Missing Time Machine backups post Catalina Upgrade

Not sure if you found your solution but I will offer this. I saw this article: https://www.macworld.com/article/3445481/can-t-find-your-time-machine-backup-after-upgrading-to-catalina-look-for-a-backupbundle.html

Browsed to my TM and my image lacked an icon. Did Get Info and changed the extension to sparsebundle as the article suggested. It was then able to mount, and all of my previous backups were there and I was able to copy over a file that I needed. However, I still cannot see the previous backups by Enter Time Machine from the menu.

I have a huge thread on this. the final two posts show the apparent solution and the confirmation of my tests

I back up to a NAS, and was having arbitrary "now you see them now you don't" issues with Enter Time Machine and seeing my backups.

Eventually I found my NAS was not broadcasting the necessary Bonjour elements for Time Machine to Enter Time Machine and see the backups.

On correcting that I can now see all my backups using Enter Time Machine.

I think the .sparsebundle vs .backupbundle and the new folder Mapped is a red herring that many of us have followed including Apple Support

Had terrible trouble with this after initial failed Catalina upgrade from latest Mojave. Will spare the endless details (multiple failed attempts to install clean Mojave and Catalina, multiple failed attempts to do full system restore from Time Capsule backups, multiple failed attempts to migrate data with Migration Assistant etc...)

Eventually got clean install of Catalina.

Old backups in Time Machine were greyed out (Using 2015 3TB Time Capsule with AirPort Extreme, which I know are no longer made)

Eventually something happened, took a few hours I think, (don't know what happened) and old backups were accessible. They also showed up in Finder. I pulled across the data using finder by dragging and dropping, appeared to be successful, can open data and all of it (as far as I can remember) seems to be there.

Then after syncing and backing up my new iPhone 11Pro Max to Music (this was buggy); digression follows!

After 3 failed attempts to sync iPhone I went and enabled sync contacts which was not enabled initially, then finally it said the iPhone was synced to a different account, and asked if I wanted to sync to new account, so yes, then successful sync and iPhone backup to the Mac.

Anyhow after all this I started a new Time Machine backup over WiFi, after 36 hours was only 20% done, so I cancelled, thinking I would re-start with ethernet cable which is what I have done in the past to speed initial backup.

Ever since starting the new Time Machine backup on Catalina, the old Mojave backups are gone again, and as you noted, when browsing in Finder there is just the backup bundle file, not the sparse bundle.

Just tried to verify backups with Option key and time machine, it ground for a while now time machine says there are no backups at all.

Backup bundle file is still there in finder.

But no backups in Time Machine except the single snapshot from right now (after I attempted to verify backups)

I am extremely perplexed at this, and wondering-

DOES APPLE EVER MONITOR THESE THREADS AND RESPOND?

I have been a loyal Mac user since the Mac Plus in 1986, just so confused as to why an extremely common function like a backup does not carry through to the new OS?

I mean who does not back up their computer?

I do pay for iCloud storage and that seems to be working (it took several days but the pie next to Cloud finally went away)

I was going to erase the Time Capsule and start from scratch but I think I will wait to see if there is an update which addresses this issue.

Luckily I was able to grab the data that I really wanted (mostly photos and documents dating back to 2005), but if I hadn't done this I would be pulling my hair out.

Unless this is addressed, looks like that data is gone forever (suppose I could pay a data recovery service but like I said I think I have what I want).

Just so frustrating.

In my case renaming the file allowed me to access the time machine backups directly from the finder. It worked this afternoon but now I cannot see them any. more. Thankfully I spent some time and got all of my old data moved onto the new OS.

I did not try to view the backups from within Time Machine when it was working for that short period of time.

I am not sure at all now what to do in your situation, in my case, as soon as I changed the .extension, the time machine backups appeared in the finder, but now they are no longer there and I did not do anything else.

Sorry this is such a perplexing problem.

Hans

Just to chime in, it's not just Drobo users who have lost direct access to TM, I am using an Apple 3TB Time Capsule and do not have direct access to TM backups but can get to them through Disk Utility, I posted info on the other thread

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250732950?answerId=251511165022#251511165022

Still not solved for sure, going to attempt full backup tonight as I have dragged all the data I wanted from the old Mojave backup to my clean Catalina install so nothing to lose at this point.

Hans

I'm having the same/similar problem.

I did a clean install for Catalina.

Thankfully for me, installed without a hitch.

Attached my TM I've been using with Mojave and went through the regular system preferences thinking all would be fine. Saw that the time machine was doing a backup so left it running.

Later I tried to enter time machine to restore some work. All the backups pre-Catalina (i.e. Mojave), unavailable.

When I open my Time Machine disk I can see all the previous backups. I can copy files and folders to my HD manually, but they're not accessible through/using Time Machine.

So, sorry Jason, not a solution to your problem but just letting you know you're not alone.

Thanks

My attempts were equally unsuccessful.

Left my Mac running for 48hrs hoping there might be some background activity going on with the different formatting processes between Mojave and Catalina. Even though I couldn't see any extra backupd processes happen in activity monitor.

I thought I had made progress after a restart as all my backups were visible in TM and no longer a "grey-out" pink but a red. I then randomly selected one to check only to find out they were all exact copies of the backups I had made since installing Catalina.

I panicked and manually checked the TM disk in finder to find all the backups still there. Phew!

I haven't received any failed verification messages since upgrading to Catalina either but the option in TM dropdown is greyed-out so can't try one except through Terminal.

Restarted in recovery mode and ran first aid on the TM and HD (did surprise me to find 2 disks now for data and system?).

Now I'm back to pink (greyed-out) backups in TM prior to the Catalina backups which are accessible (red).

Verify backups in TM still greyed-out and reluctant to try with terminal.

Surely there are others having this problem?

Me too. Just installed Catalina and all T M backups have gone - only 'local' ones. My MBP was trying to back up all its data as well but this seems to have stopped. Looking into the backup drive there's an inaccessible '*.backupbundle NOT '*.sparsebundle' as was.

'Help me Apple, your our only hope....'