Why is Time Machine backup disk not available?

After being away for 6 week on vacation with the iMac turned off, but the Time Capsule left on, all backups have been "delayed" and a forced backup-now yields the following message:
Time Machine couldn’t complete the backup to “XXX-Time-Capsule”.
OSX 10.8.4
I've tried to re-select with password using the TiemCapsule utility
Any suggesttions?

Open Time Machine Preferences>click "Select Disk">click on the appropriate TM disk under the bottom window titled "Available Disks." Force a backup and see if it works. If this doesn't fix it reboot your iMac and/or Time Capsule and try forcing a backup again once the iMac and/or TC have fully booted up.

Similar Messages

Time Machine "Backup Disk Not Available" over WAN

I have port forwarded port 46 (TCP and UDP) to port 548 a Mac mini server running Mac OS X 10.6.8, and I have Time Machine backup disk on it set as a share point with Time Machine support enabled. On my Mac Pro running OS X 10.8.5, I am able to connect via AFP to my server with the address "afp://my-ip-address:46" and can read and write on the backup disk share point. I tested that, and it works. When I am on the same LAN as the server, I can use that disk for Time Machine and have been doing so for years. However, I cannot do a Time Machine backup to that share point over the WAN. When I open Time Machine preferences, I can select the share point as my backup disk, but once I start the backup, it says "Backup disk not available" and fails to start. How could I fix this problem?
In case you're wondering, I forward port 46 to port 548 instead of port 548 to port 548 to minimize hacking attempts. Last time I used a default port, a computer in Taiwan started spamming SSH authentication failures.

I did find this article via Google
<http://www.macgurulounge.com/make-time-machine-remotely-back-up-to-your-time-cap sule/>
Personally, I use CrashPlan (free option using my own disks) to backup over the internet. It works very well when I'm away from home. Everything is encrypted.

Cannot access time machine, backup disk not available error code.

My time machine stopped backing up. It is a 2TB. I get error code -6584. and says backup disk not available. Coincidentally, I had to reset my time machine for a forgotten password about 6 days ago. Wi-fi works fine, but a few days later when trying to access old files throughout the time capsule I could not. Said my last back up was the day the time machine had to be reset. I have 1.79 of TB used..which is weird my computer is only 4 G and have only filled up 2.4 G of it.
ANy ideas?

We haven't seen report of problem with 6584 for a while. It generally means a corrupted backup. You need to do a verify of the back.
See A5 here. http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
This will take a very very long time if the backup has almost filled the TC.. so at least use ethernet connection.
You do have a problem.. the formatted capacity of a 2TB disk is 1.8TB.. If you have used up 1.79TB then sorry but you really need to erase the TC and start over.
The TM can fill up huge disks if you use parallels or dropbox or any dual boot system that has a virtual disk file.. TM will backup 20GB for every 1KB change. That file is hidden btw so you might not see it but I assure you it will chew up space.
I don't know what you mean by computer having only 4GB. That would make it rather ancient.. Surely even smallest SSD must be 64 or 128GB.

Time Machine: Backup Disk Not Available

I realize there are a few topics floating around about this issue, but I'm still not finding a solution. Not sure if my situation is different than the others but figured I'd take a shot a describing my scenario in a new thread and seeing if it generates any new ideas.
I have a 2TB Seagate external expansion drive connected to a MacMini on my home network. The drive is formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and is not partitioned.
I have mounted the drive on my MacBook Pro 2.66/i7 running 10.6.6. I then go to the TM Preference pane and select the drive, enter the username and password for my admin account on the Mini. It indicates that it's preparing and then comes back a minute later with a Time Machine error indicating that the backup drive is not available.
I have an older MacBook Pro, my sons MacBook, and my wife's Macbook also on the network. Each of these Macs can mount the backup drive, select it in the TM Preference pane and successfully begin and maintain the TM backup.
I have created a second "test" account on my MacBook Pro. I have followed the same steps and have had no problems with time machine preparing and successfully beginning the back up account.
So - with those facts - I have had to conclude that there is something amiss with my main account.
Other steps I have taken on my MBP with my main account include:
* Deleting the com.timemachine.plist file from /Library/Preferences - restarting and trying again. No luck.
* Restarting into applejack and performing an "applejack auto restart". No luck
* Removing all timemachine related entries in the Keychain, running Keychain FirstAid. No luck.
* Reformatting the external drive on the Mini, repairing permissions and running a disk repair and starting all over again. No luck.
In each case above a restart was done before attempting to reinitiate the TM process.
So - with out blabbering on with any more details, I think it's clear that I'm at a bit of a loss as to what else I should try. I'm WIDE open to suggestions.

