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Can't restore files from Time machine backup?

I kinda successfully restored my files from Time Machine after a clean re-install of Snow Leopard (Time Machine thought they were new files, though, so backed up the 26 GB... waste of space), but now I'm trying to restore the files of the other user on the computer. In her pictures folder, I can't copy the iPhoto Library because I don't have permission to access it! The same problem occurred on my account too, but I was able to go to my Time Machine drive and manually change the permissions for the files I wanted, which doesn't work on her account.

I have made a Youtube video of the error:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1__PdyAetVg

Can anyone assist me in restoring the files? That's all I need help in. Thanks 🙂

Mid-2007 2.4 GHz iMac 20" 7,1, Mac OS X (10.6.1)

Posted on Oct 4, 2009 2:19 PM

32 replies

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Oct 5, 2009 12:50 PM in response to Mika Block

Mika Block wrote:
Hello,

First of all I have to disagree with Pondini. If you have a system running for over a year and tried different applications, tools and shareware, your system gets compromised. Of course not always but if you use your mac on a daily basis it'll probably happen.

That's often true on Windoze, but not a Mac.

That's why Snow Leopard no longer even has an +Erase and Install+ option -- it's rarely needed, and usually causes more trouble than it fixes. This thread is a perfect example.

Oct 5, 2009 2:28 PM in response to Mika Block

Mika Block wrote:
I did the same thing last week, clean install of Snow Leopard. Unfortunately without knowing about the time machine issue.

After some research a very easy solution presented.

Use the Terminal!

cp -R source "destination"

It copies everything without the annoying permission error.

You can even drag the source folder from your time machine backup folder into the terminal.

For example:
cp -R /Volumes/BACKUP/Backups.backupdb/MK\ MBP/2009-09-29-141056/Macintosh\ HD/Users/mbluhm/Documents/DOC "/Users/mb/Documents/DOC"

This simple solution saved my day!

Thank you for the tip. Unfortunately, I have already tried a similar Terminal command which didn't work. Nor did this one. When I entered the stuff in the terminal as you told me to, I got

cp -R /Volumes/TIme\ Machine/Backups.backupdb/Amos\ Ng’s\ iMac/2009-09-11-100609/Macintosh\ HD/Users/dorang "/Users/dorang"
cp: /Users/dorang/dorang: Permission denied
cp: /Volumes/TIme Machine/Backups.backupdb/Amos Ng’s iMac/2009-09-11-100609/Macintosh HD/Users/dorang: unable to copy extended attributes to /Users/dorang/dorang: Permission denied
cp: /Users/dorang/dorang/.CFUserTextEncoding: No such file or directory

Something is wrong here... Terminal interprets my command as ordering it to go to "/Users/dorang/dorang," and subsequently thinks no file or directory exists. Furthermore, permission is denied in copying from the Time Machine backup.

Oct 5, 2009 2:43 PM in response to Pondini

Pondini wrote:

Mika Block wrote:
Hello,

First of all I have to disagree with Pondini. If you have a system running for over a year and tried different applications, tools and shareware, your system gets compromised. Of course not always but if you use your mac on a daily basis it'll probably happen.

That's often true on Windoze, but not a Mac.

That's why Snow Leopard no longer even has an +Erase and Install+ option -- it's rarely needed, and usually causes more trouble than it fixes. This thread is a perfect example.

I'll have to disagree with you on your first point. Apple's official reason (who knows whether it's true or not) is that the option was removed because users didn't know that it would wipe out all data on their drives. Or so I heard, at least.

Updates:
My Vista laptop could read the TM drive with Mac Drive 8, but Windows Explorer would freeze before I got to her users folder. I had to do a hard restart each time Windows froze 😟

Also, I forced the system to copy her home folder by logging into root (I know it'll probably cause many problems, especially if a noob is logged in). Now Finder seems to be able to read her preferences well (it shows her custom wallpapers and dock) but iPhoto cannot read her photo library and thinks the library is damaged.

The same goes for me for the data I had obtained from TM by changing permissions... iTunes can't read my iTunes folder. ARGH.

And now, for the DUMB moment... I suddenly remembered that I had backed up both of our user folders to another drive separate from the TM before I had upgraded to SL (I upgraded from Tiger, which didn't have TM)...

BTW, how do you delete your most recent TM backups? I'm assuming you don't just go to Finder and delete the last few folders in the drive.

Oct 5, 2009 2:51 PM in response to wrongusername

The terminal command probably didn't work because you are trying to copy your old user folder in your new user folder.

Try to copy to the root directory and just take the files you need from there to your new user folder.

cp -R /Volumes/TIme\ Machine/Backups.backupdb/Amos\ Ng’s\ iMac/2009-09-11-100609/Macintosh\ HD/Users/dorang "/"

The TM backups are locked, it's not possible to just delete them in the finder. I would try terminal as well.

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Oct 5, 2009 3:12 PM in response to wrongusername

wrongusername wrote:
. . .
I'll have to disagree with you on your first point. Apple's official reason (who knows whether it's true or not) is that the option was removed because users didn't know that it would wipe out all data on their drives. Or so I heard, at least.

