What is Time Machine actually doing?

During Time Machine backups, I always get curious as to what Time Machine is actually doing.
For example, towards the end of a backup, TM is "Cleaning up...". What does that mean? I didn't realise TM made a mess to begin with. And also, when I click "Stop Backing Up" whilst TM is cleaning up, the backup finishes a lot quicker, yet is considered a successful backup. Makes me think that "Cleaning up..." is an unnecessary part of the whole process.
Additionally, there is also this "Finalising backup..." message. What does that even mean? Once your finished cleaning up, surely there's nothing more to be done?
Just curious as to whether or not anybody has figured out what TM is actually doing.

Hi, and welcome to the forums.
The main things are converting the "in.Progress" package into an actual backup folder; deleting "expired" backups, if necessary; and finishing up the (hidden) log in each backup folder, updating the status, date of last backup, in various places.
If you cancel while it's deleting expired backups, it just skips that step, as it will get them the next time, so yes, that's considered a successful backup.
See #A1 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), for a handy widget to display the backup messages from your logs.

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Can anyone tell me what this Time Machine error means? The network backup disk does not support the required AFP features?

Can anyone tell me what this Time Machine error means? The network backup disk does not support the required AFP features?

AFP - Apple Filing Protocol
The Network Attached Storage (NAS) that you are pointing Time Machine at does not have the features needed by Time Machine in order to do its Thing. Time Machine needs some specific features that are not typically available on generic networked storage devices.
There are manufactures that support the Mac OS X HFS+ file system formats and implement all the needed AFP protocol packets necessary so that they can be used with Time Machine, but apparently yours does not.
If you are not using a networked mounted volume for Time Machine, then more information will be needed about your Time Machine setup.

What is time machine backing up?

I noticed today thought that Time Machine had run out of space and needed to clear some up. It was the first time I'd seem this message, so I figure after having backups since November, I was due for the delete message, but I got a couple of them throughout the day today which concerned me.
I installed Aperture 2 yesterday and have been doing some website changes in iWeb. From what I understand, Aperture 2 works with Time Machine and shouldn't need to copy the entire library over if there is just a small change within it. My iWeb domain file is only 40'ish megs.
It seems like Time Machine is doing some weird stuff. I just checked the time machine logs and it's suddenly trying to backup 46GB of stuff when there certainly haven't been 40GB of changes.
I'd like to try to figure out what Time Machine is actually doing.
I followed this hint: http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071201084525895
But I was unable to get Instruments to show anything. All I get is a "Could not load DTrace server" - whatever that means.
Anyone have any magic bullets?

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1397034

The time machine Icon does not does not show up in my menu bar

The time machine icon does not appear in my menu bar. The desk top icon for the external hard drive is green. I've checked preferances and the time machine is turned on and the box is checked that has the icon appear in my menu. I've turned off the time machine and rebooted and then turned it on and rebooted again. Nothing seems to work. I'm running Mavericks and I have an Intel I5 processor.

the box is checked that has the icon appear in my menu
Uncheck it and check it again. Any change? If not, see below.
Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you turn on the computer, and again when you log in.
Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup 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, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.

What is Time Machine really Backing Up?

I have two internal HD's one 750gig that has Leopard on it, & a second HD that is 500gigs.
I have Time Machine backing up everything. I have noticed this for some time now, & have watched it
very carefully what is new on my system this month, beside a few texted emails, I have nothing new, no new programs, no new photos or no new music or videos. So what is Time Machine backing up?
I plugged in my external HD & let Time Machine start backing up, it stated it was backing up 5.2gigs of WHAT! is my question.
Thanks

If you have photos, then editing any photos will also require an update. You didn't mention which email client you are using. Are you using VMWare or Parallels? To see what folders/files are being updated, you can try:
www.charlessoft.com/timetracker.zip

What is time machine and how i can use it

what is time machine and how i can use it ?

Hope you may find these articles helpful.
https://www.apple.com/support/timemachine/
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Machine_(OS_X)
Best.

Clicking the Time Machine icon does nothing.

So I have backed up to an external hard-drive, and would like to confirm my backup. But clicking the Time Machine icon does nothing.
Is anyone else experiencing this?

Thanks all. I had used my external hard-drive on a PC previously, and thought that Time Machine would reformat it correctly, but erasing the external hard-drive with Disk Utility seems to have addressed the issue. I can now open Time Machine by clicking the icon in the dock, just as I was trying to do before... in vain.
So that problem being solved, I now have a question: If I have a Boot Camp partition (I do), will it be backed up by Time Machine as well? How can I check? I.e. how can I open that partition from Mac OS / Time Machine?

