TM has been backing up to Time Capsule for a month, but there's nothing there

Brand-new retina MacBook Pro (512 GB SSD) connected to brand-new Time Capsule (3 GB).
Software is all up-to-date (Mountain Lion).
After purchasing and setting up this top-of-the-line system last month, Time Machine was configured to make backups on the Time Capsule.
As best as I can tell, Time Machine has been quietly doing it's thing. The TM icon in the menu bar has been spinning around every hour or so, backing up my work (mostly Office 2011 activities). Or so I thought.
Last week, Microsoft Office 2011 suffered a meltdown and hosed the all-important Microsoft database file. My Outlook Mail, Calendars and Contacts were all inaccessible. Off I went to Time Machine to recover a previous version of the database file. To my surprise, upon entering TM, there was nothing there. A Finderesque window displayed my MS Identities folder, over the star wars background. The go-back-in-time arrow did nothing. The calendar slider on the right was grayed out. According to TM, there are no previous backups to browse.
However, the available space on the TC hard drive has dropped to 2.1GB, suggesting that TM has written some 800 GB to the drive during the last month of backup activity. I've not copied any other data to the Time Capsule, so the 800 GB that's been consumed has to be due to Time Machine. My hours/days/weeks of backed-up data seems to be on the TC hard drive, but it's invisible to Time Machine.
The TC appears to be operational. I can mount the /Data volume, see the backups.backupd folder. I mounted the sparseimage -- all that's in it is a single file timestamped 10-1-2012 whose extension is .inprogress. The TC is working fine as a WiFi access point, an ethernet switch and gateway router connected to my ISP.
I spent over three hours on the phone with five different advisors from AppleCare. At the end of it all, the senior advisor's advice was to send the Time Capsule off to a 3rd party data recovery company and see if they could recover the TM data files. At my (considerable) expense. To rub salt in the wound, he refused to dispatch a replacement Time Capsule so I could maintain my business (i.e connectivity to the internet, WiFi network) while the Time Capsule was off being analyzed.
So where did my 800GB of TM backup data go? It must be on the TC drive somewhere, even if Time Machine can't find it. And how on earth can Time Machine pretend to be working for over 4 weeks when it's not? There's little point in copying backup data to the Time Capsule if one can't access the information.

Is there any other way to locate data on the Time Capsule hard drive that Time Machine put there? Entering Time Machine doesn't find any backups. Can I use Disk Utility to analyze the TC hard drive? I've tried using the Finder to locate the 800 GB which is supposed to be there. Should I send the Time Capsule off to a data recovery company, as recommended by AppleCare?
Thanks.

Similar Messages

My 'old' files have been backed up onto time capsule (Leopard), I have upgraded to Lion (thro snow leopard) and now checking back to retosre some old files i can't see or access beyond the date I upgraded to Lion? Help please?

My 'old' files have been backed up onto time capsule (Leopard), I have upgraded to Lion (thro snow leopard) and now checking back to retosre some old files i can't see or access beyond the date I upgraded to Lion? Help please?

Use the manual methods.. but it is possible for TM to wipe the old files in trying to fit into the space.
Try Q16.. but read all the section 14-17
http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html

Will be away from my Time Capsule for 2+ Months

I'm going to be away from my Time Capsule for 2+ months starting next month. Unfortunately it isn't an option to take the Time Capsule with me as it also funcitons as a broadband server for my home security system. What I'd like to know is, if I purchase a 3rd party external hard drive, can I use TIme Machine to back up to that drive while traveling and then resume back-ups with Time Capsule upon my return?
If so, what do I have to do to start backing up to the new drive and what will I have to do when I come back (beside be ready for really long back-ups in both cases)??
Thanks!
Oh, and BTW, I'm not too keen on going the iCloud route as I prefer whole machine back-ups (I've been the victim of laptop theft and Time Capsule SAVED MY SKIN!!!) versus just file back-ups and I haven't made the jump to Lion yet either.

