jjtrindc

Q: Copying Time Machine backups to Second Drive

While I've seen some support answers on this question, I'm not sure they pertain to my situation.

 

My scenario: I have a new iMac on the way to replace my current 24" early-2009 version.  I thought I could have my current time machine just pick up on the new computer where the other left off, but my research seems to indicate that is not the case. 

 

My solution then is to do the following:

1) Transfer the backups on the current Time Machine to a second external drive. 

 

Note: I also plan to use this second drive as the primary file storage system for the new computer.  The new iMac will have an SSD where I only plan to keep applications and the files I'm using  for current big video/photo projects.  This is a 4TB drive, so plenty of room for me to hold my current files and the Time Machine backup which is about 1TB.

 

2) Reformat current Time Machine and set it up again as the Time Machine for new computer.

 

Here is my issue:

 

After trying to simply drag and drop the "backups.backup" folder from the Time Machine to my new second drive, I got the error message "the volume has the wrong case sensitivity for backup".  It does appear that my Time Machine was formatted as Journaled Case Sensitive, but the new drive was simply Journaled.

 

I'm currently following these instructions using Disk Utility: time machine transfer of TM files

 

I'm left with two questions:

 

First: It says "Copying Blocks. Estimated time: 23 hours" - which seems excessive for just 1 TB of info. 

 

Second: More important.  After this process will I be able to use the second drive as a storage drive, or is it simply making it into another Time Machine?? 

 

Honestly, I've only ever used TM to find a lost file or two and never for a full restore, so I'm not particularly worried about that.  Second, I change out my Time Machine drive every year (holding on to the old drives).  I just did that in January, so if I have to lose a a few months of backups, not a huge deal.  I'm just hoping to just keep those backups as a just in case. 

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

iMac (24-inch Early 2009), OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Apr 18, 2016 7:13 AM

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Q: Copying Time Machine backups to Second Drive

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  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Apr 18, 2016 7:21 AM in response to jjtrindc
    Level 5 (6,251 points)
    Mac App Store
    Apr 18, 2016 7:21 AM in response to jjtrindc

    FWIW, it's not recommended to use the same drive for Time Machine backups and Data for a few reasons. It can be done, but you would have to create two partitions.

     

    As far as transferring the old TM backup…

    Time Machine: How to transfer backups from a current backup drive to a new backup drive - Apple Support

  • by jjtrindc,

    jjtrindc jjtrindc Apr 18, 2016 7:28 AM in response to dialabrain
    Level 1 (28 points)
    Apple Music
    Apr 18, 2016 7:28 AM in response to dialabrain

    Dialabrain -

     

    Thanks for the reply.  To be clear, I plan to reformat the existing Time Machine drive and start fresh with the new computer.  That drive will be dedicated to Time Machine backups only.

     

    I was just hoping to transfer existing Time Machine data from the last few months to my storage drive as a "just in case" should I need a file or two (not to do a full restore). 

     

    I did follow the instructions in that link first, but got the "the volume has the wrong case sensitivity for backup" message which has led me to using Disk Utility...and my questions about what my ability to access/use the drive after this process will be.

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Apr 18, 2016 7:47 AM in response to jjtrindc
    Level 5 (6,251 points)
    Mac App Store
    Apr 18, 2016 7:47 AM in response to jjtrindc

    FWIW, your first post was clear. I just misread it. Chalk it up to sleep deprivation.

  • by Duane,Helpful

    Duane Duane Apr 18, 2016 8:14 AM in response to jjtrindc
    Level 10 (124,018 points)
    Apr 18, 2016 8:14 AM in response to jjtrindc

    You should read through the information on the site http://pondini.org/TM/18.html

  • by jjtrindc,

    jjtrindc jjtrindc Apr 18, 2016 8:20 AM in response to Duane
    Level 1 (28 points)
    Apple Music
    Apr 18, 2016 8:20 AM in response to Duane

    Thanks Duane, that site is very helpful.

     

    So, it seems that Time Machine backups are a bit more complicated in terms of how they are setup that creates issues when trying to switch them to another drive.  That is further compounded by the case-sensitive format that is default for how Time Machine is setup vs. "case-ignorant" format default for setting up a standard external storage drive.  Given that "case-ignorant" seems to be the recommended way to setup new drives, I'll continue to pursue the disk utility option I referenced in my original post and see what my new drive looks like and make my decision for how to proceed from there.

  • by den.thed,Helpful

    den.thed den.thed Apr 18, 2016 8:24 AM in response to jjtrindc
    Level 7 (27,560 points)
    Apr 18, 2016 8:24 AM in response to jjtrindc

    Sounds like you are on the right track.

     

    It will take a long time, see > http://pondini.org/TM/18.html

    1. Keep in mind that the initial time may not be accurate and will keep re-adjusting during the copy.

    2. The total time will very depending on the drive(s), their connection and other activities that the computer is doing.

  • by Duane,

    Duane Duane Apr 18, 2016 8:29 AM in response to jjtrindc
    Level 10 (124,018 points)
    Apr 18, 2016 8:29 AM in response to jjtrindc

    jjtrindc wrote:

     

    ...That is further compounded by the case-sensitive format that is default for how Time Machine is setup vs. "case-ignorant" format default for setting up a standard external storage drive.  Given that "case-ignorant" seems to be the recommended way to setup new drives, ...

    The default for ALL drives is "case-ignorant".

  • by jjtrindc,

    jjtrindc jjtrindc Apr 18, 2016 8:37 AM in response to Duane
    Level 1 (28 points)
    Apple Music
    Apr 18, 2016 8:37 AM in response to Duane

    Duane -  I made that comment based on the info here: http://pondini.org/TM/5.html

     

    Indeed, when I checked the format of my Time Machine it was "case sensitive" and it's unlikely that I would have done anything other than "ok" the process that was laid out for me when I let Time Machine format the new drive.

     

    A case-sensitive format means upper-case letters in file names are seen as different from lower-case letters.  That's the default if Time Machine formats it for you, but non-case-sensitive (also known as case-ignorant) is the default for all other volumes.  Do not use case-sensitive unless you're sure you need it. 


    Indeed, when I checked the format of my Time Machine it was "case sensitive" and it's unlikely that I would have done anything other than "ok" the process that was laid out for me when I let Time Machine format the new drive.


    Admittedly I'm a bit out of my depth here, but just wanted to show the detail behind my statement.

  • by Duane,

    Duane Duane Apr 18, 2016 8:45 AM in response to jjtrindc
    Level 10 (124,018 points)
    Apr 18, 2016 8:45 AM in response to jjtrindc

    I don't know what happened in your situation. All I can say is that the only reason Time Machine disc would be case-sensitive is that it was selected during the disc formatting. The only reason to make a Time Machine disk case-sensitive is because the drive(s) to be backed up are case sensitive.

     

    Making a drive case-sensitive is usually not necessary and not used.