User profile for user: Pixelhead
Pixelhead Author
User level: Level 1
6 points

TimeMachine Backup Not Enough Space Error

I have a 320GB boot drive and I have added an external 1TB drive via FW800 to serve as a TM backup. I have installed Leopard on the external drive so that it can also serve as a bootable drive. I now have available 870GB of space for setting up a TM backup of only 320GB. Is this still not large enough for a TM back-up of a boot drive that is only 320GB? Or is there another problem happening that I'm unaware of?

Thanks,
mark

MacPro Dual Quad 2.8, Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Jul 13, 2009 10:32 AM

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User profile for user: Lyssa
Lyssa
User level: Level 8
41,387 points

Jul 13, 2009 10:37 AM in response to Pixelhead

What you're doing isn't going to work for Time Machine. You want at LEAST twice the space of the data you're backing up (in your case, this would be 640 GB). Time Machine keeps multiple copies of your files if you make changes and makes backups every hour.

Additionally, for each backup, Time Machine needs space equaling 20% of the data being backed up as overhead.

If you just want to use the 320 GB partition, you'd have to go with a clone of the data.

~Lyssa
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User profile for user: Pondini
Pondini
User level: Level 8
38,863 points

Jul 13, 2009 11:13 AM in response to Pixelhead

Pixelhead wrote:
I have a 320GB boot drive and I have added an external 1TB drive via FW800 to serve as a TM backup. I have installed Leopard on the external drive so that it can also serve as a bootable drive. I now have available 870GB of space for setting up a TM backup of only 320GB. Is this still not large enough for a TM back-up of a boot drive that is only 320GB?


Exactly what error are you getting? Click here to download the +Time Machine Buddy+ widget. It shows the messages from your logs for one TM backup run at a time, in a small window. Copy and post them here.

As Lyssa says, TM needs roughly 2-3 times the space as the data it's backing-up. This does vary, of course, depending on how you use your Mac. So even if it's near full (you never want your boot drive to be more than about 85% full), yes, 870 gb should be fine in most circumstances. You might want to review items 1 and 9 of the Frequently Asked Questions post at the top of this forum.

Also, TM works best with it's own, exclusive partition. So you'll need at least 2 on your external drive, more if you want to put other data there. Be sure to exclude the Leopard partition from Time Machine. Item 5 of that post has instructions for formatting and partitioning the drive.
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User profile for user: Lyssa
Lyssa
User level: Level 8
41,387 points

Jul 13, 2009 11:46 AM in response to Pixelhead

As I re-read your post now, something comes to mind:

Do you have any other drives in this computer?

1) You've got the 1 internal drive with 320GB of space used.
2)You have the partition of about 130 GB for the Leopard install on that external drive, correct?

To backup these 2 things (because TM will backup that 130GB by default; you'll need to exclude it from the backups) you'll need about 540 GB of space (this is including the overhead for TM).

That leaves 330GB unaccounted for.

You might have more clues in the logs--have you downloaded the Time Machine Buddy widget as Pondini suggested?
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User profile for user: Pixelhead
Pixelhead Author
User level: Level 1
6 points

Jul 13, 2009 11:57 AM in response to Lyssa

Lyssa wrote:
As I re-read your post now, something comes to mind:

Do you have any other drives in this computer?


Yes, I have three other 750GB internal drives but TM is not set to bak them up.
1) You've got the 1 internal drive with 320GB of space used.


Well the total space for the boot drive is 320 GB but roughly only 120 GB is being used.

2)You have the partition of about 130 GB for the Leopard install on that external drive, correct?


I have not partitioned the external drive that I am trying to use for TM.

To backup these 2 things (because TM will backup that 130GB by default; you'll need to exclude it from the backups) you'll need about 540 GB of space (this is including the overhead for TM).


Yes, the Leopard install is excluded.

That leaves 330GB unaccounted for.

You might have more clues in the logs--have you downloaded the Time Machine Buddy widget as Pondini suggested?


I will give the partition thing a shot.

Thanks,
mark
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User profile for user: Pondini
Pondini
User level: Level 8
38,863 points

Jul 13, 2009 12:26 PM in response to Pixelhead

Pixelhead wrote:
. . .
Yes, I have three other 750GB internal drives but TM is not set to bak them up.


Are you sure? From your description, it sounds like TM is adding them into it's total, then saying there isn't enough room on your TM disk.

As Lyssa mentioned, they'll be included *by default:* you must specifically exclude them via TM Preferences > Options.
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User profile for user: Pixelhead
Pixelhead Author
User level: Level 1
6 points

Jul 13, 2009 12:46 PM in response to Pondini

Ok, I partitioned the external drive into two partitions. One is 70GB and the other is 860GB I have set TM to back-up the larger partition but I am still getting an error message that says I do not have enough space. Here is the actual message, "This backup is too large for the backup volume. The backup requires 1221.6GB but only 861 GB are available.

To select a larger volume, to make the backup smaller by excluding files, open system Preferences and choose Time Machine."

I don't understand why the 320BG book drive that only has about 120GB of data on it needs 1221GB of space for backup?

mark
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User profile for user: Pixelhead
Pixelhead Author
User level: Level 1
6 points

Jul 13, 2009 12:51 PM in response to Pondini

Pondini wrote:


Are you sure? From your description, it sounds like TM is adding them into it's total, then saying there isn't enough room on your TM disk.


As Lyssa mentioned, they'll be included *by default:* you must specifically exclude them via TM Preferences > Options.


Ok, I see now, they were by default being included, I have excluded them and now the TM backup is in process.

Thanks guys!

mark
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TimeMachine Backup Not Enough Space Error

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