Time Machine/Drobo backup problem

zacn wrote:
. . .
"The backup was not performed because an error occurred while copying files to the backup disk. The problem may be temporary. Try again later to backup."

I hate that message! It's fine as far as it goes, but doesn't offer so much as a clue about what to do if it isn't temporary.

See #C3 in [Time Machine - Troubleshooting|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Troubleshooting.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).

zacn wrote:
Thanks for your reply. I have started using the widget but it seems that there are many files that are stopping the backup. So far they all seem to do with either Final Cut Pro or Adobe product files which is a little strange.

That might be a clue. Did you have problems with either app, system crashes, or did any of the data come from another system?

Try the things in the pink box in #C3.

zacn wrote:
. . .
Also, I should note that the time machine is taking an exuberant amount of time to do any backing up between error messages (I left it for a few hours and it had only done 7gb!).

That doesn't sound good. 😟

Could be any number of things, unfortunately.

Keep us posted.

zacn wrote:
So still really no fix. I am unable to backup my system and I have literally TBs of valuable info that is at risk right now. The more time machine, the more files seem to corrupt the process. Might there be some sort of software (spring cleaning?) that could be part of a solution?

Without more detailed information, we really can't tell. It sounds like you have more files indicated as corrupted. If so, are they more FCP and Adobe, or elsewhere? Is there any sort of commonality to them that might provide a clue?

Have you tried the things in the pink box of #C3?

As it says there, if all else fails, see #D2 there. Something there would also be suspect since the backups are running slowly (how slowly?). You may have a problem with the Drobo, its setup, or the connection to it.

If not, does apple just completely ignore you after your warranty is up or might they possibly be of help without having to pay hundreds of dollars?

I have no idea what you're talking about. The one-year warranty covers hardware problems, which you may or may not have. Before the one-year warranty expires, you can purchase AppleCare, which extends the warranty to three years, and includes free phone support. If the problem is with the Drobo, no, Apple's not going to replace it. And nobody covers consequential damage, such as lost data.

zacn wrote:
Yes, I have tried all of the suggestions in the troubleshoot. No, not all of the files are from FCP or Adobe although the vast majority of the problem files are from my Library.

If you've tried everything in the pink box in #C3, it's possible there's a problem with your installation of Snow Leopard. I'd suggest downloading and installing the 10.6.6 "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/DL1349 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.

How are you connected to the Drobo?

If all else fails, then it must be a problem with the Drobo, the connection to it, or perhaps it's not compatible with the version of OSX you're on.

As for my question about support, I'm just wondering if your computer is out of it's apple care support period, do they provide any additional support to resolve issues if it turns out to be a problem with the time machine and not the drobo? If it is drobo, I am still under warranty with them.

If there's a general hardware problem, Apple will extend coverage, but rarely beyond 3 years. Sometimes an Apple Store or AppleCare will replace hardware after that period, but it's on a case-by-case basis, and appears to be fairly unusual. And this doesn't look like an Apple hardware problem (but of course, you never know).

I am having the same problem. I used my Drobo S successfully on another computer, so it must be a software problem. The DroboCopy program (part of the dashboard) is working for me. I am going to back everything up with DroboCopy and do a fresh install.

I have also been having issues with my Drobo not working for Time Machine. My Time Machine backups have been out of commission since Christmas. I'm using my Drobo connected to my Mac Mini Server. Under 10.6.3 everything worked fine. When I upgraded to 10.6.4 the Drobo started to randomly unmount itself, often while it was busy. I patched that by rolling back to the USB controller from 10.6.3, but then the Drobo started getting "error occurred while copying files to the backup disk.

I even wiped the Drobo and started from scratch and I haven't been able to create an initial backup. But every diagnostic I've been able to run says that everything is fine with my Drobo, but the errors persist and I can't get a Time Machine backup for my server.

Doc

I've been troubleshooting on this issue since Christmas. Last night I had a breakthrough.

The Drobo isn't the problem.

I tried to back up my server to a regular USB hard drive, and got the same error "The backup was not performed because an error occurred while copying files to the backup disk. The problem may be temporary. Try again later to backup." I plugged my Drobo into another computer, and was able to successfully access it for Time Machine Backups.

Something happened with the 10.6.4 upgrade that breaks Time Machine for some people. Now the question is has anyone who has encountered this issue found a fix?

Doc

I finally got my Time Machine Backups working again. Problem wasn't the Drobo, but was a corrupted file in one of the accounts that was causing the index to bomb off and interrupting the backup. If you can isolate the problem file or files and exclude them, you should be able to back up again. This will probably take several failed backup cycles to identify the problem files.

Doc

I had the same problem copying a set of folders to an external disk via drag and drop. Corrupt files. I discovered the problem when it also failed using Carbon Copy Cloner. Its log file identified the corrupt files and their locations. After deleting those files, the folders copied with no problems.

So if you see this type of message, try using CCC. Perhaps it will help.