Cannot see latest Time Machine backup in Recovery, Setup Assistant, Migration Assistant

joshdunham wrote:

. . .

Migration Assistant recognized the backup drive (Time Capsule) but then wouldn't recognize the specific backup for this machine.

First, see if there's a disk image (almost certainly named "Time Machine Backups") mounted on your Mac. It will appear on your Desktop and/or Finder Sidebar, if selected in your Finder preferences. If so, eject it.

Then click the Time Capsule in the Finder Sidebar. You should see two (or more) sparse bundles, one for each Mac that's been backed-up to the Time Capsule, something like this (Finder in Column View):

Double-click the one you want, to mount the disk image (the "Time Machine Backups" disk image should appear after a few moments).

Then try Migration Assistant again.

It should show the Time Capsule something like this (but probably named "Data" instead of"S.Test.Backups"):

When you select that item and click Continue, you'll be prompted for the password, then after a moment see something like this:

Select the one you want and you should be ok.

See Using Migration Assistant on Mountain Lion or Lion for the gory details.

Do you see both sparse bundles via the Finder, per the first sample in my previous post, or just the other one?

If only one, how is the File Sharing set up on your Time Capsule (does it use Device password, Disk password, or Accounts?

If it uses Accounts, be sure you're giving it the proper account password.

I'm struggling with a Time Machine Restore, can you asssit. I have a 21" iMac with an external hard drive connected via firewire for TM backups. I'm running 10.8.3. Yesterday the mac started running v slowly, disk verify and disk repair failed, I re-partitioned and re-installed OS X as requested. Migration assistant could not see the externl hard drive. I then re-booted intot he recovery partition and ran the OS X utilities (thank you for this info). This version can see the external drive, but when I go to select the backup the latest date is February 15th 2013?

How can I restore to a backup from say March 30th? I have checked the Time Machine disk and the latest back up yesterday at 18:22? See screen shot below. The OS X utility is not seeing these, so is there a process to get it back to the known state at the end of ast Month?

thelaurels wrote:

. . .

Migration assistant could not see the externl hard drive.

Are you sure you selected "From a Time Machine backup or other disk"? If so, did it show anything at all? TM backups on an external HD will show the name of the system and drive that was backed-up, not the name of the backup drive itself, and should have either a yellow or green icon:

I then re-booted intot he recovery partition. . . This version can see the external drive, but when I go to select the backup the latest date is February 15th 2013?

There are two possibilities:

• Did you erase, restore, or replace your internal HD on or about Feb 15? If so, the newer backups may be treated as if they were made from a different disk. If you're trying to do a full restore, from the Recovery HD, see if the Restore From drive at the top of this window is actually a "pop-up" menu:

If it is, try selecting the "other" item. The newer backups may be there.

• If not, it sounds like the recent backups may not have included OSX. It can be excluded via TM Preferences > Options, but we've seen some cases where it seems to have happened without user intervention. To check, "drill down" into one of the recent backups -- inside the date-stamped backup folder should be a folder named for the drive; inside that should be a duplicate of the entire folder structure of the drive. At the top level there should be Applications, System, Library, and Users (and possibly a few more). See if the System folder has contents.

Interesting after the 15th Feb there is no content in the system folder. I have not replaced my HD or re-installed at all. The select backup drop down above is greyed out so their are not other options.

I think I will manually restore all my data and then re-install my apps. Then re-create a new time machine backup from scratch.

Thanks for you assistance.

thelaurels wrote:

Interesting after the 15th Feb there is no content in the system folder.

Rats. We have seen a very few cases where that's happened. 😟 When you exclude it via the TM menu, an indicator gets set in the preferences file; somehow, that indicator is getting set some other way.

That prevents you from doing a full system restore, of course, but Migration Assistant should work (since it doesn't transfer OSX).

I think I will manually restore all my data and then re-install my apps. Then re-create a new time machine backup from scratch.

If you haven't yet, double-check that Migration Assistant doesn't see the backups first (per the sample in my previous post).

Even with that indicator set, the backups should contain most of your apps (all but the ones that come standard with OSX). So things such as iLife, iWork, and 3rd-party apps should be there.

Hardware Info:

Late 2009 27" iMac

2 tb Time Capsule (wireless connect)

2@3tb LaCie daisy chained with one firewire connected to iMac

Background:

1. TM was set to alternate backup to both LaCie's.

2. Backups are stagered, separated by approximately an hour with the latest back up the morning of the day of HD swap at Apple:

3. The latest backup with a system file in any LaCie is 11/1/12

4. TC is empty

5. Please note a "4/13 in Progress" seen in the screen shot. This is what remains from an intereupted TM backup which started imediatly after the 11/1/12 recover. Can/should this be deleted? If yes, how will deletion effect the "latest folder"?

More Background:

Apple store recently swapted my 1tb drive under the Seagate program. I left the store with 10.8.3. and whatever other apps normally ship with a new machine. My prefered method was Migration Assistant but it (I) could not locate either LaCie. It was when I tried Recovery that I learned of the missing OS backup. I then recovered the 11/1/12 backup, then updated the OS to 10.8.3.

Questions:

1. I do not know why TM omited OS after 11/1/12; will you please help me understand the why/how to avoid a repeat?

2. Is there any way to Recover from the 4/8/13 TM backup?

3. If a Recover is not possible, will you please assist me in using Migration Assistant?

I hope the following is useful in some way:

LMises wrote:

. . .

4. TC is empty

You posted that TM was set to back up only to the LaCies but the sample you posted below shows a sparsebundle on the TC. Please clarify.

