Time Machine Backup - Extremely Large Backup size!!

[EdRooney]

I wonder if I am doing something wrong?

I am running snow leopard and was backing up my MBP with time machine quite nicely, having excluded all folders like applications and other such stuff... just so I had my documents that are really important to me being TM'd. It all worked a treat.

I noticed today though that the projectiond backup size now is about 15GB when the actual docs are only about 500MB in total?

Have I missed anything obvious?

Is there any programs that can assist me?

Ideally I would like a program that just asks me what I WOULD like to back up rather than exclude!!!

Any help appreciated )

 

[Jagardn]

Time machine does a backup of your entire Mac and ignores every folder you add. Why only backup your documents? If your HDD fails or some other catastrophic event, you can easily restore all your data. That's what Time Machine was designed for.

 

[maflynn]

I noticed today though that the projectiond backup size now is about 15GB when the actual docs are only about 500MB in total?

Have I missed anything obvious?

Yep, TM backs up your system, so you can do a full recovery. what happens if your hard drive dies and you replace it. You'll need to reinstall all your apps, configure them just they way you use them. Set up your email rules/accounts. browser favorites and then get your documents back.

With TM, it does all that for you, restores your system, restores your ~/Library folder so your settings are back. Your apps are restored. Its a great, simple application to ensure your data and system are backed up

 

[EdRooney]

I understand what the TM is about and what it is good for. Doesnt really answer the question of why the files I am backing up, circa 500MB, turn out to be 12GB when time machine wants to run?

I dont remember it being like that when I set it up a few weeks ago.

 

[Jagardn]

I understand what the TM is about and what it is good for. Doesnt really answer the question of why the files I am backing up, circa 500MB, turn out to be 12GB when time machine wants to run?

I dont remember it being like that when I set it up a few weeks ago.

In order to just back up just your ~/Documets directory you would have to ignore ALL other directories on you Mac. Also if you have any other external drives plugged in, it may try to back them up.

/System
/Library
/Applications
/Users/your_name/Music
/Users/your_name/Pictures
/Users/your_name/Library
/Users/your_name/Movies
/Users/your_name/Downloads

In my opinion you need some software that is designed to backup just specific folders and disable Time Machine. You are trying to use Time Machine in a way that its not designed.

Try this thread, it will have more of what you are looking for.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/171223/

 

[EdRooney]

Thank you for that. I think I may have resolved my problem.

On another thread there was a suggestion that deleting the plist will help. I did this. I also started again with the exceptions but this time I chose from the root folder (not sure if terminology is correct?) Basically selecting Macintosh HD and choosing the individual folders from there. (Note I havent changed my HD name from the original setting... just in case anyone else is trying to do what I am.)

I also use chronosync... had a few problems with this but got them resolved once my problematic Time Capsule was swapped for one that works!

I know its belt and braces but I am happy that way!

When I was a Windows user (shudders at the thought) I used AllwaySync. That was an excellent piece of software and I could set up multiple folder copying... havent ventured that far with chronosync yet!!!

Thanks again for the feedback. I hope the thread help someone else in the same situation )

 

[Jagardn]

Good to see you got it working.
AllWaySync is a good program, I use it to backup my work laptop.
Chronosync looks like a good app.

 

[smirking]

I've finally discovered the cause of my massive Time Machine backups. The culprit was TechTool Pro. The directory backup feature in it creates massive directory data files for every volume it is aware of. It may have even been making directory backups of my Time Capsule disk, which would explain why I always seemed to be in an ever expanding feedback loop of bigger and bigger backups regardless of what was actually happening.

In my Application Support folder for TechTool Pro was 90Gb worth of directory data. Wow.

Time Machine seems to be just fine now.