Time Machine backups corrupt or external hard drive failure?

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Time Machine backups corrupt or external hard drive failure?

My goal today was to upgrade my MacBook Pro's HD, and to restore my system from my latest Time Machine backup which resides on an external hard drive. I installed the new hard drive, formatted it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and selected Restore System From Backup from Utilities. The system restore was five minutes form finishing when I received an error that the system restore could not be completed, and that I should restart my machine and try again. I did as instructed, but once the system restore process began, the screen went gray, and I was told that the Snow Leopard install could not be completed.

Before beginning the process a third time, I ran Disk Utility from the Snow Leopard install disc and attempted to verify and repair the external (Time Machine) hard drive. The Time Machine hard drive could not be verified, nor could it be repaired. I popped in the old hard drive into my MacBook Pro, booted Snow Leopard, and ran Disk Utility, and tried again repairing the Time Machine hard drive. Here is the log of the error I received:

2010-12-29 21:14:30 -0800: Verify and Repair volume “Time Machine”
2010-12-29 21:14:30 -0800: Starting repair tool:
2010-12-29 21:14:31 -0800: Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
2010-12-29 21:14:31 -0800: Checking extents overflow file.
2010-12-29 21:14:31 -0800: Checking catalog file.
2010-12-29 21:20:22 -0800: Invalid node structure
2010-12-29 21:20:22 -0800: The volume Time Machine could not be verified completely.
2010-12-29 21:20:22 -0800: Volume repair complete.
2010-12-29 21:20:22 -0800: Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
2010-12-29 21:20:22 -0800: Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
2010-12-29 21:20:22 -0800:
2010-12-29 21:20:22 -0800: Disk Utility stopped repairing “Time Machine”: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.

Do these errors indicate that my Time Machine backups located in the Backups.backupdb are corrupt, or is the external hard drive corrupt and failing?

The Time Machine backups are on a Maxtor OneTouch, and from what I've read, they're prone to an early demise. I've also recently noticed that my Time Machine backups started slowing. For example, I would plug in my external hard drive and if 1.3GB needed to be backed up, it would stall at 300 MB before jumping to 700 MB, stall again, then jump to 900 MB. That could be a sign of a failing hard drive, correct? If the external hard drive is failing, I can purchase a new eternal hard drive then copy the Backups.backupdb to the new hard drive, correct?

However, if Backups.backupdb is corrupt, then from what I understand, I would have to start fresh. I would prefer to not start fresh unless there's no other option, as I would be losing almost three years worth of Time Machine backups.

Any guidance is appreciated. Thanks!

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.5), 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo :: 4 GB RAM

Posted on Dec 29, 2010 10:11 PM

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Answer 1

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Dec 30, 2010 8:46 AM in response to ali_baba7

ali_baba7 wrote:
. . .
2010-12-29 21:20:22 -0800: Invalid node structure
. . .
2010-12-29 21:20:22 -0800: Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.

It's possible a heavy-duty 3rd-party utility such as +Disk Warrior+ can fix that. It's about $100, and there's no guarantee, but it's probably a good investment for the future.

Do these errors indicate that my Time Machine backups located in the Backups.backupdb are corrupt, or is the external hard drive corrupt and failing?

The structure of the file system is damaged.

That may have been caused by the disk beginning to fail, but there's no way to tell for sure until you erase and reformat the disk and try to use it.

I've also recently noticed that my Time Machine backups started slowing. For example, I would plug in my external hard drive and if 1.3GB needed to be backed up, it would stall at 300 MB before jumping to 700 MB, stall again, then jump to 900 MB. That could be a sign of a failing hard drive, correct?

It could, but it could also be whatever's wrong with the file structure.

If the external hard drive is failing, I can purchase a new eternal hard drive then copy the Backups.backupdb to the new hard drive, correct?

No. You can't copy corrupted backups. 😟 They're all linked together, like a database, so if anything's damaged, the whole set is suspect, and can't be copied.

There are a couple of options:

If the disk is physically ok, and the directory damage was recent, you might be able to restore from an earlier backup. But since you noticed problems some time ago, the damage may not be recent.

Or, you might be able to get up and running by just installing OSX from your SL Install disk (and the 10.6.5 "combo" update). You'll be missing whatever wasn't restored in that last 5 minutes or so. Things are restored in the same order they're listed by the Finder, so it will be the last things in the last user account. You should be able to figure out where it stopped, check or delete the very last file (likely incomplete) and selectively restore as many of the remaining things as you can, via the "Star Wars" display.

Just to make things more difficult, if the disk is failing, the more you use it, the more likely it is to get worse or fail completely.

