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User profile for user: oldgustaf
oldgustaf Author
User level: Level 1
40 points

Time Machine restore nightmare

I have been backing up to a Time Capsule with Time Machine for about 12 months. For reasons that I won't go into (but it has to do with Lion) I decided to reinstate SL as a 'clean install' - so I erased my Mac HD in the knowledge that everything weas sfaely backed up on the Time Capsule. Well, SL 10.5.8 is now reinstated and I was expecting to pick a restore date from Time Machine and reinstall my important files. Well now I am doing this and all the files in users/documents have access denied symbols on them. Is this because the username (me) is different since I clean installed SL? The result is that because all the files are access denied on Time Machine I'm not at all sure that they will copy across and then that I'll be permitted to access them>


Can anyone help with this problem?


Thanks.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 25, 2011 1:52 AM

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User profile for user: Pondini
Pondini
User level: Level 8
38,863 points

Posted on Jul 25, 2011 4:06 PM

It's because you're using the wrong procedure (Apple doesn't exactly make it obvious).


See #14 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.

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User profile for user: Frozo
Frozo
User level: Level 2
289 points

Nov 15, 2012 5:54 PM in response to Pondini

Too bad that link doesn't work anymore. I have the same problem. Erased my HD, knowing my files were all backed up on the Time Capsule.


Somehow that drive was deleted from my sparsebundle file! The other 2 internal drives are still intact within it. I am devastated and at a total loss at this point.

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User profile for user: Pondini
Pondini
User level: Level 8
38,863 points

Nov 15, 2012 6:01 PM in response to Frozo

Frozo wrote:


Too bad that link doesn't work anymore.

Yes, Apple dropped web hosting in June. I moved the site last November. The new link is: Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.



I have the same problem. Erased my HD, knowing my files were all backed up on the Time Capsule.


Somehow that drive was deleted from my sparsebundle file! The other 2 internal drives are still intact within it. I am devastated and at a total loss at this point.

Unless you've done other backups since then, requiring a lot of space, the backups of that drive should remain.

But you won't see them via the normal Enter Time Machine procedure, since it shows the backups for the folder shown in the Finder window (ie, currently on your Mac). Apple doesn't make it clear how to see the backups for a drive that's no longer connected -- see #E3 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.

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Time Machine restore nightmare

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