I have had some problems with my Time Machine backups this week.
I am running Mac OS Sierra (10.12.6) on an iMac 2017 and am using an AirPort Time Capsule for the Time Machine backups.
On Tuesday, Time Machine stopped perform its backups and displayed the following message:
**Time Machine completed a verification of your backups on . To improve reliability, Time Machine must create a new backup for you.
Click Start New Backup to create a new backup. This will remove your existing backup history. This could take several hours.
Click Back Up Later to be reminded tomorrow. Time Machine won’t perform backups during this time.**
Since I basically had no choice, I started the new backup. This created a brand new backup and everything seemed to be fine.
Today, Time Machine is giving me the following notification:
**Time Machine couldn’t complete the backup to <diskname.local>.
The backup disk image “/Volumes/Data/Harddis.sparsebundle” could not be accessed (error 21).**
I can access the Time Capsule from a Finder window, and I can enter Time Machine and navigate to the most recent backups. However, going back too far (more than a few backups) seems to cause a “waiting” message to appear.
Any ideas on the cause of this? I fear that my Time Capsule has given up the ghost.
since Apple has stopped router or time capsule development the following is just a historical remark
I always recommenced to my associates to Never use the Time Capsule. While is was “sexy” to have both in one enclosure you would be faced with replacing both functions if one of them failed
since Apple has stopped router or time capsule development the following is just a historical remark
I always recommenced to my associates to Never use the Time Capsule. While is was “sexy” to have both in one enclosure you would be faced with replacing both functions if one of them failed
Same reason I’ve never wanted an iMac unless it was as an “extra” computer.
Same reason I’ve never wanted an iMac unless it was as an “extra” computer.
I assume that you also don’t use laptops? I have used iMacs for many years since the iMac DV. Never had a failure but know lots of people who had failed time capsules
Same reason I’ve never wanted an iMac unless it was as an “extra” computer.
I assume that you also don’t use laptops? I have used iMacs for many years since the iMac DV. Never had a failure but know lots of people who had failed time capsules
Jerry
I do use laptops. My intent wasn’t to slam iMacs or insult any of its fans, just making the point that for me, as a main work station, I prefer having the monitor be separate from the computer.
There’s a lot to be said for that…but at least with macOS that means you either have a Mac Pro or a mini. The former is expensive…and the latter somewhat underpowered for doing video or image post processing compared to a MBP. The mini works…but since it’s a cheaper and hence less powerful machine…the speed when doing things like Lightroom adjustments or editing video can be frustrating. That’s the biggest reason I still use a 15 MBP instead of a lighter, cheaper laptop…photo processing is much more of a chore with a slower machine.
At home, there are two users on two different computers using one Time Capsule. I have gotten this message at least three times during the life of the Time Capsule; the other user has not seen it. At a guess, the Time Capsule is 2.5 years old and I have gotten the error at widely spaced intervals, with the first one when the Time Capsule was only a few months old.
None of this proves that the hard drive isn’t failing, but it does seem like a failing hard drive would not target only one user and would come with increasing frequency. (I’m now crossing my fingers in hopes that I don’t see that error message with increasing frequency.)
Thanks. I am seriously thinking of replacing the Time Capsule with a new external drive (perhaps LaCie, as I have had good results with them in the past.)
Geoffrey, I concur that it is likely that the drive is failing, but you don’t have to throw out the baby with the bath water. You don’t say what generation of Time Capsule you have, but if it is anywhere near the vintage of this one:
Then you can attach an external (USB) drive to it, and continue to have over-the-network backups as you do now.
I have a (last/final generation) AirPort Extreme (802.11ac — same device just without the internal drive). It lives on my network (but is in Bridge Mode, so it isn’t doing any routing functions anymore), has a USB hub attached to it, and to that I have two 3TB USB drives that serve as both Time Machine servers and as family/shared network attached storage. And it works great (knock wood).
So, you can save yourself some extra work (and money) by just buying an external drive. If you do, please let us know how it turns out.
Since I was not using any of its network capabilities, I have simply purchased an external drive which I have attached to my Mac. It seems to be working like a charm.
