How to delete old backups from Time Capsule?

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How to delete old backups from Time Capsule?

Hello,

I did both a Google search and a searh here on the Apple Discussion boards for instructions on how to delete old backups from Time Machine/Time Capsule. However, none of the articles I found are for current Mountain Lion machines, and several of the posts refer people to an "excellent article" that goes to a dead link.

Here is my situation, and I am assuming it is a very common one:

I have been backing up my iMac and MacBook Pro to Time Capsule. However, I just sold my MBP and purchased a new MBP with Retina Display (GREAT computer!!). I am trying to back up my NEW computer into Time Capsule, but I get a message that there is not enough room on Time Capsule to do this. I know that there is a very old backup in there (about 3 years old) from a machine that I no longer own. I would like to DELETE that old backup entirely since I don't own that computer any more. If I could just delete that one backup, that would give me plenty of room to backup my new MBP.

The one thing I tried already is to hold down the "Option" key while clicking on the Time Machine icon in the Menu Bar. When doing this, I then clicked on "Browse Other Backup Disks". That doesn't do anything for me because it just shows a little window that makes no sense. Inside that window, it says:

"Macintosh" on ""

It says that four times. I have no clue what this means.

Can someone please advise me on how to delete the old backup? Thanks much!

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion

Posted on Dec 1, 2012 6:20 AM

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Answer 1

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Bob Timmons

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159,278 points

Dec 1, 2012 7:53 AM in response to smitty195

Things would be much, much simpler if you can simply erase the Time Capsule drive and then start over again with new backups of both of your Macs.

Is this a possibility?

If not, and you want to get a peek at some complicated procedures required to do what you ask, see Pondini's Time Machine --- FAQ

#12 there would have the information to get started on this.

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Answer 2

smitty195 Author

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20 points

Dec 1, 2012 7:53 AM in response to Bob Timmons

Thank you, but I have his FAQ sheet already, and it has thouroughly confused me. Lots of links, lots of "what if's", lots of this but not that, touch this but not that----honestly, I can't make heads or tails of it! I have used his FAQ on many occassions in the past, and it has been very helfpul. However, the "answers" under #12 have my head spinning.

If anyone is willing to help me out, here is my situation if it helps to clarify anything:

-I'm using Mountain Lion 10.8.2

-There are three computers backed up on my Time Capsulse---I want to get rid of ONE and keep the other TWO.

That is what I'm attempting to accomplish. I think the wording of certain things is what is very confusing. When I say I want to delete an old backup, I dont mean that I want to take a certain file (like a picture, a document, a movie, or whatever) and delete THAT old backup. No no no.....I want to delete the ENTIRE backup of a computer that I no longer own. I hope this makes sense. I know how to delete something in Time Machine by "entering" Time Machine and using the little gear icon to delete all backup copies of a specific file or files. But again, this is not what I'm trying to do. I am trying to delete an old computer backup because I no longer own that computer.

Is there a way to do this?

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Answer 3

smitty195 Author

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Dec 1, 2012 7:59 AM in response to smitty195

If this helps to clarify my confusion at all, from the FAQ #12 noted above (from this link: http://pondini.org/TM/12.html), he talks about these two things:

1) "If the backups were made locally"

and

2) "If the backups are on a Time Capsule's internal disk"

Okay, what do those things mean?? I have a Time Capsule, and my computers are using Time Machine to wirelessly back up to Time Capsule. Is that locally? Is that internal disk? I have no clue.

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Answer 4

Dec 1, 2012 8:21 AM in response to smitty195

Is there a way to do this?

Yes, there is.

But frankly, if you are having difficulty with the instructions....which are indeed complicated and probably should not be attempted by most users, then you might consider my first suggestion again....simply erase everything on the Time Capsule and start backups for your new Mac and the iMac over again.

This....in my opinion....would be the best course of action for about 99% of users.

1) "If the backups were made locally

This would not apply to you

2) "If the backups are on a Time Capsule's internal disk"

If your backups are on the Time Capsule as you say, then this is the info that you need.

If you run into difficulty, post back and I will leave a message for Pondini in the moderators forum. I do not know if he is available at this time or not.

