Time Machine Error Message Not enough Memory, How to fix?

Question

Time Machine Error Message Not enough Memory, How to fix?

I've been using Time Machine, backing up onto a hard drive, since last November. All of a sudden it's giving me an error message saying that it does not have enough space. So the backups fail.

The error message offers 2 alternatives: Destroy files or use a different back up location. The preferences offer no assistance, though the error message implies that I can make the backup smaller there.

How can that be? I have saves for the last 30 days, but I can't back up the current files? That seems like flawed software to me.

Does anyone know a work around?

Thanks,
Jemel

G5 Quad; Mini Mac; MacBook; iPods, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Jun 14, 2010 3:28 PM

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Answer 1

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Jun 14, 2010 3:31 PM in response to Jeanie Marshall

See #C4 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).

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Answer 2

Jun 14, 2010 8:03 PM in response to Pondini

Yes, I have read through this. Seems very unMac like. There really seem to be no preferences while Time machine is active.

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Answer 3

dbsneddon

Level 4

1,530 points

Jun 14, 2010 8:11 PM in response to Jeanie Marshall

Some more details about your system configuration may be useful...
number of disks, size of disks, internal/external etc. Since it seems
to want to backup lots of stuff, what have you changed/installed/upgraded
lately?

Dave

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Answer 4

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Jun 14, 2010 8:45 PM in response to Jeanie Marshall

Jeanie Marshall wrote:
Yes, I have read through this. Seems very unMac like. There really seem to be no preferences while Time machine is active.

I'm not sure what you mean by that. If there isn't room, there isn't room. As dbsneddon says, we can't help figure out what's happened without some details.

There are several possibilities:

Nothing is wrong. You have the +Warn when old backups are deleted+ option checked in TM Preferences, and that's what it did. That's why I referred you to #C4 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting. See the tan box there for a detailed explanation and simple solution.
Your Time Machine drive isn't well over twice the size of the data it's backing-up, and Time Machine has to do a new, full backup. #D3 in Troubleshooting lists some common reasons for that.
For some reason, Time Machine may have started a new set of backups. A common reason is having the Logic board in your Mac replaced. See #C8 in Troubleshooting.
There are others, of course, but start by checking those out.

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