Time Machine - Repeated errors while making first backup

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Time Machine - Repeated errors while making first backup

I have been trying to use Time Machine on my MacBook Pro for the first time with no success. I’ve tried probably about 10 times and each time it tells me “the backup was not performed because an error occurred while copying files to the backup disk”

I’ve downloaded Time Machine Buddy, and this is the report for the two most recent backups that failed:

First failed backup:
Starting standard backup
Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb
Error parsing SystemMigration.log to determine source volume of system migration.
No pre-backup thinning needed: 46.70 GB requested (including padding), 279.58 GB available
Stopping backup.
Error: (-41) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/Gina/Documents/Teaching/English 110.01/Lesson Plans/AU06-WI07 Lesson Plans/Day 1 Lesson Plan.pages/Contents/PkgInfo to /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb/Gina Gemmel’s MacBook Pro/2010-11-29-222031.inProgress/751E22E6-9980-486F-83ED-1A6FE3585559/Macintosh HD/Users/Gina/Documents/Teaching/English 110.01/Lesson Plans/AU06-WI07 Lesson Plans/Day 1 Lesson Plan.pages/Contents
Copied 1114 files (5.2 GB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Copy stage failed with error:11
Backup failed with error: 11

Second failed backup
Starting standard backup
Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb
Error parsing SystemMigration.log to determine source volume of system migration.
No pre-backup thinning needed: 46.70 GB requested (including padding), 274.35 GB available
Stopping backup.
Error: (-41) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/Gina/Documents/Teaching/English 110.01/Lesson Plans/AU06-WI07 Lesson Plans/Day 1 Lesson Plan.pages/Contents/PkgInfo to /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb/Gina Gemmel’s MacBook Pro/2010-11-29-222031.inProgress/5E5FBA96-AF24-4D99-ADE4-650DFA08CEA2/Macintosh HD/Users/Gina/Documents/Teaching/English 110.01/Lesson Plans/AU06-WI07 Lesson Plans/Day 1 Lesson Plan.pages/Contents
Copied 496 files (836.6 MB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Copy stage failed with error:11
Backup failed with error: 11

The messages look the same. In between these two backups, I followed the steps in C3 in the Troubleshooting guide.

Prior to following the steps in C3, I tried:

-restarting my computer
-doing a reset of Time Machine by deleted the preferences list from the library
-repairing the drive using disk utility (it said there were no problems)
-verifying my internal drive (again, no problems)
-erasing the disk and starting over (this is my first backup, so I don’t have any prior information that would have gotten deleted)
-verifying that I’m using the correct formats – I’m definitely using the GUID format and Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format for my drive
-excluding folders that contained files that seemed to be associated with the errors. At first, they all seemed to be files in my husband’s backup folders, some of which were empty system folders from Windows. I thought this might be the issue, so I just excluded his backup folders to see if I could get it to work. The most recent failure seems to have involved a Pages file, though, so that theory was out the window.
-using a different USB port

I’m using a Seagate 320GB internal SATA drive that I’ve put in an enclosure to make it external, so it connects via USB. I’ve read here that external SATA drives won’t work with Time Machine, but I don’t think this applies to my situation since it’s an internal drive that’s connecting via USB with the enclosure. I have a MacBook Pro with the latest version of OSX.

I’m thinking maybe I need to get a new hard drive, but wanted to check here before spending any more money.

Message was edited by: Sibilance7

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.5)

Posted on Nov 29, 2010 10:06 PM

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Answer 1

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Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Nov 30, 2010 10:22 AM in response to Sibilance7

Sibilance7 wrote:
I have been trying to use Time Machine on my MacBook Pro for the first time with no success.

Hi, and welcome to the forums.

I don't think I've ever seen a first poster who's done so much research and tried all the right things! 🙂

I’m using a Seagate 320GB internal SATA drive that I’ve put in an enclosure to make it external, so it connects via USB. I’ve read here that external SATA drives won’t work with Time Machine, but I don’t think this applies to my situation since it’s an internal drive that’s connecting via USB with the enclosure.