If there are files on the TC.. do a back up of those to USB drive.. you can do a direct archive via the airport utility of the TC.. Then you might be able to use the same USB drive for backups on the move if you partition it beforehand.. but I am not sure having one point of backup is good idea.
You are very calm.. accepting almost.. of a fairly intolerable situation.
I hope you can still afford to insure your home and contents.
Insurance companies are great at taking your money but they don't hand any back with too much glee and vigour or timeliness.

Time machine has stopped backing up to time capsule. message is that sparse bundle is in use

Time machine suddenly stopped backing up to time capsule returning this message:
The backup disk image “/Volumes/Data-1/xxnymacbooknamexx MacBook.sparsebundle” is already in use.

Complex procedure that will almost always solve this bug:
Pull the power cord from the back of the Time Capsule
Count to ten
Plug the power cord back into the back of the Time Capsule
Wait a few minutes, then try a backup again.

HT201250 my time machine has stopped backing up on time capsule. It is plugged into my network

My time machine is set to back up my mac using time capsule.. It has stopped backing up. When I check the icon, says "skip this back up". Before that it said it could not back up. Not sure what changed.
Said it has not backed up in a month. I cannot access anything to tell me what is going on. Please advise.

says last back up was Dec 5. Ugh.

Hi ive been trying to authorize my computer for my account but there is no-where to click or "authorize my computer" button. I have been on your help page and read what to do but its just not there.

hot to authorize my computer but theres nowhere to click "authorize my computer" button

There's a couple of ways to get through to the authorisation controls in the 11.0.x versions.
The control is still in the Store menu, but first (if you're using iTunes versions 11.0.x) you might need to bring up the menu bar to see the Store menu.
If you're using 11.0.x, click on the wee boxy icon up in the top-left corner of your iTunes to see the "Show Menu Bar" control, as per the following screenshot:
Then you'll find the control in the Store menu:
Alternatively, if you don't want to bring up the menu bar, it's still possible to get into the authorise controls via nested menus accessible from the wee boxy icon. Here's a screenshot of where to find them:

HT1177 iPhoto back up on time capsule

Hi there, new time capsule user- need help. Is there any way of checking whether my photos from iphoto have been backed up in Time Capsule?

See #15 and the pink box in Pondini's excellent support document Time Machine - FAQ
http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html

I am backing up to my time capsule for the first time. It has been stuck on 348mb of 20.1 gb for days. Is this normal or is the machine not functioning correctly?

I am backing up to my time capsule for the first time. It has been stuck on 348mb of 20.1 gb for days. Is this normal or is the machine not functioning correctly?

That seems to be OK via WLAN!
It ist better to do the first backup via LAN-cable.

HT3275 My Time Capsule has been backing up without any problems and all of a sudden it stops reading on my computer. The external hard drive beeps three times and the motter wont run within. What happened?

My Time Capsule has been backing up without any problems and all of a sudden it stops reading on my computer. The external hard drive beeps three times and the motter wont run within. The light that usually blinks while in use is no longer blinking and is on constant. What happened?

abailey46 wrote:
My Time Capsule has been backing up without any problems and all of a sudden it stops reading on my computer. The external hard drive beeps three times and the motter wont run within. The light that usually blinks while in use is no longer blinking and is on constant. What happened?
Sorry we are unclear as to the external hard drive and its connection to the TC..
For instance the light that blinks.. is that the TC or external hard disk or what.
Did you try just rebooting / restart the whole network in correct order.. modem.. router / TC.. external drive.. clients with 2min gap between each.
Are you actually running Snow Leopard as the profile states?
How old is the TC?

Time Machine: i had a problem with removing old files from trash, that is fixed and the whole reason was to make time machine work. It has been backing up for day and one half. What should I do??

trash problem resolved. Now time machine is acting up. it has been backing up since yesterday

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 page that opens.
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.
Copy the words "Starting standard backup" (without the quotes) on this page and paste into the String Matching text field. Note the timestamp of the last message shown. Clear the text field and scroll back in the log to that time. Post the messages timestamped from then until the end of the backup, or the end of the log if that's not clear.
Post the log text, please, not a screenshot. If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Don't post many repetitions of the same message.
Some personal information, such as the names of your files, may be included — edit that out, too, but don’t remove the context.

