Time Machine destination not resolvable?

You may need to reset the Time Capsule, probably a "soft reset." See [Resetting an AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule FAQ|http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3728].

Robert Flint wrote:
. . .
Your widget returned a much simpler message - Indexing a file failed. Returned 200 for: /Library/iAntiVirus/iav.conf

Aha! That's almost certainly the culprit. OSX doesn't need heavy-duty virus protection, and much of it causes far more problems than it solves. Uninstall it and see below.

If that doesn't fix it, 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).
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There are no viruses that run on OSX. None. Zip. Zero.

There is some "malware," such as Trojans, for Macs, though. But (unlike viruses that can get onto your system without your knowledge), you must approve their installation (via your Admin password) and/or operation (via the "This application was downloaded from the internet ..." prompt).

Appropriately enough, some of these Trojans are included in pirated versions of Apple software, such as iWork!

(If you're running Windoze on your Mac, that's the same as running it on a PC, so it needs all the same anti-everything stuff you'd use on a PC.)

For the gory details, see Thomas Reed's [Mac Virus Guide|http://www.reedcorner.net/guides/macvirus].

Time Machine via AirDisk is not supported and usually doesn't work. Originally, the TM preference pane wouldn't allow you to select an AirDisk as the backup device. At some point that was changed, I guess because of a lot of complaints, and now there are a lot of complaints that it doesn't work. Use a drive connected directly to your Mac as your backup device.

Linc Davis wrote:
Time Machine via AirDisk is not supported and usually doesn't work.

I agree completely, and always strongly advise against it, at least as "primary" backups.

But this particular problem doesn't seem to be related to the destination. What usually happens with backups via an Airport is, they work fine for some period of time, but, usually before long, turn up corrupted, often beyond repair.

Robert Flint wrote:
I hear you re: the AntiVirus - but that's not new - it's been there. Regardless, I've had several similar error messages (like the below from just now) that have nothing to do with that program

We don't know whether it does or not. Anti-virus apps can cause all sorts of havoc on a Mac, as many of them were designed for Windoze (and written sloppily), and were not converted well to run on OSX.

the commonality is the date (2/24), which is when I had my last successful backup. Some quirk must've happened on that date and is causing a bad file or something I need to tweak -

Yes, that's also possible. The best way to solve problems like this is to eliminate what you can (such as anti-virus scanning) first, then try other things, as listed in the pink box in #C3 of Troubleshooting.

Indexing a file failed. Returned 200 for: /Library/Application Support/iLifeMediaBrowser/Plug-Ins/iLMBGarageBandPlugin.ilmbplugin

If you haven't yet, Verify your internal HD, along with the other things in the pink box.

Once you've eliminated all those things, it's possible something in your installation of OSX is corrupted. 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.

This begins to sound like a problem with the drive. How old is it?

If you haven't yet, try different ports, cables, and combinations. (A plug that works fine in one port may not make good, consistent contact in another one.) Make sure all connections are snug and secure.

Ditto the power connections if the LaCie has its own, and make sure it's plugged-in to a known good outlet (preferably with a good surge protector).

Do you have another disk you can use, to see if this is unique to the LaCie?

I've got a very similar setup and issue: 1 month old 2 TB hangs off a MP via USB and has successfully been been backing up for the MP, a MBP via WiFi and, until recently, my MBP via WiFi. Now it seems to back up a few gigs, partially verify, and then pop up with the error message: "The backup was not performed...". (Relevant console excerpts below.** Apparently tripping up on different files each time.) I've
• run both MBP and sparsebundle through Disk Utility's repair.
• deleted the drive from Spotlight's indexing (on the MP)
• tried backing up with a direct (USB) connection. (Same behavior.)
• probably tried a couple of other things which I can't remember.

Haven't swung a cat around or sacrificed a goat yet. The neighbor has a cat but I'd have to find the goat. Might be simpler to erase the sparsebundle and start again, though that seems a bit drastic. Have I missed something before I do that? TIA.

**
3/4/11 8:49:50 PM com.apple.backupd[557] Indexing a file failed. Returned 200 for: /Applications/Adobe Illustrator CS5/Plug-ins.localized/Extensions.localized/Paint Style Panel.aip, /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb/Ben’s MacBook Pro/2011-02-22-002054.inProgress/FADA5E55-BCF8-4737-815D-3BA15DB79D11/Macintosh HD/Applications/Adobe Illustrator CS5/Plug-ins.localized/Extensions.localized/Paint Style Panel.aip

3/4/11 10:14:24 PM com.apple.backupd[557] Indexing a file failed. Returned 200 for: /Applications/Adobe Flash Catalyst CS5/plugins/com.adobe.flexide.nativelibs_1.0.0.273393, /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb/Ben’s MacBook Pro/2011-02-22-002054.inProgress/9FF0A7B9-62E1-427E-BD4E-D639A675EFDB/Macintosh HD/Applications/Adobe Flash Catalyst CS5/plugins/com.adobe.flexide.nativelibs_1.0.0.273393

3/4/11 11:57:33 PM com.apple.backupd[1137] Indexing a file failed. Returned 200 for: /Applications/Adobe Flash CS5/AIK2.0/lib/nai/lib/naib.app, /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb/Ben’s MacBook Pro/2011-02-22-002054.inProgress/A48FAAAA-1E26-4B06-958C-F001E8459247/Macintosh HD/Applications/Adobe Flash CS5/AIK2.0/lib/nai/lib/naib.app

You've already done most of them, but try the others in the green box in #D2 of [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), specifically #1, 5, 6, and 7.

If all else fails, on occasion this turns out to be something corrupted in your installation of OSX. I'd suggest downloading and installing the 10.6.6 "combo" update. 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.

Thanks a lot for your advice, but particularly because I'd done a very recent fresh install of 10.6.6, and rather than mess around with maybe repeated installs of the OS, I went with the assumption that the sparsebundle was corrupted. So I made a fresh backup to another disk (over ethernet, only took 2-3 days - hah!), verified that it worked, then copied that over to the original TM drive (300 gigs, only took 2-3 hours) to replace the sparsebundle that was giving me problems. So far, so good.

Oops. Changed the settings below.

iMacBen wrote:
. . .
verified that it worked, then copied that over to the original TM drive (300 gigs, only took 2-3 hours) to replace the sparsebundle that was giving me problems. So far, so good.

Great! Glad it's sorted out, and thanks for the feedback.