Time Machine backs up everything every hour!

[PeterSG]

More information regarding TM's backup phases:

The duration of each of the three phases of a TM backup on my Mac are:

-- Calculating Changes: Approximately 9 minutes;

-- Preparation of items: Approximately 3 minutes;

-- Writing of items to the backup drive: Approximately 1 hour to 1-hour-10 minutes.

The very sporadic activity which includes several starts with brief writing bursts & pauses takes place within the writing-of-items phase. That is, the last 1+ hour.

Maybe identification of the phases timings will help.

 

[PeterSG]

I un-excluded all folders. That is, I started over with a freshly-cleared TM Option list.

Then I excluded all folders in the category "Places." That is, the following folders.

-- Desktop
-- Applications
-- Documents

The only other folder in "Places" is PeterUSA, my personal folder.

Then I excluded Parallels in the PeterUSA folder. This PeterUSA folder contains all of my photos, word documents, FrontPage web sites, and other personal files.

When TM ran it found the following that it wanted to backup:

18,038 items, 1.54 GB. It took 10 minutes to select these items and tally the volume. It then started the actual backup. That took 1 hour, 25 minutes.

That last 1 hour, 25 minutes was -- as usual -- spent apparently writing to the external drive, that is, visibly moving on the slider bar, only about 4 minutes. All other time was spent, as usual, with the blue slider progress bar at a stand still.

It appears to be indexing and reorganizing files on the external hard drive. That is my guess.

It makes no difference whatsoever whether I exclude or include folders, the backup takes about 1 hour 20 minutes.

What might TM be finding that it wants to backup every time it runs? Every time it runs, even if it just ran 2 minutes before, it still wants to select & backup 18,000+ items.

What else could be going on in this TM process?

 

[TattooedMac]

I have sort of been following this thread, but haven't read the whole thing.
It seems you have a problem with the writing to the TC via Time Machine ?? Correct ?

Apple still won't let us Repair Permissions on our Time Capsules as yet, but could i suggest you try Repairing the actual Disk Image of the Time Machine Back up.
Follow the instructions here and then report if anything has changed. This should in essence repair the indexing issue as you have reported could be the problem.
All i can say, is after such a lengthy challenge, this should be ok to try

And FYI, this could take quite a while as its trying to inspect a network volume, not a local one

Cheers

 

[PeterSG]

Thank you TattooedMac.

I have used Onyx several times. It has repaired permissions on the internal drive.

I also repaired the Plist a few times.

I am not using a wireless connection, but rather, a USB 2 connection.

All aspects of TM are exactly the same whether using the LaCie or the new Seagate external drive. I bought the Seagate Backup Plus for Mac 11 months ago in hopes that it would correct this problem. But all backups on both drives run the same duration, result in similar items counts and similar data volumes.

Thank you.

 

[TattooedMac]

Thank you TattooedMac.

I have used Onyx several times. It has repaired permissions on the internal drive.

I also repaired the Plist a few times.

I am not using a wireless connection, but rather, a USB 2 connection.

All aspects of TM are exactly the same whether using the LaCie or the new Seagate external drive. I bought the Seagate Backup Plus for Mac 11 months ago in hopes that it would correct this problem. But all backups on both drives run the same duration, result in similar items counts and similar data volumes.

Thank you.

I understand that, but use DU and do a Repair on the Disk Image itself, NOT the drive, BUT the Disk Image, as there might be corruptions in that.
So not the Drive but the Actual T.M Disk Image, as is outlines in the link..
The Disk Image is separate to the Drive so it can't hurt.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

I'm just stumbling into the thread here. It's a bit hard following all the posts, but I see AV software is in use. Have you tried disabling or even outright uninstalling the AV software temporarily just to see if that may be the culprit?

Secondly, I see there was a suggestion early on that your drive may be heavily fragmented. Have you looked into defragging it? I can recommend iDefrag for the task, assuming you aren't using an SSD (don't defrag an SSD, ever).

Thirdly, I don't know if this has been recommended yet, but you should be sure to exclude your Time Machine backups from Spotlight. Also, on the off chance Spotlight itself is corrupt, rebuild the Spotlight index.

 

[Slydude]

I understand that, but use DU and do a Repair on the Disk Image itself, NOT the drive, BUT the Disk Image, as there might be corruptions in that.
So not the Drive but the Actual T.M Disk Image, as is outlines in the link..
The Disk Image is separate to the Drive so it can't hurt.

If his Time Machine is connected via USB is a Disk Image created? I thought the disk image (sparse bundle) was only created it the drive was a network drive. For a locally connected backup doesn't it just create the folder structure that begins with backups.backupsdb?

 

[TattooedMac]

If his Time Machine is connected via USB is a Disk Image created? I thought the disk image (sparse bundle) was only created it the drive was a network drive. For a locally connected backup doesn't it just create the folder structure that begins with backups.backupsdb?

Sly óle mate, you could well be right. I have never done TM backups locally, it always been over the Air, since i have never owned a Desktop Mac as of yet.

@OP if this is correct, sorry to lead you down the wrong path, or a path that you wouldn't even be able to find so please forgive me

Have to admit though, those new skinny iMacs do look like they could fit anywhere . . . Big Fat Tax check just came in too hehe

 

[chscag]

Big Fat Tax check just came in too hehe

Hey Brent how come you get a nice fat tax refund and I have to pay?

