Time machine how to return items from Trash

[Bruce59]

Instead of some selected items I have managed to put three years' worth of Time Machine back-ups in the trash. Now I cannot return them to the Time Machine. A message tells me that back-ups cannot be altered. Is there any solution?

 

[Brian33]

Yikes. I'm assuming you have a directly-attached TM backup disk (as opposed to a network-attached like a Time Capsule) and that you haven't emptied the trash yet.

I have a hunch that you're being prevented from returning them to their original location by the unix-style filesystem permissions and/or ACL permissions. IF so, it may be technically possible to return them, but I don't know nearly enough about it to try that task.

Is the old backup history really valuable, or just nice to have?

 

[Bruce59]

Yes, the TM is directly connected (not usually, but for now) and I haven't emptied the trash (possibly can't). As for your question about the value of the backups, I have pondering that myself - is it a bit anal? It is frightening how ephemeral our records have become. I have paper files of family archives reaching back for centuries, but all I shall leave is a dodgy hard drive.