time machine backup & MacOS can't repair disk

I get the following: Files can't be copied onto the backup disk because it is read only and you can still open or copy files on the disk, but you can't save changes to files on the disk. Back up the disk and reformat it as soon as you can.


How can I do that, and save everything that is on the disk ?

iMac 27″

Posted on Aug 18, 2023 9:23 AM

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Aug 18, 2023 12:34 PM in response to grandpamike

Ok, thanks for the additional information and clarifications.


The "safest" way going forward, would be to first backup (or clone) this drive to another drive of equal or greater capacity.


However, that may not be desirable, or by not having a second drive handy, practical.


The next step would be to use the Disk Utility's First Aid option. This shouldn't delete anything on the drive. It will test the drive's integrity and, if required, make any repairs with your permission. Regardless, there is always a potential for data loss (and why, if your data is critical to you, that you should employ more than a single destination for backups.)


I suggest that you review the following article, before proceeding. Let me know if you have any questions.



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Aug 18, 2023 9:55 AM in response to grandpamike

A few questions, if you don't mind ...


  • Is this disk an external USB drive or a Time Capsule?
  • Regardless, have you been using this device successfully before with Time Machine?
  • You mention in the title of your post that "MacOS can't repair disk." Do you mean that you have tried using the Disk Utility's First Aid option and it reported errors that it couldn't repair?

Question marked as Helpful

Aug 18, 2023 12:34 PM in response to grandpamike

Ok, thanks for the additional information and clarifications.


The "safest" way going forward, would be to first backup (or clone) this drive to another drive of equal or greater capacity.


However, that may not be desirable, or by not having a second drive handy, practical.


The next step would be to use the Disk Utility's First Aid option. This shouldn't delete anything on the drive. It will test the drive's integrity and, if required, make any repairs with your permission. Regardless, there is always a potential for data loss (and why, if your data is critical to you, that you should employ more than a single destination for backups.)


I suggest that you review the following article, before proceeding. Let me know if you have any questions.



Aug 19, 2023 9:39 AM in response to grandpamike

Unfortunately those results would indicate, to me, that this drive has corrupted sectors/cells that cannot be repaired by the Disk Utility. At this point, DriveDX would only confirm the overall health of the drive, and I would still think it will be a valuable tool for you to have.


As far as how you can save any data on this drive, I suggest using Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) to make a full clone copy of the drive to another known good drive. CCC is also an excellent tool to have for making backups.


Lastly, I'd like to share the following user tip article, that I authored, for a backup strategy that you may want to incorporate going forward so you don't find yourself in this predicament in the future.


Aug 19, 2023 10:44 AM in response to Tesserax

I don't have another computer, nor did I try my additional ports, but I did after your last comment, and it seems that by backup drive has reappeared.


Now, would that mean that I should use DriveDX for another check, or maybe just buy another External, and try to transfer all of that drive to a new one ? Since I have never cloned a drive, I will Google how to do it.


I really appreciate the time, and expertise that you and rkaufmann87 have given me.

Aug 19, 2023 11:09 AM in response to grandpamike

grandpamike wrote:

Now, would that mean that I should use DriveDX for another check, or maybe just buy another External, and try to transfer all of that drive to a new one ? Since I have never cloned a drive, I will Google how to do it.

Yes, I still suggest that getting DriveDX would be a good "investment." It will also provide you with the overall health of this drive which should help with, whether or not, you should continue to use it for backups ... or anything else for that matter.


Yes, I still think you should get another external drive.


Cloning a drive can be done natively with macOS, but the steps to do so are a bit techno-tricky. (Sorry, made up word.) I recommended CCC as it greatly simplifies this process, and once you used it, it will become second nature. Again, it also makes for great alternate backup tool for your "arsenal."

time machine backup & MacOS can't repair disk

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