I resolved this issue just this morning (see below). This may not (or may) apply to your situation because yours magically corrected itself, but hopefully it will help somebody.
Environment Architecture: We appear to have a very similar system architecture to the one you describe. In my case, we have 4 macs all relying on Time Machine and a networked 1TB Time Capsule for backups. Each of 3 workstation macs share data from the 4th, which we use as a primary server. I ran into my problem when the Time Capsule filled up and stopped backing up our primary server due to lack of available space. All recommended solutions for freeing up space appeared time consuming, and because we do daily off-site backups through MOZY (we use Time Machine for simplicity of recovery for hourly backups) I could take the "easier" path of just reformatting the Time Capsule's data drive and start again fresh.
Problem identified: Per instructions, I used Airport Utility to erase my Time Capsule data drive, but thought I'd check my existing settings while I was there. Seeing the password prompt, and not remembering for sure what my password was, I thought I'd just reset it to what I wanted. Seemed benign at the time. When I started my 1st system's backup, I was prompted for the Time Capsule's password, and entered the new password. It accepted it as it should have, but then rejected the backup with a message indicating that I had provided the incorrect network account and password. The odd part was that it had originally accepted it, and even flashed the available space on the Time Machine preferences window. After much searching through these topics, I discovered that the password is stored multiple times -- some correctly and some not. Correcting the passwords fixed the problems.
Where to look:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2048
Mac OS X 10.5.3 or later: Time Machine - "Backup volume could not be mounted" after changing network volume's password
* Last Modified: October 14, 2008
* Article: TS2048
As it turns out, Apple stores that password in multiple places in your Keychain (don't ask me why!), even using the identical Keychain entry name. All I can presume is that one piece of the software looked in one Keychain entry, and another looked in a different Keychain entry. The passwords were different (one was my original password, and one was my new password). Once I changed them to the same thing on each of my satellite stations, they all worked again and Time Machine is happily chugging along on all workstations.

Time Machine "Backup disk not available" error message since install Snow L

Since installing Snow Leopard my back-ups have failed, generating the error message "The back-up disk is not available." Last successful back-up was immediately pre-install of Snow Leopard. TM looks like it is backing up but in the end I get the error message. The wireless aspect for internet connect works fine so I don't think connectivity is the issue.
I am not real techie so insult me with basics. Thanks.

I have four macs using time machine on a single 1TB drive connected to Airport Extreme through USB. This morning I got the dreaded error-109 on Mac#1. This occured right after I had added Mac#4 to the bunch. While adding the Mac#4, I mounted my airport disk and then used time machine to select it for backup. I forgot to eject it after it had done the initial backup. That was when the error occured on the Mac#1.
Mac #1 C2D Mini 2009 SL 10.6.2
Mac #2 G5 DP L 10.5.8
Mac #3 MBP 2009 SL 10.6.2
Mac #4 MB C2D2006 SL 10.6.2
First I turned off TM on all of the Macs. I mounted the airport disk again, on Mac#1. I deleted the sparsebundle for Mac#1. I opened TM and selected the airport disk for backup. It is now backing up again on Mac#1. When it is finished, I will turn on TM once again on the other macs and see what happens. There is still a chunk of space left on the airport disk, about 680GB after all of the backups

Time Machine Backups disk not automatically unmounting after backup completes in Lion

I am using Time Machine over WiFi on a 3rd party USB drive shared as an AirDisk through an Airport Extreme router. Ever since switching to Lion (clean install), I have noticed that the Time Machine backup disk will not automatically unmount after a backup is completed. This creates a problem when my MacBook Pro comes back from sleep. Specifically, the WiFi notification icon in the Finder toolbar indicates that WiFi is connected, even though it's not connected to a network, and I am unable to connect to any networks for what seems like several minutes until the Time Machine backups disk disappears from the desktop and WiFi actually connects.
Since the disk was not cleanly unmounted, Time Machine then keeps complaining that the sparse bundle file is locked and cannot be mounted every time it tries to do a backup. I have to either disconnect/reconnect the USB drive physically from the router, or restart the router every time this happens to resolve the issue. That is getting really annoying to have to do every time. I suppose I could manually unmount the Time Machine disk after every backup but it's ridiculous to have to do that every time I want to put the computer to sleep.
Is anyone else experiencing this issue and is there a fix?

For others who might be having this problem - I was able to resolve it by connecting my backup disk to my mac via USB, completely erasing it, and starting over from a new backup. Disk Utility was not reporting any errors when I verified the disk, but I went ahead and repartitioned it and started fresh. The disk now automatically unmounts after backups complete.

