Time Machine Will Not Stop Backing Up, Why?

[Hexakosioi]

Hey guys, ok here is the thing, I just bought an external hard drive [LaCcie Grand 1TB]...and before using it says, the manual says create a back up in case you don't want you're information erased - cause, apparently, that what happens when you first apply a "partition" to you EHD.

So, I decide to back up my data in my new EHD...with Time Machine, which I have never used before since I have had this MacBook Pro (2 years). Seems pretty straight forward. I turn on TM, start backing up. Everything seems to be going fine. I had ~75 GB on my main hard drive, and that seemed to have been backing up, until started reaching 75.1 GB...then 100.1 GB! So I stop it and I notice it has created a "inprogress" document in the EHD. So I continue backing up, and still...it won't stop. It is like space(volume) keeps on expanding. So will TM just back up my whole hard drive? 250 GB? This how it looks like the third time I started the process http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4370533973_08bc34f3ac_o.jpg

The "white" part just stays the same, while "17.76 GB of 17.76 GB" becomes "17.90 GB of 17.90 GB" , " 19.20 GB of 19.20 GB", "21.12 GB of 21.12 GB"...and so on.



- So my question, is this normal? Should I keep it running till it stops?

- Am I doing the right thing by choosing my EHD as my back up disk? Even before "partitioning it"?

- Should I be safe if I transfer data manually to the EHD? before partitioning (is it optional)?

- Can I delete the "inprogress" document?


Sorry for the long essay lol. I really do need to know as soon as possible please. Yes, I have noticed this has been asked before, but I did not find a easy solution to this problem.

I'm using a Mac OS X 10.5.8

 

[killerrobot]

If the External is brand new you need to format it before you use it.

1) Turn off Time Machine (System Preferences>Time Machine>Off)
2) Open Disk Utility (Applications>Utilites>Disk Utility)
3) Select the External HD, click the erase tab, set it to HFS+ (Mac OS Extended Journaled), put in a volume name and click erase.

It's seems like you just want to use this for Time Machine, so I'm not sure you need to partition the external at all but if you need to then use the partition tab after formatting the drive.

4) Turn Time Machine back on and it will ask where you want to back up. Select your External and let Time Machine start backing up.
The first back up will take a while but it shouldn't be much larger than the used amount on your internal HD.

5)Time Machine will continue to make hourly backups, daily and weekly, backups as long as its turned on and you're connected to the external. If that's too much, then just turn it off and on as you need.

 

[Hexakosioi]

oh!

oh thank you so very much! lol I feel like a dumbass!


It's so simple

 

[killerrobot]

No problem - don't feel too bad. Lots of externals say Mac compatible but never tell you that you have to format it.

 

[Garoolgan]

Time Machine won't stop backing up.
I was having problems with TM announcing that my disk was full so after erasing (using Mac OS Extended journaled), partitioning with one partition and checking permissions my 2TB external HD connected by Firewire, I set TM to back up at 8PM. To start with TM announced a few GB of approx. 390GB with 3 hours to go. At 11PM before going to bed it still hadn't reached the 390GB so I let it run. At 5AM it had done more than the 550GB of approx. 600GB and after letting it run further at 9AM TM announced that 900GB of 1TB was done. At this point I stopped it as I needed to use my MacBook!
When I stopped TM the TM "mask" announced latest Backup None, and the next of course none as I'd switched TM to off.
This sort of thing has happened before during the last few days which is why I let it run all night to see what happened. The number of GB backed up never reaches the total, as the "of GB" keeps increasing.
Luckily for me I'm a bit paranoid and run CCC as well on another external HD (Firewire daisy-chained) to the TM disk so all is not lost. BTW TM and CCC have been running for years without problem until very recently.
Having formatted and checked the external HDD I'm now supposing there's something wrong with the TM app?
Does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks - Garoolgan

MacBook Pro late 2011 running OS X 10.9.5

 

[Garoolgan]

Following up on the above I've tried to repair disk and disk permissions.
I can't use Ctrl+R as the App.Store doesn't give me access to upgrading Mavericks.
It seems that there is only one solution left: re-install Mavericks. I have Mavericks on a Flash Drive. Can I run Mavericks over Mavericks? What I mean is whilst the Mac is running on Mavericks can I run the install of Mavericks and if I can will that wipe everything or just repair the OS?

 

[CoastalOR]

I can't use Ctrl+R as the App.Store doesn't give me access to upgrading Mavericks.

WARNING: Back up your current system before proceeding. Just in case.

If your trying to boot from the Recovery partition to Reinstall the OS then use Command+R at boot up, not Ctrl+R.
If you previously downloaded Mavericks from the App Store using your current Apple ID, then you can re-download it from the Purchase tab on the App Store.

It seems that there is only one solution left: re-install Mavericks. I have Mavericks on a Flash Drive. Can I run Mavericks over Mavericks? What I mean is whilst the Mac is running on Mavericks can I run the install of Mavericks and if I can will that wipe everything or just repair the OS?

WARNING: Back up your current system before proceeding. Just in case.

Is the Flash Drive a bootable Mavericks 10.9.5 installer? If it is then yes, you can boot from the Flash Drive and install fresh copy of the Mavericks OS on top of your current Mavericks system without wiping your data, files, apps and preferences.

If the Flash Drive is not bootable and just has the full Mavericks 10.9.5 installer app (Install OS X Mavericks app), then copy the app to your Macs Applications folder, remove the Flash Drive after the copy is complete, and launch the "Install OS X Mavericks" app. The Mavericks installer app will install a fresh copy of the Mavericks OS on top of your current Mavericks system without wiping your data, files, apps and preferences.

 

[Garoolgan]

Thanks guys for your input. Apple must have installed something on my HDD as even if I do try the install suggested as a "last resort" by CoastalOR all I get is the message: "This copy of the Install OS X Mavericks.app can't be verified. It may have been corrupted or tampered with during downloading. Delete this copy of the application and go to the Purchase Page of the Mac App store to download a new copy." There is no Mavericks available in the App Store. I've also noted today that when I copy a folder with files in it the "preparation to copy" never stops either, same as the Time Machine. My only way out if I want to keep Mavericks is to format the disk and re-install it.... and from then on never to connect to the Internet again so that Apple can't tamper with my machine! Yesterday, before I realised that the copying also had become bad, I copied some files and installed them on my Linux machine. Now I have a MacBook Pro that only roughly works and a Linux machine in the same state. Both will now have to be formatted and their respective OS's reinstalled! Just the installation isn't too bad but the rest of the setting up will take a long time and all Internet activity will from now on have to be done through Linux which sometimes isn't very practical, so I suppose I'll simply wind up with Linux on my MacBooks as well.

 

[prisstratton]

Older downloaded copies of Mavericks had a certificate that has expired, read more here:

http://tidbits.com/article/16302

You will need to download a fresh install. If you never downloaded a copy from the App. Store yourself it will NOT be available to you. If such is the case I would suggest that you find a friend who has previously downloaded a copy and ask them to get you a fresh version.