Why won't TimeMachine backup?

Hi, all.
I am using a standard MacBook Pro 15 inch with normal memory. I have a 320 GB My Passport and I've been using it in conjunction with TimeMachine. Yesterday, I tried to backup more data after uploading new pictures. However, it was disrupted and a message popped up that explained that My Passport only has 69 GB but needs 219GB for the backup. I've never had this problem before...
But I decided to clear old backups and try to backup again. Even with more room available on My Passport, it's not allowing me to backup. Why not?
Any help would be great! Thanks!

From the addition of 219 GB of photos, I would guess you have more than 350 GB on your main disk.
TM or any backup disks should be at least 2x the size of the disk being backed up, for reasons that should be obvious now. TM keeps "hsitorical" backups to allow recovery to different points in time.
Also, 350GB sounds like a bus-powered (powered by the USB cable). Backup drives should be self-powered.
You can repartition that TM drive now, and continue trying to use it as TM. But I think you should start by getting an external/self-powered drive that is at least 2x the size of your internal disk (your aparent use of 200+ GB of new files suggests 3x). Buy one that says "For Mac" to avoid formatting issues.
Just like you would not turn a screw with a hammer, you need to start with the correct tools.
After you buy this drive, start a new post "Preparing a disk for clone backups and re-using a 'too-small' TM disk".
You will get enough responses to help you set up a a valid backup strategy.
I have 2 external disks, 1 has a CarbonCopyClone backup and 1 TimeMachine, both are 1 TB, to backup my 500 GB startup disk. So this is from experience.

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This may be caused by a corrupt existing backup that needs to be deleted, or by data on your device that is causing the backup to fail. To troubleshoot these, try deleting your last iCloud backup (if you have one) by turning off iCloud Backup in Settings>iCloud>Storage & Backup, then tap Manage Storage, tap your device under Backups, then tap Delete Backup. Then go back and turn iCloud Backup back on and try backing up again.
If it still won't back up, you may have an app or something in your camera roll that is causing the backup to fail. To locate which one, go to Settings>iCloud>Storage & Backup>Manage Storage, tap the name of your device under Backups, under Backup Options tap Show All Apps, then turn them all to Off (including camera roll) and try backing up again. If the backup is successful, then the camera roll and/or one of your apps is causing the backup to fail and you'll have to located by process of elimination. Turn the camera roll On and try backing up again. If it succeeds, turn some of your apps to On and try backing up again. If it succeeds again, turn some more apps to On then try again; repeat this process until it fails. Eventually you'll be able to locate the problem app and exclude it from your backup.

TS3992 When I try to back up my iphone onto icloud it won't do it and I get a message saying "The last backup could not be completed." What am I doing wrong and why won't it backup?

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Welcome to the Apple Community.
If your back up continually fails, you might try turning off back up on your mobile device (settings > iCloud > storage & backup) and then deleting the backup file from iCloud by swiping the backup file on the mobile device (settings > iCloud > storage & backup > manage…) and then turning back up on again.
Being able to back up to the cloud can be very useful, especially if you don't have access to a computer or have infrequent access to one, however unless you specifically need to use iCloud for back up, you will find backing up to iTunes significantly more convenient and possibly more reliable.

My backup drive is no longer bootable after TimeMachine backup to it. Why?

When I purchased a Lacie Porche 350 GB Firewire drive, I partitioned it properly via Disk Utilities and backed up my entire Hard drive using SilverKeeper to one of the two drives created by partitioning, resulting in an OS 10.4.10 Tiger bootable drive. Which I tested and it booted up perfectly. The day prior to upgrading to Leopard OS, I used SilverKeeper to back up everything on my hard drive again, since there were a lot of system software, security, also software programs and utilty updates on board since mm initial backup. Afterwards, I checked out the bootability of my back up drive (partition), which again worked perfectly.
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Don't know if and what TM did that rendered the formerly bootable drive unbootable. Did nothing to change the previously working bootable drive. Anyone else have similar experience after running TM? Idea of cause? Suggestions, or work-a-round? Is this a known issue, or should this be sent to Apple's Feedback?
Thank you kindly,
superush

