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Fash Sarkar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 23, 2021
15
2
Went back to Mojave now MBP cannot find the Time Machine back up please help!
 
My guess is that you probably wiped the internal Drive on the MBP ?- so unless you have an external drive with your backed up files you may be out of luck?

If you can find a recent back up on another drive you should be able to move the data files over to the MBP
 
My guess is that you probably wiped the internal Drive on the MBP ?- so unless you have an external drive with your backed up files you may be out of luck?

If you can find a recent back up on another drive you should be able to move the data files over to the MBP
Yes I wiped the MBP and yes I have a backups folder on an external drive but it's not showing up when I open the migration assistant.
 
I don't believe you can use migration assistant to migrate backward

You may have to move your data and applications manually
 
It was done under Catalina, backed up to time machine then MBP restored to Mojave. What can I do I'm panicking now thank you for your reply.
 
I don't believe you can use migration assistant to migrate backward

You may have to move your data and applications manually
Thank you, when it decides to let me back I'll try a manual restoration thank you
 
It was done under Catalina, backed up to time machine then MBP restored to Mojave. What can I do I'm panicking now thank you for your reply.
No need to panic. You haven't lost your files. You can still manually transfer your personal documents to Mojave from TM. Just connect the TM drive to your Mac and access it via Finder. If TM is connected via WiFi, you can still access it via Finder.
 
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Thank you, when it decides to let me back I'll try a manual restoration thank you

Keep your Catalina Back up just in case - you can still use it if you want to migrate to Catalina or Big Sur later?

Applications are easy to manually move over drag and drop from Back up to Mojave (Applications Folder) - but you may need to enter the Key / serial numbers

Data files/folders and "Document folder" should be fairly strait forward (depending on your folder structures) - drag and drop folder contents back to the same folders on the Mojave MBP
 
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Thank you. I'm struggling to understand how to do this manually as this is what I get when I access the HDD for the time machine back up. I can't find any files.
 

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hope you have time machine disabled ? you don't want it to overwrite your catalina back up?

The attachment on the left looks like the back up? - is there files and folders inside the folder you are showing?
 
hope you have time machine disabled ? you don't want it to overwrite your catalina back up?

The attachment on the left looks like the back up? - is there files and folders inside the folder you are showing?
Yes it's disabled thank you

When I press option/click I can open package contents and it's all there but I can't click on them to restore it's greyed out

So in the meantime I installed Disk Drill and that's able to find them so fingers crossed I can restore this way.

Unless you have a different idea?

Very grateful thank you!
 
Can you open the folder in your screen shot above? left side - nick's MacBook Pro - what is inside that folder?

If so can you - for example - browse to the Applications Folder then drag an application file from the back up to the Mojave "Applications Folder" ?
 
hope you have time machine disabled ? you don't want it to overwrite your catalina back up?

The attachment on the left looks like the back up? - is there files and folders inside the folder you are showing?
Yes it's disabled thank you

When I press option/click I can open package contents and it's all there but I can't click on them to restore it's greyed out

So in the meantime I installed Disk Drill and that's able to find them so fingers crossed I can restore this way.

Unless you have a different idea?

Very grateful thank you
Can you open the folder in your screen shot above? left side - nick's MacBook Pro - what is inside that folder?

If so can you - for example - browse to the Applications Folder then drag an application file from the back up to the Mojave "Applications Folder" ?
I can yes I've attached images of what's available. When I drag over it says wrong format
 

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To be honest I stopped using time machine years ago - I prefer CCC now

The pictures seem to show links not the actual files

Maybe someone else here in these forums more familiar with Time Machine can chime in on how to find the actual files in a Time Machine Back up

This is one of the reasons I stopped using Time Machine - it works great until you need the back up files - my friend lost his entire music library - had the same issue - links and no files ?

I am hoping for you - that someone here can provide some Time Machine expertise for you
 
To be honest I stopped using time machine years ago - I prefer CCC now

The pictures seem to show links not the actual files

Maybe someone else here in these forums more familiar with Time Machine can chime in on how to find the actual files in a Time Machine Back up

This is one of the reasons I stopped using Time Machine - it works great until you need the back up files - my friend lost his entire music library - had the same issue - links and no files ?

I am hoping for you - that someone here can provide some Time Machine expertise for you
I'm very grateful for your support so far thank you. Fingers crossed disk drill will work or someone can help as you say.
 
CCC is a software alternative, which is not going to help you this minute
not important now. maybe future

this is what you can do
turn off macbook
plug in the time machine hard drive.
turn on while pressing the option key
find the time machine restore option.
let me find a better link explaing your situation

apple was not specific, but found this:

macosx daily dot com has great How to advice.

cheers!
 
CCC is a software alternative, which is not going to help you this minute
not important now. maybe future

this is what you can do
turn off macbook
plug in the time machine hard drive.
turn on while pressing the option key
find the time machine restore option.
let me find a better link explaing your situation

did you read the whole thread - no disrespect - but you cannot go back ward from Catalina to Mojave with Time machine and Migration Assistant - AFAIK
 
did you read the whole thread - no disrespect - but you cannot go back ward from Catalina to Mojave with Time machine and Migration Assistant - AFAIK
i skimmed through, buy yes you can go back, i have done this alot, probably every OSX released.
depending on the macbook year, which we have no idea what year, but assuming Mojave was on the drive.
personally we should not confuse the OP with other info but restoring the macbook with mojave.
 
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i skimmed through, buy yes you can go back, i have done this alot, probably every OSX released.
depending on the macbook year, which we have no idea what year, but assuming Mojave was on the drive.
personally we should not confuse the OP with other info but restoring the macbook with mojave.
It's a mid 2012

I tried the command R restore time machine back up but it wouldn't allow it

Currently recovering via Disk Drill and looking at CCC but that tells me some (system) files are excluded from the back up task

Feeling very lost!

Grateful for all of you here
 
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dont press the r key
use the option
(carbon copy wont help now)

how did you back up Mojave using Time machine?
if so
is there a list of backup listed on an external hard drive?
do you see "latest" ?
 
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while reading the tread thoroughly, what OSX do you want to use?

since your files are saved, Apple Robert offered great advice in moving them and dont panic
Mikzn heart is into this which is great, and had good advice as well.
i'm trying to use my previous reinstall experience with time machine knowledge and went back from High sierra to Mountain Lion on the macbook air and mac mini in 2019.

again don't panic or erase anything.
 
dont press the r key
use the option
(carbon copy wont help now)

how did you back up Mojave using Time machine?
if so
is there a list of backup listed on an external hard drive?
do you see "latest" ?

CCC is a software alternative, which is not going to help you this minute
not important now. maybe future

this is what you can do
turn off macbook
plug in the time machine hard drive.
turn on while pressing the option key
find the time machine restore option.
let me find a better link explaing your situation

apple was not specific, but found this:

macosx daily dot com has great How to advice.

cheers!
I tried this before but it wouldn't load the time Machine back up
 
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