HT201250 Time Machine backup disk not found

I recently reconfigured my external disks, creating a 500GB oartition for Time Machine backup. thefirst time I set up Time machine to use that partition all went well. Seconed time it failed "cannot find backup disk."
This is a 24 inch, mid 2007 iMac OS X 10.8.2. I am using two external backup drives - 1T LaCie with 4 partitions and a BlackX removable adaptor with a WD 1T drive plugged in. Both are formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) In the view below the top "Time Machine" drive at the top is a duplicate of the last drive in the list.
If I select the top drive - I have the option to "Remove Disk" - NOT to "Use this Disk." So I have to select the bottom "Time Machine" drive. The backup will then run once but on the second try I get "Time Machine couldn't complete the backup to "Time Machine". Unable to complete backup. An error occured while creating backup folder." Whether I remove the top listed disk or not doesn't seem to matter, sometimes it finds the drive, sometimes not!
The BlackX is a USB connected directly to the iMac. The other partition on that drive contains movie clips and they run fine.
There is a backup folder on the Time Machine drive with six backups - however I have to "reset" the Time Machine each time to get it to backup. It craps out on the second try every time. Got me buffaloed! Any ideas?

Assuming you have nothing on your Time Machine volume that you need, erase that volume and Verify it from Disk Utilities. Repair if necessary. Then, go into the Time Machine Preferences and Remove the selected drive to use. Now, reselect it and try a backup.

Why does time machine backup disk images?

I have Time Machine backing up my folders on my Time Capsule but when I look at the Time Capsule drive in the Finder it shows one Sparse Disk Image Bundle. If I lose a folder on my iMac, how can I easily get the folder off of the Time Capsule? Is there a reason Time Machine and Time Capsule is making this Disk Image and not simply dumping folders on there?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
If you lose a folder, you just have to open Finder, go to the folder where that folder was and open the Time Machine application, so you will be able to navigate through your backups and restore the folder > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427
Time Machine always create sparsebundle disk images when you are backing up to a network drive

Time Machine backup disk not found

Hello,
I have following set-up at home:
* A BELKIN router in the laundry room
     > This router is connected to the internet via my cable modem
     > This router broadcasts a wireless network, let's call it wifi A, troughout the house
     > This router is connected to 3 wired internet sockets troughout the house
     > This router is functioning perfectly
* A TIME CAPSULE in the office
     > This time capsule is connected to one of the above mentioned internet sockets
     > This time capsule is used as a hub, router mode is OFF (Bridge mode)
     > This time capsule does not broadcast a wireless network
     > This time capsule connects a printer, a NAS network disk and a Mac Book Pro (via a thunderbolt screen) to the router
* A Mac Book Pro
     > At home this MBP is always connected to the wired internet, via the tunderbolt screen and the macbook pro
     > Running mountain lion
     > Backups are done regularly via the time capsule, without problems
* A Mac Book Air (and here is where the problem starts)
     > Running Mountain Lion (although the below problem was already present with Lion also)
     > Always connected to the wifi A network
     > This Mac Book Air is also set up to back up to the time capsule, but here is the problem.
The problem is as follows: when the MBA want's to start the backup, it start's looking for the backup disk, but it can't find the disk. So it cancels the backup. It is very strange, because the Time Capsule itself can be found. If you chose "Select Disk" in the Time Machine Preferences, the time capsule shows up as an option. The time capsule also shows up in the airport utility and in the finder. In the finder, one can even browse to the previously created Sparse Disk Image of the backup on the time capsule.
If I want to make a backup, I have to do one of the following:
* Connect the MBA wired to the timecapsule via the thunderbolt screen.
* Set Up a wireless network via the timecapsule, wifi B, and connect the MBA to this network. Extending the wifi A network does not solve the problem!
Anybody has a solution for this problem?
Jan
PS Replacing my Belkin Router with the time capsule is not an option. The router is located in the laundry room (since this is where the cable connection is coming in) and I don't want to place a backup hard drive in this damp room. Also having the wifi broadcasted only by the time machine is not an option since it does not even cover half the living area.

thought I had a solution, but had misread your post... sorry

Time Machine backup disk not mounting after Snow Leopard upgrade

i recently upgraded from latest version of Leopard to Snow Leopard via retail disk 10.6.3 & then updated combo 10.6.5. Now the TM backup disc will not mount.

Exactly what happens? Do you get a message? If so, what?
Try a "full reset" of Time Machine, per #A4 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, the backups may be corrupted. Repair them, per #A5 in Troubleshooting.

