unable to restore data from Time Machine - broken privileges?
Dear UsCracks 'n experts around the world, MacManiacs, Freaks...
Problem: unable to restore any data from Time Machine (TM) BackUP Disc (BUD) due to "broken privileges" (corrupted) with constant error message "you dont have privileges on this volume.
History:
Me a german MD seeking help here, (studying in Chicago IL and doing some nice aviation in Daytona FL by been granted privileges of a UsFAA flight instructor CFii),
since 1984 on Mac, all systems through,
in 2008 got myself my current Macbook Pro 15" 2G 250G Intel, single user and admin, no partitions, no Windoze / Bootcamp. I've never changed my password, nor altered rights and privileges of my documents folder ever.
Same time-purchase got my BackUp Volume a LaCie Disk 500 G connected via Firewire, properly formated, one partition only, for backUp only. HFS Journaled and properly recognized - and changing colour from yellow to blue. And me properly, faithfully backing up since about 2 years, although there was no real need for it until now.
in summer 12 I'd been encountering some strange problems (e.g. Pages crashes up to 3 times per day or often altering my window-settings for folders. This caused me to make a Clean Install and Upgrade from Leo to SnowLeo in Aug 12 = 3 months ago. (and crash problems being resolved).
Due to the crashes and alteration of folder-windows there was a need coming up to restore some older (Pages) files and folders from BU Disk.
However - TM denies – always - with error message: unable to complete because you are not granted privileges for this file or folder. Could send you screenshots but wou wont be able to read german and the more you will know this error message.
The denial of reconstruction for all files /folders, from yesterday back to first /eldest BackUp.
Since about one month I've done the following and according to the great hints in this forum and been given link to great "Poldini" Site for TimeMachine. I feel so free to thank this gentleman publically here for his great job, just outstanding, (for doing what Apple should have done). His workarounds are just great and the more, he gave me additional hint of checking "ignoring owner on this volume", however this is not available yet.
I have done already by 6 times: Starting my Macbook by CD, get DiskUtility from there and repair both, my macbook and my BackUp Disk. Didnot help anything, except next backup was not just incremental but total.
I did this for every single Volume shown (4), from Start CD and by Disk Utility from HD for BU Disk - and get "volumes seem to be ok"
Meantime I did also a password repair (reset) from StartCD, getting a new one, set to the old one.
I checked and reset the rights of my document's folder. (hierarchy: system, root, wheel staff everyone). And found some strange settings there (never caused by me), mainly level 2 differences between Wheel and Staff and that "everyone would be able to write and read" within my docu's folder. I reset this by the padlock unlock procedure to 1. "me owner" may write and read 2. Wheel may write and read. 3. Everyone may read only - and this applicable to all subfolders.
I even was so keen, in according to hints, to delete the file "com.apple.Timemachine.plist" from level one Sys Lib folder (not users lib folder) and thus causing the system to get a new one. (Old one is saved, available)
Since it is possible to access the BU disk not only by TM but by showing as normal USB disk, I've tried this as well, access to backUp.db show "latest BackUp" .
However, if trying to copy back from normal USB-Disk i get same error message "you donot have privileges to copy from this volume.
The only strange things, I non-professional have found, in lower left window of DiskUtility when checking my disks, that there are differences between mounting point and ownership, indicating that for my backupVolume there is NO owner defined for whatever reasons - please see screenshot, sorry in german though.
(and difference in mounting point pending if I do the checking from StartUp CD then it says: ownership of BUD defined yes. Wheras after doing repair as above, it keeps saying "ownership not defined" and mounting point correct. (More than screenshsots i saved all DU-protocols of past days)
Here, Mr "Pondini" gave me a great hint with screenshot: open the privileges window of BU disk and Check "ignore owner on this volume". However it didnot work , cause this check / uncheck "ignore" is not available yet, must been introduced in later versions.
Im sorry to say, that i'm little scared of all the terminal stuff "sudo root privileges chown and hdiutil for ... sparsebundles, because im not familiar with what im doing. However i finally risked it and went into terminal and ve tried to rename both volumes the recommended way, with proper backslash dot and empty space. However there was no positive result.
My local seller and "SysAdmin" doesnot really know whats to be done. He recommends "get yourself root privileges (above admin), save the BU Disk to your Main Volume and reformate BUD. - But this is not possible since my BUD contains about 250 Gigs which is about 60 Gigs more than empty space left on my HD.
In german forums "We" ve meat six guys with same problem unable to restore files from BUD under SnowLeo, but no publication here yet due to language - and I do hope it may not be a localization problem, unlikely.
Off course, Ive checked in this forum as well for elder posts, before asking, some almost with same questions, however answers didnot match or help here. And working up n down the Pondini Website.
Apple policy and situation with forum hints starts being confusing, since Apple strictly says for DiskUtility: DU repairs rights for files, that have been installed by MacOsX Installer, software actualization or by Apple Software Installer. However NOT Repaired will be the Privileges for your documents, for users folder or third party apps. // And for Time Machine - there is silence. And the rest is "beyond my brains".
I submit two most important screenshots and avoid submission of protocols and or Timemachineplist ufn.
What can I , must i do? to restore my privileges on my BackUP Volume ? (with no loss of data :-) and would appreciate any help, even if sending me to unbeloved terminal. Special Thanks to "Anna" and "Poldini" for former excellent postings.
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)