 

[PeterSG]

To everyone who has suggested ways to correct this problem: Thank you.

Maybe this next thought will lead us down a path to resolution.

What if I am backing up Windows -- simply because I have failed to exclude Windows?????

Using TM options, I have excluded several folders and libraries. But what if I have not excluded Windows? That might be why TM backs up over 8,000 items in 800 megabytes each time it executes, even when TM has just run 5 minutes before.

Question: Can anyone please specifically name the library or folder or partition wherein Windows resides so I can locate it and exclude it using TM?

Thank you.

 

[TattooedMac]

Question: Can anyone please specifically name the library or folder or partition wherein Windows resides so I can locate it and exclude it using TM?

Thank you.

Yea, your Bootcamp Partition, If your using Bootcamp ? Cant remember after such a long thread. When i open Time Machine Preferences in System Preferences, and click on options, where you can exclude the ""Whatever"" Bootcamp was by default excluded under the Options tab.
If your using a VM you will have to look around as im not exactly sure where the VM is stored.

 

[TattooedMac]

Hey Brent how come you get a nice fat tax refund and I have to pay?

HAHA Charlie, when i was working, i always had a extra 50-70$ taken out of my pay packet so when it cam to tax time, i knew i would always get 2.5-3.5k back. Now, DVA just take out the tax now and i get a good return every year from here on in But honestly, im just a nice guy

 

[PeterSG]

Yea, your Bootcamp Partition, If your using Bootcamp ? Cant remember after such a long thread. When i open Time Machine Preferences in System Preferences, and click on options, where you can exclude the ""Whatever"" Bootcamp was by default excluded under the Options tab.
If your using a VM you will have to look around as im not exactly sure where the VM is stored.

~~~~~

Thank you.

I'm using Parallels.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

I'm using Parallels.

You confirmed long ago that you had already excluded your Parallels VMs from Time Machine. Did you not really do that?

 

[PeterSG]

You confirmed long ago that you had already excluded your Parallels VMs from Time Machine. Did you not really do that?

~~~~~

Yes, I did that then and I verify that once in a while to make sure that no gremlin un-checks the item inside Parallels.

Since, after all this time and so much effort by many knowledgeable people, we can't figure out what the resolution is, I am only asking to ensure that I have excluded all Windows elements.

I readily admit to not know everything that I need to know in many areas of computers and of life.

Here I am admitting to my frailties and potential failings.

I'm just trying to cover all bases.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

~~~~~

Yes, I did that then and I verify that once in a while to make sure that no gremlin un-checks the item inside Parallels.

I was wondering why you said "inside Parallels", then did some digging and discovered that Parallels actually has an option to exclude the VM from Time Machine backups. I don't know that I would trust that. Open up TM's preferences and see if the folder containing your Parallels VM is in the exclusion list. If not, add it yourself.

 

[Slydude]

I know you have a Parallels VM and have excluded that. Do you also have a Bootcamp partition set up? I don't think Time Machine backs those up but would have to check for sure.

 

[PeterSG]

I know you have a Parallels VM and have excluded that. Do you also have a Bootcamp partition set up? I don't think Time Machine backs those up but would have to check for sure.

~~~~~

Only Parallels is used. Bootcamp has not been used.

I looked through the directories searching for anything more to exclude. Everything not needed has been excluded using TM option button. I have excluded anything Windows & Parallels -- and more.

My point to this current iteration of posts is that when I look at the left column of the Finder and the TM Option directory listings, I do not see anything in "Location" or "Device" that indicates there is a partition, perhaps a Windows partition. Is this correct that Windows and Parallels reside in folders?

Or, asked differently, does Parallels set up a partition-type area on the hard drive that is not displayed in the list but should be excluded for TM?

~~~~~

I just took 2 TM backups:

Backup 1:

Start 2:08 ..... End 2:56
Phase 1: Item count = ~7,500 in 218 MB
Phase 2: Item count = ~7,200 in 75MB

Less than 1 minute later, Backup 2:

Start 2:57 ..... Running similar to all other backups. Therefore, manually terminated after 15 minutes

Phase 1: Item count = ~7,300 @ 71MB

It is curious that TM sees about 7,300 items that have changed over the 40 seconds between backups.

Thank you.

 

[TattooedMac]

Can i ask, if the TM backup, is all on your Mac ?? I mean, have you deleted anything off your Mac that might have been backed up to TM ??
Im only asking, because it might pay to wipe the Backup, do a repair permissions on the backup disk, 1 on your Mac and start from scratch, excluding EVERYTHING you need to before the first backup . . . .

Is that doable ??

 

[PeterSG]

Can i ask, if the TM backup, is all on your Mac ?? I mean, have you deleted anything off your Mac that might have been backed up to TM ??
Im only asking, because it might pay to wipe the Backup, do a repair permissions on the backup disk, 1 on your Mac and start from scratch, excluding EVERYTHING you need to before the first backup . . . .

Is that doable ??

~~~~~

Thank you for the suggestion.

I believe that I did what you suggest.

Last September 23, I purchased a new Seagate Backup Plus 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive for Mac.

TM has operated the same on this new drive from the first backup as it does on my 3-year-old LaCie drive.

The item counts, space, and time required to backup are very similar on both drives.

Thank you.