Option to encrypt time machine network disks not available

I have two MBP' (Os10.8.4) machines that backup over a network to a MM running 10.6.8 retail.
In TM the box to encrypt the backup is grayed out. I read in Pondini' excellent instructions ( http://pondini.org/TM/31.html ) that it is only available in 10.8. as said, the MBP' are on 10.8.4.
Would this mean that because my MM is running 10.6 it is not available? seems not logic to me, but can someone confirm this or tell me the workaround/fix?
Thanks

It probably has to do with how the encryption software is written in 10.6 OS software. I would go with Pondini's
article.

Time Machine unable to backup. "Backup disk not available"

I have been having issues backing up to Time Capsule for a few weeks. I keep getting error messages. The latest backup attempt was 'delayed'. When I clcik to see why, it says "The backup disk not available". It says the last successful backup was at 8:00 PM tonight, but that doesn't seem to make sense since it says it was delayed.
Are there steps I can take to try and resolve this?
Thanks

I have consistantly had this problem.
Time Machine could not complete the backup.
The backup disk could not be found.
Make sure the backup disk is connected or open the Time Machine preferences to select a different backup disk.
If I unplug it and plug it back in it will probably work, although I have had to totally start from scratch a couple times to get it working.
Is this a DHCP issue or how can I avoid this in the future?
Thanks,

Backup disk not available - Time Machine

I have an external disk attached to my Airport Extreme through a usb hub and also my printer. Since the upgrade to Yosemite I get constant warnings from TimeMachine "Backup Disk Not Available". In order to make backups I use to

Here is the normal set of changes I tell people to make .. but Yosemite is poor and none of these individually or collectively may help.. sorry.. the issue is directly caused by Apple and until they give a proper fix you are going to be doing jiggery pokery and a lot of hoping for the best.
A factory reset of the TC is the start.. it is required so you can find it again.
Factory reset universal
Power off the TC.. 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 TC 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.
N.B. None of your files on the hard disk of the TC are deleted.. this simply clears out the router settings of the TC.
Setup the TC again.
ie Start from a factory reset. No files are lost on the hard disk doing this.
Then redo the setup from the computer with Yosemite.
1. Use very short names.. NOT APPLE RECOMMENDED names. No spaces and pure alphanumerics.
eg TCgen5 and TCwifi for basestation and wireless respectively.
Even better if the issue is more wireless use TC24ghz and TC5ghz with fixed channels as this also seems to help stop the nonsense. But this can be tried in the second round.
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 TC always takes the same IP address.. you will need to do this on the main router using dhcp reservation.. or a bit more complex setup using static IP in the TC. But this is important.. having IP drift all over the place when Yosemite cannot remember its own name for 5 min after a reboot makes for poor networking. If the TC is main router it will not be an issue.
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.. but this change will mess up your TM backup.. so be prepared to do a new full backup. Sorry.. keep this one for second round if you want to avoid a new backup.
5. Mount the TC disk in the computer manually.
In Finder, Go, Connect to server from the top menu,
Type in SMB://192.168.0.254 (or whatever the TC ip is which you have now made static. As a router by default it is 10.0.1.1 and I encourage people to stick with that unless you know what you are doing).
You can use name.. SMB://TCgen5.local where you replace TCgen5 with your TC name.. local is the default domain of the TC and doesn't change.
However names are not so easy as IP address.. nor as reliable. At least not in Yosemite they aren't. The domain can also be an issue if you are not plugged or wireless directly to the TC.
6. 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.
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.
You might need to do some more work on the laptop itself. eg Reset the PRAM.. has helped some people. Clean install of the OS is also helpful if you upgrade installed.
Tell us how you go.

Why is Time machine backup not working after Mavericks upgrade?

Why is Time machine backup not working after Mavericks upgrade?

I had the same problem due to the Fire Wire port. Apple tested it told me it is OK!, I tried a new cable, and have tested both ports on my back up device. I find it strange that as soon as I installed Mavericks. The drive does work using USB. It could be a coincidence, I don't absolutely know at this point, my back up drive ports could stop working, but I doubt it!

My time capsule worked for several weeks and is now telling me backup disk not available? What to do?

My time capsule worked for several weeks and now is not backing up. Tells me backup disk not available? Any suggestions?

This is a lion bug..
Generally just rebooting the TC will get it back. Otherwise you need to reset the TC and redo its setup.
Tell us a bit more.. but there is as yet no work around or fix for lion.
Certain things help.. but wireless is also a weak link. It will generally work better by ethernet.
Try and get back if it is still bugging you.. I can suggest some other things.. but I do not know of or read a bullet yet.
(Snow and TC firmware 7.5.2 which I run do not have this issue.. so the bug was introduced with Lion and 7.6 firmware)

Why is Time Machine backup disk not available?

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