Since my update my Time Machine backups keep failing due to lack of space. I've got backups from Feb 2013, in the past they deleted those and made new ones on its own. Is this normal or should I go in and delete those unnecessary backups.
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Time Machine Backups Failing since update to Mavericks
- Thread starter Macinstache
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Is the backup drive actually close to full? If it is this is normal and you can just Time Machine do the purging on its own. If you go to the Time Machine pref pane in System Preferences then click on the option button there is a choice to stop those messages.
I get this when I open the Time Machine
http://d.pr/i/1gqn
It will sit like that for over an hour and then I get a notification saying Time Machine Backup Failed.
Had a similar problem. I just deleted my pre-Mavericks backups and create a new one. Now things are lightning fast. I think Mavericks tries (the 1st backup) to reformat older backups to 10.9 format. And depending on the size of the old backup, it can take quite a long time.
how do i delete my pre-Mav backups? Just go into the backups folder and move them to recycling bin? Then retry the backup?
I used Disk Utility and just reformatted my backup drive. I had the same problem, so I had to re-do the TM backup.
If you have more than TM backups on the drive, though, don't reformat it or you'll lose those additional files.
If you can copy it to your main drive temporarily, then do that, format the drive, and copy it back.
If not, you could try deleting the backups folder and emptying the trash. The way the TM backups are done, though, that could take a while.
You don't need to reformat. Just turn off TM then delete the TM backup file from the drive and empty your trash, then turn TM backup on and select the drive as the backup destination.
incomplete backup in Maverick
My iMac running on Maverick does not backup the programs directory in Time Machine.
It did! in all previous OSX versions!
Anybody the same experience?
Anybody know how to get it working again, can't find settings or anything.
tnx. Jerry
My iMac running on Maverick does not backup the programs directory in Time Machine.
It did! in all previous OSX versions!
Anybody the same experience?
Anybody know how to get it working again, can't find settings or anything.
tnx. Jerry
Open the Time Machine pane in System Preferences then in the options button you will see a list of folders that have been excluded from TM backup. Make sure the /Applications folder is not in that list. By default TM will backup your applications unless you manually added the folder to that exclusions list.
If the folder is not in the exclusions list and you are sure the applications are not in your TM backup, then try resetting the TM backup following this process. This will not erase your TM backup.
I ended up just starting TM from scratch to fix this problem. It happened to me a few weeks before Mavericks in fact at 10.8.5 for some reason. After starting over all is back to normal except that when I open TM on anything other than my user directory, the visible finder window switches over to my user directory.
I just removed my Time Machine drive in the "Add or Remove Backup Disk..." section in Time Machine Preferences and then added it again. It's working fine now.
I tried doing this. It brought up the dialogue box for entering an admin user and password but it would not let me type anything in the fields.
I think Mavericks Time Machine is broken (at least for me)
I am also stuck with "Preparing backup...". It says this for hours and then starts the backup. It then crawls along very slowly and ends up stopping before a complete backup.
I don't really feel like deleting the existing backup files...they are my backup
Scott.
UPDATE: Plugged in via ethernet (again) and let the whole process go all day and night. Seems to have fixed itself and whatever was wrong is now cleared. Time machine is once again working as expected!
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I did a total reset, even formatted my external backup disk but after the backup the program directory remains grey, no access to the back upped program directory as of it's not back upped.
I might be possible that it's back upped for disaster recovery but restoring an old program is not possible.
Are your back upped program directories gray or black?
Jerry
If I open the /Applications folder in Finder then go to the Time Machine star field interface, I can see the folder and all the apps just like in earlier versions of Time Machine. Is that what you mean?
Yep, that's what I mean but...
In my star screen the first screen (present files) the application directory is black but when I go to the screen behind it (the last backup) de program directory turns grey so I cannot select it.
Therefore I cannot (eventually) restore the programs.
In my star screen the first screen (present files) the application directory is black but when I go to the screen behind it (the last backup) de program directory turns grey so I cannot select it.
Therefore I cannot (eventually) restore the programs.
That is odd, even after your formatted and started TM over. Are you doing this from an admin account or a standard account. I am thinking maybe a standard (non-admin) account would grey out that folder to stop the user from making changes. Just an idea.
same idea..
You'r right, I had the same idea, I use my own admin account. It has to do something with rights on the operating system. I'll look into the depth and processes and see if I can find anything.
Another strange phenomenon.
I found in this thread the tip to delete the TimeMachine plist file in de preference directory. I stopped Time Machine, unlinked the drive, formatted the drive, deleted the plist file, started it up all again and looked into the new plist file.
There are entries of files which I have downloaded months ago which are not on the system any more. It remembers old entries so there must be another entity which contains the contents of the new created plist file. It's strange.....
to be continued.....
That is odd, even after your formatted and started TM over. Are you doing this from an admin account or a standard account. I am thinking maybe a standard (non-admin) account would grey out that folder to stop the user from making changes. Just an idea.
