above conditions, and if another drive does work with the same Mac, then the drive has failed. You may be able to salvage the mechanism by removing it from the enclosure and installing it in another one, or in a drive dock.

Time Machine won't back up to drive. Five days backing up so far

A week ago I got a message saying that Time Machine could not back up to my external hard drive but that I could access my old backups. I pointed Time Machine to another hard drive and it has been backing up there for five days so far - all the time stating Time remaining 5 seconds. It is now in a cleanup mode. I have been reading about various bugs concerning Time Machine and wonder if there is a fix I can carry out so that I can use the original external hard drive again.

Stop the backup. Boot in safe mode and log in. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including Wi-Fi on certain iMacs. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin. Test while in safe mode. Same problem? After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

My HDD died and my Time Machine won't mount, what can I do?

My late 2011 MBP lost its drive due to some mystery physical damage, so I popped it out and replaced it with a Crucial SSD. I thought it was weird that I couldn't reboot from my time machine backup on a WD My Book 3TB external, I had to get a friend to make a bootable Mountain Lion flash drive for me. That worked like a charm, but the problem is actually with the time machine disk... it's dead too.
What's happening is that when I plug it in it will mount for maybe 30 seconds... I can see one or sometimes both partitions and it will sometimes appear in Disk Utility, sometimes not. Sometimes the files appear on the drive, sometimes not. Whenever I try to do any action on the disk, whether its open a folder or repair permissions or whatever, the computer hangs up until it's disconnected. No matter what I do, the disk will dismount "improperly" after 1-2 minutes.
The drive itself is an ex-government USB 3.0 external. I have a spare identical drive around, so I took that apart and used its SATA hookup on my time machine drive, which didn't fix anything. This extra drive fully assembled also mounts and works fine. So that rules out the computer and the SATA connection, I think.
So what can I do to save my data short of mailing in to a recovery place? Are there any utilities that can pull data from an unmounted drive? Any tricks to keep it from dismounting? Running out of ideas here. Thanks for any help you guys can give.

This seems to be a common occurance with Western Digital external drives. More than like the physical drive inside the enclosure is fine, maybe not, but the enclosures electronics are failing. Only way to tell is to remove the drive from the enclosure and connect it to your Mac with a SATA to USB adapter. If the drive is fine you will then be able to read from it and restore your Mac from it.
NOTE:
The late 2011 model and beyond can use the Apple Online Internet Recovery system. That is where you boot the system from the Apple server from over the internet. To use that you have to hold down the Command + Option/Alt + r keys at startup and keep them held down until you see a globe on the screen.

Slow iMac and Time machine won't recognize iMac hard drive

I have an older iMac (2.16GHz Intel) that is upgraded to OSX10.6.7. Recently it has been running very slow (although it did not seem to correlate with any particular install that I know of). I have looked at the Activity Monitor and cannot find anything that is consuming vast amounts of memory (although I can't say that I really know what I'm looking for exactly, just no high numbers). I did a Safe Boot and it is still really slow there (EXAMPLE of slow is taking several minutes to open a program or taking 27 hours to download my pictures (which only took 13 minutes on my MacBook)). I know my iMac could use more memory (1G), but the slow problem is there even if only running one program. I can't find a particular pattern to it, it just hangs up and then comes back most of the time. It did however start shutting itself down recently. I finally got into disk utility (I've been trying to run disk utility and it usually goes into an eternal spin that I can't even force quit - have to hard boot). So from disk utility I ran verify disk in first aid - it says "the volume Macintosh HD appears to be ok." I"m not sure what else I'm supposed to do in here either. So my first question is Does anyone have any other suggestions for the slowness? Second, in the meantime I'm desperately trying to back up my data on the time machine that I stupidly have never set up as a back up. I can manually put files one at a time over there, but if I try to use it as a time capsule (system preferences, time capsule on) my hard drive does not show up as one of the options???? My external drive and the data that is already on the time capsule show up, but not my iMac hard drive. So my second question is How do I get my time machine to see my hard drive or is there another way to get my files to move over there? I realize I'm in trouble, any help would be greatly appreciated. I've tried to provide as much info as possible. Maybe there is something obvious I'm missing.

