Time Machine is driving me nuts

[infocusinc]

This just started happening...

I don't use or want to use Time machine to do hourly backups..I'll run it as I see fit, mostly every few weeks.

In the past I just turned it off in prefs. and everything was fine.

No longer and I don't know why.

I can no longer turn it off. It just keep bugging me every hour.

It tells me it can't find the backup disk which is correct since I don't leave it connected.

If I plug it in it runs a backup..ok, not what I wanted but I let it finish and them go and turn TM off again in prefs.

If I disconnect the drive ( correctly) in an hour I get that danged popup again.

Needless to say this is not what I want to continue to see....

Any suggestions BESIDES keeping the drive plugged in?

 

[osxx]

When you turned TM off in preferences did you click on the lock providing you did assign a admin password ( the one you use after startup or sleep).

 

[J.Fo]

This just started happening...

I don't use or want to use Time machine to do hourly backups..I'll run it as I see fit, mostly every few weeks.

This I don't get. The whole point of Time Machine is that automatically backs up your computer so that you don't have to worry about it. That way, you always know that you have a recent and up-to-date backup of your system in case something happens. What happens if you don't back up your system for several weeks and an important document you need gets lost in the interim?

I suggest you stop fighting it and just the application work as intended. Do the backups every hour and forget about it. That's why you bought a Mac in the first place, right?

 

[infocusinc]

This I don't get. The whole point of Time Machine is that automatically backs up your computer so that you don't have to worry about it. That way, you always know that you have a recent and up-to-date backup of your system in case something happens. What happens if you don't back up your system for several weeks and an important document you need gets lost in the interim?

I suggest you stop fighting it and just the application work as intended. Do the backups every hour and forget about it. That's why you bought a Mac in the first place, right?

I prefer to have command of my computer, not Apple. So no, its NOT why I bought a Mac in the first place. I'm quite able to back up things as I see fit, and until now Its been working just fine. I would prefer to get back to that state.

Restoring to an older state did not repair the problem.

 

[chas_m]

I prefer to have command of my computer, not Apple.

Until you lose this sort of attitude, you're going to hate Macs and I would strongly recommend you sell yours and buy a Linux machine. Cheaper too.

This isn't anything to do with "Apple controlling your machine." Not even a little bit. It's about "having a system that does things for me" versus "I must micro-manage everything."

Macs are not good computers for control freaks, and they are not designed with that personality type in mind. This will be more and more of a problem as time goes by and the cloud takes over the mundane tasks you now insist on doing yourself. Like I said, get out while you can, it's just going to get worse (from your perspective, that is).

 

[infocusinc]

Until you lose this sort of attitude, you're going to hate Macs and I would strongly recommend you sell yours and buy a Linux machine. Cheaper too.

This isn't anything to do with "Apple controlling your machine." Not even a little bit. It's about "having a system that does things for me" versus "I must micro-manage everything."

Macs are not good computers for control freaks, and they are not designed with that personality type in mind. This will be more and more of a problem as time goes by and the cloud takes over the mundane tasks you now insist on doing yourself. Like I said, get out while you can, it's just going to get worse (from your perspective, that is).

Wow, you really have it bad don't you? Apple knows best....

Attitude? You mean like controlling my own life?

Thanks but I'll happily disregard your "suggestion".

 

[chscag]

Al right guys... Let's cut the negativity. If member "infocusinc" wishes to perform backups every day or every two months, that's his choice. I'm sure he is fully aware how to use his machine and keep up with his data and when he needs to backup.

How about trying to help him with his question instead of the lectures. OK?

 

[BrianLachoreVPI]

Once you dismiss that popup - do you get it again? I do things very similarly - I only let TM run when I want it to and only have my drives connected - when I'm going to let TM run - but I don't get recurring popups - just the one and only then after a resume or reboot.

 

[MACyMouse]

While I respect your opinion to back up every few weeks or so, (manually - because you have to remember to switch it on, plug in your hd etc) you're seriously missing the point about TM. What if you accidentally deleted a file and you think OH CH!T!!! TM is there to save your butt to get it back.

Let it do it's thing in the background, cripes I forget mines even running but it sure has saved my butt a number of times.

Anyway, to each his own..... good luck, hope you find your answer.

 

[BrianLachoreVPI]

I don't think wanting to control your own backups is 'seriously' missing anything. Frankly - unless you're an artist or programmer or something similar - every hour backups is a bit excessive, but if that works for you - great. I just don't do things that way - I backup after anything that is backup worthy. Meaning - did I work on my project that day - then I back up. I also work off of dropbox folders - so they get backed up instantly anyway.

If I imported a bunch of images - and edited - then I turn my drives on and let TM do its thing. I just don't like having my drives spun up all the time - and with the MBP it's even more difficult. I don't have anyway to have an external drive connected at all times - nor do I want that.

 

[infocusinc]

When you turned TM off in preferences did you click on the lock providing you did assign a admin password ( the one you use after startup or sleep).

Yes, I did.

 

[infocusinc]

Once you dismiss that popup - do you get it again? I do things very similarly - I only let TM run when I want it to and only have my drives connected - when I'm going to let TM run - but I don't get recurring popups - just the one and only then after a resume or reboot.

Yes it just keeps coming back. I usually just sleep the machine since it is in a henge dock and must be removed for a restart. Tonight I'll set the timer to do a restart and see what happens.

 

[infocusinc]

While I respect your opinion to back up every few weeks or so, (manually - because you have to remember to switch it on, plug in your hd etc) you're seriously missing the point about TM. What if you accidentally deleted a file and you think OH CH!T!!! TM is there to save your butt to get it back.

Let it do it's thing in the background, cripes I forget mines even running but it sure has saved my butt a number of times.

Anyway, to each his own..... good luck, hope you find your answer.

I have a pretty robust backup scheme I have been using for years to keep my client and personal files backed up to multiple on and offsite sources.

The MBP is mostly a entertainment machine, not a workstation and as such it just does not need the constant backup. It rarely changes.

And up until a short time ago it never made a pest of itself.

The only thing that has happened is that I used Migration assistant to move files and settings from the MBP to a different machine.

I have to wonder is the OS phoning home and making undercover updates?

BTW this is a 15" i7 Quad running 10.6.7 ( 10.6.8 broke my connection to my NEC monitor)

 

[infocusinc]

Just an update on the solution...

Figuring the problem was not going away I decided to change the interval from 1 hour to say four or eight.

I installed TimeMachineEditor and before doing anything I just clicked the off button in TME. Low and behold the problem is gone...

Go figure.

 

[chscag]

Thanks for posting back. It just so happens I use the same utility and have set mine for 12 hours.