Time machine crashes finder on restore and I see no record of files.

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Level 2

241 points

Time machine crashes finder on restore and I see no record of files.

Time machine crashes the finder on restore and I see no files.

Just tried to resort a single file and it crashes the finder as soon as I try to go down in the different folders. several restarts did solve that bit and after several attempts I get down 2 or 3 levels but there are no files at all.

If I mount the sparse image on my server (I backup to a server with external hard disk over my local network) all the files are there and I can access them. So I have restored the corrupted file I wanted too, but still need to solve this problem.

Any tips?

MBP, MM, MBP - 10.5 + Windooz XP on a hard partition

Posted on Mar 14, 2010 7:29 AM

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Answer 1

Mar 14, 2010 7:41 AM in response to ChangeAgent

Try booting from you OS disk and in Disk Utility try repairing both your TM disk and the target restore disk.

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Answer 2

ChangeAgent Author

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Mar 14, 2010 8:01 AM in response to Stanley Horwitz

needed? as it is not my boot disk. it is a pure data disk backed up to the TM volume.

also I am doing a repair at the moment on my server of the TM disk.

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Answer 3

ChangeAgent Author

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Mar 14, 2010 10:51 AM in response to ChangeAgent

I think I found why, for some reason it changed the permissions on one of the specific folder at top level. in all backups. is there a quick way to fix this?

important is that there are two folders at top level in the backup. one is OK and one not. one has different permissions compared to the other one. so I can only change one folder persimmon.

BTW it also has a strange user in it named: "_unknown". and it can not be deleted.

Message was edited by: ChangeAgent

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Answer 4

ChangeAgent Author

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241 points

Mar 15, 2010 1:28 AM in response to ChangeAgent

The plot thickens.

Every time it makes a backup it set the permission rights for the folder to someone else but the user. So the user has no access to them. IOW I now need to also know how to make TM setting the correct permissions for the main folder, all internal folders are set correctly.

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Answer 5

Pondini

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Mar 15, 2010 10:42 AM in response to ChangeAgent

ChangeAgent wrote:
The plot thickens.

Every time it makes a backup it set the permission rights for the folder to someone else but the user. So the user has no access to them.

That's correct. Time Machine uses special "deny everybody everything" permissions on it's backups, to keep us mere mortals from corrupting them by moving, changing, or deleting things. It will put the correct permissions on the files when you use Time Machine to restore files.

In your first post, you said,

I backup to a server with external hard disk over my local network.

Is that an OSX Server?

How are you restoring from it; copying via the Finder or using the Time Machine "Star Wars" display?

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Answer 6

ChangeAgent Author

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241 points

Mar 15, 2010 11:17 AM in response to Pondini

Pondini wrote:
That's correct. Time Machine uses special "deny everybody everything" permissions on it's backups, to keep us mere mortals from corrupting them by moving, changing, or deleting things.

yes and no, if you load the image you are able to get in and make changes, this is where I see it locks the top folder.

It will put the correct permissions on the files when you use Time Machine to restore files.

as said it does not allow me to access this folder via TM. that is why I started digging and found what I did.

Is that an OSX Server?

Yes, server running normal SL.

How are you restoring from it; copying via the Finder or using the Time Machine "Star Wars" display?

Time Machine "Star Wars" display

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Answer 7

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Mar 15, 2010 11:22 AM in response to ChangeAgent

ChangeAgent wrote:

Pondini wrote:
That's correct. Time Machine uses special "deny everybody everything" permissions on it's backups, to keep us mere mortals from corrupting them by moving, changing, or deleting things.

yes and no, if you load the image you are able to get in and make changes, this is where I see it locks the top folder.

What do you mean by "load the image?" Do you mean once you restore a folder, the restored folder is locked? If so, are you signed-on as the user who "owned" the original folder when it was backed-up?

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Answer 8

ChangeAgent Author

Level 2

241 points

Mar 15, 2010 11:57 AM in response to Pondini

What do you mean by "load the image?" Do you mean once you restore a folder, the restored folder is locked? If so, are you signed-on as the user who "owned" the original folder when it was backed-up?

OK. if I go in to the disk that I backup to. I find the disk image of the backup. if I load this I see what is inside. the folder that refuses to back (all of them on the second level these are tho folders that are the dated folders of the backup) up is the one that is locked, has different permissions as it should have. If I fix the permission of the folders I can see them in the TM backup. however every new backed up folder is locked again and can not be restored till unlocked as described above.

I have other computers backing up to this disk and there I can open the folders and they restore fine if I want to.

My conclusion, somewhere the permission is broken. question how to fix.

helps?

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Answer 9

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Mar 15, 2010 12:28 PM in response to ChangeAgent

ChangeAgent wrote:
. . .
OK. if I go in to the disk that I backup to. I find the disk image of the backup. if I load this I see what is inside.

Again, what do you mean by "load"? If you mean mounting the disk image and using the Finder to copy from the files inside it, that's not "restoring," and isn't recommended, as you will have permissions problems with the copied files.

the folder that refuses to back (all of them on the second level these are tho folders that are the dated folders of the backup) up is the one that is locked, has different permissions as it should have. If I fix the permission of the folders I can see them in the TM backup. however every new backed up folder is locked again and can not be restored till unlocked as described above.

Yes, that's correct. Time Machine tries to keep us mere mortals from shooting ourselves in the foot by messing about with the backups. Once you've manually altered things inside your backups, there's no telling what will (or won't) happen.

Try this: create a new user, and sign on to that account. Make a test folder somewhere inside it's home folder (but not it's desktop) and put some test files in it. Run a backup. Then use the "Star Wars" display to restore that folder to the desktop (an "alternate location.") Does that work? Can you see and change the restored files as that user? Are other users prevented from changing them?

I don't know exactly what's happened, but it appears your backups are badly corrupted. You can try Repairing the sparse bundle (as Mr. Horowitz suggested), per #A5 in the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip,* also at the top of this forum, but it's doubtful that will really fix them. Your only option may be to delete the sparse bundle and let Time Machine start fresh.

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Answer 10

ChangeAgent Author

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241 points

Mar 15, 2010 11:45 PM in response to Pondini

Pondini wrote:
Again, what do you mean by "load"? If you mean mounting the disk image and using the Finder to copy from the files inside it, that's not "restoring," and isn't recommended, as you will have permissions problems with the copied files.

no, go on the disk where the backup resides and double click it. it now appears on the DT.

Try this: create a new user, and sign on to that account. Make a test folder somewhere inside it's home folder (but not it's desktop) and put some test files in it. Run a backup. Then use the "Star Wars" display to restore that folder to the desktop (an "alternate location.") Does that work? Can you see and change the restored files as that user? Are other users prevented from changing them?

same problem is there.

I don't know exactly what's happened, but it appears your backups are badly corrupted. You can try Repairing the sparse bundle (as Mr. Horowitz suggested), per #A5 in the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip,* also at the top of this forum, but it's doubtful that will really fix them.

I did that at a earlier stage before I posted.

Your only option may be to delete the sparse bundle and let Time Machine start fresh.

that is what I try to avoid. so hence trying to solve the problem of it locking this one top folder of all the folders it backs up, that contains all the backup info of each session, I still have the feeling it is a permission issue though.

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