Time Machine Backup Stops Unexpectedly

Question

Time Machine Backup Stops Unexpectedly

My Time Machine backup has worked pretty much without a glitch for years, but two days ago it stopped working. About the time it stopped working, I was burning a number of discs with iDVD. Some of the burns were not successful and required that I reboot the computer (iMac updated to 10.8.3 this morning) in order to get the disc to eject.

When Time Machine starts running it says that there is 62GB of 1TB available on the backup drive and that there is 1.19GB to be backed up. At some point, the amout of data to be backed up starts increasing and eventually gets to a point where it exceeds the 62GB available. Then this message appears: "The backup disk ran out of space unexpectedly. Time Machine will try to make more space available by removing expired backups during the next scheduled backup." It looks like the oldest backup is from June, 2010 and I see no problem with deleting these old backups, if necessary.

I suspect that iDVD has created some file somewhere that needs to be deleted, but I don't know where to look. I have updated my OS and rebooted the computer, but this has not helped. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)

Posted on Mar 22, 2013 9:18 AM

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Answer 1

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Mar 22, 2013 10:52 AM in response to Lisa Pezzi Balistreri

The backup volume was full. That shouldn't happen, because TM is supposed to manage disk space by deleting snapshots as needed to make room for a new one, up to the last complete snapshot, which is never removed automatically.

One possibility is that you were writing other data to the volume during the backup. Apple recommends that no other data be stored on a backup volume.

Otherwise, I suggest you clear possibly corrupt data from the TM preference file. Open the Time Machine pane in System Preferences. Click the padlock icon in the lower left corner, if necessary, to unlock it. Scroll to the bottom of the list of backup drives and click Add or Remove Backup Disk. Remove the problem disk, then add it back. Quit System Preferences. Test.

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Answer 2

Eric Root

Level 10

685,251 points

Mar 22, 2013 11:01 AM in response to Lisa Pezzi Balistreri

Troubleshooting articles:

Time Machine Troubleshooting

Time Machine Troubleshooting Problems

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Answer 3

Mar 22, 2013 3:32 PM in response to Linc Davis

The hard drive that is used for time machine backups is used for nothing else. There was nothing else using that drive.

I'm trying your second suggestion. My only concern at the moment is that it seems that my old backups are not recognized. In the time machine pane in system preferences it says "Oldest backup: none". Did following your advice do something to my old backups?

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Answer 4

Mar 22, 2013 3:39 PM in response to Eric Root

I've gone through the steps suggested in the first of your links. Verified both the time machine drive and my computer's hard drive, no repairs were indicated. I deleted the .inProgress package on the backup drive and backups from an old computer that I didn't realize were on the drive. This brought the free space on the backup drive to 376GB. I restarted the computer, but again had the same issue. The backup appears to be going fine until the end when the amount of needing backup begins to increase until the drive runs out of free space and the I get the error message reference in my first post.

I don't see any obvious links to try in the second link you posted, but will begin to go through them if I can find no other solutions. Thanks.

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Answer 5

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Mar 22, 2013 3:40 PM in response to Lisa Pezzi Balistreri

Did following your advice do something to my old backups?

No, your backups are unaffected.

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Answer 6

Mar 22, 2013 3:47 PM in response to Linc Davis

It appears it didn't work. The amount of data to backup is again increasing as the backup progresses. I'm going to let it keep going, but I think the outcome will be the same as before. Thanks anyway for trying.

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Answer 7

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Mar 22, 2013 4:01 PM in response to Lisa Pezzi Balistreri

If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.

Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:

☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.

Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left. If you don't see that menu, select

View ▹ Show Log List

from the menu bar.

Enter the word "Starting" (without the quotes) in the String Matching text field. You should now see log messages with the words "Starting * backup," where * represents any of the words "automatic," "manual," or "standard." Note the timestamp of the last such message. Clear the text field and scroll back in the log to that time. Select the messages timestamped from then until the end of the backup, or the end of the log if that's not clear. Copy them (command-C) to the Clipboard. Paste (command-V) into a reply to this message.

If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Don't post many repetitions of the same message.

When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.

Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.

Some personal information, such as the names of your files, may be included — anonymize before posting.

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Answer 8

Mar 22, 2013 4:18 PM in response to Linc Davis

3/22/13 5:26:53.820 PM com.apple.backupd[522]: Starting manual backup

3/22/13 5:26:53.841 PM com.apple.backupd[522]: Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb

3/22/13 5:26:59.743 PM com.apple.backupd[522]: Using file event preflight for Macintosh HD

3/22/13 5:28:31.333 PM com.apple.backupd[522]: Will copy (7.3 MB) from Macintosh HD

3/22/13 5:28:32.898 PM com.apple.backupd[522]: Using file event preflight for Music and Pictures

3/22/13 5:28:36.737 PM com.apple.backupd[522]: Will copy (666.5 MB) from Music and Pictures

3/22/13 5:28:36.857 PM com.apple.backupd[522]: Found 13540 files (698.3 MB) needing backup

3/22/13 5:28:39.754 PM com.apple.backupd[522]: 2.85 GB required (including padding), 375.45 GB available

3/22/13 5:29:55.656 PM mdworker[567]: Unable to talk to lsboxd

3/22/13 5:29:57.000 PM kernel[0]: Sandbox: sandboxd(578) deny mach-lookup com.apple.coresymbolicationd

3/22/13 5:29:57.178 PM sandboxd[578]: ([563]) mdworker(563) deny mach-lookup com.apple.ls.boxd

3/22/13 5:34:45.824 PM com.apple.backupd[522]: Copied 95170 files (7.5 MB) from volume Macintosh HD.

