Time Machine/Time Capsule 2 sparse files?

[MrMister111]

I've just clicked on my Time Capsule, and it shows 2 sparse files. One called xxxiMac, and the other xxxiMac1.

the 1st one is 168Gb and it states in Finder that is hasn't been accessed or modified since Dec 2012, the other is todays date.

I changed iMac's in 2012, and so presume the first spars bundle is from that 1st iMac, but is this the case? Now I'm backed up with my new iMac, can I just delete the sparse bundle that hasn't been updated?

thanks

 

[smirk]

Did both iMacs have the same name? If so, then yes… that is likely your old backup. You may wish to go through its contents first just to make sure there's nothing in there you want to keep, then you can delete it.

 

[MrMister111]

Did both iMacs have the same name? If so, then yes… that is likely your old backup. You may wish to go through its contents first just to make sure there's nothing in there you want to keep, then you can delete it.

They probably did as I think when I got my new iMac, I did a Time Machine recovery (think, can't remember!), from the old iMac to the new iMac. I presume they had same name

how can I check the contents though? As when I enter time machine, I presume it uses the new sparse file to go back, when I "show package contents" on the old sparse file, its just all unreadable files

thanks

 

[Weaselboy]

They probably did as I think when I got my new iMac, I did a Time Machine recovery (think, can't remember!), from the old iMac to the new iMac. I presume they had same name

how can I check the contents though? As when I enter time machine, I presume it uses the new sparse file to go back, when I "show package contents" on the old sparse file, its just all unreadable files

thanks

If you used Migration Assistant to import data from the old machine to the new, that named the new machine xxxiMac just like the old one. When Time Machine saw this it created a new backup set with a 1 appended to the sparse bundle. You can just delete the old one.

If you want to peek in the old one just hold the option key and click the Time Machine menulet then click browse other disks and pick the old one to view.

 

[MrMister111]

If you used Migration Assistant to import data from the old machine to the new, that named the new machine xxxiMac just like the old one. When Time Machine saw this it created a new backup set with a 1 appended to the sparse bundle. You can just delete the old one.

If you want to peek in the old one just hold the option key and click the Time Machine menulet then click browse other disks and pick the old one to view.

Don't think I used migration assistant. I've clicked option, chose the 1st file, and it opens in TM screen, but its just black apart from today, won't let me go back and look at any? does this mean its corrupt, or can't access because of permissions or something?

thanks again for help

 

[smirk]

You just double click it to mount it; it will show up as a hard drive on your desktop. Drill down through the folders in it and you'll will be a bunch of folders named after dates. Find the folder named "Latest" and this will take you to the most recent backup that had been performed.

 

[Weaselboy]

Don't think I used migration assistant. I've clicked option, chose the 1st file, and it opens in TM screen, but its just black apart from today, won't let me go back and look at any? does this mean its corrupt, or can't access because of permissions or something?

thanks again for help

Try what smirk mentioned. But yeah... if you restored to the new Mac from Time Machine it would have caused the same issue with old and new machines having the same name.

If you open System Preferences and look in the Sharing pane you should see the machine name there is the same as your old machine.

 

[MrMister111]

so I've mounted it and they all look like files from 2012, so must be the 1st iMac. They did both have the same names.

So can I just delete/trash this sparse file, and then leave the other one and TM will backup to my TC as normal?

thanks for help so far

 

[smirk]

Yep, you got it.