So you heard, but it's "official"? I don't think so.

But the point is, OSX does not leave all sorts of unused detritus around that interferes with operations. There is no Registry to cause problems. Leftover apps and data may take up some disk space, but have no effect on operations as long as they're not running. And if old junk is running, there are much more direct, easier, and less dangerous ways to get rid of them.

BTW, how do you delete your most recent TM backups? I'm assuming you don't just go to Finder and delete the last few folders in the drive.

No. That can hopelessly corrupt them. See #12 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.

ColPanik

Level 1

11 points

Oct 8, 2009 4:10 PM in response to Mika Block

I found a solution to this problem today. I just set up a brand new Mac Pro for a client after their G5 died. We had been backing up via Time Machine to an external drive and only wanted to copy backed up documents. I tried using Migration Assistant and it copied a few files (out of hundreds) and left the rest. I started copying the files in the Finder and after a while, it occurred to me to try Automator (the Mac OS scripting app). I created a Files and Folders workflow with "Get Selected Folder Items" and "Copy Finder Items." I selected a few files from the external drive in "Get Selected Folders" and targeted the location I wanted to copy the files to in the "Copy Finder Items" action. I hit the run button and it copied all the files with only "1 warning" which had no impact om the file-writing. Pretty sweet. Hope this helps!

Oct 10, 2009 6:17 PM in response to Pondini

Didn't bother to do the clean reinstall yet...

I have an .inprogress backup in the TM, and one backup folder is only partially deleted by TM. That folder still remains in the Finder, though only 4 system folders are left in the half-deleted backup. It also no longer shows up in TM. Would I be able to use Migration Assistant to transfer my files still?

Also, why can't I do a full system restore from a TM backup, and then reinstall SL?

Oct 10, 2009 6:18 PM in response to ColPanik

Thank you, but like most other solutions it doesn't help for me. I can't believe that my Mac is that special!

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Oct 10, 2009 6:34 PM in response to wrongusername

wrongusername wrote:
Didn't bother to do the clean reinstall yet...

I have an .inprogress backup in the TM

That will be ignored by both a full restore and Migration Assistant.

and one backup folder is only partially deleted by TM. That folder still remains in the Finder, though only 4 system folders are left in the half-deleted backup. It also no longer shows up in TM.

Is all that in your trash? (you cannot put it back.) Or is some left on the TM drive?

Would I be able to use Migration Assistant to transfer my files still?

Possibly. It will use the last successful backup, assuming your backups are not corrupted. Run a +*Repair Disk+* (not permissions) on them via Disk Utility.

Depending on what users have been set up, and whether they conflict, MA might get what you want. Your best bet might be to make a new, temporary Admin account, and use it to transfer users and files via MA. But I've kind of lost the thread of what's where, much less in what condition.

Also, why can't I do a full system restore from a TM backup, and then reinstall SL?

If your backups are not corrupted, yes, that should work. And there, you can pick which backup you want. See #14 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum if there's any question about the procedure.

Oct 10, 2009 6:39 PM in response to Pondini

Pondini wrote:

and one backup folder is only partially deleted by TM. That folder still remains in the Finder, though only 4 system folders are left in the half-deleted backup. It also no longer shows up in TM.

Is all that in your trash? (you cannot put it back.) Or is some left on the TM drive?

Some is still left on the TM drive 😟

Anyway, thanks for all your help on this thread! 🙂

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Oct 10, 2009 6:45 PM in response to wrongusername

wrongusername wrote:
. . .
Some is still left on the TM drive 😟

Hmmm. Do you mean, "some backups" or "parts of some backups"? If the latter, I have no idea what that will do.

Oct 10, 2009 6:48 PM in response to Pondini

Pondini wrote:

wrongusername wrote:
. . .
Some is still left on the TM drive 😟

Hmmm. Do you mean, "some backups" or "parts of some backups"? If the latter, I have no idea what that will do.

I meant some parts of a backup.

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Oct 10, 2009 7:10 PM in response to wrongusername

wrongusername wrote:

I meant some parts of a backup.

So you deleted some folders from inside one or more of the date/time backup folders, but not everything, right?

As long as you don't try to restore any of that/those backups, the rest may be ok. At this point, there don't seem to be many options left.

Oct 12, 2009 8:44 PM in response to Pondini

Well, I restored the system from my TM and re-installed SL (Mac OS X was having problems starting up, so I was forced to boot up from the install DVD). Now I can access my files fine, but I think the other account could read the files fine but couldn't write to them. iPhoto couldn't upgrade the library and thought it was damaged, and worst of all I couldn't even delete any files on her account. So I deleted the entire account, made a new one, and transferred files over from my other, non-TM backup. Now everything seems to be working fine again.

WHEW.

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Oct 12, 2009 8:49 PM in response to wrongusername

Hooooorayyyy! 🙂

Can't restore files from Time machine backup?