Leopard Time Machine can't access Snow Time Machine files?

[Starhorsepax]

My macbook a few months ago got transplanted with a nice new larger 'brain' (harddrive) and upgraded to Snow Leopard. All seemed well.

Until Friday. It died. Total Hard drive failure. I got my old drive plugged back in, but it's rather like my macbook is a coma patient waking with several months gap in the memory. Naturally I figured I'd just drag the files I needed off Time Machine until I replaced the bad drive.

WRONG I go into Time Machine and all I see are the Leopard backups. I totally did not see this coming. I backed it up a mere two weeks ago. They must be on there. Yet the mac can't see them. Nor can I reupgrade to Snow until I get that hard drive replaced: the whole reason I waited to go to Snow was that the original drive was too small and full.

So can anyone tell me if this is just a quirk of my mac? Gremlins? Or is there some odd reason Leopard won't access Snow's Time Machine data?

 

[gr8tfly]

When you say "drag" from Time Machine, do you mean literally - from the Finder? If so, that most likely will not work because of the way Time Machine stores files.

You need to use the Time Machine application to access and restore the files/folders you're after.

If that's not it, then question: did you change the way the TM drive was connected? I.E. network vs. hardwired?

 

[Starhorsepax]

I used the usual method. Time Machine in the USB port. Enter Time Machine. Select the file or folder and hit restore. Then I wondered why it left me right where I started after it 'seemed' to work.
Only when I searched through the timeline 'galaxy' did I realize the gap was there. It showed the current system and as it was a couple of months ago, before the upgrade. The months when I was using the new Hard Drive (now dead) and Snow Leopard were not showing up.
I'd never heard of a 'forward' compatibility issue but then I'd never looked before either. It has always had trouble with Leopard hanging up in Time Machine. The new HD and OS was wonderful for it, less hangs and all. I assume due to having more virtual memory for it to work with. (2 Gig RAM and not upgradable.)

 

[gr8tfly]

Just a wild guess: try using the Browse Other Time Machine Disks… option. When you put the new drive in, it would have continued the same timeline, but it did a new, complete backup because the drive has a different id. I'm thinking when you put the old drive in, the id changed again. Perhaps this is the reason for the quirk (I agree, it shouldn't do this), and you might be able to access the SL portion by using the browse feature. Again, just a SWAG.