Why do I keep getting "There was a problem connecting to the server"?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4700

Hi, I am confused as I am getting the same message. When you "plugged and designated different external HD" does that mean you changed from one external hard drive to a totally new one, and then you say "plugged in the original disc". What original disc??? Sorry but I really couldn't follow this, so could someone dumb it down for me.

Thanks as I am having the same problem with the popup message happening several times a day. Very frustrating!

Bobbie. Step 1. Disconnect external time machine back up (let's refer to it as disc A). Connect a different external hard drive (we'll refer to as disc B). Allow the computer to recognize it (but don't complete the back up).

Step 2. Take disc A to a DIFFERENT computer and get IT recognized as the time machine back up for the other computer (but don't complete the backup).

Now, unplug disc B and set it aside. Remove disc A from the other computer and return it to the original computer, plug it in and, when it is recognized as the time machine back up, complete the back up.

You should now be all set. No more error messages and a working time machine back up. Let me know if it works for you.

(You might be able to skip Step 2. since no one is sure why this works. However, if you have another Mac handy running OSX with time machine, do it).

Thanks Ricksca, I will try that when I get access to a second computer. That won't be for a couple of days but I will let you know, and thank you for explaining the procedure so well for me!

I haven't tried Ricksca's suggestion yet but has anyone noticed any particular pattern with hardware? My computer (late 2008 MacBook Pro) hasn't shown this issue but my wife's has (white macbook, mid 2008 maybe). I've switched Time Machine disks back and forth the last couple of weeks but even before this (and after Lion upgrade) I didn't have the issue. Anyhow, I'll let you know if that method works for me.

Thanks Ricksca, your method seems to have worked! I would like to note that I just used two partitions on one drive in case anyone else was hoping to use the same fix.

this won't delete/reset my timemachine drive when i designate a new drive s tm backup, then redesignate the old drive? i dont want to lose all those old things

Thank you! I have been closing this error message 20 times a day at least for months now ever since

upgrading to Mt. Lion & iPhone 4s. So far so good with the time machine off in preferences.

I too have this annoying error, though mine is a bit different. Everytime I open any iLife app and click on a Media button, I get this error. I also get it in iPhoto. The Time Machine thing did not seem to work for me, designating another drive as back up, then switching back to the original. BTW, I have deleted all idisk, .mac, mobileme plists that seem to apply. One telling symptom is in Mail, when I click on the media button, the pane appears and says inside the pane "No Media Was Found", then the error dialog boxes. After clicking through 8 of these dialog boxes, they go away and the iphoto library is found and I have access to my images in Mail.app. If I then open Keynote for example, I see the iphoto library images, but still get the error. Any further help? Thanks

I have an imac which has been connected to the same Time Capsule for years without any problems. Yesterday I started getting this error message "There was a problem connecting to the server ...".

Having read these posts and some others, I decided to disconnect the drive (in preferences) and try reconnecting as if it were a new disc. What appeared to happen was that this prompted a firmware update. When that had completed, I reconnected (to the same disc) and everything appears to be fine again.

I don't know, but I wonder, whether a firmware update was all that was required. This is my main reason for posting - for anyone else having a similar problem.

Either way, disconnecting, setting up as if it were a new Time Capsule (without deleting any of the data) and reconnecting to the original drive, appears to have been successful.