Time Machine Interface a Mess in Mac OS Ventura

Have you installed and run any "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus or VPN apps on your Mac?

Download and run Etrecheck. Be sure to give it Full Disk access before running.

Copy and paste the results into your reply. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support  to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.

Copy the report

and use the Additional Text button to paste the report in your reply.

Then we can evaluate the report to see if we can determine the cause of the problem.

First, there is no reason to ever install or run any 3rd party "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus, VPN or security apps on your Mac.  This documents describe what you need to know and do in order to protect your Mac: Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community and Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support.  

There are no known viruses, i.e. self propagating, for Macs.  There are, however, adware and malware which require the user to install although unwittingly most of the time thru sneaky links, etc.   

Anti Virus developers try to group all types as viruses into their ad campaigns of fear.  They do a poor job of the detecting and isolating the adware and malware.  Since there are no viruses these apps use up a lot of system resources searching for what is non-existent and adversely affect system and app performance.

There is one app, Malwarebytes, which was developed by a long time contributor to these forums and a highly respected member of the computer security community, that is designed solely to seek out adware and known malware and remove it.  The free version is more than adequate for most users.  

Also, unless you're using a true VPN tunnel, such as between you and your employer's, school's or bank's servers, they provide false security from a privacy standpoint.  Read these two articles: Public VPN's are anything but private and Former Malware Distributor Kape Technologies Now Owns ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, Zenmate, and a Collection of VPN “Review” Websites. 

So uninstall ClamX according to the developer's instructions.

You also have some malware installed:

Other] com.appstart.AppStart.plist (Malware - installed 2016-09-01)

Run the free version of Malwarebytes to remove it. Then rerun Etrecheck and make sure you're removed all of the malware and ClamX supporting files.

You have some Seagate, LaCie and Western Digital software. Did it come with drives that you're using? The system doesn't need any 3rd party software to manage drives for4matted for Macs, i.e. APFS or OS X Extended (journaled). Uninstall it according to the developer's insturctions

You can check to see if you've removed all of the supporting files by downloading and running the shareware app Find Any File to search for any files with the application's or the developer's name in the file name.  For the mentioned software you'd do the following search(es): 

1 - Name contains clamx

2 - Name contains seagate

3 - Name contains lacie

4 - Name contains WD (Note: if WD-Discovery is not drive management software and is needed for other issues leave it be.)

Any files that are found can be dragged from the search results window to the Desktop or Trash bin in the Dock for deletion.

FAF can search areas that Spotlight can't like invisible folders, system folders and packages.  

If you get warnings that the file can't be deleted because it is in use or used by another app boot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and delete from there.

Note:  if you have a wireless keyboard with rechargeable batteries connect it with its charging cable before booting into Safe Mode.  This makes it act as a wired keyboard as will assure a successful boot into Safe Mode.

Not what the user may want to read.

OS X 10.12 Sierra was released September 20, 2016.

Much has changed in regards the Operating Systems from 2016 and 7 years hence, 2023

Do expect a learning curve to happen as you discover the much newer aspects of macOS 13 Ventura including how TM BAckup Utilities is presented and functions

Perhaps it may or may not service your needs to read up on the newer functionalities in the latest version of macOS

Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support (CA)

If that remains a stumping block there are other methods to backup you important and non-replaceable data

Other ways to back up and restore files - Apple Support (CA)

Lastly and still not pleased with the experience >>>

Then have a few suggestions ;

1 - Get Support Choose a product and we’ll find you the best solution.Start now and open an Apple Support Ticket as they are Apple Employees to deal will these types of issues . 

2 - Product Feedback - Apple and make it known to Apple regarding this ongoing issue.

Make sure to choose the Device this issue pertains to

I have also found entering TM is slower than in the past but I also now encrypt my drive which may impact access time. Mine takes about 15s for the system to be fully operational. I have Monterey and use a hard drive but an SSD was not much better.

I'm currently using Carbon Copy Cloner to backup. But on our three Ventura Macs, TM was in use until a short while ago. We never had a problem with any aspect of TM.

I switched to CCC strictly because of greater flexibility, not because it performed better than TM. And TM performed well starting in 2015 with our original new-at -that-time iMacs running whatever version of the OS they came with and all subsequent versions of OS.

My only suggestion is get a different HDD or HDDs. I've used WD in the past but I feel there are better ones out there. Just a personal bias actually.

I finally bit the bullet and went fully SSD for all external drives. Samsung T7s all. I've never regretted that move either.

(1) the time it takes to render the windows and

Using a not particularly fast USB 3 HDD, it shows instantly, but takes about 30 seconds to render the first page selected in time. After that, it is almost instantaneous or takes a second or two to render.

(2) the time calibration on the right hand side of the screen where you are able to choose the date and time of a backup is a complete mess

What constitutes a "complete mess?"

Mine looks the same as I have always remembered it. Each backup is listed chronologically from now at the bottom to the first backup at the top. I click on a backup listed and it goes to that backup in the display.

Perhaps if you can explain what constitutes your definition of complete mess, that might shed some light on the problem.

Something isn't right about the backup. That may explain the long delays and discontinuous backup timeline.

I have no idea what might cause that. Did you start a new backup on the SSD, or did you somehow copy from the HDD?

macaplan wrote:

If anyone knows what is going on here and how to fix it that would be great.

I don't. Works fine for me on an iMac Pro and an M1 MacBook Air.

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