Resolved TimeMachine won't back up while in BETA?

[a-m-k]

I have spent the past three days trying to back up my mid-2012 MBP and gave up a few minutes ago. Up until now, I have not used my MBP and just used my iPhone for whatever reason so I've come to the conclusion that my external hard drive won't work with the BETA software. Am I right? If not, what can I do fix it. I thought abut calling Western Digital tomorrow to see what they say but I am pretty sure it's my MBP's BETA OS. Should I report this in the feedback app?

Thank you.

 

[Panthera Tigris Altaica]

Time Machine will work with (almost all) beta versions of macOS. Certain specific beta builds had problems. Which build are you using? Time Machine will NOT (currently) back up to a drive which is formatted in any file system other than HFS+. Make sure that your backup drive is formatted HFS+. Time Machine sometimes gives trouble if the target backup drive is partitioned with anything except GUID. Is your drive partitioned using MBR? How is the external drive connected? Time Machine has been known to dislike network, particularly wireless network, connections.

 

[a-m-k]

I'm currently using version Version 10.14.2 Beta (18C52a).
[doublepost=1543937658][/doublepost]I'm currently using version Version 10.14.2 Beta (18C52a).

 

[adrianlondon]

I'm currently using version Version 10.14.2 Beta (18C52a).

I'm using exactly the same on a Late 2013 MBP and my TimeMachine backups are working well.

 

[a-m-k]

Sorry about the double post I don't know what happened and I can't fix it.

 

[Panthera Tigris Altaica]

I'm currently using version Version 10.14.2 Beta (18C52a).
[doublepost=1543937658][/doublepost]I'm currently using version Version 10.14.2 Beta (18C52a).

I doubt that the beta is the problem. One of the machines here is running that build and Time Machine works there. It says that the last backup was 10:21 today. It's more likely that the problem is elsewhere, such as with the drive or the connection.

 

[a-m-k]

I doubt that the beta is the problem. One of the machines here is running that build and Time Machine works there. It says that the last backup was 10:21 today. It's more likely that the problem is elsewhere, such as with the drive or the connection.

I've been thinking my mid-2012 MBP is the problem. I will have owned my MBP for 6 years sometime in mid-December the manufacturing date Was December 13th. If I replace my HDD with a SSD is there a window that is slowly closing to replace parts or upgrade them?

 

[Panthera Tigris Altaica]

I've been thinking my mid-2012 MBP is the problem. I will have owned my MBP for 6 years sometime in mid-December the manufacturing date Was December 13th. If I replace my HDD with a SSD is there a window that is slowly closing to replace parts or upgrade them?

All the 2012 Mac minis around here are equally as old, none of them have this problem.

 

[a-m-k]

All the 2012 Mac minis around here are equally as old, none of them have this problem.

Is there anything I could look at to see if its a problem?

 

[Panthera Tigris Altaica]

Is there anything I could look at to see if its a problem?

Take the beta off and see if the problem goes away. You DO have a complete backup somewhere, don't you?

 

[a-m-k]

Yes, but couldn't I just use iCloud until the final version of the OS comes out?

 

[Panthera Tigris Altaica]

Yes, but couldn't I just use iCloud until the final version of the OS comes out?

Which is more important to you: having a working backup or using the beta? The problem is probably not the beta. It might be the backup drive or the Mac itself. In either case, the affected device may fail. If it's the backup drive, then you have no backup. If it's the Mac, then you have no Mac... and as backups have been failing, no backup. It seems to me that your priority should be to determine where the problem is and then to fix the problem, as quickly as possible, before something fails.

I would suggest buying an external drive and making a complete bootable clone using SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner or a similar utility. I would do it as soon as possible. Then I would check to see what might be wrong, but only then. And I would eliminate a source of problems by going back to the release version of the OS.

YMMV.

 

[haralds]

I have spent the past three days trying to back up my mid-2012 MBP and gave up a few minutes ago. Up until now, I have not used my MBP and just used my iPhone for whatever reason so I've come to the conclusion that my external hard drive won't work with the BETA software. Am I right? If not, what can I do fix it. I thought abut calling Western Digital tomorrow to see what they say but I am pretty sure it's my MBP's BETA OS. Should I report this in the feedback app?

Thank you.

Make sure the external drive is formatted to HFS+ and not APFS. TimeMachine cannot back up to the APFS file system.

 

[a-m-k]

Make sure the external drive is formatted to HFS+ and not APFS. TimeMachine cannot back up toe the APFS file system.

How do I check for that?

 

[Panthera Tigris Altaica]

How do I check for that?

Do a 'get info' on the volume. if it says 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)', that's HFS+ journaled, which is what it's supposed to be. If it says 'APFS', that's wrong and you must reformat it. Time Machine will not work except on HFS+.. If it says anything else, especially variations on FAT or NTFS, you have a Windows volume and you must reformat.

 

[a-m-k]

Do a 'get info' on the volume. if it says 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)', that's HFS+ journaled, which is what it's supposed to be. If it says 'APFS', that's wrong and you must reformat it. Time Machine will not work except on HFS+.. If it says anything else, especially variations on FAT or NTFS, you have a Windows volume and you must reformat.

I don't know what a volume is.... that's what I meant. Sorry if I wasn't more clear, can I just plug in my external hard drive and there will be a "get info" choice somewhere. I think I will try it now and see what I get. Please reply anyone. Thanks again!

 

[Panthera Tigris Altaica]

I don't know what a volume is.... that's what I meant. Sorry if I wasn't more clear, can I just plug in my external hard drive and there will be a "get info" choice somewhere. I think I will try it now and see what I get. Please reply anyone. Thanks again!

That would be the hard drive icon, usually named something like 'Macintosh Hard Drive' unless you've changed it. Mine are named for British line of battle ships at Trafalgar, the primary drive being Victory, of course.

 

[a-m-k]

That would be the hard drive icon, usually named something like 'Macintosh Hard Drive' unless you've changed it. Mine are named for British line of battle ships at Trafalgar, the primary drive being Victory, of course.

This?

 

[Panthera Tigris Altaica]

This?
View attachment 808673

That's the Time Machine volume. It's green. Boot volumes will usually be grey or orange.

 

[a-m-k]

How do I find the boot volume? I never saw it when I tried to back up today, it would go so far than just stop. That is why I am thinking I should just wait to back up once I'm out of the the BETA mode.... Is there a website I could print directions out somewhere?

 

[Panthera Tigris Altaica]

How do I find the boot volume? I never saw it when I tried to back up today, it would go so far than just stop. That is why I am thinking I should just wait to back up once I'm out of the the BETA mode.... Is there a website I could print directions out somewhere?

go to Finder/Preferences, look for 'hard drives' make sure that there's a checkmark, and then there should be a drive icon on your desktop.

 

[a-m-k]

This

 

[Panthera Tigris Altaica]

This
View attachment 809054

yes.

 

[a-m-k]

yes.

Thank you, where do I go from there?

 

[Panthera Tigris Altaica]

Thank you, where do I go from there?

look at the desktop for your drive. Do a get info.