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Level 1

6 points

Time Machine fails with “error occurred while creating the backup folder”

- Backing up to new 2TB Seagate Barracuda in Snow Leopard on an 24“ Intel iMac with 4G RAM.
-- Internal HD
--- 320GB
--- Partition Map Scheme: GUID Partition Table
--- Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
--- Owners Enabled: Yes
-- Time Machine HD
--- 2TB Seagate Barracuda
--- USB 2.0
--- Partition Map Scheme: GUID Partition Table
--- Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
--- Owners Enabled: No

- Time Machine did a full backup with no errors.
- When it tried to do a subsequent backup I received the ”Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder“ message.
- Tried all 4 steps from:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10329712-263.html
-- including reformatting TM HD, deleting TM prefs and restarting.
- Had same result after taking steps. Backed-up full internal drive successfully then gives the same error.

Console output:
12/1/09 Tue Dec.01.09 | 11:25:48 PM com.apple.backupd[33841] Starting standard backup
12/1/09 Tue Dec.01.09 | 11:25:49 PM com.apple.backupd[33841] Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb
12/1/09 Tue Dec.01.09 | 11:25:49 PM com.apple.backupd[33841] Error: (-50) Creating directory 2009-12-01-232549.inProgress
12/1/09 Tue Dec.01.09 | 11:25:49 PM com.apple.backupd[33841] Failed to make snapshot container.
12/1/09 Tue Dec.01.09 | 11:25:54 PM com.apple.backupd[33841] Backup failed with error: 2

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Dec 2, 2009 12:18 AM

72 replies

Jan 11, 2010 9:38 PM in response to kalmdown

A Datapoint ...

Thermaltake usb/estat docks on iMac 24", Mac Mini Core 2, Mac Mini Core. (3 different types/series of machines)

All Time Machine Volumes.

Under Leopard 10.5.X
WD Caviar Blue 640GB worked perfectly on all.
WD Caviar Green 1TB problems on both Mac Mini's (same error messages), works fine on iMac 24"

Under Snow Leopard 10.6.2
WD Caviar Blue 640GB works perfectly on non sleeping machines, on scheduled wakeups
sometimes the drive is unmounted as if the cable was pulled, with resulting error messages, wierd Snow Leopard only prob.
WD Caviar Green 1TB has same problems with both Mac Mini's, untested on iMac.

Definitely a difference between Caviar Blue, and Caviar Green drives

System Preferences - Energy Saver - All have put hard drives to sleep when possible

Message was edited by: eidolonical

Jan 12, 2010 2:47 PM in response to eidolonical

More Info - Thermaltake BlacX Docks, two different interface chips. Same model numbers

1. Vendor ID: 0x13fd (Initio Corporation)
2. Vendor ID: 0x152d (JMicron Technology Corp.)

The Initio was attached to the 24" iMac, have switched units, and am testing with 1TB Caviar on Mini

Mr Geoff

Level 1

4 points

Jan 14, 2010 11:41 AM in response to kalmdown

I am having this problem too. Brand new 4TB WD drive. Worked fine for a week and now "Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder." Also accompanied by the inability to manually create a folder on the backup drive. No sleep, no changes in any settings. I am working on the computer at 9 AM when the backup succeeds and still working at 10 AM when it fails. All attempts to "Back up now" fail.

I hope there is some solid resolution to this soon.
Thanks,
- Jeff

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Jan 14, 2010 11:45 AM in response to Mr Geoff

Have you tried #C10 in the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip,* also at the top of this forum?

Jan 15, 2010 11:55 AM in response to Mr Geoff

Double check that your Macs' HD has not been added to the Time Machine exclusion list.

*Excluding Primary Drive?*
Open the Time Machine preferences. Click "Options". Is your primary HD listed as one of the items to EXCLUDE from backup. If it is, remove it from the list and try again.

Another poster observed: “Had this myself but it was because for some strange reason my startup disk (the one I wanted to backup) was included in the 'don’t backup these items' list!”

kalmdown Author

Level 1

6 points

Jan 28, 2010 12:12 PM in response to kalmdown

Still haven't solved this problem.

I think it either has to do with permissions or sleep though. The system backs up a few times after restarting but either other people logging in or the 'puter going to sleep causes this problem to start up again. I've tried trouble shooting both but haven't been able to pin it down.

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Jan 28, 2010 12:30 PM in response to kalmdown

It's hard to tell with so many other folks posting in this thread:

I know you installed the "combo" update, but did you ever reinstall OSX?

Sounds to me like you've ruled out everything except something corrupted in OSX, or a problem with the drive(s) or connection to it.

Do the thing with different ports and cables again. A pin being just a couple of thousandths of an inch short, or with a tiny speck of corrosion or foreign matter on it, may work fine in one port, but give intermittent problems in a different one.

And you did check with the drive makers about updated drivers and/or firmware, right?

kalmdown Author

Level 1

6 points

Jan 31, 2010 10:10 PM in response to Pondini

I haven't tried it with a clean install. Would mean having to rebuild everything.

Has been plugged in to dif ports to no avail.

There are no updated drivers for these drives...yet.

The drive (Seagate Barracuda 2T) does function as the internal drive great though.

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Jan 31, 2010 10:15 PM in response to kalmdown

kalmdown wrote:
I haven't tried it with a clean install. Would mean having to rebuild everything.

I did not suggest that (and there is no such thing in OSX).

I recommended installing Snow Leopard. That gets you a new copy of OSX without touching your users, files, etc. It's a rough equivalent of Leopard's +Archive and Install, preserving users and settings,+ but it does a better job of moving what's needed from the /Library folder and doesn't make a +Previous Systems+ folder.

Has been plugged in to dif ports to no avail.

There are no updated drivers for these drives...yet.

The drive (Seagate Barracuda 2T) does function as the internal drive great though.

rbithert

Level 1

0 points

Feb 14, 2010 8:59 AM in response to Pondini

I'm having the same error, with a twist I haven't found mentioned: it won't let me eject the TM volume after I get the error ("The disk “Backup” wasn’t ejected because one or more programs may be using it"). So I have to restart to be able to eject. It does this even after I turn off TM. Anyone else having this problem? I Googled the error message plus won't eject and got no hits. Things I've tried:

* repairing the disk
* making sure all software is up to date
* looking for a partial backup to delete (there was none)

I'm going to try A4 here, after I restart:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2057525#A4

So I'll keep trying the suggestions posted to others and will check back to see if people have any questions about my specifics. I mainly wanted to report the no-eject error because it's different.

Like some others, I started having this problem after switching to a bigger drive. I'd used Super Duper! to clone from the old drive to the new one. Then to try to get rid of these errors I erased the disk and started TM fresh, but I still get the error.

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Feb 14, 2010 9:13 AM in response to rbithert

rbithert wrote:
. . .
looking for a partial backup to delete

Do that only as a +*last resort.* Sometimes you may get away with it, but sometimes that can hopelessly corrupt your backups.

I'm going to try A4 here, after I restart:

You might also try the things in #D2 there, especially #1, 2 and 11 (some drives needed new drivers and/or firmware to work properly with Snow Leopard; even if yours is new, it might have been in stock somewhere for a while, without the latest stuff.)

kalmdown Author

Level 1

6 points

Mar 8, 2010 10:10 PM in response to Pondini

Am already running Snow Leopard and did a rebuild with it a few weeks ago when I installed the new internal drive.

- Thanks, Karl

Time Machine fails with “error occurred while creating the backup folder”