Inherited time machine backup inaccessible from clone

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Inherited time machine backup inaccessible from clone

I recently cloned my Mac to an external disk (using Carbon Copy Cloner) - my MacBook needs to be sent in for repair. When I started up from this disk for the first time, Time Machine asked me whether I wanted to inherit the backup history. I confirmed this - and thought I would be able to access older stages of the backup as a result of this. However, while the older backups seem to be there, they are greyed out and inaccessible.

Quite a few people seem to have the same problem, and I haven't found any posts that presented a workable solution. Can anybody advise? Is it a permissions issue? I'd like to get my Little Snitch rules back; they have been lost on the clone...

BTW: Given the incompatibilities with some essential programs, I'm currently still using Mojave (10.14.6).

Many thanks in advance!

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Apr 12, 2021 11:34 PM

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Answer 1

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sebhoff Author

Level 1

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Apr 17, 2021 11:10 AM in response to sebhoff

OK - here's the answer to my question: When you go into Time Machine, use the combination "shift + command + C". Then select a backup that you'd like to access. Regardless of where you entered Time Machine, it'll show the root directory of the back-up drive - in my case "Macintosh HD". I then navigated to "/Library/Application Support/Objective Development/" and copied the whole folder "Little Snitch" via the option available by right-clicking on the folder. I then exited TM and saved the folder on my Desktop. Finally, I used "Little Snitch Configuration > File > Restore from Backup" to restore my rule. Et voilà!

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Answer 2

Chris_C1

Community Specialist

Apr 14, 2021 5:56 AM in response to sebhoff

Greetings sebhoff,

We see that you have some questions related to backups and restoring your Mac. We're happy to advise.

As the program you used is developed by a third party, Time Machine may not be able to read those files to restore your data. Our recommendation is to use the Time Machine app for backups and restores of your Mac. Our page Back up your Mac with Time Machine can guide you through this process. It may be necessary to use the same app that created those backups to restore the data, or consult the app developer for further guidance.

Cheers!

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Answer 3

sebhoff Author

Level 1

10 points

Apr 14, 2021 7:09 AM in response to Chris_C1

Thanks for your response, but: I don't quite see how the issue is related to the use of a third party tool. I backed up my data with Time Machine and I'm trying to access it with Time Machine.

The tool I used for cloning my Mac was of course a third party tool. This backup is now effectively "a different Mac" that has inherited a Time Machine back-up history. And this doesn't seem to work, even though MAC OS offers this functionality.

Also, I have seen similar reports by people who used the Migration Assistant to move their data to a new Mac - so I doubt it is related to CCC.

I don't really need the full backup history. I just need the Little Snitch configuration file from last week. I'd be happy to use the shell to access the TM-backup, if there's a way to do it. So any input would still be welcome.

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Answer 4

BDAqua

Level 10

250,253 points

Apr 17, 2021 3:22 PM in response to sebhoff

Great work, thanks for the post my friend! :)

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Inherited time machine backup inaccessible from clone

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