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Answer 5

smitty195 Author

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20 points

Dec 1, 2012 8:32 AM in response to Bob Timmons

Oh boy......I don't know if it would be wise for me to erase the entire Time Capsule and start over again. That means I would be "backup-less", and thus, defeats the purpose for me having backups in the first place. Well, sort of...of course I would have NEW backups, but anything in the past (in my case, going back to March) would be gone forever.

I'm not a computer engineer or programmer, but I have to wonder why this is such a difficult task? It seems like we should just be able to click on an old backup, hit "Delete", and be done with it. Why is this so difficult?

Let me think about what to do. I appreciate your assistance---I just need to think about this. I'm not too hot on the idea of deleting EVERYTHING just to delete one backup.

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Answer 6

Dec 1, 2012 8:44 AM in response to smitty195

It's pretty easy.

navigate to the highest folder for example "MacHD"

start TimeMachine

go back in time until the point where you don't want a backup of it anymore

select the folders

with right click you get the context menu where you can choose to delete the backup

don't choose delete all backups then how you can imagine every backup of that folder will be deleted

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Answer 7

Dec 1, 2012 8:51 AM in response to smitty195

now i get what you want is even easier

go to the BackVolume (TimeCapsual) via Finder

go into the "Backups.backupdb"

delete the folder of the device you don't want the backup of it anymore at all

you must have read and write permission (so you must be at least an admin)

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Answer 8

smitty195 Author

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20 points

Dec 1, 2012 2:10 PM in response to the_Fränk

Okay, I understand this and it is very easy to do, however, I'm still stuck and here is the reason why:

The computer that is backed up (the one I want to delete entirely) is a computer that I no longer own. Therfore, I can not go into Finder to see the backup----that computer no longer exists.

I have to other machines (iMac and MacBook Pro), and if I go into the Finder as you explained, I do see how simple it is to take a folder and simply delete it. However, that is not my goal---I do not want to delete the backups for computers that I currently own. I want to delete the backups for the computer that I NO LONGER own.

If I'm understanding things correctly (and I might not be), it seems like it's pretty straightforward when it comes to either deleting old backups of a computer that you still own, it's very easy to delete individual backups (by entering Time Machine and clicking on the "gear" icon), HOWEVER---when it comes to deleting an entire backup of a computer that a person no longer owns, this is 100% NOT possible. Am I understanding this correctly? If so, that's crazy---there's GOT to be a way to delete the backup. What am I not understanding?

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Answer 9

Dec 1, 2012 3:26 PM in response to smitty195

when it comes to deleting an entire backup of a computer that a person no longer owns, this is 100% NOT possible.

This is possible. It appears that you did not follow Pondini's instructions carefully in the original link that I posted. Here, I am referring to this:

If you follow the link to Q5, the following is displayed:

But, the problem when you do this is that although the sparsebundle file is deleted....it will take a long time for this to occur....and you may need to refer to more information in the blue box of the link.....the Time Capsule hard drive will still show the actual avaiilable space on the Time Capsule disk.

This is where you have to refer back to the pink box in the original link. Terminal commands are involved here to tell the Time Capsule to display the actual available space on the drive. If you do not perform this scary step, it will still appear as if the Time Capsule has more data on the drive than it actually does. In other words, it will not indicate that you have regained the space on the drive.

For me, the Terminal has always been a very scary place. It is best left to the experts who know what they are doing.

I do not mean to discourage you from your goal of deleting the backups for the computer that you no longer have.....I am just trying to point out that trying to do what you want to do is difficult and complicated as I mentioned in my original response.

If you want Pondini to take a look at this thread, I will see If can find him. Let us know.

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Answer 10

smitty195 Author

Level 1

20 points

Dec 1, 2012 3:48 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Thank you for having patience with me! I normally understand Apple stuff very well---I've been a solid user since 1985, but for some reason, this stuff is very complex to me.

I pretty much get what you're saying now. It did not fully register before. Okay, whew, this is indeed quite complex. I honestly don't think I want to mess with this, and I see why you had mentioned just deleting the entire TM backup. While I do not want to do this, it might be my only viable option at this point. Ugh...

Thanks much for your patience and explanations!

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Answer 11

smitty195 Author

Level 1

20 points

Dec 2, 2012 2:19 PM in response to smitty195

I just noticed I clicked on the wrong box for what solved my problem--I checked my own box! Sorry about that....

EDIT: Oops, I take that back. I'm such a rookie! Nope, I didn't check it. It shows up on every post. Climbing back into my hole now.

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