Time Capsule

Question

Level 1

8 points

Time Capsule

Hi, I no longer have access to backups that were created before a certain date on my time capsule. I recently had to create a new wi-fi network at home and once completed my time machine wanted to do a backup, it didn't start automatically because it asked were I wanted to store the backup. I selected the time capsule data folder that contained the current sparsebundle and away it went. The backup took only a few minutes over wi-fi and all seemed fine. However, shortly after I lost an important folder so went to my time machine to recover it from a previous backup, one before I created the new network. Problem is that any backup stored before the new network is no longer available, I can only access backups created after the new network was up and running. I have opened the sparsebundle bands folder from the time capsule and there are files that date back to when the macbook pro was first backed up. The HD for this macbook pro had approx 385GB of used space and there is no way that the first backup to the time capsule after the new network was created had time to backup that amount of data, it took only a few minutes so I assumed it had just added to the existing backup as normal. As the bands folder has files that date back to the very first backup is there anyway to restore my lost folder. I have copied the sparsebundle backup (disk image) to an external HD as I had to use the time capsule for other machines, I have run disk utility first aid on the sparsebundle but it has no affect. Help if possible would be much appreciated.

Best Mark.

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Feb 10, 2016 2:36 AM

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Answer 1

Feb 10, 2016 12:09 PM in response to wilfnoggins

When you created the new network it changed the way TM was working.. it did just an incremental as you say.. but it lost the connection to the previous history.. now the problem is it has to reindex the backup.. and you didn't wait.. it takes many hours over wireless for indexing to happen. Maybe days.

I have copied the sparsebundle backup (disk image) to an external HD as I had to use the time capsule for other machines, I have run disk utility first aid on the sparsebundle but it has no affect. Help if possible would be much appreciated.

Jumping forward to where you are now.. did you try opening the sparsebundle on the External HD from Time Machine??

It should work. Simply go to the TM main icon in the dock, right click (option click) it and select browse other time machine disks. Be patient.. it is going to have to index this backup.. but at least connected to the local computer the speed of indexing will be very good.

Otherwise just do the restore manually.. if you deleted a folder recover the folder directly from Finder is not hard.

See https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6503649

I have simply used pondini's method so see the references there as well.. for a whole folder you should really use TM method.. only if you get yourself into trouble use

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Answer 2

wilfnoggins Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 10, 2016 12:44 PM in response to LaPastenague

Hi LaPastenague, many thanks for your post in response. I have just browsed the sparsebundle on my external HD as you suggested. It launched the time machine application and allowed me to navigate back to September 2015 which is the date the new network was created, however it would not show any backups prior to that date. I have uploaded a screenshot for you to view.

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Answer 3

Feb 10, 2016 2:56 PM in response to wilfnoggins

I have tried to reply twice now and the site goes down just as I try and post the reply

Follow my manual instructions.. you have no choice if TM won't work.

Please note when you speak of recent I think a week.. Sept 2015 is too late now to be searching for your files.. you need to do it within days otherwise TM can wipe out the files. You should study how TM actually works.. because when you delete something on your computer TM will delete it in the backup.. all copies of it.. if you don't immediately set to and recover it.

See http://pondini.org/TM/Home.html

The first couple of articles on clones and how TM works.

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Answer 4

wilfnoggins Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 10, 2016 3:18 PM in response to LaPastenague

Hi,

After the new network was created the TM only backed up a couple of times, very briefly over wi-fi and as soon as I realised I had lost a group of folders and files I unplugged it and it was not used again. I copied the sparsebundle from the time capsule this week to an external HD and then only started to use the time capsule for backups of other machines this week. I have attached a couple of images that show what can been found in the backups folder when I double click on the sparsebundle and then when you select view package contents for the bands folder. I will now follow the manual instructions and see how I get on.

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Answer 5

Feb 10, 2016 3:36 PM in response to wilfnoggins

bands themselves are of no use.

As you can see TM managed to wipe out your files.. the dates show such a limited number it has clearly deleted everything prior..

Are you sure this is the only sparsebundle for your computer on the TC??

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Answer 6

wilfnoggins Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 10, 2016 3:58 PM in response to LaPastenague

Hi,

I see I'm clutching at straws but this is the only sparsebundle that existed on the time capsule for my macbook pro. The reason I was holding out any hope was due to the fact that the HD size was approx 385GB for the macbook pro and the couple of backups that took place after creating a new network happened over wi-fi and very quickly, therefore not enough time to backup in full 375GB. I was hoping that using terminal would have been able to restore all the backups using the bands folder.

thanks.

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Answer 7

Feb 10, 2016 4:30 PM in response to wilfnoggins

Ok.. you are incredibly brave.

There was a post recently on fixing corrupt TM backups.

Fix corrupt TM backup.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7258280?answerId=29263757022#29263757022

1) Disable Time Machine.

2) Stopping all Spotlight indexes (mdutil -d -a).

3) Destroying all Spotlight indexes (rm -rf /.Spotlight-V100) manually.

4) Repairing a file system permission issue with Spotlight (removed a bunch of folders owned by a non-existant user in a /private/var/folders subfolder that Spotlight created). No idea how they got there but they were there and the logs were complaining about them causing a fatal error.

5) Re-enabling Spotlight indexes and letting them build fully.

6) Re-running an initial Time Machine backup.

And there are plenty of posts on using tmutil

I cannot see any that suggest a way to reconstruct a backup from bands.. but who knows..

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Answer 8

wilfnoggins Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 10, 2016 11:07 PM in response to LaPastenague

Many thank for your help. If I'm ever successful I will let you know.

Best Mark.

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