Time machine/capsule not working - Error 111.

Yup. Got the same problem with error 111 after updating to Lion. I have an AirPort Extreme with a WD USB disc attached.

Johan Andreasson wrote:

Yup. Got the same problem with error 111 after updating to Lion. I have an AirPort Extreme with a WD USB disc attached.

I hate to have to tell you this, but backing-up that way is unreliable and not supported by Apple. See: Using Time Machine with an Airport Extreme Air Disk.

You might be able to fix it, at least temporarily, via one of the things in #C17 of Time Machine - Troubleshooting.

But you need to find a reliable, supported way to back up. See Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question # 2.

After tryng many different options, I was only able to resolve the issue by deleting the sparse bundle on the Time Capsule and having Time Machine start all over. I did this about a month ago and I have recently restored a few files with no issue and no errors during the Time Machine backups.

My Snow Leopard has been flawless. This was only happening with my Lion and now resolved by unfortunately deleting the Sparse Bundle.

I have had the same problem 3 times now, 2 on my macbook air, and 1 on my iMac. I have three macs backing up to my TC, the other one does fine Each time I have gone through every suggested fix with none of them working and then having to go into the TC, delete the backup entirely, and then restart. This is quite annoying. I have over 500GB free on the TC still. It takes time, and if I had anything more important on there, it could be catastrophic. I really hope a fix comes out soon. Anything new on the issue?

Having the same issue ever since I upgraded my desktop and laptop to Lion. Apple must be aware of this bug. Any fixes on the horizon?

I am getting same error message but I've been running Lion since it came out and this error just started for me the past week (Last successful backup was Feb 14).

The backup disk image “/Volumes/Data/<computernamehere>.sparsebundle” could not be accessed (error 111).

Then there was an update to time capsule this week, which I thought would fix it. But no luck. I am going to try some of these troubleshooting tips but I would hate to loose all my of my previous backups. Looks like I might finally start using something like Carbonite to be extra safe. I do use dropbox right now for some stuff, but it doesn't do regular backups of files (incase I need to revert to an older version).

I'm getting this error too. and now my MacBook Pro is getting this error after upgrading to Lion.

I tried force quitting Finder and mounting the sparse bundle file which errored out with 'no mountable file system' and I performed the last software update.

Tulse Luper wrote:

. . .

I tried force quitting Finder and mounting the sparse bundle file which errored out with 'no mountable file system' and I performed the last software update.

That message means the sparse bundle is corrupted. Try to repair it, per #A5 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.

Solution to Time Machine Error 111

I have two MacBooks (late 2007 and early 2008), and an iMac (mid 2010) that suddenly developed the Time Machine Error 111 problem. I reformatted the 2008 MacBook and still had the problem. I rebooted everything, wiped the Time Capule disk in several different ways, deleted the sparsebundle files one at a time, and still had intermittent problems resulting in Error 111. This happened after the firmware update to the Time Capsule and the Lion update, so I did not know what was causing the problem in my machines that were heretofore working properly.

The solution was this:

1. Open AirPort Utility

2. Click on your Time Capsule

3. Click on Manual Setup

4. Click on Disks

5. Click on File Sharing

6. Click on Secure Shared Disks: With a disk password

This sequence fixed my problem when nothing else did.

I had my TC set up exactly as that under Lion and for a few days it works. Then backups failed so I've had to erase and start again. 😐

I am updating my entry of March 8, 2012.

After posting my "Solution to Time Machine Error 111," I discovered, as have others, that the fix was not very long-lasting. In fact, I suspect that my "solution" was coincidental. The reason I suspect this is that after a few more weeks, my Time Capsule finally gave an error message that said, "Disk is failing." After about a week or so, the error message changed to, "Disk has failed."

I then got a new Time Capsule (2 TB - grumble, grumble, grumble). I set it up without difficulty and all of my computers are now backing up regularly and have been doing so for over a week as I write this.

So, I have come to conclude that if your perfectly fine Time Capsule starts to fail to back up, even without further error messages, it is going to continue to deteriorate. Once you start to get regular error messages related to the Time Capsule, your hard drive is just about ready to fail, and you should take action to replace your Time Capsule.

I am now on my third Time Capsule. Each of the previous two have lasted about 2 years. You are going to have to consider the annualized cost of the Time Capsule purchase. Others have noted about a 2 year life span for their Time Capsules. I think this is a rather short mean time between failures for this type of device, but that is a personal opinion and based on personal experience and a very cursory look at other postings. The postings were based on problems, not successes, so I recognize I probably have a biased set of data. It is possible that the mean time between failure in a Time Capsule is far longer.

Dear Crazymodem

I have come to the same conclusion with a similar small sample (my two TC's in the last three years and two TCs of my collegueas). I've literally tried all the solutions posted on this and other threats related to the 111 errors, but none in the end help permanently. For such an expensive device with such a critical task (making sure you don't loose your data) I find this unacceptable. Shame on apple for coming up with such an inferior product!

My final solution includes regular USB disks connected to my iMac and to Thunderbolt screen (that I use for work (MBPro)). Luckily, the TC does offer a very fast and secure Wireless network. At least some use to it ...

H

Just to add a "Me too!" post, after non stop error 109 messages using the Time Capsule (2nd Gen, 1TB) in Snow Leopard, I went ahead and upgraded to OSX Lion. Then in Lion, I attempted to back up and received the error 111 message. Not 5 minutes after reading your post, the Airport Utility reported that the TC disk was failing. After swapping out for a new 2TB hard drive, the system started backing up as normal. All and all, including the cost of Lion, roughly 150 bucks spent. A bit depressing that it came to that after only a little over a year of actual use, but it was still much cheaper than a whole new TC.

Thanks, guys for sharing you experience with your TCs. I have the same problem with mine. It backs-up fine with my iMac but doesn't do it with the MacBook Pro. Did you sell yours as used or gave it as part of payment for the new one?

Well, I guess I spoke too soon. Checked on the Mac and TC tonight and sure enough, the errors are back. Now it claims it can't find the sparse bundle to back up. It's seems the only safe way to back up with time machine is via USB.