Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Why does Time Machine backup fail when an external drive is included in backup?

Time Machine will not perform a backup when I have an external drive (formatted Mac OS Extended - Journaled) included in the backup. My understanding is that it should. What am I doing wrong?


Thanks.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Aug 4, 2012 11:54 AM

Reply
9 replies

Aug 4, 2012 6:51 PM in response to Pondini

As long as I don't include the external drive (not the TM backup drive) in the backup, it proceeds fine. If I go into the exclusion list and remove the external drive and start a backup, within a few seconds (no hanging) an error message comes up:


"The backup was not performed because an error occurred while copying files to the backup disk."


In the Time Machine window I see "Latest bcakup: Failed" in red.


I've use the repair disk function in Disk Utility to repair the external drive. There is no indication, adfterward, that the drive was in disrepair, only that it "appears to be okay."

Aug 4, 2012 6:54 PM in response to timtom122353

timtom122353 wrote:

. . .

"The backup was not performed because an error occurred while copying files to the backup disk."

Ah, not one of Apple's more informative messages. 😟


There's a problem with a file on that disk. See #C3 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.
It will show you how to locate the message(s) that describe the problem, then help you fix it.

Aug 4, 2012 7:33 PM in response to Pondini

Thanks for your efforts to help. This is the full log from the Time Machine error log widget:


Starting standard backup

Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb

Error parsing SystemMigration.log to determine source volume of system migration.

No pre-backup thinning needed: 80.64 GB requested (including padding), 374.14 GB available

Error: (2) setxattr for key:com.apple.backupd.SnapshotVolumeUUID path:/Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb/Thomas Heflick’s iMac/2012-08-04-111701.inProgress/EC78037D-6199-46DA-860C-430E2C5B9011/Audio/Vi sual/BFD2 size:37

Stopping backup.

Copied 0 files (15 KB) from volume Audio/Visual/BFD2.

Copy stage failed with error:11

Backup failed with error: 11


Also, based on your suggestion that there is a bad file on the disk, I excluded all five folders on the external drive from the backup, then, one at a time, included them in the backup to see which folder might have a bad file. As long as ANY folder from that drive is included in the backup, it fails. Doesn't seem to be a bad file, not a visible one anyway.

Aug 4, 2012 7:42 PM in response to timtom122353

timtom122353 wrote:

. . .

Error: (2) setxattr for key:com.apple.backupd.SnapshotVolumeUUID path:/Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb/Thomas Heflick’s iMac/2012-08-04-111701.inProgress/EC78037D-6199-46DA-860C-430E2C5B9011/Audio/Vi sual/BFD2 size:37

Ah, that is an unusual one (usually it's a corrupted file).


The problem is the name of the drive: Audio/Visual/BFD2


Drive/partition names aren't supposed to contain slashes, but the Finder will let you put one there.


Rename it, without slashes, and you should be fine.

Aug 4, 2012 8:19 PM in response to BDAqua

Thanks!


Apple has finally fixed it in Mountain Lion - - only 29 months after I first reported it.


(To my surprise, they didn't fix the Finder -- it will still allow a slash in a volume name. Instead, they fixed Time Machine not to choke on it. I wonder if some other apps might have a problem with such names, but haven't tested any, or run across one . . . yet.)

Why does Time Machine backup fail when an external drive is included in backup?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.