Time Machine won't backup

[TMorris]

Help! I have been working for days on this Time Machine issue! It all started when I noticed that the Time Machine was no longer backing up. I went into Time Machine preferences and found that the entire harddrive had been placed on the "do not" back up pane. How it got there, I'm not sure and frankly it is neither here nor there at this point. However, when I tried to re-establish the path to the Time Machine back up it wouldn't stay. Now I am getting various errors and Time Machine won't work at all.

When it first start sup in the a.m. I get the can't repair message. And then every hour on the hour I receive the backup disc can't be mounted error. I have tried to create a new back up; used disk repair utility on both the back volume when I can get it to show up and on the harddrive itself; I have unplugged the external harddrive; etc., etc., etc.

Help!

Here are the various errors I have received:

 

[blodwyn]

Looks like the drive you're using for TM has some problems. Have you tried reformatting it like it suggests on one of your error messages?

 

[TMorris]

I would do that, but my machine isn't the only one going to that particular back up drive. There are four other machines backing up to the drive with no problems at all.

I feel with some certainty that the problem lies within this particular machine. My next step is to reinstall Time Machine. Do you know if I can install only that app?

 

[blodwyn]

I would do that, but my machine isn't the only one going to that particular back up drive. There are four other machines backing up to the drive with no problems at all.

I feel with some certainty that the problem lies within this particular machine. My next step is to reinstall Time Machine. Do you know if I can install only that app?

How is the drive connected to the 5 systems, is it a Time Capsule or on a Airport Extreme Base Station?

 

[TMorris]

It is connected through our network. Ethernet

 

[blodwyn]

It is connected through our network. Ethernet

Hmmm, that doesn't help much. There are many ways of connecting a drive across ethernet.

Presumably you can see the drive if you look for it using Finder. On the drive there will be a folder called "Backups.backupdb", and in that folder there will be folders for each of the systems you're backing up to it. Have you tried turning off Time Machine in the TM preferences, and trashing the folder related to the troublesome system on the TM drive? If you can do that then you may be able to re-enable TM and create a new backup.

 

[TMorris]

That is the plan for tomorrow - I was just hoping for something a bit less "permanent" as deleting the back up off the drive.


Thanks anyway.

 

[blodwyn]

That is the plan for tomorrow - I was just hoping for something a bit less "permanent" as deleting the back up off the drive.


Thanks anyway.

I guess you could try renaming the backup folder instead of trashing it, probably worth trying that first before you delete it. Good luck

 

[TMorris]

Thanks - that is certainly a good idea.

 

[TMorris]

Well, I'm back. Tried deleting the current TM back up, but to no avail. I tried creating a new backup and the computer tells me that the volume can't be mounted. The next step (I presume) is to re-install TM, but when I tried to do a custom install off the Leopard install discs it says that I can't go any further because my system is more up-to-date than the install disc. Is there a way to reinstall "just" TM? Will the 10.5.5 update fix my issue?

 

[Batt]

Well, I'm back. Tried deleting the current TM back up, but to no avail. I tried creating a new backup and the computer tells me that the volume can't be mounted. The next step (I presume) is to re-install TM, but when I tried to do a custom install off the Leopard install discs it says that I can't go any further because my system is more up-to-date than the install disc. Is there a way to reinstall "just" TM? Will the 10.5.5 update fix my issue?

Some people are experiencing fixed TM issues using the 10.5.5 Combo update. YMMV.

 

[TMorris]

thanks - I will go ahead and update then

will let you know if that does the trick...

 

[TMorris]

Still no luck - the machine refuses to mount the backup volume. I have tried adding it to the startup items in the accounts part of system preferences. I can get the volume to show up on the desktop, but can't get TM to back up to the sparsbundle.

My goodness, what am I missing?