The TimeMachine backups were made to the same bootable clone partition that the Tiger bootable clone is on mentioned in my original post. The bootable clone was backed up there via SilverKeeper, which is included in the software that came with the 350 GB ,LaCie Porche external firewire drive.
Am now thinking that perhaps that version of SilverKeeper, which was recognized by my OS Tiger, may not be recognized by Leopard OS, and when used TM to make backup to same partition cloned bootable drive, that may have made my bootable SilverKeeper backup clone null and void.
Could that be the possibility?
Best regards,
superush

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Hi,
strange situation:
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Hi,
strange situation:
When performing a TimeMachine backup to my NAS (Drobo FS) my MBP crashed after about 30 mins (repeatable). This only occurs when using WIFI - no prob's via ethernet.
Some more details:
Max OS X 10.6.8
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8GB RAM
750 GB HDD
Network:
Router: AVM Firtz!Box 7320, Gigabit Router
NAS: Drobo FS, 2TB + 1 TB + 1 TB HDD, Time Machine Share, 1,5 TB Share, connected to Fritz!Box
WIFI: 2,4 GHz, WLAN-N 150 MBit/s
Software:
Trend Micro Security (same issue with new user account, without trend micro active)
No problems with MacBook Air or MacMini.
Any idea?

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Look the dock connector on your iPod. Look for abnormalities like bent or corred contacts, foreign material and cracked/broken plastic.
Try:
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Hi
Bought a new laptop and can't sync anymore. I enabled my laptop...should be all set. But, my nano now has no music on it! My music library shows up in itunes. Why won't music sync to my nano?
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Try:
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Hi,
I backup my MacBook Air with TimeMachine to my QNAP NAS which offers a TimeMachine backup service and I can restore data from it OK.
Working in IT, and being a bit paranoid about important data loss, I am concerned that if I was robbed or my house burnt down I would most likely lose both the MacBook and the TimeMachine Backup on my NAS :-(
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Gary

For anyone else that may be in a similar situation, I can confirm that this does actually work.
I am unsure why I was not able to mount the original sparseimage that I copied to the USB drive before, but I have gone through the entire process again and I could successfully mount the TM sparseimage onto my MacBook and restore files from within it using TimeMachine to my Mac.
This is a Disaster Recovery solution only needed for if both my NAS and Macbook get stolen or damaged so I am happy with this solution for now.
I will try the restore process several more times from my monthly backups to reassure myself that the first failure to mount the sparse image was an anomaly.
This is the process that I have tested:
Configure MacBook to backup to TimeMachine Service running on QNAP NAS device.
Perform regular backup of QNAP NAS Device (Linux) including the TimeMachine backup data to an external USB drive with encryption enabled and store this device safely off-site
In time of loss of both NAS and MacBook, Time Machine data can be recovered to another Mac without the need of the NAS using the following process:
Mount the external drive containing the backup of the NAS filesystem (ext4) which is encrypted onto a Linux host so it is readable - use the cryptsetup luksOpen options to access the encrypted filesystem then mount it.
Mount a n empty HFS+ formatted USB drive on the Linux host
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Insert the HFS+ formatted USB containing the sparesbundle into the Mac's USB port
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Using Alt button and the TimeMachine icon, select use alternative backup disk and you should see the TM backup in the sparsebundle
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Hope that helps someone else and thanks to LaPastenague for pointing me in the direction of some of the answers I needed.
Rgds
Gary

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Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
Step 1
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c. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
Step 2
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
If you've booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Step 3
Boot in safe mode. 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. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
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.
When you boot in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, your boot volume is damaged and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to step 5.
If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the boot process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 4
Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 5
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select your startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then reboot as usual.
Step 6
Boot into Recovery again. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, follow the prompts to reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Note: You need an always-on Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the Internet to use Recovery. It won’t work with USB or PPPoE modems, or with proxy servers, or with networks that require a certificate for authentication.
Step 7
Repeat step 6, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a backup.
Step 8
A dead logic-board battery in a Mac Pro can cause a gray screen at boot. Typically the boot failure will be preceded by loss of the startup disk and system clock settings. See the user manual for replacement instructions.
Step 9
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested.

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