HT1449 I moved my itunes library to the time capsule. Everytime I put the computer to sleep, I have to change the location back to the time capsule. I cannot get the iTunes library to stay located in the time capsule.

My itunes library does not stay in its new location in the time capsule. Every time I put the computer to sleep or leave it alone for awhile, the itunes location goes back to the original location in the macbook. Then I have to change the location back to the time capsule and wait for it to reorganize all the files again. So the question is how to keep my itunes in its new location the time capsule?

Welcome to the discussion area!
+Can someone please provide a definite answer, or at least warn against using the TC as a shared media device on a network. The whole point of getting such a device is to be able to offload large multimedia libraries from the laptops, yet access a shared library when networked. N'est ce pas?+
We're all users here...not pros...so you'll get few definitive answers on a forum with varying opinions about almost every subject.
My opinion would be this: Apple designed the Time Capsule for Time Machine to automatically backup all the files on your Mac and other Macs in the household on a regular basis and provide a way to retrieve a file that had been deleted recently by mistake. It's a pretty good router as well.
If you check the info about the Time Capsule on Apple's site, the main features mentioned are backup of your Macs and a dual band wireless network capability.
The Time Capsule was never designed to be a media server housing audio, video and other multi-media files and has never been promoted as such. Nevertheless, some users seem to have adopted the stance that this should be one of the benefits of the device, if not a main feature.
There may be a need for media server type device, but the Time Capsule, at least at this time, is not the answer. If you feel otherwise, you might want to speak directly to Apple and let them know via Time Capsule Feedback.

Can I use my time capsule for back up only and not as a router?

I have been trying to set up my time capsule as a router but have not been successful, the dsl I am using is not responding. Can I just use my time capsule as a back up device and not as a router? if so how can I do this?

Yes, you can. Simply plug the TC via Ethernet into the current router and set it up in bridge mode.

My home network has an Airport Extreme w/Time Capsule as the base and then an Airport Express and a second Airport Extreme to reach different areas of the house. Is there a way to use the second Airport Extreme for file storage on this network?

My home network has an Airport Extreme w/Time Capsule as the base and then an Airport Express and a second Airport Extreme to reach different areas of the house. Is there a way to use the second Airport Extreme for file storage on this network? Network is administered through an iMac running OS X Yosemite 10.10.2. Ideally, would like for the second Airport Extreme hard drive to appear on the list of devices in the Finder window.

Ok.. gottcha
The problem is network wise.. Yosemite is about equal to tin cans and string.. pathetic.
Here is my usual set of instructions to get anything working on Yosemite.
The best way to fix problems is a full factory reset of all the AE in the network.
Factory reset universal
Power off the AE.. ie pull the power cord or power off at the wall.. wait 10sec.. hold in the reset button.. be gentle.. power on again still holding in reset.. and keep holding it in for another 10sec. You may need some help as it is hard to both hold in reset and apply power. It will show success by rapidly blinking the front led. Release the reset.. and wait a couple of min for the AE to reset and come back with factory settings. If the front LED doesn’t blink rapidly you missed it and simply try again. The reset is fairly fragile in these.. press it so you feel it just click and no more.. I have seen people bend the lever or even break it. I use a toothpick as tool.
Then redo the setup from the computer with Yosemite.
1. Use very short names.. NOT APPLE RECOMMENDED names. No spaces and pure alphanumerics.
eg AEgen5 and AEwifi for basestation and wireless respectively.
Even better if the issue is more wireless use AE24ghz and AE5ghz with fixed channels as this also seems to help stop the nonsense.
2. Use all passwords that also comply but can be a bit longer. ie 8-20 characters mixed case and numbers.. no non-alphanumerics.
3. Ensure the AE always takes the same IP address.. this is not a problem for AE which is router.. it is a problem for AE which is bridged.. you will need to set static IP in the main router by dhcp reservations or use static IP in the AE which is tricky.
4. Check your share name on the computer is not changing.. make sure it also complies with the above.. short no spaces and pure alphanumeric..
5. Make sure IPv6 is set to link-local only in the computer. For example wireless open the network preferences, wireless and advanced / TCP/IP.. and fix the IPv6. to link-local only.
6. Now mount the disk of the second AE in finder... manually.
Use Go, Connect to Server and type in the AE ip address.
SMB://10.0.1.2
Where you will replace that address with the actual address. The network resource should be discovered and then it will request the password.. type that in and make sure you tick to save it in your keychain.
There is a lot more jiggery pokery you can try but the above is a good start.. if you find it still unreliable.. don't be surprised.
Do as much as you want of the above... not all of it is necessary.. only if you want it reliable.. or as reliable as Yosemite in its current incarnation can manage.
The most important thing is point 6.. mount the disk using direct IP address and not names.. dns in Yosemite is fatally flawed.
See http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/01/why-dns-in-os-x-10-10-is-broken-and-what-yo u-can-do-to-fix-it/