So your safest bet may be to install OSX, then download and install the 10.6.5 "combo" update. 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. Then recover what you can.

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Answer 2

ali_baba7 Author

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Dec 30, 2010 9:18 AM in response to Pondini

Pondini wrote:

The structure of the file system is damaged.

That may have been caused by the disk beginning to fail, but there's no way to tell for sure until you erase and reformat the disk and try to use it.

Blast. Ok. I had a sinking feeling that was the case.

There are a couple of options:

If the disk is physically ok, and the directory damage was recent, you might be able to restore from an earlier backup. But since you noticed problems some time ago, the damage may not be recent.

Or, you might be able to get up and running by just installing OSX from your SL Install disk (and the 10.6.5 "combo" update). You'll be missing whatever wasn't restored in that last 5 minutes or so. Things are restored in the same order they're listed by the Finder, so it will be the last things in the last user account. You should be able to figure out where it stopped, check or delete the very last file (likely incomplete) and selectively restore as many of the remaining things as you can, via the "Star Wars" display.

Both of these options require that I restore via the "Star Wars" display, correct? I can only get the Time Machine HD to mount after trying to verify the disc, and once it mounts, I'm told that "Your Time Machine Backup Disc can't be found" when I try and enter the Star Wars display. I can only access the the Time Machine HD's contents through the Finder.

I suppose my next question is, "How screwed am I?" And thank you very much for your reply, Pondini. Your help is much appreciated.

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Answer 3

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Dec 30, 2010 9:29 AM in response to ali_baba7

ali_baba7 wrote:
. . .
Both of these options require that I restore via the "Star Wars" display, correct?

No, the first is to do a full system restore again, but from an earlier backup. The danger there is, that erases your internal HD and starts over "from scratch," so if the disk is dying, the restore may fail at an earlier point.

I can only get the Time Machine HD to mount after trying to verify the disc, and once it mounts, I'm told that "Your Time Machine Backup Disc can't be found" when I try and enter the Star Wars display. I can only access the the Time Machine HD's contents through the Finder.

Ouch. Yeah, that's going to complicate things. 😟

I suppose my next question is, "How screwed am I?"

Hard to tell. Try installing OSX and the "combo" update. Your Mac will probably start up ok.

Then use the Finder on your internal HD to see how far the restore got, and try copying the remaining things from your backups via the Finder.

Files copied that way may not have the proper permissions, especially if you have a multi-user setup. That can be fixed later, but it may be rather tedious.

Hang in there!

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Answer 4

ali_baba7 Author

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Dec 30, 2010 9:48 AM in response to Pondini

Pondini wrote:

No, the first is to do a full system restore again, but from an earlier backup. The danger there is, that erases your internal HD and starts over "from scratch," so if the disk is dying, the restore may fail at an earlier point.

Ah, I see. Erasing the internal HD isn't an issue, as I'm trying to restore my data to a new internal HD. I always tried restoring from my most recent Time Machine backup, but not any of the older backups. I'll give that a shot. Thanks.

Try installing OSX and the "combo" update. Your Mac will probably start up ok.

Then use the Finder on your internal HD to see how far the restore got, and try copying the remaining things from your backups via the Finder.

Files copied that way may not have the proper permissions, especially if you have a multi-user setup. That can be fixed later, but it may be rather tedious.

Hang in there!

Thanks! I don't have a multi-user setup on my laptop, so hopefully that eliminates some of the permission issues. I'll give this a try as well. Thanks for presenting me with a a few more options than I had before. Much appreciated.

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Answer 5

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Dec 30, 2010 10:04 AM in response to ali_baba7

ali_baba7 wrote:
. . .
Ah, I see. Erasing the internal HD isn't an issue, as I'm trying to restore my data to a new internal HD. I always tried restoring from my most recent Time Machine backup, but not any of the older backups. I'll give that a shot. Thanks.

Thanks! I don't have a multi-user setup on my laptop, so hopefully that eliminates some of the permission issues. I'll give this a try as well. Thanks for presenting me with a a few more options than I had before. Much appreciated.

Another, since you're still got the original HD, is to get an enclosure for it, making it an external HD. Connect it to your Mac, start up from it, and use the Restore tab of Disk Utility to copy it to the new internal HD.

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Answer 6

ali_baba7 Author

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Dec 30, 2010 10:21 AM in response to Pondini

Pondini wrote:
Another, since you're still got the original HD, is to get an enclosure for it, making it an external HD. Connect it to your Mac, start up from it, and use the Restore tab of Disk Utility to copy it to the new internal HD.