Correct; all HDs are the same; it's just the electronics in the enclosure (or internal to a computer), and connection that are different. As long as it's connected via USB, everybody calls it a "USB drive."

I’m thinking maybe I need to get a new hard drive, but wanted to check here before spending any more money.

I suspect you're right; you've done most everything I'd have recommended.

Still, it's possible there's also a problem with the "pages" file; it's worth a shot to exclude it and see what happens.

Check all the connections to be sure they're snug and secure. Try different ports, cables, and combinations (a plug that works fine in one port may not make good contact in another, and throw intermittent errors).

Connect the drive directly (no hubs). Disconnect any other USB devices you can, to be sure one isn't pulling more power intermittently than it should.

Does the drive have it's own power supply? If so, be sure it's in a known good outlet, preferably with a good surge protector. Make sure those connections are snug and secure, too.

Do you have access to another you can borrow temporarily?

How old is this drive? If it's more than 3-4 years, I'd have no problem using it for most things, but I doubt I'd trust my only backups to it.

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Answer 2

Sibilance7 Author

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Dec 1, 2010 11:40 PM in response to Pondini

Thank you for the compliment! I am a student and it's the end of the semester, so I suppose my thoroughness could be attributed to procrastination!

I just tried excluding the Pages file (actually, the whole folder, which included several old Pages files), and plugging the drive's power supply into a different surge protector, but the backup still wouldn't complete - it's just showing a different file at the point of error now. The drive is only about a year old, but it's a refurbished drive that my husband has had in his PC. He built his PC about 3 years ago and last fall one of his hard drives failed, so he got a refurbished one through the Seagate warranty. I wouldn't be shocked if the drive was bad in some way, so I'm just going to get a new external drive and see if that solves the problem. I really wanted a new drive with FireWire 800 from the beginning and was trying to save money with the old one, so I can't say I'm totally heartbroken!

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Answer 3

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Dec 2, 2010 7:42 AM in response to Sibilance7

Sibilance7 wrote:
. . .
The drive is only about a year old, but it's a refurbished drive

Ah, so you don't really know how old it is.

I really wanted a new drive with FireWire 800 from the beginning and was trying to save money with the old one, so I can't say I'm totally heartbroken!

Sounds like a good plan. Keep us posted.

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Answer 4

Sibilance7 Author

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Dec 17, 2010 12:02 PM in response to Sibilance7

Ok, so I got a new drive (a Hitachi SimpleDrive Mini), and I'm still getting errors. I got an error on the same pages file as before, so I went in and converted all my pages docs to word because I don't even use Pages anymore. Tried to run the backup again, and this is the error report from the widget:

Starting standard backup
Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine Backup/Backups.backupdb
Error parsing SystemMigration.log to determine source volume of system migration.
No pre-backup thinning needed: 58.99 GB requested (including padding), 283.93 GB available
Stopping backup.
Error: (-41) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/Gina/Documents/Dropbox/Teaching/Literature/English 200/Student Writing/Haroun Drafts/Second Section/done/.DS_Store to /Volumes/Time Machine Backup/Backups.backupdb/Gina Gemmel’s MacBook Pro/2010-12-12-185125.inProgress/849904A4-2076-40A3-9DB0-6B9ACAB48ADE/Macintosh HD/Users/Gina/Documents/Dropbox/Teaching/Literature/English 200/Student Writing/Haroun Drafts/Second Section/done
Copied 965 files (608.1 MB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Copy stage failed with error:11
Backup failed with error: 11

I should mention that almost all of my files have been transferred back and forth several times from Mac to PC and back again. I've been using my husband's PC as a backup, so some of them were restored from there, and my prior laptop was a PC, so most of them came from there. I don't see any reason why that should make a difference, but I thought I'd mention it since it's slightly unusual.

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Answer 5

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Dec 17, 2010 1:16 PM in response to Sibilance7

Sibilance7 wrote:
. . .
Error: (-41) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/Gina/Documents/Dropbox/Teaching/Literature/English 200/Student Writing/Haroun Drafts/Second Section/done/.DS_Store

That's a bit odd -- a ".DS_Store" file is the hidden file where the Finder keeps your display preferences for the folder it's in (screen position, size, etc).

