Backup Fails

[collie]

Using Mojave 10.14.2 and attempting backup to WD MyPassport Ultra.

I can access the Passport through Finder, so we know that it is connected and working.

When I try to backup using TimeMachine, it accepts the command to "Backup Now" and indicates that it is "Preparing Now"
After coasting along in this status for a five minutes or so, I get an alert that the external drive has been ejected improperly, and there is no backup.

Two Notices: (1) Backup Failed: time Machine couldn't back up to My Passport (2) Disk Not Ejected Properly

The backup has failed on this Passport and another hard drive, G/Drive. Neither drive is partitioned.
Backup to iCloud operates as it should.

Any suggestions on how to get my external drive backups going again?

 

[honestone]

Just to make sure, you also have a current backup to iCloud, correct?

Did this problem just occur for the first time?

How long have you had the WD drive? Sometimes WD drives do not "play nicely" with Macs.

Also, what is a G/Drive?

If you have had those drives for a while, did the backups work fine with the prior Mac OS (which one did you have, by the way)?

I have always used SuperDuper! for my backups for the last 3 or 4 versions of the Mac OS (including OS 10.14.2), and my external drives are Samsung SSDs. It works fine with Mojave.

 

[collie]

A G drive is a WD drive for mac https://www.g-technology.com/products/outlet/g-drive-usb-silver#0G02529

Both drives worked with earlier versions of the Mac systems - each of them as they came along.

Since our earlier communication, I used NFTS for Mac to "repair" the Passport external drive and initiated another backup. After a short while, the new effort failed and I got the alert "Disk Not Ejected Properly"

If I use NFTS for Mac to erase the Passport and start over, will the Passport have the files necessary for it to be recognized by this Mac and try a backup from a clean disk. Or, will the basic files be erased so the Passport is not recognized by the Mac?

Any ideas on what to try next or how to proceed. Thanks !

Dale

 

[honestone]

First, NTFS formatting is not acceptable on a Mac (unless you have some special software that can recognize drives formatted as NTFS).

Secondly, did you try and use Disk Utility to 1) repair the Passport external drive, and 2) Erase and Format it? If you can do that, from what I understand, Mojave "works" best with drives formatted as APFS. Myself, given that I have SSDs, that is not an issue. But for traditional HDDs like your Passport drive, maybe Mac OS Extended might be better. These links are useful:

https://www.macobserver.com/tips/quick-tip/how-to-format-drive-guid/

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8581622

Third, you can try the excellent backup/cloning software SuperDuper!, available from here:

https://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html

I have been using it for both of my Macs for over 3 years, and it has always worked flawlessly! Note that it creates a bootable backup/clone of your system.

Another similar excellent product is Carbon Copy Cloner, available from here:

https://bombich.com/

 

[collie]

Thanks for the detailed suggestions. As it turns out, my problem was a defective dongle connecting the external drive to my MacBook. The MacBook is engineered in a such a way that it has only a power outlet. Anything else you want to connect to your MacBook has to be done using a dongle that has a USB port, etc. I was using a dongle that allowed me to maintain power along with a USB port which worked for other applications but failed when it came to backing up to external. I switched to a single application dongle which does not allow an active power source, just connects my one USB to the MacBook. I installed SuperDuper, used Disk Utility to First Aid the drive, and worked just great. The only concern I have at this point is that the battery power was down to 7% by the time my backup was complete.

 

[honestone]

First, when you say "dongle", was that a USB cable?

Secondly, this seems to be your external drive:

https://www.wd.com/products/portable-storage/my-passport-ultra.html#WDBC3C0010BSL-WESN

If it is, then it is just a normal USB cable connection from the drive to your Mac, with your Mac supplying the power to the drive.

Third, did you have your Macbook plugged in while doing the backup? I have a 13" MacBook Air, and I also have two external Samsung SSDs inside Orico enclosures. I connect each of those enclosures to one of the USB ports on my MacBook Air (the other one has a USB receiver plugged in for my Logitech mouse), and I also have the machine plugged in. When I run my SuperDuper! backups, there is no drain in the machine's battery.

 

[collie]

You're right about the PassPort being my external. The USB on the drive will not connect directly to the MacBook because there is only one port on this model, a USB-C.

The dongle is just a 4" cable with a USB-C (inserts into the power port on the Mac) on one end and a USB-A on the other end to attach devices.

My other dongle, the one that failed, has the USB-C to plug into the Mac and on the other end has three ports, one for power, the second for a USB-A and the third is a 15 pin port that looks like it is for printers.

My exercise in failure involved the multiple port dongle because I wanted to continue supplying power to the Mac while backing up. Using just the single USB dongle required battery power during the backup and barely made it to completion.

 

[honestone]

Still somewhat baffling. The Orico enclosures I use for my backups have a USB-C port on the enclosure, but they supply a USB-C to USB-B cable, and of course the USB-B "end" I plug into one of theUSB 3.0 ports on the MacBook Air. (BWW, I do the same with my Mac Mini).

Also, as I mentioned, I have my MacBook Air plugged in when I am doing the backups, and thus there is no drain on the battery. Don't you have your MacBook plugged in when doing the backup?

 

[collie]

I'll have to get a new multiport dongle to supply power during backup.

 

[honestone]

Still perplexing. This link has photos of my MacBook Air:

https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/apple-macbook-air-13-inch

The photo on that link below where it says "Weighing 3.0 pounds and measuring 0.7 inches thick, the MacBook Air doesn't measure up well to more modern machines." shows the "left side" on the machine. The left most "port" is the one for the MagSafe 2 charging connector, a USB 3.0 port, and the headphone jack. When I run my backups, I have the machine plugged, via that MagSafe 2 charging connector, and it easily supplies power to each of the Orico enclosures containing the Samsung SSDs, and they are connected to the USB 3.0 port on the other side.

What exact model is your MacBook? I would think it has some kind of power connector. Also, it seems that your WD drive can be powered by your machine, unless there is something different about that drive.

 

[collie]

You're exactly right about the MacBook Air ... I have a MacBook Air with the same configuaration as yours.

The current model that I use is a MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) which does, indeed, power the external, but only through a dongle cable. If I want to supply external power to the computer while backing up, I must use a multiple port dongle. I'm pretty sure that Apple does NOT call these short cables "dongles," the generic name for such cables https://www.google.com/search?q=dongle+definition

 

[honestone]

OK, now I got it. It looks like your machine has only 1 USB-C connector, and thus you need some kind of "dongle" (maybe more like a hub, with a USB-C connection to your Mac).