Level 1

4 points

Time machine is "Preparing" for about 5 seconds and then stops.

Hello everybody,

I have been having a problem with my time machine, it's been 2 weeks now.

Everything went fine, it used to back everything up properly, but now it doesn't anymore. Whenever I manually start a back up, or when the iMac does it by itself, it starts preparing for a couple seconds (less than 10), and then suddenly stops.

I have used Disk Utility and it says the disk is OK.. I have also tried unplugging it and re-plugging the hard-drive again, restarting the computer, changing the USB port, etc... nothing seems to work.

Last week, however, I did manage to make it work by preventing Spotlight from searching into any location of my computer, and re-enabling it again. No idea why it did the trick, but it worked. Though, I've tried it again another day, and no luck anymore.

Also, I've tried to delete the InProgress file in my backups folder, but I can't and get a -60008 error code.

Any suggestions?

Thanks a lot for your time and your replies.

Imac, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Nov 4, 2015 2:07 AM

22 replies

Sacha_Music Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 3, 2015 7:48 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Yep, I can't update because I'd lose the softwares I use for work...

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,488 points

Dec 3, 2015 7:55 AM in response to Sacha_Music

It's very difficult to support outdated versions of OS X, so your options are limited. The only ones I can think of are:

Reinstall OS X using the 10.5.x install discs.
Instead of using Time Machine to back up, use a third party app such as SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner to create a bootable clone.
Check the permissions on the EHD, check to see that you have read/write privileges.
Finally go through Pondini's Time Machine Troubleshooting article for hints, it is located at http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

Sacha_Music Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 3, 2015 8:19 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Well, I've moved in/out about 5 or 6 times since I got that computer in 2008... I have no idea where those OSX discs are.

Also, I've recently discovered another problem, which might be related to this one... Have a look: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7358853

I've only discovered this problem a couple days ago but it may have been there for a longer time... A couple weird things have happened, like my spotlight that couldn't find my docs anymore, and now this password issue.

I am thinking : What if I make a clone image of that computer on a HD, format the computer, and boot from that HD, and put everything back in place... Would that also clone the problems?

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,488 points

Dec 3, 2015 8:58 AM in response to Sacha_Music

A cloned backup creates an exact duplicate of the internal HD, so whatever is going on with your current setup will be cloned. I urge you to begin updating your applications. You are working on a very outdated system and have not invested in updates along the way. This mean that spreading the cost of updating over the course of many years will eventually catch up to you and be very expensive and painful. I would urge you to begin updating your applications and eventually your computer as it getting old too.

Sacha_Music Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 3, 2015 11:03 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Alright, so a clone is not the idea.

The reason why I am not updating is 1) the prince 2) everything will start running very slow. Apart from those recent issues, my 2008 iMac has always been flawless... fast, responsive, no bugs..

Now, all that matters on my computer are my Apps... I've paid them a "fortune" and updates are not free. There are some I could re-instal, but some others I've lost the discs over time.

Now is there a was to "copy-paste" the Apps folder to an external drive, re-instal the os (10.5.8) (without the discs), and paste my apps back in the Apps folder? Can the Archive & Instal function work without the discs?

Or is there a way other than time machine to do a backup (that backs up the files only, not the settings, since the problem seems to be coming from the settings), then to re format the computer (still without the discs) and re-import my backup?

Also, I've run the Verify disk today, and it said there was something wrong and I should repair it. As I know it can lead to some data loss, that's why I am asking about that whole copy-paste of the Apps folder.

(Also, the trash is now very difficult to empty.. if I do it file by file, it's ok, but as soon as there is a folder in it, it doesn't do it)

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,488 points

Dec 3, 2015 11:29 AM in response to Sacha_Music

Although it is not recommended you can copy and past individual apps and files to an EHD. It's better to have a backup of your complete system.

Sacha_Music Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 9, 2015 1:35 AM in response to rkaufmann87

little update:

Someone recommended that I download Onyx. When I installed it, my iMac asked me for my admin PW, and it worked. I immediately checked if I could unlock the padlocks in system prefs, and it worked as well. Then I checked Time Machine, and I could perform a full backup.

To be clear, at this point I hadn't ran the software yet, I had just installed it.

It's as if downloading and installing a software had forced the Mac to ask me for that PW, which fixed all the rest. Nevertheless, after everything was done, I rebooted and the problem came back.

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Time machine is "Preparing" for about 5 seconds and then stops.