Apple Intelligence is now available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac!

⏺ Join the discussion

⏺ Press release 

⏺ Learn more

⏺ Watch the video

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

User profile for user: PliSsK
PliSsK Author
User level: Level 1
7 points

Time Machine backups failing or very slow after upgrading to Catalina

TM backups to a USB3 external HDD on my 10.14.6 installation were working normally. However, after a clean install in a new APFS volume of Catalina, my TM back ups now either take a very long time (frequently just hanging for an hour or two and then proceeding at snail's pace, or fail right at the end. I have tried performing first aid on the external drive several times, but it hasn't made any difference. Is this a known Catalina problem or is it likely a disk or backup folder error and I need to wipe my TM drive and start again?

iMac 27" 5K, macOS 10.15

Posted on Nov 19, 2019 7:02 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: PliSsK
PliSsK Author
User level: Level 1
7 points

Posted on Dec 23, 2019 9:43 PM

Wiping it as HFS+ and repairing the volume and drive multiple times with Disk Utility didn't help, even when running TM to an empty drive. Eventually I wiped it again (for the 3rd time or so) and I tried a complete drive scan with WD Drive Utilities (which failed right at the end after 6-12 hours) - not sure if it repaired anything), then I did a chkdsk using admin level command prompt in Windows 10 (reported no bad sectors, finished in 10 seconds), restarted into OS X and ran TM again and now it works fine, actually even better than ever (that I can remember).

View in context

Similar questions

2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: PliSsK
PliSsK Author
User level: Level 1
7 points

Dec 23, 2019 9:43 PM in response to PliSsK

Wiping it as HFS+ and repairing the volume and drive multiple times with Disk Utility didn't help, even when running TM to an empty drive. Eventually I wiped it again (for the 3rd time or so) and I tried a complete drive scan with WD Drive Utilities (which failed right at the end after 6-12 hours) - not sure if it repaired anything), then I did a chkdsk using admin level command prompt in Windows 10 (reported no bad sectors, finished in 10 seconds), restarted into OS X and ran TM again and now it works fine, actually even better than ever (that I can remember).

Reply

Time Machine backups failing or very slow after upgrading to Catalina

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.
Learn more Sign up