You'r right, I had the same idea, I use my own admin account. It has to do something with rights on the operating system. I'll look into the depth and processes and see if I can find anything.
Another strange phenomenon.
I found in this thread the tip to delete the TimeMachine plist file in de preference directory. I stopped Time Machine, unlinked the drive, formatted the drive, deleted the plist file, started it up all again and looked into the new plist file.
There are entries of files which I have downloaded months ago which are not on the system any more. It remembers old entries so there must be another entity which contains the contents of the new created plist file. It's strange.....
to be continued.....
Solved....
I managed to solve the problem.
First I started the terminal program and logged into the operating system prompt.
Started "top" with processes sorted on cpu usage. (top -o cpu)
Then I started the Time Machine backup and noticed that de Mac uses the original unix backup deamon. " backupd"
I checked the proces:
"ps -aef -j |grep backupd"
I learned the processed is 501 and it is running under my own account (with sufficient rights).
There must be a definition to exclude the program directory.
I opened the "com.apple.TimeMachine.plist" file with Xcode and found inside a stunning list of 22 exclusions including! the "applications" directory.
Deleting the file in the Finder didn't do anything, the file reappears again with complete content.
Conclusion is that the file in the finder is not the actual definition. I was looking at a copy of the system files. A way to keep the Mac free of viruses !!??!!??
On the system prompt I went to the "preference" directory.
"cd //Library/Preferences" and deleted the file "com.apple.TimeMachine.plist".
(had to be superuser first....)
Now I came into trouble because TimeMachine didn't want to connect the backup drive any more. I decided to restart the system, complete power down and reboot.
In the start phase the Mac asked me if it could use the backup drive for Time Machine, i accepted.
I started to backup my iMac on a new fresh formatted drive, at first again something strange. I have about 350 Gb data on my system drive, it started to backup a total of 380 Gb. 30 Gb seemed to be back upped double.
Anyway, after 5 hours the backup finished and I have a perfect full backup.
I can find everything including the program directory....
I took some time but it's fixed and I love my iMac even more being an honest Unix system which has no secrets for me thanks to my Unix and network training at HP for understanding HP-UX.
Thank to you all !
best, Jerry
I managed to solve the problem.
First I started the terminal program and logged into the operating system prompt.
Started "top" with processes sorted on cpu usage. (top -o cpu)
Then I started the Time Machine backup and noticed that de Mac uses the original unix backup deamon. " backupd"
I checked the proces:
"ps -aef -j |grep backupd"
I learned the processed is 501 and it is running under my own account (with sufficient rights).
There must be a definition to exclude the program directory.
I opened the "com.apple.TimeMachine.plist" file with Xcode and found inside a stunning list of 22 exclusions including! the "applications" directory.
Deleting the file in the Finder didn't do anything, the file reappears again with complete content.
Conclusion is that the file in the finder is not the actual definition. I was looking at a copy of the system files. A way to keep the Mac free of viruses !!??!!??
On the system prompt I went to the "preference" directory.
"cd //Library/Preferences" and deleted the file "com.apple.TimeMachine.plist".
(had to be superuser first....)
Now I came into trouble because TimeMachine didn't want to connect the backup drive any more. I decided to restart the system, complete power down and reboot.
In the start phase the Mac asked me if it could use the backup drive for Time Machine, i accepted.
I started to backup my iMac on a new fresh formatted drive, at first again something strange. I have about 350 Gb data on my system drive, it started to backup a total of 380 Gb. 30 Gb seemed to be back upped double.
Anyway, after 5 hours the backup finished and I have a perfect full backup.
I can find everything including the program directory....
I took some time but it's fixed and I love my iMac even more being an honest Unix system which has no secrets for me thanks to my Unix and network training at HP for understanding HP-UX.
Thank to you all !
best, Jerry
Like you discovered the exclusions are in the plist, but I wonder how in the heck those non-standard folders got on the list?
The problem you had with the plist reappearing is because Mavericks caches plist files, so if you make a change you need to reboot or the cached copy will reappear.
Like you discovered the exclusions are in the plist, but I wonder how in the heck those non-standard folders got on the list?
The problem you had with the plist reappearing is because Mavericks caches plist files, so if you make a change you need to reboot or the cached copy will reappear.
They got on mine way back at 10.8.5. Had to go through a long permissions delete reboot delete reboot etc till finally gone. Never figured out how they got on the plist. This has happened to several other people as well.
Are you talking about this bug? I had seen that before, but thought it was fixed. Maybe not so much.
Like you discovered the exclusions are in the plist, but I wonder how in the heck those non-standard folders got on the list?
The problem you had with the plist reappearing is because Mavericks caches plist files, so if you make a change you need to reboot or the cached copy will reappear.
My only conclusion can be that the plist on my system with a bunch of exceptions is introduced with the Maverick update. Before that moment my backup was always perfect. It must be a left-over from somebody or something.
When I deleted the file using the Finder nothing happened.
I deleted the file on the OS level and everything came back to normal after the reboot.