3/22/13 5:37:44.000 PM kernel[0]: (default pager): [KERNEL]: ps_allocate_cluster - send HI_WAT_ALERT

3/22/13 5:37:44.000 PM kernel[0]: macx_swapon SUCCESS

3/22/13 5:38:17.058 PM mdworker[640]: Unable to talk to lsboxd

3/22/13 5:44:42.000 PM kernel[0]: Sandbox: sandboxd(701) deny mach-lookup com.apple.coresymbolicationd

3/22/13 5:44:43.327 PM WindowServer[94]: Created shield window 0x63 for display 0x04272580

3/22/13 5:44:43.389 PM WindowServer[94]: device_generate_desktop_screenshot: authw 0x0(0), shield 0x0(0)

3/22/13 5:44:43.423 PM WindowServer[94]: device_generate_lock_screen_screenshot: authw 0x0(0), shield 0x0(0)

3/22/13 5:45:07.810 PM WindowServer[94]: handle_will_sleep_auth_and_shield_windows: no lock state data

3/22/13 5:45:07.813 PM WindowServer[94]: Created shield window 0x64 for display 0x003f003d

3/22/13 5:45:07.813 PM WindowServer[94]: handle_will_sleep_auth_and_shield_windows: no lock state data

3/22/13 5:46:51.195 PM mdworker[711]: Unable to talk to lsboxd

3/22/13 6:06:36.447 PM Dock[165]: no information back from LS about running process

3/22/13 6:10:00.778 PM lsboxd[224]: @AE relay 4755524c:4755524c

3/22/13 6:10:52.276 PM Dock[165]: no information back from LS about running process

3/22/13 6:10:53.399 PM xpcd[222]: (null): have symlinks: (

)

3/22/13 6:10:55.930 PM librariand[945]: MMe quota status changed: under quota

3/22/13 6:11:02.249 PM lsboxd[224]: ISGetIconFamilyFromStorage: seed mismatch for 21320002, actual seed is bbe5a1d7

1 OSServices 0x00007fff969a5720 _ZL26ISGetIconFamilyFromStoragejPP17CIconStorageArrayPj + 140

2 OSServices 0x00007fff969a58c8 _ISReleaseStorageRefInternal + 33

3 OSServices 0x00007fff969a588e _ISReleaseStorageRefWithCache + 40

4 OSServices 0x00007fff969a57cb _ZL25ISReleaseImageRefInternalP16OpaqueISImageRefPPK9__CFArray + 72

5 OSServices 0x00007fff969a575e _ISReleaseImageRef + 49

6 OSServices 0x00007fff9699eb01 _ZN18SFLMutableListItem7DestroyEv + 23

7 OSServices 0x00007fff9699eacf _Z14SFLItemReleaseP16OpaqueSFLItemRef + 36

8 OSServices 0x00007fff969a0539 _ZN11SFLListBase7DestroyEv + 41

9 OSServices 0x00007fff969a04e6 _SFLReleaseSnapshot + 49

10 lsboxd 0x000000010a2ab376 lsboxd + 9078

11 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff9494c0b6 _dispatch_client_callout + 8

12 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff9494e29b _dispatch_source_invoke + 691

13 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff9494d305 _dispatch_queue_invoke + 72

14 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff9494d448 _dispatch_queue_drain + 180

15 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff9494d2f1 _dispatch_queue_invoke + 52

16 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff9494d1c3 _dispatch_worker_thread2 + 249

17 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff9812cd0b _pthread_wqthread + 404

18 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff981171d1 start_wqthread + 13

3/22/13 6:12:03.021 PM mdworker[956]: Unable to talk to lsboxd

3/22/13 6:12:04.000 PM kernel[0]: Sandbox: sandboxd(968) deny mach-lookup com.apple.coresymbolicationd

3/22/13 6:12:04.642 PM sandboxd[968]: ([956]) mdworker(956) deny mach-lookup com.apple.ls.boxd

The backup is still trying to complete at this time. Is this enough data for you to look at? Thanks for taking the time to help.

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Answer 9

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Mar 22, 2013 5:15 PM in response to Lisa Pezzi Balistreri

First, I strongly suggest that you make a new backup (not necessarily with Time Machine) on another external drive. One backup isn't enough to be safe.

Boot in safe mode (shift key down at startup) and try to back up to the drive you're using now. Then reboot as usual.

If you had the same problem in safe mode, turn Time Machine OFF temporarily in its preference pane.

Launch Disk Utility, select the backup volume, and run Repair Disk. That operation may take a few hours.

If the volume is repaired successfully, or if no problems are found, try another backup.

If TM still isn't working right, boot into Recovery (command-R at startup) and run Repair Disk on the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Reboot as usual and try TM again.

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Answer 10

Mar 23, 2013 4:33 AM in response to Linc Davis

After letting Time Machine run all night, I woke up to find that it had successfully backed up and it again recognizes the old backups, too. Thanks for the help!

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