delete sparse bundle on NAS fix max size

On your Mac.....click on the Time Machine "clock" icon at the top of the screen

Click on Open Time Machine Preferences

Uncheck the box to Back Up Automatically......or it might be an ON / OFF switch on older operating systems

Shut down your Mac

Power off the NAS

Wait a minute

Power up the Mac

Power up the NAS

Try deleting the sparsebundle file again that you no longer need. The file should delete in 5-10 minutes or so if you are using a current or recent version of the Mac operating system.

If successful, open Time Machine Preferences and set up backups to occur automatically or move the switch to the ON position

What OS are you running?

The only time I can remember seeing "bands in use" is from windows trying to do deletion on the TC but that is ages ago.

If you went through all the steps Bob gave of turning off Time Machine.. so there is no possible connection to any sparse bundle then I think the error is new permissions problem and is not really related to bands at all.

Time Machine does have a command line mode.. tmutil which is able to delete old backups.

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/281614/how-to-delete-tmutil-delete-all -old-backups-from-timemachine-keep-only-…

That gives you another method to try. Particularly using sudo to get full permissions when you start the command.

Otherwise do the usual erase from airport utility.. after saving the sparsebundle you may want by using archive to USB drive plugged into the Time Capsule.. or if the file is not too big cf all the ones you want to delete copy it to a USB drive plugged into your MBA. Quick Erase is very fast and will get you going again.. and I would then start a new backup. Time Machine is less and less reliable with each passing OS increment. And having a backup that is unreliable can let you down badly the day you actually need it.

We recommend to people around here to use alternative like Carbon Copy Cloner if you want reliable backup.

What brand is your NAS?

Have you tried via the NAS itself to delete the file or even using a windows computer.. sometimes works better??

Bands in use is very unusual error.. especially if you went through the process that Bob talked about.. sometimes you will have no choice but to wipe the whole lot and start with a fresh backup.. but you should be able to copy the existing sparsebundle to a disk if you want to keep an older backup for posterity.

Yes.. you can use CCC in the same way you use Time Machine. It is recommended to use with a local USB drive because CCC can then create a bootable clone.. ie a complete disk that can immediately be used as alternative boot device.. but it can be used to TC and setup a sparse bundle .. which you do need to specify.

Time Machine is now getting attention in the market place as unreliable.. we are not the only people who have noticed.

https://www.macworld.com/article/3170844/macs/when-backups-go-bad-the-problem-wi th-using-network-drives-with-time-machine.html

It is also a case of improved security on the network is making backups to network targets less and less viable.

Wiping the TC is a major hassle since I have six computers backing up on it (the whole family). Still, how do I do that?

Go to disk tab in airport utility and select erase.

Just use quick erase.

If you want to keep your old backups plug in a USB Mac formatted drive to the TC.. of equal size or larger to its internal disk and select archive before you erase.. then start new backups from all the computers.. well worth it if you want to use Time Machine and you are upgrading to Mojave as it becomes more and more unreliable.

I have tried Bob’s method. It did not work for me either.

I am using OS 10.14.1 MacbookAir (Early 2014) & Apple TimeCapsule.

To delete, I connected to the Time Capsule from my MBAir. Data folder came up, with TC volumes. I selected the volume I want to delete (sparsebundle). I clicked command + delete. The delete progress window comes up, but after a few seconds, a message pops up that the operation cannot be completed because the item bands is in use. I also tried dragging the file to the trash icon, same result. And I control-clicked the volume, selected move to trash, and got the same popup.

Having never used command line mode, I am nervous about deleting that way. I am sure to get it wrong.

Wiping the TC is a major hassle since I have six computers backing up on it (the whole family). Still, how do I do that?

To backup the laptops and computers of a family of six, which of their products do you recommend? Lots of photos, videos, and music files, no state or industrial secrets (yet, the kids are growing up). Also, do any of the products also interface with cellphones, which are more than ever a hub of work and activity? Thanks for your help.

I am very slow to upgrade.. as Apple never adds functionality.. they always remove it.

But your version of airport utility in Mojave should still have all the same screens.. albeit in terminal black instead.

Open the airport utility .. then click on the icon of your airport. A summary screen will appear with edit button.

Click the edit... and you should then get the whole works.

Disk tab I showed in earlier post is end one.

To backup the laptops and computers of a family of six, which of their products do you recommend?

Best you can afford.. the firmware is pretty much common across the whole range. For people starting out you might want to buy just a 2 disk cheap end model.. and later on you can upgrade to a 4 disk model..

Or you can buy a 4 disk model.. very much recommend more disks as it is more efficient with data redundancy.

That will be an expensive unit when you add up what 4 x 4TB (say) drives cost.. but you can start with smaller number of drives if you like and add more later.

Do not ignore backup though.. if you store files on the NAS then redundancy does not equal backup and you also should buy a large USB drive.. 8TB.. to do backup.

To justify the cost you really need to use it as much more than backup though.. you should be running it as main file server, media, music videos etc.

Also, do any of the products also interface with cellphones, which are more than ever a hub of work and activity?

Cellphones (if you are talking iPhones) do NOT work particularly well on local networks. Apple is trying to get you to use cloud storage. To even access files on the NAS you need an app like file browser. Apple restricts a lot of functions to iCloud.

Synology does attempt to replicate some of the functionality.

https://www.synology.com/en-global/knowledgebase/Mobile/help/DScloud/iOS_iPhone

Expect Apple to make future changes designed to break this.

"this part cannot be deleted as bands is in use"

What are the exact steps that you are using to try to delete the sparsebundle file?

Same problem here. I connect to TimeCapsule from my MacbookAir, select the sparsebundle volumes on it I want to delete, press command+delete, and that message about "bands is in use" pops up.

I cannot duplicate the "bands in use" behavior to try to find a solution, even if I do not restart my Mac or Time Capsule, so we'll have to wait for another user to help.

Can I use CCC with the Time Capsule? Is it only the application Time Machine that is becoming unreliable?

That is great.. that is why we actually recommend Synology NAS to people.. as a far superior device cf the Time Capsule which is NOT a NAS and was never designed to give that level of control.

My Airport Utility has nothing like that interface and set of options. It has almost no options. What version is that you screenshot and how do I get that? Thanks for your help with all this.