Thanks for that suggestion. I was planning on doing that at some point in the future because I'd hate to see a good HD go to waste. I think I'm going to purchase a SATA-to-USB cable in the meantime and do the restore that way, so I can at least use my new internal HD. I didn't bother buying one since I thought the Time Machine restore would be a sure thing. Plus, those ten screws on the bottom of my MacBook Pro are a pain to remove, and I don't want to unscrew and screw more than I absolutely have to.

All that being said, I get very twitchy when I'm not able to do a Time Machine backup. I can't wait to get it up and running again. And thanks again, Pondini, for your help. You're awesome. 🙂

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Answer 7

ali_baba7 Author

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Jan 1, 2011 11:12 PM in response to Pondini

Disk Warrior did the trick! I used the program to rebuild the directory, and afterward the Time Machine hard drive mounted just fine. I ran Disk Utility and it passed with flying colors. I'm also able to view the "Star Wars" display, but I've been unable to successfully complete a Time Machine backup. The first time I tried, I received the following errors twice:

1/1/11 1:37:06 AM com.apple.backupd[40090] Error writing to backup log. NSFileHandleOperationException: * -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Device not configured
1/1/11 1:37:06 AM com.apple.backupd[40090] Error: (-36) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/ali_baba7/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Georges Guetary/The Essential George Gershwin/1-21 I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise.m4a to /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb/---/2010-12-31-140953.inProgress/D8B5573E-E914-4750-82 21-1E4993D73DAB/Macintosh HD/Users/ali_baba7/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Georges Guetary/The Essential George Gershwin
1/1/11 1:37:06 AM com.apple.backupd[40090] Stopping backup.
1/1/11 1:37:06 AM com.apple.backupd[40090] Error writing to backup log. NSFileHandleOperationException: * -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Device not configured
1/1/11 1:37:06 AM com.apple.backupd[40090] Error: (-8062) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/ali_baba7/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Georges Guetary/The Essential George Gershwin/1-21 I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise.m4a to /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb/---/2010-12-31-140953.inProgress/D8B5573E-E914-4750-82 21-1E4993D73DAB/Macintosh HD/Users/ali_baba7/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Georges Guetary/The Essential George Gershwin
1/1/11 1:37:07 AM com.apple.backupd[40090] Error writing to backup log. NSFileHandleOperationException: * -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Input/output error

This last error repeats six additional times, then it concludes with the following:

1/1/11 1:37:07 AM com.apple.backupd[40090] Stopping backupd because the backup volume was ejected!
1/1/11 1:37:08 AM com.apple.backupd[40090] Backup failed with error: 27

On the second attempt I was met with the same errors, except the file in question was a large .avi file.

From what I've read, errors 8062 and 36 are somewhat arbitrary. Is there anything that can be done to avoid those? I would attempt to run the backup again, but Time Machine keeps deleting my bakups. I know it's supposed to do this, but it decided to delete about 4 months of backups.

Also, there is a 63 GB partial backup in /Backups.backupdb/Computer/ dated 12-21-10, which is when I began my first failed Time Machine backup. Would it cause any problems to delete this large file before I attempt another backup?

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Answer 8

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Jan 2, 2011 7:55 AM in response to ali_baba7

Those are problems writing to the TM drive.

Especially after Disk Warrior and Disk Utility giving the +file system+ a clean bill of health, that's usually a problem with the drive, or the connections to it.

Double-check that all connections are snug & secure; try different ports, cables, and combinations (a plug that works fine in one port may not make good contact in another), and connect directly to your Mac (no hubs or daisy-chaining).

Also, there is a 63 GB partial backup in /Backups.backupdb/Computer/ dated 12-21-10, which is when I began my first failed Time Machine backup. Would it cause any problems to delete this large file before I attempt another backup?

Is that the "in.Progress" package? And you've had no completed backups since then?

If so, it's doubtful it will help, but possible. It will probably take a long time to empty the trash after you delete it, and there may be problems when you do. If so, see #E6 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).

But I suspect you need a new drive. 😟

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Answer 9

ali_baba7 Author

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Jan 2, 2011 6:45 PM in response to Pondini

Pondini wrote:
Those are problems writing to the TM drive.

Especially after Disk Warrior and Disk Utility giving the +file system+ a clean bill of health, that's usually a problem with the drive, or the connections to it.

Good to know that it's the hard drive. Since the file system is ok, the Backups.backupdb can be copied to a new external hard drive, correct? That way the previous backups can be retained on the new external hard drive.

Double-check that all connections are snug & secure; try different ports, cables, and combinations (a plug that works fine in one port may not make good contact in another), and connect directly to your Mac (no hubs or daisy-chaining).

I always connect the Time Machine hard drive directly to my MacBook Pro via USB. I will try another cable to see if I can do another backup on my existing external drive until I can purchase a new external drive and have time to tinker with it.