To see and delete that file, download the free [Tinker Tool|http://www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerTool.html] app. It allows you to change the Finder to show hidden files (among many other things). Select the first option under Finder, then click +Relaunch Finder+ at the bottom. Reverse this when done.

I should mention that almost all of my files have been transferred back and forth several times from Mac to PC and back again. I've been using my husband's PC as a backup, so some of them were restored from there, and my prior laptop was a PC, so most of them came from there. I don't see any reason why that should make a difference, but I thought I'd mention it since it's slightly unusual.

It shouldn't, but if you've transferred a folder back and forth, anything's possible.

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Answer 6

Sibilance7 Author

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Dec 21, 2010 8:21 PM in response to Pondini

Yes, I meant to say folders had been transferred back and forth. I deleted that DS_Store file, and while doing so, I noticed that it was listed as a Unix Executable file, while most of the others were just listed as documents, and that it changed to document when it re-created itself after I deleted it. So I found all the ones that were listed as unix executable files and deleted them, letting them re-create themselves as documents. Then I tried to backup again, but no dice:

Starting standard backup
Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine Backup/Backups.backupdb
Error parsing SystemMigration.log to determine source volume of system migration.
No pre-backup thinning needed: 58.99 GB requested (including padding), 283.32 GB available
Stopping backup.
Error: (-41) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/Gina/Documents/Dropbox/Teaching/Literature/English 200/Student Writing/Haroun Drafts/Second Section/done/.DS_Store to /Volumes/Time Machine Backup/Backups.backupdb/Gina Gemmel’s MacBook Pro/2010-12-12-185125.inProgress/C1BCA9C0-5727-46D1-980E-B4918B5977CC/Macintosh HD/Users/Gina/Documents/Dropbox/Teaching/Literature/English 200/Student Writing/Haroun Drafts/Second Section/done
Copied 1015 files (700.8 MB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Copy stage failed with error:11
Backup failed with error: 11

I excluded that folder and tried again, but got an error on another DS_Store file:

Starting standard backup
Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine Backup/Backups.backupdb
Error parsing SystemMigration.log to determine source volume of system migration.
No pre-backup thinning needed: 59.00 GB requested (including padding), 282.61 GB available
Stopping backup.
Error: (-41) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/Gina/Documents/Misc/Ben's Backup/iTunes/iTunes Music/Music/Aireline/.DS_Store to /Volumes/Time Machine Backup/Backups.backupdb/Gina Gemmel’s MacBook Pro/2010-12-12-185125.inProgress/DE6590AB-A82A-4BE0-A38E-E6D7BDFE39FA/Macintosh HD/Users/Gina/Documents/Misc/Ben's Backup/iTunes/iTunes Music/Music/Aireline
Copied 3099 files (1.6 GB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Copy stage failed with error:11
Backup failed with error: 11

So excluded both of those folders, and then I got this:

Starting standard backup
Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine Backup/Backups.backupdb
2010-12-21 21:39:37.870 FindSystemFiles[37237:907] Looking for system packages
2010-12-21 21:39:42.927 FindSystemFiles[37237:907] Using system path cache.
Error parsing SystemMigration.log to determine source volume of system migration.
No pre-backup thinning needed: 58.99 GB requested (including padding), 280.04 GB available
Stopping backup.
Error: (-41) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/Gina/Documents/Misc/Computer Stuff/Installation Stuff/2fingerscroll/ALPS Glidepad Driver.pkg/Contents/Archive.bom to /Volumes/Time Machine Backup/Backups.backupdb/Gina Gemmel’s MacBook Pro/2010-12-12-185125.inProgress/C638FC3D-E2D8-4840-84E3-63D553E123D8/Macintosh HD/Users/Gina/Documents/Misc/Computer Stuff/Installation Stuff/2fingerscroll/ALPS Glidepad Driver.pkg/Contents
Copied 1383 files (4.6 GB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Copy stage failed with error:11
Backup failed with error: 11

