Time machine stuck on preparing for back up

Question

Level 1

20 points

Time machine stuck on preparing for back up

Hello, I have a MacBook Pro 15 2016 and I am trying to get back ups through the time machine which was running fine until the 30th of May. Since then the process freezes at “Preparing for back up”.
I have tried to remove the disk from the TM and then enable it again. I have also formatted the external hard drive but again the same issue.
I have used the same HDD in a MacBook Air and it was running fine.

All my previous back ups are available.

I have stopped and started the back up too many times deleting the .inProgress file.

I have excluded the volume from the antivirus scanning and the spotlight.

I have extracted the logs but I cannot find the issue:

Starting automatic backup

2018-06-04 21:10:38 Backing up to /dev/disk3: /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb

2018-06-04 21:10:45 Failed to remove attribute 'com.apple.backupd.SnapshotVolumeFSEventStoreUUID' from 'file:///', error: Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=1 "Operation not permitted"

2018-06-04 21:10:45 Failed to remove attribute 'com.apple.backupd.SnapshotVolumeLastFSEventID' from 'file:///', error: Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=1 "Operation not permitted"

2018-06-04 21:10:45 Failed to remove attribute 'com.apple.backupd.SnapshotVolumeUUID' from 'file:///', error: Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=1 "Operation not permitted"

2018-06-04 21:10:45 Failed to remove attribute 'com.apple.backupd.PreviousSnapshotVolumeUUID' from 'file:///', error: Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=1 "Operation not permitted"

2018-06-04 21:10:45 Failed to remove attribute 'com.apple.backupd.PreviousSnapshotVolumeName' from 'file:///', error: Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=1 "Operation not permitted"

2018-06-04 21:10:45 Failed to remove attribute 'com.apple.backupd.VolumeBytesUsed' from 'file:///', error: Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=1 "Operation not permitted"

2018-06-04 21:10:45 Failed to remove attribute 'com.apple.backupd.VolumeIsCaseSensitive' from 'file:///', error: Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=1 "Operation not permitted"

2018-06-04 21:10:45 Failed to remove attribute 'com.apple.backupd.fstypename' from 'file:///', error: Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=1 "Operation not permitted"

2018-06-04 21:10:45 Failed to remove attribute 'com.apple.backupd.VolumeIsEncrypted' from 'file:///', error: Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=1 "Operation not permitted"

2018-06-04 21:10:45 Starting age based thinning of Time Machine local snapshots on disk '/'

2018-06-04 21:10:45 Age based thinning deleted Time Machine snapshot 'com.apple.TimeMachine.2018-06-03-134918' on disk '/

2018-06-04 21:10:45 Age based thinning deleted Time Machine snapshot 'com.apple.TimeMachine.2018-06-03-153902' on disk '/

2018-06-04 21:10:45 Age based thinning deleted Time Machine snapshot 'com.apple.TimeMachine.2018-06-03-163757' on disk '/

2018-06-04 21:11:52 Completed thinning of snapshots on disk '/' in 66.7 seconds - current free space: 241,81 GB (241.810.202.624 byte), target free space: 25 GB (25.000.000.000 byte), initial free space: 232,27 GB (232.271.978.496 byte), urgency: 0, remaining snapshots: (

"com.apple.Time "com.apple.TimeMachine.2018-06-04-072337"

2018-06-04 21:11:52 Failed to write unlock record UUIDs as extended attribute for disk '/', error: Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=1 "Operation not permitted"

2018-06-04 21:11:54 Created Time Machine local snapshot with name 'com.apple.TimeMachine.2018-06-04-211152' on disk '/'

2018-06-04 21:11:56 Declared stable snapshot: com.apple.TimeMachine.2018-06-04-211152

2018-06-04 21:11:56 Mounted stable snapshot: com.apple.TimeMachine.2018-06-04-211152 at path: /Volumes/com.apple.TimeMachine.localsnapshots/Backups.backupdb/MacBook Pro - Panagiotis/2018-06-04-211152/Macintosh HD source: Macintosh HD

2018-06-04 21:11:56 Event store UUIDs don't match for volume: Macintosh HD

2018-06-04 21:11:57 Deep event scan at path:/Volumes/com.apple.TimeMachine.localsnapshots/Backups.backupdb/MacBook Pro - Panagiotis/2018-06-04-211152/Macintosh HD reason:must scan subdirs|new event db|

2018-06-04 21:11:57 Running deep scan - looking for changes after 2018-05-30 17:34:17 +0000

2018-06-04 22:25:24 Finished scan

2018-06-04 22:25:28 Saved event cache at /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb/MacBook Pro - Panagiotis/2018-06-04-211156.inProgress/709EAEAC-48FB-4301-A193-53CED9C28E19/.E CCAFEE6-AC86-3EAA-B2F5-BD08E8939254.eventdb

2018-06-04 22:25:28 Not using file event preflight for /

2018-06-04 22:25:29 Snapshot sizing took longer than 4.00 seconds - timing out!

2018-06-04 22:47:48 Will copy (Μηδέν KB) from Macintosh HD

2018-06-04 22:47:50 Unmounted local snapshot: com.apple.TimeMachine.2018-06-04-211152 at path: /Volumes/com.apple.TimeMachine.localsnapshots/Backups.backupdb/MacBook Pro - Panagiotis/2018-06-04-211152/Macintosh HD source: Macintosh HD

2018-06-04 22:47:50 Backup canceled.

MacBook Pro TouchBar and Touch ID, macOS High Sierra (10.13.5), null

Posted on Jun 4, 2018 1:33 PM

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Answer 1

Jun 4, 2018 2:45 PM in response to pani169

2018-06-04 22:47:48 Will copy (Μηδέν KB) from Macintosh HD

wow, that is a lot of stuff to copy!

You should run Disk Utility -- Repair Disk.

If you insist on burdening your well-protected Mac with worthless so-called anti-Virus scanners, you may have to use Safe mode to run Time Machine backups.

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Answer 2

geirhaa

Level 1

4 points

Jun 23, 2018 9:57 AM in response to pani169

I had the same issue, and this is what I did:

- remove the temporary backup file (from backup.backupdb folder on the TM file)

-re-mount the TM file (I just chose the original file from the TM preferences)

After that the backup started within 5 minutes

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Answer 3

Jun 24, 2018 5:47 AM in response to pani169

If you choose to connect your backup drive only from time-to-time, try to do so at least every-other day, at minimum. Otherwise, it may take several hours of computation just to decide what needs to be backed up, before any files are transferred.

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Answer 4

Jul 1, 2018 6:28 PM in response to pani169

Hey pani!

That's great I was going to ask you if your external hard drive was connected via USB or over wifI for example time capsule? That error message is usually related to WiFi connection issue or security software limiting WiFi access. So I just wanted to know if yours was an ex HD using wifi to transfer data? :)

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Answer 5

MRMLS

Level 1

8 points

Aug 6, 2018 7:23 AM in response to pani169

Hi.

I have found the only correction after buying new back up drives was to use DISK UTILITY and erase the TIME MACHINE DISK then re-select it in TIME MACHINE preferences and force a BACK UP NOW. Then it is back on track. I have two drives. One at home and one at work and TIME MACHINE gets mixed up going from one location to the other.

I probably did not need to buy new drives, but the new ones are better anyhow!

I hope this helps.

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