Mac can see and read my back up but have to reboot to DO a back up.

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Level 1

52 points

Mac can see and read my back up but have to reboot to DO a back up.

Monterey 12.1 - Mac Mini 2018.

I have a 14TB WD that works fine. Sometimes.

Drive is not full. Had the same symptoms with its predecessor an 8TB WD. Drive is only a few months old. And, in total, maybe, something less that 5TB being backed up.

What happens is I check to see when my latest backup was (I don't get a notification that it failed) and it is a few days back. I tell it to "backup now" and then, after a minute or two trying, it fails. I can open the drive and see my previous backups. But I have to do a reboot for TimeMachine to be able to start and complete a backup. This will work for a few days then stop working. This is why I frequently check the status.

Again, I have no issues opening or seeing what is on the drive. Disk Utility First Aid reports no issues.

Any ideas, please and thank you?

Posted on Dec 27, 2021 7:28 AM

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Answer 1

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den.thed

Level 9

77,296 points

Dec 27, 2021 8:01 AM in response to skiph

Same setup here and no problems.

How is the Time Machine drive formatted?

(right or control click > select Get Info)

Do you have any WD drive software installed on the Mac?

(if so, then you need to pitch it ASAP)

Are you using the external drive(s) exclusively for Time Machine?

(storing other files on the same drive can cause problems)

Also try starting up in Safe Mode followed by a normal restart to see if that helps?

see > https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262

Then if you are like me and not totally confident in Time Machine as your only backup?

I suggest using one external drive for Time Machine and one for Cloning with the help of CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.

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Answer 2

skiph Author

Level 1

52 points

Dec 28, 2021 3:02 AM in response to den.thed

Den.Thed,

Thank you for taking the time to reply. Answered your questions in-line below:

How is the Time Machine drive formatted?

(right or control click > select Get Info)

TimeMachine did the format when first installed.

Do you have any WD drive software installed on the Mac?

(if so, then you need to pitch it ASAP)

No - never installed.

Are you using the external drive(s) exclusively for Time Machine?

(storing other files on the same drive can cause problems)

Yes. It is exclusive of all other uses. Dedicated solely to TimeMachine. And exclusive to just the one computer.

Also try starting up in Safe Mode followed by a normal restart to see if that helps?

see > https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262

Reluctant to do this as it will work perfectly for days before it (Time Machine) decides not to "see" my drive. Don't feel comfortable running days in Safe Mode.

Then if you are like me and not totally confident in Time Machine as your only backup?

I suggest using one external drive for Time Machine and one for Cloning with the help of CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.

My luck "could" be so bad that I could lose the primary AND the Time Machine at the same time but no, I don't (haven't) kept any kind of clone.

Again, thank you for your response. The only other thing I am thinking is to replace WD with another brand of external. Can't justify a proper NA$.

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Answer 3

den.thed

Level 9

77,296 points

Dec 28, 2021 7:45 AM in response to skiph

You're welcome.

Reluctant to do this as it will work perfectly for days before it (Time Machine) decides not to "see" my drive. Don't feel comfortable running days in Safe Mode.

You do not run in Safe Mode for days. You start up in Safe Mode followed by a normal restart.

Safe Mode does a basic check of your startup disk, similar to using First Aid in Disk Utility.

please carefully re-read > https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262

My luck "could" be so bad that I could lose the primary AND the Time Machine at the same time but no, I don't (haven't) kept any kind of clone.

This is exactly why I have adopted a multiple drive and backup strategy. If fact, I was using CarbonCopyCloner long before Apple came out with Time Machine. Currently I update and keep a monthly CCC clone in the fire safe, I update and keep a weekly CCC clone on location and only use Time Machine to further enhance that strategy. I also prefer cloning over Time Machine because the clone is bootable in a pinch, plus it is faster to Migrate to a new Mac from a clone than Time Machine.

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Answer 4

skiph Author

Level 1

52 points

Jan 11, 2022 7:51 AM in response to den.thed

den.thed

OK. Been about a week and half after I booted into Safe Mode then into Normal.

I have not had any issues with my Mac forgetting about my Time Machine drive. So.

Before the longest it had gone without me having to reboot to gain visibility to my backup was just a few days.

Learned, again, something new. And for that, sir, again I thank you.

Going to be buying another external drive to backup my backup.

Thanks for your help.

SkipH

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Answer 5

den.thed

Level 9

77,296 points

Jan 11, 2022 10:42 AM in response to skiph

Glad to have helped, you’re welcome.

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Mac can see and read my back up but have to reboot to DO a back up.

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