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macornomac

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 25, 2007
346
0
I had a question. I'm trying to do a time machine backup and I noticed I have 4 gigs missing after I started the backup. I deleted my time machine backup and it did the same 4 gigs is missing. Is it because it took longer then an hour to backup? What is the deal with this?
 
How do you know that 4GB is missing ? Are you comparing the size of the backup to the amount used on the hard disk (it will be smaller)

Is this a first backup - it may well take more than an hour for this and that is not a problem either.
 
How do you know that 4GB is missing ? Are you comparing the size of the backup to the amount used on the hard disk (it will be smaller)

Is this a first backup - it may well take more than an hour for this and that is not a problem either.

Yes I am comparing the time machine disk to my hard drive. Also when you run time machine it will say copying so and so amount. So when it first started it said copying 36.51 gb. Well it got up to 30 gigs and I noticed the status bar still has a ways to go. I looked back later and it's done but shouldn't be done that quick and I compare my hard drive is 36 gigs and time machine is 32. Looking in disk utility between the two I see a lot of files not in time machine either is this normal. Does it not copy everything
 
correct - it does not copy everything - temporary system files for example and the other big one not to be backedup will be the "sleep file" which the OS reserves on the hard disc for the RAM contents when/if it goes to sleep. This file will be the size of your RAM (if you have 2GB the file will be 2GB)

4GB sounds ok but depends on how much RAM you have....
 
i have a question and didnt want to start a thread on it lol. in time machine. can you select wot type of files it backs up. like i wouldnt want movies backt up,so can i check or uncheck this so it doesnt back up that type of file etc.:D
 
i have a question and didnt want to start a thread on it lol. in time machine. can you select wot type of files it backs up. like i wouldnt want movies backt up,so can i check or uncheck this so it doesnt back up that type of file etc.:D

open Time Machine preferences and then options and you can select whatever folders you don't want to backup (like Movies in your case). It is not based on file type but location of the files.
 
correct - it does not copy everything - temporary system files for example and the other big one not to be backedup will be the "sleep file" which the OS reserves on the hard disc for the RAM contents when/if it goes to sleep. This file will be the size of your RAM (if you have 2GB the file will be 2GB)

4GB sounds ok but depends on how much RAM you have....



You guys know what I do have a 4gb memory in my macbook so thats what it is???
 
You guys know what I do have a 4gb memory in my macbook so thats what it is???

Happy ?

There was a post on here a few days ago about somebody who had 1GB ram in his mac - upgraded to 4GB and then noticed that the free space on his hard disc had decreased by 3GB and wanted to know what was going on.....

Time machine does not back up temporary files (makes sense) so the backup will be smaller than the used space on the disc...
 
Happy ?

There was a post on here a few days ago about somebody who had 1GB ram in his mac - upgraded to 4GB and then noticed that the free space on his hard disc had decreased by 3GB and wanted to know what was going on.....

Time machine does not back up temporary files (makes sense) so the backup will be smaller than the used space on the disc...

Yeah good to know but it's just weird that 4gigs of ram would do that. I thought for sure my time machine was screwed up haha. Thanks for all the info.
 
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