Time Machine: error occurred while preparing for the backup

Question

Level 1

32 points

Time Machine: error occurred while preparing for the backup

My fairly new MacMini, running on the latest macOS BigSur, keeps getting issue with TimeMachine (TM) backup failures.

Temporary Solution:

I had to re-partition the disk from scratch and Erase everything and TM will back up fine for a week or two. Then, it will fail again.

Error : from TM is this "error occurred while preparing for the backup"

Hard-drive : Seagate 8TB

I tried repairing the disk through FirstAid (in Disk Util app) and it did not do a thing.

Posted on Jan 20, 2021 4:32 PM

Reply

Answer 1

jdo_apple

Community Specialist

Jan 23, 2021 9:37 AM in response to ArtyYeo

Hello and welcome to Apple Support Communities, ArtyYeo.

If we understand your post correctly, you're getting an error when you try to create a Time Machine backup. We’d like to help.

It sounds like you've already done some great troubleshooting. Follow the additional steps in this article:

If you can't back up or restore your Mac using Time Machine

Let us know if that resolves this issue for you.

Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities.

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Answer 2

Jan 23, 2021 9:49 AM in response to ArtyYeo

While waiting on suggestions from experts here:

Make backups of your important documents onto a couple of USB sticks or an another HD and label them with date.

Ditto for photos, movies, etc.

Dig through your emails and print out copies of your receipts for non-Apple apps. That way when it all goes south, you may be able to restore those apps.

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Answer 3

ArtyYeo Author

Level 1

32 points

Jan 26, 2021 10:57 AM in response to ArtyYeo

FirstAid at the Volume level did not "heal" it for TM.

Next time this occurs again, I'll apply FirstAid at the Volume, Container and Device level, as suggested in the document above.

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Answer 4

ArtyYeo Author

Level 1

32 points

Jan 23, 2021 11:38 AM in response to Sparkleberry

I bought a 12TB WD drive and it seems to be working fine now.

Still not sure why the old drive keeps failing backups intermittently.

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Answer 5

ArtyYeo Author

Level 1

32 points

Feb 1, 2021 11:46 AM in response to ArtyYeo

I noticed BugSur 11.2 is out.

Let's see if it fixes this as well.

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Answer 6

ArtyYeo Author

Level 1

32 points

Feb 8, 2021 6:13 AM in response to ArtyYeo

Erased everything at every level (Volume, Container and Device) and re-started TM since Feb 3.

This is longest I have been without TM error since this issue started after the first version of BigSur was installed.

Keeping my fingers crossed....

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Answer 7

ArtyYeo Author

Level 1

32 points

Feb 1, 2021 8:32 AM in response to ArtyYeo

There are others reporting the same issue

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252219238

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Answer 8

ArtyYeo Author

Level 1

32 points

Jan 29, 2021 8:29 AM in response to ArtyYeo

Happened again.

I took the new HD out of TM.
applied FirstAid from Volume -> Container -> Device level. Nothing bad was found and everything succeeded.
Select the HD in TM and it restarted backup
Failed with same error.

I'm getting tired of this and the blanking out new 4K monitor.

Cannot use the computer in peace (just like a Windows machine) ... sigh ...

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Answer 9

ArtyYeo Author

Level 1

32 points

Feb 1, 2021 8:10 AM in response to ArtyYeo

Any piece of additional info:

if ever I do a hard reboot (with a quiescent machine, and no TM Backup running), when the machine comes back up, TM will fail its BackUps from there onwards with the above error.

FirstAid applied at the lowest level (Volume) all the way to the highest level (Device) level did nothing to fix it even though FirstAid found nothing wrong.

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Answer 10

QH Le

Level 1

4 points

Feb 28, 2021 4:41 AM in response to ArtyYeo

All my hardwares at home & my company are apple products.

I have the same unresolved problem. Time machine fails after a couple of days & have tried everything Apple suggested.

Apple used to be good but it's just as bad as a bad windows setup now.

I am seriously thinking of not spending premium for the same quality as a bad windows set up & start to diversify my company hardwares back to windows 10.

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