Time Machine with Tahoe

[DavidQPR]

Since updating to 26.2 I have been unable to get a Time Machine backup to complete. On both my MacBook Pro M4 and iMac M3 the backups fail. I have tried dozens of times on both machines. Thinking it must be a failing external drive, which is a few years old, I bought a new 1TB SSD external drive. Same result - it fails every time on both machines.
I have used Time Machine for many years and am at a loss what is going on. Any ideas? Thanks

 

[Bigwaff]

Same result - it fails every time on both machines.
I have used Time Machine for many years and am at a loss what is going on. Any ideas?

Are there no error messages? Click the little red circle next to the backup task in TM settings.

 

[DavidQPR]

Thanks for your reply. I hadn't tried this. Something about a Brave extension. I will have to investigate this. Not sure why it would stop a backup?

 

[DavidQPR]

I have uninstalled the only Brave extension I had, a picture-in-picture extension and am trying the back up again.

 

[DavidQPR]

It has failed again with a different error. Think I might just give up and use an alternative cloning app.

 

[gilby101]

Do these two files fail on every backup?

Can you view the content of these files in TextEdit? (I don't want to see the content, just whether you can)

What are their permissions and extended attributes? Use ls -le and xattr -l.

The Time Machine Mechanic can help you to extract more detail from the system log.

 

[DavidQPR]

Thanks for the reply. For now I have removed my external drive from Time Machine and am trying a trial of Carbon Copy Cloner.

 

[VineRider]

Another thought is to run a first aid check on your drive via Disk Utility. Possibly some corruption that is preventing the files from backing up.

Also, you might try excluding the offending files from the backup to see if that helps you get further in the process.

 

[DavidQPR]

Another thought is to run a first aid check on your drive via Disk Utility. Possibly some corruption that is preventing the files from backing up.

Also, you might try excluding the offending files from the backup to see if that helps you get further in the process.

Hi. I did all that before. I have downloaded a months trial of CCC. Successfully did backup of both my MacBook Pro and iMac something that Time Machine seems incapable of doing. Thanks for all replies

 

[jimm1]

Are there no error messages? Click the little red circle next to the backup task in TM settings.

I am running pre Tahoe release on my M1 MBP
I get messages warning me that the disk format used by Time Machine will not be supported by future releases. This message provides a link. I click the link to get to an Apple verbose web page that says the same thing in effect with no solution.
So . . . I stay where I am re releases as I like Time Machine.

 

[gilby101]

I get messages warning me that the disk format used by Time Machine will not be supported by future releases.

At a guess this a disk that has been used for some years with TM and is formatted HFS+. So a kind warning that at some time in the future, you will need to reformat as AFPS. But you haven't told us the message, so can't be sure.

I am running pre Tahoe release on my M1 MBP

Care to tell us the version?

I click the link to get to an Apple verbose web page that says the same thing in effect with no solution.

If we had a link to the page we could read what Apple is saying and so might be able to help to understand it.

 

[jimm1]

I was a bit brief apologies. I was writing the post on another macbook ( M1 Air) at the time.
The macbook in question is an M1 macbook pro.
The MacOs version is:

The warning message is here:

The "Learn More" link is https://support.apple.com/en-us/102423?cid=mc-ols-TimeMachine-article_102423-Settings-04282025

The explicit warning is here:

The same linked section states that an external disk attached to said time machine targets running Mac OS Extended (Journaled) filesystem will be compatible.

The Airport Time Capsule in question is definitely running APFS.

(yes I upgraded the 1TB disk some time ago to 6TB)

There is no option to set the file format if erasing the INTERNAL disk using airport utility - can only do this for a usb disk attached to the time machine proper.

Edit: I tried doing this using Disk Utility but the drive only appears to Disk utility if the macbook is connected to the time capsule and if connected Disk Utility cannot make changes. I am not sure how the time machine / time capsule software would like a change in disk format though even if I could do it

So . . . .Apple instead of simply stating that legacy devices only support APFS and will not be compatible . . . Apple had to be very very obtuse.

The end result is the same. The time capsule is useless if I upgrade to 26.x

I could remove the 6TB disk and using a USB case attach it to the Mac Book but then I lose the ability to use the file store for my second Mac Book as both mac books are mobile and are not 100% connected all the time. I will look into having the same disk in a USB case attached to the current time capsule but I suspect it runs USB2 speeds and this things will run like real slow

Hope this helps

 

[jimm1]

I am wondering if a mistake was made when I did the 1TB to 6TB disk upgrade.
I formatted as APFS instead of the default Time Capsule HFS+ (how I did this format I cannot remember just now)
Maybe the Airport utility format will return the disk to HFS+ ????

 

[jimm1]

Ah . . .reading the text again it is NOT the disk format that is the issue. It is the Time Capsule itself that will not be supported . . . presumably by Tahoe+

Oh and the native format for the Time Capsule disk is HFS+ and can be reformatted to such using the airport utility.