Excluded the folder that was in and got this:

Starting standard backup
Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine Backup/Backups.backupdb
2010-12-21 22:14:43.210 FindSystemFiles[37464:907] Looking for system packages
2010-12-21 22:14:48.647 FindSystemFiles[37464:907] Using system path cache.
Error parsing SystemMigration.log to determine source volume of system migration.
No pre-backup thinning needed: 59.01 GB requested (including padding), 270.81 GB available
Stopping backup.
Error: (-41) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/Gina/Documents/Miscellaneous/Benjamine/ATS/ATS 2006-2007/Fall 2006/Christian History I/Aya_sofya.jpg to /Volumes/Time Machine Backup/Backups.backupdb/Gina Gemmel’s MacBook Pro/2010-12-12-185125.inProgress/BAB3CD73-3F0C-457E-816C-863AE4CC546E/Macintosh HD/Users/Gina/Documents/Miscellaneous/Benjamine/ATS/ATS 2006-2007/Fall 2006/Christian History I
Copied 1570 files (1.2 GB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Copy stage failed with error:11
Backup failed with error: 11

So, it just keeps having errors and doesn't seem to respond to much of anything. I did the same processes I outlined above with this drive - repaired it, verified internal disk, reset Time Machine, etc. Nothing seems to work, so I'm guessing at this point I need to make a visit to the Genius Bar.

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Answer 7

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Dec 21, 2010 8:45 PM in response to Sibilance7

Sibilance7 wrote:
. . .
I deleted that DS_Store file, and while doing so, I noticed that it was listed as a Unix Executable file,

Aha! A clue: that's what OSX does when it can't figure out what kind of file it is. To happen once is unusual; several times is an indication of something wrong.

So, it just keeps having errors and doesn't seem to respond to much of anything. I did the same processes I outlined above with this drive - repaired it, verified internal disk, reset Time Machine, etc. Nothing seems to work, so I'm guessing at this point I need to make a visit to the Genius Bar.

I'm not sure they'll be able to help much (they don't seem to get a lot of training on Time Machine, and this is a very unusual problem), but it's worth a shot. Do be sure to tell them about the files showing as UNIX executables.

It seems you've either got corrupted data files, or a problem with your installation of OSX. I'd lean towards corrupted files, partly because of the copying back and forth from a PC, and the ones shown as UNIX executables. Disk Utility won't find internal damage to files; only directory problems, so I don't know how you can sort them out.

If you want to rule out OSX problems, you could download and install the 10.6.5 "combo" update. That's the cleverly-named combination of all the updates to Snow Leopard since it was first released, so installing it should fix anything that's gone wrong since then, such as with one of the normal "point" updates. Info and download available at: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1324 Be sure to do a +Repair Permissions+ via Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder) afterwards.

If that doesn't help, reinstall OSX from your Snow Leopard Install disc (that won't affect anything else), then apply the "combo" again.

Of course, even if you stop the problem, you've still got some unknown number of damaged files to deal with. I guess Time Machine will eventually find them all . . . 😟

Keep us posted.

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Answer 8

Sibilance7 Author

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Dec 28, 2010 2:08 PM in response to Sibilance7

Thanks so much for all the help. I decided that if my problem was corrupted files, I'd try to do a backup with Time Machine that excluded all the files I've been transferring back and forth, which is basically everything in my documents folder. I did this, and got a few errors with iTunes files, which wasn't surprising - I've been transferring all those files back and forth too, but had forgotten to try to exclude them. I just deleted the files (they all had to do with album artwork, so I can replace them later) and restarted the backup, and eventually Time Machine completed a backup successfully. Now I'm going to go through and add folders one at a time and try to flush out all the corrupted files, which I can then try to fix or delete if I don't need them. I'm sure it will take some time, but I really want to use Time Machine for my backups because it offers so many advantages.

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Answer 9

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Dec 28, 2010 2:14 PM in response to Sibilance7

What a pain! Usually such transfers aren't a problem, but obviously something really strange has happened to you. 😟

Glad it's sorted out (mostly, anyhow), and thanks for posting back.

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