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Mac OS X 10.5.2: Time Machine broken; system utilities must be updated
[Friday, February 15th]
Time Machine broken Several users have reported that Time Machine is not functioning properly under Mac OS X 10.5.2, often delivering the error message:
"Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume."
MacFixIt reader Bruce Baker writes:
"We have recently tried to move most of our small office over to Mac including a Leopard server. One of the big draws was time machine. This latest update from Apple (10.5.2) had effectively taken this feature away. No one in our office can now back up to Time Machine. We get about 1 or 2 Gigs into the backup (if that much) and then are told that there is a disk error or a file copy error. We've tried reformatting the drives that are attached to our server but to no avail."
Some users are also reporting that Time Machine backups are much slower after the update. While the first backup after applying 10.5.2 is expected to be slow (after all, massive changes have been made to the filesystem), numerous users are reporting that all backups post-10.5.2 crawl. A poster to Apple's Discussion boards, MBPguy07, writes:
"On 10.5.1, my Time Machine backups took about 30 seconds. The first backup I did on 10.5.2, it took about 10 minutes, with my MPB's fans roaring--but the backup eventually completed. I just assumed it would be one-time thing associated with the upgraded OS. I just did another backup now, and again, it took about 5-10 minutes--and I didn't make any substantial changes (i.e., load any huge files) since the aforementioned backup."
In other cases, Time Machine becomes inexorably stuck in the "preparing" phase, never continuing with the backup process.
The most effective fix we've discovered for this issue so far: check the system log. Launch Console, located in /Applications/Utilities, then inspect the system log while Time Machine is running. You may find that it is getting stuck on a specific file or directory. Remove that offending item and re-attempt the backup.
If worse comes to worst, you can try deleting your Time Machine backup drive and starting from scratch.
If you're having a similar issue, please let us know.
System utilities (Cocktail, LCC) must be updated A number of popular system maintenance and repair utilities must be updated in order to be used properly with Mac OS X 10.5.2.
For instance, Leopard Cache Cleaner v 4.0.4 will not run on OSX 10.5.2. When launching you get the error message: "This application cannot run on this system (10502)." Leopard Cache Cleaner 4.0.5 fixes the problem. Likewise, Cocktail 4.0.3 -- released today -- is required for compatibility with Mac OS X 10.5.2.
Repair Disk/Permissions to the rescue, again MacFixIt reader Quentin Smets writes:
"The update caused my mac to kernel panic while booting and thus making my G5 useless. Repairing the disk and permissions with Disk Utility on the leopard DVD solved the problem."
Enough said.
Clicks from speakers Some users are reporting a strange issue where unwanted clicks are emanating from the speakers under Mac OS X 10.5.2.
One reader writes:
"Since the upgrade to 10.5.2 I get clicks through my speakers (audio quality with a subwoofer) that weren't there before. For example just before the Sent mail sound there is a click, as well as before sounds in iChat, when Quicktime has opened and audio is about to start, playing the first song in iTunes, etc."
Weirdly, this is an issue that last appeared under Mac OS X 10.2.5 in 2003. Conspiracy theorists note the inversion.
At that time we noted: based on a number of reports, the problem is resolved for some portables when external power is connected. Some users have connected the issue to individual applications including Microsoft Office, Final Cut Pro and XSounds, but there does not appear to be any discernible pattern among the group.
Screen resolutions missing Some users have reported disappearance of previously available screen resolutions. One reader writes:
"I'm using a MBP (latest) with a NEC Spectraview 2690. Plugged in using 10.5.1 - running 1920 x 1200 / 60 Hz via DVI. Fine. After update to 10.5.2 the highest resolution 1440 x 900 and 'Standard LCD'."
If you're experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.
Parallels problems Users continue to note problems with Parallels under Mac OS X 10.5.2. We previously noted that reinstalling the virtualization package can resolve the issue, but that fix is not universally successful. One reader writes:
"Parallels refuses to launch after update to 10.5.2 bounces in dock for a while then becomes non-responsive while using up 99% cpu activity force quit or restart is necessary. Reinstallation and deletion of preferences have no effect."
Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.
Previous coverage:
- Mac OS X 10.5.2: poor performance; AirPort, device issues; more
- Mac OS X 10.5.2: Problems starting up; ACL messages in Disk Utility; more
- Mac OS X 10.5.2 troubles: AirPort Problems, device issues; more
- Mac OS X 10.5.2 released
I checked the drives and all were extended (journaled) and not case sensitive.
Since this was a new behavior that appeared after many successful runs, I dug deeper and discovered a thread in the Apple Support discussions indicating that this problem disappeared after a boot.
We restarted the Mac and the problem persisted.
We shut down the Mac, then restarted and Time Machine was happy again and is continuing to work without complaint.
There is a RADAR report logged with Apple.
-- Marc
If you have any kind of Anti Virus active it's probably a good idea to exclude your backup disk. Make sure you are using Norton Anti Virus v11 or Intego Virus Barrier X5 both should be Leopard compatible.
---
Kevin Maybury
Key Computer Systems
The problem is actually trying to restore or even navigate through the backups of, say, your Mail folder when Time Machine will consistently hang your Mac necessitating unplugging the power. I run no anti-virus stuff, nor fancy input managers...just a barebones out of the box install...which was a clean instal as well.
So to sum up, Time Machine is brilliant in concept but flawed in execution. So I've binned it and gone back to SuperDuper as that has always worked for me.
- by phillat5dock May 23, 2008 11:06 PM PDT
- I purchased my iMac 24" in February.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(7 Comments)After I had set up the machine I configured an IceCube Firewire 300 GB (Seagate) Hard Drive as a backup volume and flicked the switch in Time Machine. All went as expected. I even restored my whole hard drive from the Time Machine volume about a month ago after I repartitioned the boot volume to set up Boot Camp. No problems.
About a week ago I purchased a 500GB WD HDD and set it up inside the IceCube enclosure (I remembered to make it the "Master" disk too!!). I partitioned it with Disk Utility with a GUID Mac OS X (Journaled) partition for my Leopard boot partition, and as MS-DOS FAT32 for my Boot Camp external partition. I used Carbon Copy Cloner to copy all the Windows files across from Boot Camp to the new FAT32 partition and set up Time Machine to make a backup of the Leopard boot partition.
After several hours Time Machine stopped with the error message above. ("Time Machine Error. Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while copying files to the backup").
I have spent days formatting the new WD drive, repairing permissions on the boot drive, excluding large files and cache files from the backup in Time Machine to no avail. Every time I get the same message. I even set up another 200GB firewire drive to see if it was anything to do with the enclosure of WD HDD. Same result!!
I have searched these forums for any ideas, and have done wide searches with Google but nothing has worked.
I can not understand why my Mac worked perfectly with Time Machine before I installed the new Western Digital Hard Drive.
What have I missed?
iMac 24" 2.4GHz 10.5.2