4 a quick star--Can I close my macbook while Time Machine is doing it's bz

Can I close my macbook while Time Machine is doing it's thing?
I've read some conflicting info on sleep and TM
It seems like I should be able to close it and walk away while it does its business.
I'm all confused ???

nerowolfe wrote:
Bobsax wrote:
Can I close my macbook while Time Machine is doing it's thing?
I've read some conflicting info on sleep and TM
It seems like I should be able to close it and walk away while it does its business.
I'm all confused ???
If closing your lid forces the machine to sleep, you will force TM to abort.
If closing the lid allows TM to continue, then it's OK.
TM does not work while the computer is sleeping.
Since TM usually takes a minute or less after the first backup unless you have created a large file, why close the lid?
My last backup took 1 minute 30 seconds. Hardly time to close the lid and open it again.
I'm doing a full backup so it's taking awhile.
Do people leave their external drive plugged in with TM on all the time??
For me , I'm sure once a week or so will be fine.

I have iOS 10.7.5 and if i update to Mountain lion 10.8.2 will i lose all my old applications i've purchased and other software i've downloaded? and what is time machine ?

I have iOS 10.7.5 and if i update to Mountain lion 10.8.2 will i lose all my old applications i've purchased and other software i've downloaded? and what is time machine ?

No. You will not lose any of the applications and data will be safe.
But make sure that you have working backup. This is very important.
Time Machine is the built-in backup software/application.
Best.

Time machine icon does not rotate and back up icon on desktop does not show during backup session.

Time machine icon does not rotate and back up icon on desktop does not show during backup session since I installed Maverick. Why? How do I fix it?

That's the new look of it. No way to change it other than file a complaint with Apple. If ENOUGH people do thst they may "fix it".
http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

HT201250 Time Machine App does not start under OS X Lion

I tried to restore an item from my back-up, however the Time Machine App does not start.
I use the latest version of OS X Lion 10.7.5 (Build 11G63).
I used the work around by opening my back-up volume with the finder and copied the wanted item.
However, this is not the correct approach I think.
Does anybody have a solution to my problem?

Just the last addition to my question.
The modifications of the access rights took very, very long. In the end I cancelled the process.
Nevertheless, time machine now works correctly. As far as I can see it.
If annybody runs into similar problems. The solution is I think just to modify the access rights on the back-up volume to read and write access for everyone.
Probably OS X Lion added an undocumented feature to the time machine.

What Is Time Machine? What does it Do?

I've heard of time machine backup before, what does it do? How does it work? Is it avalible for Windows 7?

It does not backup iPhones. iTunes backs up iPhones. If you backup your computer with Time Machine, then the iTunes backup will itself be backed up.
However, none of this will help you recover an old iPhone backup you now want. None of that would work until after you started using Time Machine. And only from the date forward.

What will Time Machine/T.C. actually backup?

1. A firewire drive mounted.
2. a NAS drive mounted.
3. Of the mac's files, will it take everything, OS included, or just the documents/movies/music it finds? What about the desktop junk? Can you specify what?
4. Can you tell T.M. when to do the backups? or does it interrupt you all the time?
I have a time capsule, it's working, but I have yet to delve into using it as a backup. I can't decide if I should use the drive in the TC as it's intended purpose, a backup (which I would then backup again to a USB attached drive), or keep using my Lacie NAS as my main backup, and then backup everything to the T.C. and only use an external for a 3rd level of backup that I take off-site once a month.
Thoughts?

The general rule of thumb is that you need about twice as much space on the backup drive for Time Machine as you are using on your computer. In other words, if your files use 250 GB on your computer, ideally you would want to have 500 GB available for Time Machine backups. This will allow Time Machine to build a long history of backups. If you don't need to go back in time more than a few weeks or months, you can get by with less storage space.

Does Time Machine actually back up files?

We have a Mac OS X Server on an eMac running for an elementary school. We set up Time Machine to backup to an Intel iMac setting beside it, booted in Target Disk Mode. We had a problem with the Server the other day, and it wouldn't start up. When we booted the iMac in the regular OS (rather than Target Disk Mode), we tried to access the Server's backups in the Backups folder on the Hard Drive. When we accessed the latest backup folder, a little black arrow was on the icon and when we tried to access anything in the folder, it said that it couldn't access the files unless the backed-up computer was on and running or something of the like. Is this normal? Did we do something wrong? Is there any way to get it to backup the actual files in full so that if the Server goes haywire, we could access the files on the iMac, to which we backed up the Server? Thanks for any help provided.
Message was edited by: mattshank

The Time Machine backup is a repository, but requires a restoration location, usually the HD you're backing up. You can't access the TM backup directly. If you want that kind of capability, you need to use something like Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper!.

HT1379 My computer I-mac is running super slow. If I zap the PRAM it goes back to running well , briefly... a few hours, then back to super slow. What is the resolution for this problem? I have a Time machine that does back up well.

My computer is running super slow. I can correct the problem briefly by zapping the PRAM but is resumes as a problem after a few hours. I have good time machine (capusle) backup daily. I have done a disk verify and there doesn't appear to be anything wrong there.
Help, this is wasting a lot of time to do simple functions.

Hard to say what's going wrong without more information. Try the troubleshooting steps in my Mac Performance Guide. Post back if you need help with any of that or questions about the results.

What is Time Machine actually doing?

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