I get this message when trying a new backup from my mid-2015 MacBook Pro Retina running Catalina 10.15.7 (which I can't update any more). Last TM backup was on 4 January, and there have been no system updates since. TM has just stopped working. Previous discussion suggested there was an issue after updating to Big Sur, but I never got to make that update. So, what might be going on with TM?
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.15
Thanks for the response. I had previously tried the power down with the restart of the Time Capsule. And after the first backup failure, TM suggested running a 'new backup.' That was the source of my reference to 'new.'
This time I ran the verification, and got the message below:
After starting another 'new backup,' that failed with the following diagnostic:
...and now I don't know what to do. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
By the way, I last had a successful TM backup on 4 January. Given the way I use my laptop - periods of intense activity followed by a week or two of nothing - it was time to do another backup, and this is the fix in which I now find myself.
You would want to use the Zero Out Data option to manually erase the Time Capsule, which is a much better erase than the default Quick Erase.
Time Machine uses the Quick Erase option when it tries to automatically delete a backup when it is corrupted. While this can work, if the erase is not really "clean", then Time Machine will not be able to create a new disk image for a new backup correctly. This may be what happened in your case. Another possibility is a hard drive on the Time Capsule that is on the verge of heading South.
At 5 years, if you can get Time Machine going again with the Time Capsule, it would also be a good idea to use a separate USB hard drive connected directly to your Mac to create a second back up plan using Time Machine or another application like Carbon Copy Cloner.
Good luck!
I've finally cleared some time for resetting (erasing, etc.) my Time Machine. But during the process of 'writing zeros' I saw a 'flash' pop that said an error occurred. See below. Now the AirPort Utility is reporting the Base Station as being busy (do not unplug or reset) and it has been for 2 hours. That seems excessive. Any suggestions for a next step? I'm tempted to go back to Factory Settings and start over, but is that the 'reset' I'm not supposed to do? I am hesitant to 'interrupt' the busy Base Station without being sure what I'm doing. Thanks.
"The backup disk image could not be created"
Unfortunately, that is a major issue. A disk image is created when Time Machine starts a brand new backup, so it would not be attempting to start a brand new complete backup unless there were a serious issue with your old backup file.
I'm confused though, since you say that you are trying a new backup. Can you provide some more details on that please? Has the Mac not backed up before? Any recent changes that you have made on the Mac?
If there existing backups on the Time Capsule for the Mac, please try the following:
Power off the Time Capsule
Restart your Mac
Power the Time Capsule back up again and let it run for a few minutes
Hold down the option key on your Mac while you click on the Time Machine 'clock" icon at the top of the Mac's screen
Select Verify Backups
Run the diagnostic check
The process.....if it can run.....might take anywhere from 10-60 minutes or more depending on how much data is stored in the backup file. Let the Verify check run until it completes or until you see an error message
You can usually watch the status of the check by clicking on the Time Machine "clock" icon and then clicking on Open Time Machine Preferences.
If an error message appears, please post back with the exact text of the message.
OK, thanks for the details.
Time Machine detected that your backup file on the Time Capsule was corrupted and tried to delete your old backup file......(the thing with with the long name).......and start over again with a new complete backup of your Mac. But, as the second message indicates, Time Machine could not delete the old backup file, so a new backup file to hold the new future backups could not be created or established.
All that you can really do at this point is try to manually delete the files on the Time Capsule by manually erasing the Time Capsule hard drive. Unfortunately, when you do this....and if it is successful.....everything on the Time Capsule hard drive is erased, including backups of other Macs that might also be backing up to the Time Capsule.
Once the Time Capsule drive has been erased, then you can try to run a new backup of the Mac. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees here that everything will run smoothly going forward. If the Time Capsule is 5-6 years old, for example, the hard drive inside the Time Capsule might be starting to fail. If the Time Capsule is 7+ years old, then it is probably better to stop using the Time Capsule and go with another backup plan.
So, the big question here is.......
Do you want to try to manually erase the Time Capsule hard drive.......which if successful will delete everything that is on the Time Capsule hard drive? Once that is done, you can then try to run a new Time Machine backup.......which will copy everything on the Mac over to the Time Capsule's hard drive and then move forward with incremental backups.
If yes......and you need step-by-step instructions to erase the Time Capsule's hard drive.......please post back to let us know. Once again, I need to stress that there are no guarantees here, so we are really at the "last resort" stage.
I understand the ‘last resort’ status, and had arrived at the ‘manual erase’ and start over destination by another route. But wanted to pursue this Community exchange as a sort of ‘second opinion.’ You’ve definitely confirmed both the diagnosis and the treatment of choice. The TM is ~5 year old; so, we’ll see if the manual erasure works. If not, there are as you say other possibilities for backing up. Thanks.
P.S. It’s a bit curious why TM could/would ‘verify’ the TM Backup but be unable to delete.
Unfortunately, this error message likely indicates that the hard drive on the Time Capsule is failing.
There is nothing to lose at this point by powering off the Time Capsule, trying to reset it back to factory defaults and then trying to set it up again to see if that might allow the erase to work correctly.......but.....please keep your expectations on the low side.
Sometimes the patient is truly failing and it's time to pull the plug. After a hard reset I get 'Internal Disk needs repair' diagnostic. So, since I don't really need the router capability of the (now discontinued) AirPort Time Capsule, I'll seek a simpler solution - external hard drive with hard-wired connection to my main router. Thanks for guiding though this process.
Sometimes the patient is truly failing and it's time to pull the plug. After a hard reset I get 'Internal Disk needs repair' diagnostic.
"Internal disk needs repair" is really Apple's polite way of saying that the hard drive has failed and it will need to be replaced.
I'll seek a simpler solution - external hard drive with hard-wired connection to my main router.
If you are thinking of connecting a USB drive to the USB port on your router and backing up that way, very few router manufacturers will support Time Machine machine backups in this type of setup. Two that will are the Synology router and the upper end routers from Asus.
Now, if you are thinking of connecting a NAS to one of the Ethernet ports on the router, that might work OK for Time Machine if the NAS supports this type of backup.
Actually, I use a NAS through my Router to run Time Machine for my iMac. So, I know that works and will probably set up one for my MacBook Pro as well. Actually had the MB well before my iMac, and AirPort TM was the most straightforward backup solution. But now it's time to turn to NAS for as long as my MB lasts.
And, yes, Apple was being very polite, but I sort of suspected the verdict all along. Thanks.
"The backup disk image could not be created." - Time Machine + Time Capsule
