Time Machine conflict with Endnote

marine_microbe wrote:
Time Machine hangs when I am running Endnote X2. Had the same problem with X1.

Have not identified the exact conditions, but after I've had Endnote open for a while I will notice that the Time Machine icon on the menu bar continues to spin.

Sounds like Endnote has a memory leak.

Called Endnote and they told me that one other user had reported this problem. They suggested that I stop using Time Machine.

Well, that figures. 🙂 That way, they don't have to do anything. Pass the buck. If Endnote works with MSWord, that might explain things.
I would ask them why this happens when using TM. Ask them exactly what TM is doing that causes this issue with only their software and nobody else's.

Anybody else have a problem backing up any other kinds of open files?

No, TM backs up open files, mail files, etc just fine. I have even made some tests.

I suggest downloading and installing the TMBuddy Widget which will give you all the details including errors when TM backs up. It might help you help the good people at Endnote fix their bug.

Message was edited by: nerowolfe

marine_microbe wrote:
Examination of /var/log/system.log revealed the following backupd (Time Machine) error:

/System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[23108]: Indexing a file failed. Returned -1120 for: /Applications/EndNote X2/Cite While You Write/EndNote CWYW Word 2004, /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb/cottrell/2008-10-29-075449.inProgress
/62E56262-4AE7-4DB0-ABB6-AC4859C0984B/Macintosh HD/Applications/EndNote X2/Cite While You Write/EndNote CWYW Word 2004

Looks like it's a problem with the Cite While You Write feature of EndNote.

For the time being I will exclude "/Applications/EndNote X2/Cite While You Write/EndNote CWYW Word 2004" from the time machine backup. That's not a critical file to backup and worth skipping if that allows the rest of the backup to proceed.

Excellent sleuthing! Kudos.
I would send a copy of that to Endnote.
What you can do is exclude endnote as you are doing and then use some 3rd party SW or even Leopard's own backup to backup the file(s) that are causing the problem until Endnote fixes it. The problem is most likely that there are not many Endnote/Leopard/TM users, and even then, the problem does not occur immediately and also not everyone will determine the cause as you did.

My guess is that Endnote is putting some kind of filelock on the open file that TM cannot deal with.
Most locked files will allow themselves to be copied but some filelocks prevent any touching by any other app while they are open. Endnote may be in this latter category.

If there is an autosave, turn it on and you could even write a script to copy the file when you close it. The easiest solution is to click the TM "Backup now" button in the menu after you close the file, presuming that will work. An additional backup or two for TM like that usually takes but a few seconds and no additional room on the backup HD.

Message was edited by: nerowolfe

Hi marine_microbe

I suffer from the same *Time Machine* - Endnote X1 conflict. When Endnote is running TM hangs.
The exclusion of Endnote *CWYW 2004*, however, did not solve the problem for me.
I am sitting long hours in front of endnote and ran into the Endnote problem every hour.
Eventually I had to turn off TimeMachine and am backing up manually. This works fine even if Endnote is running in the background. My guess is that only the AUTOMATIC backup by TM is causing the error.
Any new ideas?