5. Please note a "4/13 in Progress" seen in the screen shot. This is what remains from an intereupted TM backup which started imediatly after the 11/1/12 recover. Can/should this be deleted? If yes, how will deletion effect the "latest folder"?

Yes, that's what it is. You can delete it, per #A10 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting, but unless it's very large and taking up so much space that TM can't do another backup, just leave it alone. Time Machine will remove it when a backup completes successfully.

Apple store recently swapted my 1tb drive under the Seagate program. I left the store with 10.8.3. and whatever other apps normally ship with a new machine.

What were you running before?

My prefered method was Migration Assistant but it (I) could not locate either LaCie.

Are you sure? Many folks see what they think is their internal HD, but it's really their backups. What confuses them is, it shows the Computer and disk name that were backed-up, not the name of the drive the backups are on.

1. I do not know why TM omited OS after 11/1/12; will you please help me understand the why/how to avoid a repeat?

Ordinarily, it's done by excluding the System folder via TM Preferences > Options. That puts up a prompt, and if confirmed sets an indicator in the .plist that controls backups. We do have a very few reports of it getting set some other way, mostly on Mountain Lion, but have no idea how.

2. Is there any way to Recover from the 4/8/13 TM backup?

Unless you're positive Migration Assistant didn't show the backups, try that again. See the first sample in my April 3 reply to thelaurels.

Othewise, you'll have to do it "piecemeal," by restoring selected items or copying from the Finder.

3. If a Recover is not possible, will you please assist me in using Migration Assistant?

What's in the sparse bundle on your Time Capsule (in the "Data" folder)? Double-click the sparsebundle to mount it; then the "Time Machine Backups" disk image should appear in your Finder sidebar. Double-click that to open it. Inside it should be a Backups.backupdb folder just like the ones on your LaCie drives, with similar contents.

Thank you for your response!

Thinking out loud:

• Both external LaCie's were were subject to a veriy and repairt process with no errors were found.
• They both mount on the iMac desktop with no problems.
• TM **'s to the LaCie's appear to operate correctly.
• I can easliy and quickely move content to and from them at will.

Evidence seems to suggest that when entering Migration Assistant(MA), the automatic process of closing all applications save MA, seems to break the iMac<> LaCie connection. Could this be a good lead?

PONDINI

"You posted that TM was set to back up only to the LaCies but the sample you posted below shows a sparsebundle on the TC. Please clarify."

LMISES

My error: That is an old MacBook TM backup(**)

PONDINI

"What were you running before?"

LMISES

10.8.3.

PONDINI

"Are you sure? Many folks see what they think is their internal HD, but it's really their backups. What confuses them is, it shows the Computer and disk name that were backed-up, not the name of the drive the backups are on."

LMISES

Please see the screen shot below of what Migration Assistant(MA) presents:

PONDINI

"Ordinarily, it's done by excluding the System folder via TM Preferences > Options. That puts up a prompt, and if confirmed sets an indicator in the .plist that controls backups. We do have a very few reports of it getting set some other way, mostly on Mountain Lion, but have no idea how."

LMISES

Thank you. In my view this is very significant as this behavior, it now appears for me, leaves MA as the only option. Not to value MA vs Recovery objectivly, rather, there are benefits exclusive to each process. As I sit now however, MA fails to recongnise not only the TM **'s residing on both LaCie's; MA fails to recongnise the LaCie's as hardware.

PONDINI

"What's in the sparse bundle on your Time Capsule (in the "Data" folder)? Double-click the sparsebundle to mount it; then the "Time Machine Backups" disk image should appear in your Finder sidebar. Double-click that to open it. Inside it should be aBackups.backupdb folder just like the ones on your LaCie drives, with similar contents."

LMISES

The following screen shots are of the "Data" folder.

LMises wrote:

. . .

Evidence seems to suggest that when entering Migration Assistant(MA), the automatic process of closing all applications save MA, seems to break the iMac<> LaCie connection. Could this be a good lead?

That's not supposed to happen, of course, and usually doesn't, but you never know. MA does some odd things now and then, for no apparent reason. 😟

It shouldn't make any difference, but you might try connecting only one, directly -- no daisy-chaining.

MA fails to recongnise not only the TM **'s residing on both LaCie's; MA fails to recongnise the LaCie's as hardware.

Depending on what else didn't get backed-up, it's possible they just aren't recognized as backups. Ordinarily, if you exclude only System files and applications via the TM Preferences window, Setup Assistant and Migration Assistant will still recognize the backups and work fine. But I did see a thread recently where some other (hidden) system files & folders didn't get backed-up, and weren't recognized. My guess is, wherever the actual user accounts are stored was skipped, so TM can't connect them to the home folder(s), and won't show them at all.

PONDINI

"What's in the sparse bundle on your Time Capsule (in the "Data" folder)?

Since that's for a different Mac, never mind.

Looks like your only alternative is to copy things "piecemeal." 😟 One way to do that is to open the backups with the Finder, navigate to the one you want, and copy the things you need. Note that you can't copy a whole home folder that way, or the default sub-folders (Desktop, Documents, etc.) that way, but only the contents of them.

Some common ones are specified in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #28.

Several are found in the (hidden) ~/Library folder (in your home folder). To make the one on your Mac visible, select Go in a Finder menubar while holding the Alt/Option key, and select it from the list.

To see the one in your backups is a bit more difficult; start the Terminal app (in your Applications/Utilities folder). Copy this after the prompt (non-blinking block cursor): chflags nohidden and leave a space. Then drag the home folder from your backups to the Terminal window; that will create a "path" to it (and insert back-slashes where there are spaces). Then append /Library to the end of the command, so it looks something like this:

Press Return. If the command is ok, you'll just get another prompt, and the Library folder in the backups will be visible.