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TM keeps creating new backups and erasing my old backup data!!!

I'm using a 24" iMac, running 10.6.8 and a 1 gb time capsule, firmware 7.5.2. but I am getting the following message, twice now; 'Time Machine completed a verification of your backups. To improve reliability, Time Machine must create a new backup for you.'


Any suggestions?

3.06GHz iMac 24" & 2.2GHz MBP, Mac OS X (10.5.4)

Posted on Jul 11, 2011 1:37 AM

Reply
33 replies

Jul 11, 2011 5:44 AM in response to Jolly Giant

This support article was no help whatsoever, it simply describes the issue. I am already beyond the firmware update and still have this issue, but thanks anyway.


The first time I was asked to repeat my backup I did, but now I have had it happen a second time. If it continues, it negates the point of having incremental back ups!!


If anyone has other suggestions they would be most welcome, because I'm waiting for TM to finish backing up 243Gb of my data from my iMac to my TC and I have already lost access to 9 months of backups and now have to sweat (worse case scenario) that I don't lose my primary disk.

Jul 11, 2011 5:59 AM in response to jtcmurray

jtcmurray wrote:


If anyone has other suggestions they would be most welcome, because I'm waiting for TM to finish backing up 243Gb of my data from my iMac to my TC and I have already lost access to 9 months of backups and now have to sweat (worse case scenario) that I don't lose my primary disk.


you won't be able to continue using the old backups - they're fubar.


you may find a better explanation in this user tip.


sorry, but good luck !

Jul 11, 2011 6:16 AM in response to Jolly Giant

Thanks, saw that too. I am suspecting a TC HD issue, but need to wait until TM has finished creating this most recent backup. I suspect this because this is the second time it's happened in a couple of weeks, never had a problem before. I would like to get to the bottom of why my backups keep getting corrupted.


Thanks for the link though.

Jul 11, 2011 8:27 AM in response to jtcmurray

We don't know exactly what triggers either the problem or that message, except that it's something OSX can't fix. It may be caused by network problems (bad connection, drop-outs, interference), power problems (surges or dips), a hard drive beginning to fail, or other things.


Try connecting via Ethernet. If the failures stop, you'll know it's some sort of WIFI problem.

Jul 11, 2011 8:33 AM in response to Pondini

Thanks, but I already have it ethernet only.


My MBP also uses the same TC for TM backups, via Wi-Fi. It has the same OSX version and doesn't have any problems.


I'm running out of ideas; since the MBP/Wi-Fi backup is fine, now doubt it has anything to do with TC, but with my iMac. Will try repairing permissions, again, just in case it's a corrupt file or similar. I was also wondering if there is a problem with long filenames on some files and whether that can be resolved easily?


Thanks

Jul 11, 2011 8:43 AM in response to jtcmurray

jtcmurray wrote:

. . .

Will try repairing permissions, again, just in case it's a corrupt file or similar.

This is not a permissions issue, and repairing permissions won't find directory corruption. Run Verify Disk on your internal to check for directory problems.


Time Machine will often find corrupted files when it indexes them during a backup; when it does, the backup will fail with a message.


Other than possible power problems (a U.P.S. for your TC), I don't have any other ideas. 😟

Jul 11, 2011 7:59 PM in response to jtcmurray

I am suddenly having the same problem backing up wirelessly to a shared hard drive on our home server. I've been doing this for years with no issue, but suddenly Time Machine has started claiming my backups are corrupted. It's started a clean back up about 4 or 5 times now. This weekend, I connected directly to the drive via ethernet and let it create the initial backup in one long run with no breaks. This seemed to solve the problem for a day or two, but this evening, it's back again. I have recently zeroed the shared HD with no problems, completely verified my laptop HD, and rebuilt my disk directory with Diskwarrior. Neither the laptop nor the shared HD appear to have any physical problems or file system issues whatsoever.


I agree with jtcmurray that if I can't figure out what's going on, TM will become utterly useless as a backup system. Since it takes many hours to create a fresh TM backup of a 200 GB system and the backup seems to get corrupted within 24 hours, it's a huge waste of my time to keep troubleshooting this. If you find any solutions, please share!

Sep 28, 2011 1:17 PM in response to Somian

I just started getting the same problem. I back up two machines to a 6 week old 2 TB Time Capsule, and iMac and a MacBook Air (both fully upgraded 10.7.1 and with disks verified and permissions repaired). The error dialog comes up on the Air, but not the iMac (yet). So first, does this imply that all backups the TC is handling are corrupt, or only the one that gets reported to? Second, is the corruption at the FILE level (i.e. the backup image), or at the DISK level? A disk problem would suggest a much more serious problem that requires more drastic attention and a more permanent solution (repairing the disk, or worse, having to replace it).


Sorry, Apple, but this is just a terribly confusing and completely unhelpful message. And wiping out all my backup data on a new box is UNACCEPTABLE. That's kind of the entire point of using a Time Capsule and Time Machine, isn't it? Keeping your data protected? I really thought buying a Time Capsule and using Time Machine was going to simplify my life, but so far it's been nothing but trouble. Some of the problems:


-- Corrupt Time Machine backups (meaning, basically, you have no reliable backups at all).


-- Occasionally drops Wifi client connections and needs to be reset (and there's no convenient switch or reset button to do that, you have to yank the power cord and plug it back in). My older Airport Extreme basestation never had this problem.


-- TM backups over WiFi from the MacBook Air always back up a minimum of 20 GB, even if nothing changed since the last backup, and the backups cause the fans to spin up and the machine to run hot until it's done.


-- Sometimes gets confused when either machine (MBA or iMac) sleeps while a backup is running (which it seems it almost always is). Sometimes the machines get so wonky and unresponsive they require a reboot.


-- TC will sometimes refuse to show up in the Airport Utility list, even with a strong connection.


-- Using AirDisk mode is completely useless and REALLY messes up the Time Capsule. After wrestling with that, I did a complete reset and of the TC started from scratch, and only use it for TM backups.

Nov 13, 2011 12:42 PM in response to Pondini

Thank's Pondini, but this is old stuff. Tried about everything with my old MB with SnowLeopard.

I mean I have tried really everything since the problem occurred mid-september - new MBP, new OSX (Lion this time), new TC, started fresh from the very beginning but the problem still exists.

I have no other software in my mac but from Mac App Store + Nikon + Adobe.

A virus? Others have it too?


Studied all day today and tried many options including ethernet / wireless settings (FYI: found out also that in Airport Utility alt-key brings the missin options in setting up wireless- and radio modes - confusing since no mention of this in the manuals).

There is a firmware/OSX - problem and it bugs me that Apple doesn't acknowlege it - would make life easier knowing that they are working on it.

Too many people are having these problems, and also I lost a couple of days of work while solving this on my own.


Message was edited by: mwaltari

Nov 23, 2011 11:08 PM in response to jtcmurray

I checked my TC disk with disk utility, but the disk was ok. However, I ran verify permissions which showed some errors. After repairing disk permissions backups have been good for almost two weeks. I hope this is an answer for the backup problem.


I did not have problems with dropped connection right after updating to 7.6, but now I have. Yesterday I noticed a short notification while watching a rented movie while still downloading it - the notification was something about connection timeout... and I can not find any helpful information regarding Airport Utility / wireless / wireless network options / WPA Group Key Timeout. What is this?

TM keeps creating new backups and erasing my old backup data!!!

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