Recovery mode corrupted my Time Machine backup

[0iine]

My intention was just to check out the new MacOS Monterey, I didn't know it would escalate that badly.

After upgrading to Monterey from Big Sur I found out that one of the software doesn't work with the new version. So I figured no big deal, I'll just rollback and wait a while, I expect the new system to be pretty buggy anyway. So I went into the Recovery Mode and tried to restore back to Big Sur from a local snapshot. But it turned out that you can't restore to older system versions, it only restores your files (aren't the system just files too?). Then I have to do a full disk restore from my Time Machine backup. That didn't work either, Because since Big Sur they stopped letting you do that, instead you're forced to use the Migration Assistant. I got really annoyed, I don't want to install a new copy of Big Sur and pour my files all over it, I just want my old system back.

So it's not the first time I've encountered this. Last time, in early Big Sur days I worked around this by using a pre-Big Sur Recovery Mode and a full disk restore will work. So then I wiped the partition, and used the internet recovery, which downloaded me a Mojave Recovery mode. I went in with the options to restore. There were few visual glitches but I was able to navigate to the backup...which are all blank boxes. I select the top one assuming it was the newest. I wasn't too worried because there were visual glitches last time too iirc.

And then everything went wrong. The restore had no moving progress bar and only took minutes, then it prompted to restart, which then it restarts into nothing, and it goes back to internet recovery. I started panicking, and installed a new copy of Big Sur and went in to check if the backups are ok...they were not.

The only backup I am able to see is from 3 months ago, which was the initial backup, everything after that is gone. The disk usage is still there. I have the Time Machine backup on a NAS. I can see the sparsebundle's content is solid, but the backups are missing after mounted it on.

Help me brothers I really don't know what to do now.

 

[Fishrrman]

"Help me brothers I really don't know what to do now."

I don't use time machine, and my recommendation is that others shouldn't use it, either.
I use CarbonCopyCloner.
But that's just me.

You didn't tell us:
- what year your MacBook Pro is.
- what was the original OS that came on it?

Having said that...
If you have a recent time machine backup, here's what I'd try:

Set the old tm backup aside for the moment.

Boot to INTERNET RECOVERY (this is NOT THE SAME as "the recovery partition"):
Command-OPTION-R
at boot.

You'll need your wifi password, and the internet utilities will take a while to load, so be patient.

Do the utilities load?
That's a good start.

Next...
Open disk utility.
VERY IMPORTANT: go to the view menu and choose "show all devices".
Now you can see the PHYSICAL drive inside the Macbook.

Erase the drive to APFS, GUID partition format.
This should take only seconds.

Now quit disk utility and open the OS installer.
See which version of the OS is offered.
If it's Big Sur, that's what you want, start clicking through.
The Mac will reboot one or more times, and the screen may go dark for a few minutes one or more times. BE PATIENT.

At the end of the install, you should see the initial setup screen (choose your language).
Start clicking through and have the backup ready to connect at the appropriate time so you can re-install your accounts and other data from it.

That's how to "get back" to where you were at the time of the last backup.

BUT WAIT.
What if the installer offers you Monterey?
There is a trick to boot to a SPECIAL VERSION of internet recovery that offers you the OS your MacBook originally shipped with:
Command-SHIFT-OPTION-R

If you get offered Monterey instead of Big Sur, I suggest you "back out", and reboot using this option instead.

Install whatever version of the OS you are offered.
If it's "earlier than Big Sur", you can at least "move up" another notch or two.

AND NOW, SOME HARSH ADVICE:
It's not a very good idea to just "jump blindly" into a new version of the OS UNLESS you are SURE that what you have will work with that OS.

The best way to insure yourself against this is to "test" the new OS first, preferably on an external SSD you "build up" for purposes of experimentation.
Once you know things are going to work, THEN you can "commit yourself" to the new OS on your main drive.

AND... before you do that, you should use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to create a BOOTABLE cloned backup of your existing install on an external drive. It could make it much easier to "get back" if need be.

 

[0iine]

- what year your MacBook Pro is.
- what was the original OS that came on it?

It's a late 2018 15 inch Macbook Pro, it originally came with Mojave.

Next...
Open disk utility.
VERY IMPORTANT: go to the view menu and choose "show all devices".
Now you can see the PHYSICAL drive inside the Macbook.

Erase the drive to APFS, GUID partition format.
This should take only seconds.

Now quit disk utility and open the OS installer.
See which version of the OS is offered.
If it's Big Sur, that's what you want, start clicking through.
The Mac will reboot one or more times, and the screen may go dark for a few minutes one or more times. BE PATIENT.

Yes, that's what I did. After I erased the disk I rebooted it so it can get its original Recovery Mode back, which offers Mojave. I didn't go ahead and install the system, instead, I went to the Time Machine options and attempted to do a full disk restore there, and things went wrong after there.

At the end of the install, you should see the initial setup screen (choose your language).
Start clicking through and have the backup ready to connect at the appropriate time so you can re-install your accounts and other data from it.

That's how to "get back" to where you were at the time of the last backup

That's what I didn't want to do in the first place, I don't want to use the Migration Assistant.

AND... before you do that, you should use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to create a BOOTABLE cloned backup of your existing install on an external drive. It could make it much easier to "get back" if need be.

Indeed, I completely forgot that Time Machine has been a little broken lately. I could totally take a snapshot of the backup pool on my NAS before I do all that, too bad.