I use an iMac running 10.9.2 and for a bit of time now when Time Maching goes to back up the computer to the external drive, it seems to be stuck in "preparing backup" mode. As I type this it has been in that some position and does not seem to be making any progress. Any ideas on a fix would be much appreciated.
iMac (20-inch Early 2009), OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)
If this keeps happening, it could be a sign that the backup has problem files or your spotlight index needs refreshing. First turn off time machine, then you can reindex your spotlight by adding "Macintosh HD" to the privacy section of system preferences>spolight then once it's there remove it. This forces a reindexing of spotlight. Allow it to finish.
You should also open disk utility and check your time machine volume for errors. This can take several minutes.
time machine preparing back up