Time machine backup from USB drive connected and backing up to Time Capsule

Hi all forum virgin here, so be gentle.
I'll get straight to it. Much net trawling hasn't resulted in a definitive answer on this which surely I'm not alone in
I have: MBP networked to TC (where TM resides) and USB drive connected.
A- I simply want to TM backup not only MBP but USB drive on network as well?
As far as I can see there is no way of selecting this and after TM back has finished the only way I can check is
to enter TM (fancy space screen view) and obviously idrive doesn't appear in finder view.
I have tried connecting to MBP and obviously TM backs it up too and I can see in Enter TM. But I need this
drive on network so a further 2 things here:-
B- when I remove from MBP and TM backs up again will it see it's not there and delete as a change?
C- will it keep in previous backups if I cycle back to that particular one?
Andy help here would be most welcome

Slymon2000 wrote:
B- when I remove from MBP and TM backs up again will it see it's not there and delete as a change?
Sooner or later, yes, as LaPastnague says. It depends on when the backups are done. The first backup of each day is kept for a month; all others are deleted after 24 hours. After a month, the first backup of the week is kept as long as there's room, and the others deleted.
Obviously not a reliable solution.
A better method might be to use a different app to back it up to the TC's internal HD, but that presents another problem. See #Q3 in Using Time Machine with a Time Capsule for an explanation and some possible workarounds.
The 3rd-party apps CarbonCopyCloner and ChronoSynch can do network backups (others probably can, too).
So you might be able to "reserve" some space on the TC's HD and use one of those apps. As LaPastnague says, though, that will be relatively slow.
If there isn't enough room on the TC's internal HD, you could get another USB drive and connect it to the TC also (via a powered USB hub) and back up to it. That will be even slower, though.

Backing up macbook pro to time capsule for first time via ethernet

I set up a new 2T Time Capsule / Airport, let it run overnight, only about half way backed up. I deleted first backup file, and want to do the backup via ethernet. How do I do this?

....and want to do the backup via ethernet. How do I do this?
This will depend on how you have the Time Capsule connected to your network.
If you have it connected from your modem or modem/router using an Ethernet cable at the present time, you are already set. Just connect another spare Ethernet cable from one of the LAN <-> ports on the Time Capsule to your Mac....and be sure to turn off the wireless on the Mac before you start the backup.
Normally, about 25-30 GB of data will transfer per hour this way, so if your Mac has say, 60 GB of data loaded, the backup should take approximately 2-3 hours. Once the backup is complete, disconnect the Ethernet cable and turn the wireless back on at the Mac.
However, if you have the TIme Capsule configured to connect to your network using wireless only, then the Ethernet ports are not enabled on the Time Capsule in this type of setup. It is not possible to backup using an Ethernet connection unless you are willing to reconfigure the Time Capsule for the backup...and then reconfigure it again to get it back to its current setup.

TM has been backing up to Time Capsule for a month, but there's nothing there

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for