My own response, or rather an update: I took the computer up to the Genius Bar - my hard drive is bad. They are going to try to rescue my data. For those of you reading this with a similar problem, make an appointment and go to the Apple Store if you can. Mike, my personal "genius" for this encounter, said that stressing the machine when the hard drive is going bad just risks damaging it more. If you potentially have a hardware issue, take it and let them determine what is wrong. They have tools and diagnostics most of us wouldn't know how to use if we read about them here - and they have ways of retrieving data (I hope) that most of us do not have. Please note that disk utility said my hard drive was ok, but the diagnostics they did showed that in fact my hard drive was much less than ok, but it was still "mounting" hence the disk utility reporting it was ok. It is over an hour drive for me to get to the Apple store, and I only wish I had gone sooner.

External USB disk (time machine) won't mount or unmount... can't acces data

I have a recently bought FreeCom external USB drive for backups to Time-Machine.
And just today time machine gave an error “backup failed” and the disk appeared unmounted.
I tried mounting it.. but it wasn’t there. I disconnected it. Restarted the whole computer.
Now, it shows up in Disk Utility sometimes... but the actual volume of the disk is invisible.
Only the option “unmount” is available, but that fails. Neither can I "verify" or "repair" or anything.
I hear it starts up and shuts down, it semi-shows up in disk utility... what can I do to acces it again???
There are some important files on there (besides the backup) that I need.
(This disk has never travelled or fallen/bumped.. it always sits stationairy under my desk.)
Message was edited by: Inofaith

Oddly enough, I attempted to post an answer to your question earlier, but it seems to have not been posted.
Have you tried a different cable or a different USB port?
Have you tried the drive on a different Mac?
Does the drive get its power from the USB port, or does it have an independent power supply?
Does the drive have any security features?
Since I am not familiar with this particular drive, I looked it up, and see that there are several models, and I don't know exactly which one you have. So I will be guessing as to what could be wrong.
If the drive gets its power through the USB port and draws too much power, it could be overloading the USB port and the USB port will shut down rather than allow too much power to be drawn. If you shut down the computer, it can "reset" the USB hub so that it will work again. If this is a possibility, you could try a powered USB hub or powering the drive with a independent power supply. Mac USB ports are very picky about anything drawing too much voltage.
It's possible that you have a faulty USB cable, so it would be worth trying a different cable.
It's possible, although I think less likely, that the enclosure itself could be faulty.
If there is a security feature, it may need to be reactivated in order to connect with the drive.
Hopefully the drive and its data are intact. It sounds to me more like a problem connecting with the drive than a problem with the drive itself. The intermittent nature of the problem lead me to suspect a problem with the cable or the USB port, as the connection itself is what seems to be flakey.
Good luck!

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Thanks.
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Same problem here, with Western Digital BlackArmor NAS220.
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In one single word: AMAZING!!!
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Time Machine won't mount file

I have a new 2.0 GHz PowerBook having a problem connecting to my existing Time Capsule. I transferred the files from my older PowerBook (which was backed up on the Time Capsule) to the new Powerbook. The Time Capsule shows as a shared device in the left column when clicking on the hard drive image of the new computer. When clicking on Time Capsule preferences and clicking on change disk the Time Capsule shows up but when you to select it as the back up disk, it says disk image not found. If you try to just enter time machine, the message is can't load disk image. In summary, although the Time Capsule shows up, it isn't accessible to back up files or view previously backed up files.
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To +Browse Other Time Machine disks+ (ctrl-click the TM icon on the Dock), you first need to mount the TM disk image. Open Finder and go to --'s Time Capsule -> Time Capsule Disk -> --.sparsebundle. Double click the sparsebundle. When prompted, click skip. Now ctrl-click the TM icon on the Dock. The TM back should now be available to browse.

Time Machine won't mount Firewire 800 drive after restart / Finder crashes

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