Time machine external disk failing

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Level 1

5 points

Time machine external disk failing

Hello I am using a wd external disk for my tm backups. Last time I tried to backup I got the error message "disk utility can't repair the disk", so backups won't be executed. The disk would mount but if I access its folder I don't see anything in it. With disk utility I see there's still content in there. If I run the s.o.s. procedure I get this errors:

Executing fsck_apfs -y -x /dev/disk2s2

Verifying container superblock.

error: (oid 0x2f3d01) om: invalid o_type (0x40000003, expected 0x4000000b)

error: verification/reading of the omap object failed: Illegal byte sequence

warning: checkpoint 172 (xid 79734) failed sanity check

error: (oid 0x2e1f85) om: btn: invalid o_oid (0x413)

error: (oid 0x2e1f85) om: btn: invalid o_type (0x2, expected 0x40000003)

error: (oid 0x2e1f85) om: btn: invalid o_subtype (0xe, expected 0xb)

error: (oid 0x2e1f85) om: btn: invalid o_type (0x2, expected 0x40000003)

Invalid object map.

Impossible to verify volume /dev/disk2s2.

Exit code: 8.

Verification or repair error: (-69716)

Any pointers?

Thanks!

Posted on Jan 4, 2022 4:22 AM

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Answer 1

PRP_53

Level 10

86,641 points

Jan 4, 2022 4:37 AM in response to Bagongo

Is one prepared to loose ALL Data presently on the drive ?

If so >>>

Disk Utilities >> View >> View ALL attached Drives.

Choose the Upper Most Drive by Manufactures NAME - Western Digital

That is the drive to Erase and format as APFS with the GUID Partition Map.

If above fails - this might be an indication the Drive itself has failed.

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Answer 2

Bagongo Author

Level 1

5 points

Jan 4, 2022 4:38 AM in response to Barney-15E

I am assuming it's failing. But I would like to know why. Hardware failure? Software failure? What do the errors point at? The disk is only 6 months old, need some info to figure out if the data on it can be recovered...

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Answer 3

PRP_53

Level 10

86,641 points

Jan 4, 2022 4:47 AM in response to Bagongo

To retrieve Data from a Failed Rotational External Drive will Cost Money and were are talking about some serious money.

The Results of a Professional Data Recovery Company for such a drive may or may not yield the expended Results but they can tell you all the details.

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Answer 4

Barney-15E

Level 10

113,602 points

Jan 4, 2022 5:16 AM in response to Bagongo

I am assuming it's failing. But I would like to know why. Hardware failure? Software failure? What do the errors point at? The disk is only 6 months old,

It's likely still under warranty. Contact the manufacturer for the answer to those questions.

It could be some random disk corruption and formatting it will restore its function, but I would never trust it as a backup disk again.

need some info to figure out if the data on it can be recovered...

Copy what you can off of it while it still works. It's a backup and what it was backing up still works, correct? Get a new drive and backup the source onto it. Whatever is on the backup becomes unnecessary.

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Answer 5

Barney-15E

Level 10

113,602 points

Jan 4, 2022 5:33 AM in response to Bagongo

Thank you, I wouldn't trust that disk either... so if I clone its contents on a new disk there's no risk of migrating the same error onto the new disk, right?

I would doubt it, but what does it matter? If you want to keep that data for posterity, so be it.

Get another drive and start a new backup.

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Answer 6

Barney-15E

Level 10

113,602 points

Jan 4, 2022 6:30 AM in response to Bagongo

I would doubt any physical corruption of the drive could be transferred. If the data is corrupt and cannot be read, it can't be copied over. If you clone the drive, I would suppose that depends on how it is cloned. A bit-by-bit clone would bring over any corruption. If the "clone" was merely copying the readable files, only good data should be transferred.

If your intention in cloning the drive is to use that as the backup drive, I would not do that.

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Answer 7

Barney-15E

Level 10

113,602 points

Jan 4, 2022 4:35 AM in response to Bagongo

When something says a drive is failing, you should assume it is failing.

Buy a new backup drive.

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Answer 8

Bagongo Author

Level 1

5 points

Jan 4, 2022 4:40 AM in response to PRP_53

NOT ready to lose the data. Trying to figure out if possible to retrieve it by maybe cloning the disk onto a new one (using disk utility). Could this be viable, based on the errors I am getting?

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Answer 9

Bagongo Author

Level 1

5 points

Jan 4, 2022 5:24 AM in response to Barney-15E

Thank you, I wouldn't trust that disk either... so if I clone its contents on a new disk there's no risk of migrating the same error onto the new disk, right?

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