Time Machine Backup Hangs at "Calculating Changes"

Question

Level 1

20 points

Time Machine Backup Hangs at "Calculating Changes"

Since upgrading to SL, I am unable to backup. I am using a WD MyBook HD linked to a TC for backing up my MacBook Pro 13" UB. Prior to upgrading all was operating normally.

The process hangs at "Calculating changes 99%" . It will not progress beyond that point. I have to manually stop the backup.

Here is the log:

Sep 1 09:13:25 twnMacBook com.apple.backupd[768]: Starting standard backup
Sep 1 09:13:25 twnMacBook com.apple.backupd[768]: Attempting to mount network destination using URL: afp://Tod%20Nxxxx@Tods-Time-Capsule.local/My%20Book
Sep 1 09:13:41 twnMacBook com.apple.backupd[768]: Mounted network destination using URL: afp://Tod%20Nxxxx@Tods-Time-Capsule.local/My%20Book
Sep 1 09:13:46 twnMacBook com.apple.backupd[768]: Disk image /Volumes/My Book/twnMacBook_00254bca016c.sparsebundle mounted at: /Volumes/Backup of twnMacBook
Sep 1 09:13:46 twnMacBook com.apple.backupd[768]: Backing up to: /Volumes/Backup of twnMacBook/Backups.backupdb
Sep 1 09:13:53 twnMacBook com.apple.backupd[768]: Event store UUIDs don't match for volume: Macintosh HD
Sep 1 09:13:53 twnMacBook com.apple.backupd[768]: Waiting for index to be ready (101)
Sep 1 09:14:00 twnMacBook com.apple.backupd[768]: Node requires deep traversal:/ reason:must scan subdirs|new event db|

Any suggestions?

UB MacBook Pro 13", Mac OS X (10.6)

Posted on Sep 1, 2009 6:33 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 1, 2009 6:38 AM in response to remedy1

Mine sat at 99% for quite a while, maybe 30 minutes, before it finished. I just left it alone an let it take it's time. Subsequent backups have been normal.

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Answer 2

remedy1 Author

Level 1

20 points

Sep 1, 2009 6:45 AM in response to Craig Baron

Thanks, Craig...

It won't go beyond 99%, I let it run overnight.

It is backing up to a WD Passport via Firewire right now with no problem at all...it just won't backup to the MyBook drive attached to my TC.

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Answer 3

Sep 1, 2009 6:48 AM in response to remedy1

I also use a WD firewire passport on my MBP, I don't have a TC.

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Answer 4

Sep 1, 2009 7:01 AM in response to remedy1

I'm having the exact same problem. It keeps getting to 99% and then starts over. I've noticed that the oldest backup available in the preferences window periodically changes, so I've been letting it run, but the latest backup never changes and it's been running for about 10 hours now.

I have a Time capsule 500MB.

Message was edited by: Spencer Lewis

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Answer 5

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Sep 1, 2009 7:40 AM in response to Spencer Lewis

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. They will look like the messages in the first post of this thread, with the first part of each (date, time, etc.) cut off. Copy and post them here.

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Answer 6

Sep 1, 2009 8:02 AM in response to Pondini

I installed that widget and it froze my Dashboard.

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Answer 7

Sep 1, 2009 8:10 AM in response to Spencer Lewis

Just checked the developers website and the widget hasn't been tested in SL yet.

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Answer 8

remedy1 Author

Level 1

20 points

Sep 1, 2009 8:36 AM in response to remedy1

Problem appears to be solved.

This is what I did:

Disconnected the the WD drive from the TC. Connected to my MB via USB. Ran backup, and it backed up without any problems. Once I had a good backup completed, I reconnected it to the TC and ran the backup again. It backed up normally, no hangs, no slow downs, no problems at all.

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Answer 9

Sep 1, 2009 8:41 AM in response to remedy1

Not sure this is a solution for me - I have a TC connected via ethernet. That's the only direct connect option I have - are you saying I need to run a back-up to a different drive other than the TC and then go back to the TC?

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Answer 10

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Sep 1, 2009 9:03 AM in response to Spencer Lewis

Some folks have found that a restart of their Mac, and/or a shutdown and restart of the TC helps.

Sorry about the widget -- it's not mentioned in any of the lists of incompatibles.

You can use the Console app, in your Applications/Utilities folder.

When it starts, click +*Show Log List+* in the toolbar, then navigate in the sidebar that opens up to your system.log and select it. That will open your current log at the end (bottom). Scroll upwards to the date and time of the most recent of these slow backups.

Most of the messages you'll see are status and info for developers, so you may have to slog through a fair amount of extraneous stuff.

You can use the Filter box in the toolbar to select only the TM backup messages: type backupd there.

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Answer 11

remedy1 Author

Level 1

20 points

Sep 1, 2009 9:15 AM in response to Spencer Lewis

Spencer,

Have you powered down and repowered your TC and computer? I have read in other threads that that has corrected some of the problems.

I am kind of puzzled as to why connecting the drive directly to my MBP solved the issue...I backed up to my portable drive as I intended to wipe the drive connected to my TC that I back up my MBP to and start all over. Before doing that, I was curious if connecting the drive directly to the MBP would do any good. It worked. I don't know exactly why. It is now working wirelessly just fine.

(FYI, my setup is this...

I have a TC connected to my iMac via ethernet. My iMac backs up directly to the TC. I have a WD MyBook 500GB drive connected to the TC via USB that backs up my MBP via wireless.)

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Answer 12

Elkins45

Level 1

4 points

Sep 1, 2009 8:10 PM in response to remedy1

I'm having exactly the same problem (hanging at 99%). I have a FW drive connected directly and I did an erase an install because I was having problems with my Leopard install.

I've restarted a hundred times, erased and reinstalled three times and restarted the drive, all to no avail.

I'm starting to really hate Snow Leopard!

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Answer 13

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Sep 1, 2009 8:21 PM in response to Elkins45

Elkins45 wrote:
I'm having exactly the same problem (hanging at 99%). I have a FW drive connected directly and I did an erase an install because I was having problems with my Leopard install.

I've restarted a hundred times, erased and reinstalled three times and restarted the drive, all to no avail.

Try a "full reset" of Time Machine:

a. Go to TM Preferences, turn TM Off, de-select the drive (select "none"), and click the Options button. Note any exclusions in the +Do Not Back Up+ box, and other option(s) on that panel. Then quit System Preferences.
b. Eject, disconnect, and power-off the drive for a few moments, then reconnect it.
c. Delete the file /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist (in your top-level Library folder, not your home folder).
d. Go back to TM Preferences, re-select your drive, re-enter any exclusions and other options.
e. Do a +*Back Up Now*+ or wait for the next scheduled backup.
If that doesn't help, try the Console app, as in my previous post, but do not filter for Backupd. See if there's anything else suspicious there. If so, copy and post a reasonable amount here.

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Answer 14

Elkins45

Level 1

4 points

Sep 1, 2009 10:47 PM in response to remedy1

I fixed it using the same procedure I used to solve other problems. It was a permissions error with an invisible file on the Time Machine drive.

The fix is easy: search for "Time Machine permissions error fix" and you'll find it. Basically you use the terminal to show invisible files and then change the permissions on a single file on the the TM volume.

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Answer 15

Elkins45

Level 1

4 points

Sep 2, 2009 7:42 AM in response to Elkins45

Here's the thread referenced in the above post:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1855032&start=0&tstart=0

This seems to fix a wide variety of TM problems.

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