Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
A notice "Backup disk is not available. Try backing up when "Backups" is available" pops up when trying to perform back up. Last backup was completed yesterday evening.
I've restarted the notebook with and without the backup disk with no success.
MacBook Air, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2), Time machine back up
If you have ejected the backup disk, connect the cable again.
Have all other externals disconnected, so that it has ample power.
If it does not show, start DiskUtility, see if it shows there; if you see it in DiskUtility, try doing repair disk. If it will not do that, maybe you can "Mount" it and then do repair disk. If that does not succeed, it may be dead.
See if another Mac sees it when connected.
Thank you!
DiskUtility found that disk needs to be repaired.
File system check exit code is 8.
Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
Error: Disk Utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files 😕
Any other program/utility that might be able to fix it without losing time machine history of last back ups? and/or having to run out to get a new backup disk?
Eject/disconnect the dying disk.
Get a new disk first asap. Format it using DiskUtility, 1 partition, Mac OS Extended (journaled).
then try to copy files from the bad one to the new one, you never know....
but remember a TimeMachine must be copied completely or it is worthless. You can sav the time and just make a whole new TM backup (takes a **** of a lot of time).
Wonders or mysteries of the computer world, don't ask me how/why, suddenly the "your back up disk is full ... oldest back up is ..." window popped-up.
After that I was able to eject it, plug it in again with no further disruptions. TimeMachine is backing up right now to back up once again and see what happens.
Will research on alternatives and get a new one just in case, though.
Thanks!!
After all, not so wonder....:
when the disk is getting full older baskups cumulatives are being "condensed" to a larger time frame, when again too full, the oldest level(s) are deleted. This can take some time. So maybe the disk is not really dying, but still too small. So you need an larger new one. Then move the TM backup to the new one and "reassociate" the TimeMachine. And again check with DiskUtility to see if you have to ditch the old disk or not: do not take any risk.
Hi! My macbook is not seeing the back up disk.