Also, there is a 63 GB partial backup in /Backups.backupdb/Computer/ dated 12-21-10, which is when I began my first failed Time Machine backup. Would it cause any problems to delete this large file before I attempt another backup?

Is that the "in.Progress" package? And you've had no completed backups since then?

Yes, that's it. And no, I've not completed any backups since.

If so, it's doubtful it will help, but possible. It will probably take a long time to empty the trash after you delete it, and there may be problems when you do. If so, see #E6 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).

Thanks! My only aim in deleting the in.Progress package is clearing some space before I attempt another backup so none of the older backups are deleted. I just wanted to make sure that deleting the package wouldn't cause any negative repercussions unforeseen on my part.

But I suspect you need a new drive. 😟

I've resigned myself to that unfortunate fact. Corrupt data and a failing hard dive. I'm lucky in the worst possible way. Thanks again for all of your help, Ponini. Much appreciated.

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Answer 10

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Jan 2, 2011 7:04 PM in response to ali_baba7

ali_baba7 wrote:
. . .
Good to know that it's the hard drive.

That's not a certainty, but pretty likely.

Since the file system is ok, the Backups.backupdb can be copied to a new external hard drive, correct?

Very likely . . . unless the drive gets worse. 😟

Thanks! My only aim in deleting the in.Progress package is clearing some space before I attempt another backup so none of the older backups are deleted. I just wanted to make sure that deleting the package wouldn't cause any negative repercussions unforeseen on my part.

I'm not sure I'd do anything. If the drive is failing, it may get worse or fail completely at any moment. You may want to leave it "on the shelf" until you're ready to try copying it. And when you do, use the Restore tab of Disk Utility, not the Finder. That does a "block copy," without traversing the directories -- in theory, that puts a bit less stress on the drive, especially considering the structure of TM backups.

I've resigned myself to that unfortunate fact. Corrupt data and a failing hard dive. I'm lucky in the worst possible way.

No, it could be worse. I won't tell you about some of the things we see here just yet . . . 😟

Thanks again for all of your help, Ponini. Much appreciated.

You're quite welcome, and keep us posted.

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Answer 11

ali_baba7 Author

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Jan 2, 2011 7:31 PM in response to Pondini

Pondini wrote:

ali_baba7 wrote:
My only aim in deleting the in.Progress package is clearing some space before I attempt another backup so none of the older backups are deleted. I just wanted to make sure that deleting the package wouldn't cause any negative repercussions unforeseen on my part.

I'm not sure I'd do anything. If the drive is failing, it may get worse or fail completely at any moment. You may want to leave it "on the shelf" until you're ready to try copying it. And when you do, use the Restore tab of Disk Utility, not the Finder. That does a "block copy," without traversing the directories -- in theory, that puts a bit less stress on the drive, especially considering the structure of TM backups.

I see your point, and I did have a similar thought. Honestly, I'm torn on what to do. Later this week I'll be going out-of-state for a few days and I'll be taking my laptop with me. I wanted to do one final and full backup before leaving, but obviously, I may not be able to do so. I think I may do a CCC backup to my old hard drive in the meantime.

I've resigned myself to that unfortunate fact. Corrupt data and a failing hard dive. I'm lucky in the worst possible way.

No, it could be worse. I won't tell you about some of the things we see here just yet . . . 😟

Thanks? LOL. 🙂

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Answer 12

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Jan 2, 2011 7:38 PM in response to ali_baba7

ali_baba7 wrote:
. . .
I think I may do a CCC backup to my old hard drive in the meantime.

Most likely, deleting the "in.Progress" file and doing a TM backup wouldn't make any difference.

But CCC to the old drive is safer, so may be your best bet.

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Answer 13

Jan 5, 2011 3:28 AM in response to Pondini

In case this helps others:
I had a similar problem—Time Machine refused to back up after a long gap (I swap the disks off site every few months).
So I reformatted the disk but Time Machine still gave errors and aborted.
I spent a day trying everything I could find on the web, including Pondini's very useful TimeMachine error log widget. ( http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/A1.html) which gave me errors such as:
+Aborting backup because indexing of file failed....+
+Copy stage failed with error:11+
+Backup failed with error: 11+
Each time I tried something different, it stopped on a different file.

After checking the physical hard disk with StellarDriveToolBox and finding it all OK, rebuilding the disk directory with Disk Warrior (after which I still got problems but further along the backup), I downloaded the *Combo update for Snow Leopard* (a combination of all the incremental updates to Snow Leopard) http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1324 and installed it. And now Time Machine seems to run absolutely fine.

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