Time Machine Frequent "Start New Backup"

Another Pondini solution? No thanks, Im waiting for an apple bug fix to their bug.

The synology admin suggestion worked for a bit, but I just got the Start new backup error message again. Looks like we need to wait for Apple to solve this.

I'm not sure they're ever going to..

I used time capsules back when they were first released, one at work, one at home. Every now and then, for no apparent reason, TC would corrupt itself and require reformatting, losing all the backups. Apple were then, as now, blaming things like wifi, the network, the day of the week, etc. - anything but admit a bug in their software.

Fast forward 5 years..

I've just setup a new backup here, to a server I know is running perfectly (UPS, Raid, etc. this is not cheap NAS hardware and doesn't corrupt data).. and within a week.. corrupt backup.

It's useless as a backup system if you ever have to go back more than two or three days. Just treat it as a mirror of your current machine and forget the backup part of it. Or switch it off.. it's a freebie anyway.

Edit: Heh. Forgot about that username.. that was a long time ago when their registration system was broken..

Same problem. More of the same. How long has this thread been open? No solution yet.

In the absence of a fix to stop the problem happening, it might be handy to have some simple or automated way to fix the corrupt backup, so I've sent an email to the Cocktail people, and they say they'll have a look at the possibility.

I apologize for the near-hijack, but in the last couple of weeks, both my 2011 iMac and mid-2010 MPB started refusing to recognize my Synology DS413 as a valid TM share. I think Apple probably updated something in the OS and broke it.

I'll reply back if it ever works again, but I agree with some prior sentiments. Time Machine is nearly useless anway and it was free. I keep all my files on the NAS anyhow.

Tom

pointpeninsula wrote:

. . .

I'll reply back if it ever works again, but I agree with some prior sentiments. Time Machine is nearly useless anway and it was free.

Actually, in most cases it works just fine. I have backups over 2 years old. But I'm not using a NAS.

I back up to a directly-connected FireWire 800 drive, wirelessly to a Time Capsule's internal HD, and just for fun, a USB drive connected to the Time Capsule, in rotation. I've not seen the "Start new backup" message on any of them (I did see it when experimenting with an unsupported destination -- a USB drive connected to an Airport Extreme). I do have an excellent WIFI connection, and my iMac is on one U.P.S. system, and my modem, Time Capsule, and USB drive are on another.

10.8.2 hasn't been updated since last Fall, so a change to OSX isn't likely the problem. Since it's happening to your two different Macs, it's more likely the NAS. Double-check your setup, perhaps reset the NAS, try re-selecting it as the TM destination, even do a "full reset" of Time Machine, per #A4 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.

If you're backing-up wirelessly, also see the pink box in #C13 of the same link. There may be a new source of interference.

And of course, it's always possible there's a problem with the NAS itself. See if Synology has any test procedures you can run.

This has happened to me a few times as well (ReadyNAS on local wifi), and it obviously renders the whole concept of TM completely useless. Sorry, but it's absolutely ridiculous. TM over wireless is broken and it's nobody's fault but Apple's. What's worse is that people here are posting in defence of Apple just because they have a support link warning about wireless backups. Well, if wireless backups aren't reliable, then Apple should FIX their software so that they ARE reliable. Simple. There's really no excuse for it. TM is broken and needs to be fixed. Get it together, Apple.

wheetabix wrote:

. . .

TM over wireless is broken

I guess you missed the part where I said I'd been backing-up wirelessly to a Time Capsule and attached USB drive for a couple of years with no problem whatsoever. As have many, many others.

If there were a widespread problem, there would be thousands, or tens of thousands, of posts in these forums.

Many folks with backup problems have found solutions on my site and elsewhere. Some haven't. So if you're interesting in finding a possible solution, give them a try.

Get it together, Apple.

You are not talking to Apple here -- this is a user-to-user forum. If you want to talk to Apple, they've provided four ways. See Reporting a Problem to Apple

Yes, anyone still reading this thread, please file bug reports... This forum is no good for complaining to apple...

Link to the thread in your report.

This is especially poingnant to anyone with all apple hardware as apple will take more notice if people in the walled garden are having problems

Just thought I would add my $.02...

I have not seen this problem on my iMac running 10.7.3 (wireless). Only on my MBP running 10.8.2. Both are connected to the same Synology NAS, connected to my router via ethernet.

I called Apple and they said the do not support TM on third part NAS.

From what I saw they don't seem to support TimeCapsule as well...

Anyone reading this with a synology unit, please test the new DSM 4.2 as they have re-vamped the AFP.

I did test the beta's of this, with no luck, possibly, they ironed it out as it was raised in their support forums...

Thanks,

Austin

http://www.synology.com/dsm/index.php?lang=uk

I use the new 4.2 version and the problem still exists, actually I think it's worse then before...

My iMac just took 2 days to delete the "bad" backup from the WD-MBL then 19 hours to create a new backup, which lasted just one day before being declared invalid -- and this is on wired ethernet. I think I give up. I bought iTunes Match so my music is safe. I can copy my iPhoto library manually and also my iMovie stuff. Everything else that's actually important is on dropbox or google drive. Bah.