High Sierra>Time Machine Problems

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markdgrant


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Forced to update to High Sierra, Time Capsule problems:

Mid 2010 MacBook
High Sierra OSX 10.13.4
Airport router/Time Capsule 2TB

WHAT IS WRONG
• "Preparing backup" stuck for 14 hours, tried again for another 14 hours
• Cannot access any backups in Time Machine, all dates stuck on "Waiting"
• Verifying backup stuck, progress bar solid blue from start

This all happened after upgrade to High Sierra. Last successful TM backup was before updating. No changes to computer except deleting a lot of work files.

WHAT I HAVE DONE
• Backup volume is excluded from Sophos Home anti-virus as well as Spotlight
• Time Machine .plist deleted from Preferences
• Re-set PRAM
• Tried to trash "Backups.backupd" but inside backup folder is just a disk image, nothing else. (Also had to connect manually, if that's anything).
• Can't remove "inProgress" file because again, only disk image
• Rebooted with Time Capsule connected and unconnected
• Unplugged/plugged Time Capsule
 
chscag

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First... Get rid of Sophos AV software. Completely uninstall it. Use their uninstall instructions. Then reboot your machine.

Try Time Machine again. Also, you didn't mention it but are you by chance using "FileVault" to encrypt your hard drive?
 
harryb2448

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markdgrant


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chscag said:
First... Get rid of Sophos AV software. Completely uninstall it. Use their uninstall instructions. Then reboot your machine.

Try Time Machine again. Also, you didn't mention it but are you by chance using "FileVault" to encrypt your hard drive?
Click to expand...


No FileVault, hd unencrypted. Deleted Sophos and restarted computer. Same -- stuck on "preparing backup" with progress line solid blue from start.
 
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markdgrant


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harryb2448 said:
What hard drive is in the MB and what is the TM Backup drive? By default HS formats an internal SSD to the new Apple File System (APFS) without any boptions and perhaps if you are using an external drive for TM there is a file system clash.

https://discussions.apple.com/threa...time capsule. No problems before High Sierra.
Click to expand...
 
chscag

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No FileVault, hd unencrypted. Deleted Sophos and restarted computer. Same -- stuck on "preparing backup" with progress line solid blue from start.
Click to expand...

Your Time Machine data base on the TC is likely corrupt or the TC hard drive itself has problems. See if you can check the drive with Disk Utility. If the data base is corrupt you may have to wipe it and start over. How old is the TC, in other words, how long have you been using it? The upgrade to High Sierra should not have changed anything.
 
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chscag said:
Your Time Machine data base on the TC is likely corrupt or the TC hard drive itself has problems. See if you can check the drive with Disk Utility. If the data base is corrupt you may have to wipe it and start over. How old is the TC, in other words, how long have you been using it? The upgrade to High Sierra should not have changed anything.
Click to expand...
Since the backup file is stored on a Time Capsule Disk Utility doesn't normally allow you to check that directly unless it has changed very recently. Here's a way to handle that situation. It doesn't check the actual Time Capsule drive itself but checks the disk image file that contains the backup:

1. Open your Time Capsule and look in the backups folder.
2. You should see a disk image with the same name as your backups (probably the name of your computer).
3. Double click that file and let it open. Depending upon the size of the file this may take some time If you have the Finder set to show external hard drives on the Desktop the disk image will appear as a hard drive.
4. Launch Disk Utility and use Disk First Aid to check that "phantom drive".
 
Rod

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I can say this has happened to me twice but not after the upgrade to High Sierra despite the format change to APFS with the upgrade. In both occasions I simply used Disk Utility to erase the old backup HDD, erased the old destination name in TM Preferences and then re selected it and performed a brand new TM backup.
Because I now use a bootable clone backup as well I regularly erase my TM backup at each new macOS upgrade and have not had a problem since.
Personally I cannot see the point of having backups of data from previous operating systems but that's just me.
 
IWT

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Personally I cannot see the point of having backups of data from previous operating systems but that's just me.
Click to expand...

I agree. I run 2 Time Machine backups as well as cloned backups.

As soon as I upgrade to a new OS, I reformat the TM EHDs and start afresh. When things seem settled, I do the same with one of my cloned BUs, keeping the other for a month or maybe less, then do the same.

These actions become all the more relevant if the filing system has changed too.

Ian
 
ferrarr

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I believe the issue is, the Time Capsule, needs to be directly connected to the Mac, in question, for it to set up Time Machine properly.
 
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ferrarr said:
I believe the issue is, the Time Capsule, needs to be directly connected to the Mac, in question, for it to set up Time Machine properly.
Click to expand...
It's been a long time since I used my Time Capsule as a TM backup point but I don't think that is true. It is recommended that the initial Time Machine backup is done with the Time Capsule connected to the Mac via ethernet but that is due to the fact that the initial backup is much slower when completed wirelessly.

Even if you are right unless I am misreading something that does not apply here. The OP already has a TM backup on the Time Capsule but the backup is not loading properly.
 
ferrarr

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Would it hurt to try?
 
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No. It shouldn't hurt to try that.

@markgrant Is there a strong wireless signal between the Time Capsule and the Mac? Sometimes a weaker signal can cause some interesting behavior?
 

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