Error with Time Machine

[cawsf90]

When I try to do a backup with Time Machine I keep receiving the following error. "Two of the disks to back up have the same name. Rename one of the disks named “Macintosh HD - Data”."
I've read where others had the same problem and I did what others did, but it only works for a little while. I spoke with an Apple rep and they walked me through a process. I renamed the second "Macintosh HD-Data" and the back up worked, but only for a little while. It seems that every once in a while it decides to create another Macintosh HD and another Macintosh HD - Data. When it does this Time Machine will not work. The second Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD - Data are the same size as the first ones. Why does it duplicate and hinder me from backing up? I've tried reformatting my Mac to before the problem started and that fixes the issue until I run Time Machine, and then it starts all over again. I've tried using a brand new external hard drive, but it won't let me do a backup as long as the duplicate Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD - Data are still there. Thank you to whomever decides to tackle this with me.

 

[MacInWin]

Welcome to the forum.

I take it you are running Catalina. Are you doing anything, or have you done anything, to rename the volumes that Catalina has created? When Catalina reformats the boot drive it creates two Volumes, one named "Macintosh HD" and the other named "Macintosh HD - Data" and then the operating system, including TM, then merges the two separate volumes into one unit, named Macintosh HD. When TM runs, it expects to see the two separate Volumes and backs them up together to preserve full integrity. But if you, or some application you have, messes with the naming protocol, I can see how TM could get confused as you say.

To keep us from just repeating stuff you have already tried, how about telling us what you have already done that didn't work? That way we won't tell you stuff you already know. Also, do you have any third party applications running that "enhance" or "streamline" or "improve" or "protect" your Mac? Any Antivirus software? The new drive format that came along in macOS High Sierra, APFS, is very different from the previous format and not many of these type utilities have caught up with the changes.

Finally, can you take a screenshot of Disk Utility that shows these duplicated Volumes on the drive? That may help in diagnosis of what is going on.

 

[cawsf90]

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I am using Catalina. I updated to Catalina at the end of 2019. I had no problems with it until about a month ago. The last time I did a Time Machine back up it created another Macintosh HD and another Macintosh HD - Data, so disk utility showed two Macintosh HD's and two Macintosh HD - Data's. One Macintosh HD has the "finder" symbol on it, where the other Macintosh HD does not. One of the Macintosh HD - Data has a "house" symbol on it, and the other Macintosh HD - Data does not. I don't know which one is the original and which one is the duplicate.

The original 2 sets were named as follows...
Macintosh HD
Macintosh HD - Data
Macintosh HD
Macintosh HD - Data

I renamed it to look like the following...
Macintosh HD
Macintosh HD - Data
Macintosh HD2
Macintosh HD - Data2

When I did this Time Machine worked. I renamed the ones that have a smaller file size. Ex. 11.43 GB instead of 199.79 GB. You will see in the picture that after the backup that it did it renamed one of the files Macintosh HD2 - Data. I did not name it that.

I am using NordVPN, but other than that I don't really use 3rd party stuff.

I am backing it up to a Seagate External Hard Drive. I tried a brand new EHD, but it just did the same thing.

Can I delete the duplicate? And if so, which one is the duplicate, the ones with the "finder" and "house" symbol or the ones without?

Thank you for your help.

 

[ferrarr]

Does the HD rename, coincide with an OS update? Is your Mac, (iMac or Mini) using a fusion drive?

 

[MacInWin]

One Macintosh HD has the "finder" symbol on it, where the other Macintosh HD does not. One of the Macintosh HD - Data has a "house" symbol on it, and the other Macintosh HD - Data does not

What does that mean? Where are these symbols?

Is it possible that you have TM pointing to the internal drive and therefore backing up to that same drive? I've never seen Catalina do what you describe, and theoretically it shouldn't be possible to have the exact same name for two Volumes in the same Container, so something is very strange. Are you updated to the latest version of Catalina? (10.15.7)

 

[cawsf90]

Macintosh HD says macOS10.15.6
Macintosh HD - Data says macOS10.15.6
Macintosh HD2 says macOS10.15.7
Macintosh HD2 - Data says macOS10.15.7

I updated the OS hoping that it would fix the problem, but it did the same thing as before.

It is a Mac mini. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what a fusion drive is. The computer is between 6-7 years old.

 

[MacInWin]

What shows in About This Mac on the  in the upper left corner of the desktop? And how are you seeing what's on the different volumes? Remember, we can't see what you type or what is on your screen, so we need details.

 

[cawsf90]

What does that mean? Where are these symbols?

Is it possible that you have TM pointing to the internal drive and therefore backing up to that same drive? I've never seen Catalina do what you describe, and theoretically it shouldn't be possible to have the exact same name for two Volumes in the same Container, so something is very strange. Are you updated to the latest version of Catalina? (10.15.7)

Yes, I'm updated to Catalina 10.15.7
I plugged in my EHD and opened TM. I chose Mini backup and it gave me the error "Two of the disks to back up have the same name. Rename one of the disks named “Macintosh HD - Data”." This is why I renamed the two. I've never done a backup on the internal drive, so I also don't know why it's doing it.

 

[cawsf90]

What shows in About This Mac on the  in the upper left corner of the desktop? And how are you seeing what's on the different volumes? Remember, we can't see what you type or what is on your screen, so we need details.

About This Mac shows that I'm running macOS Catalina 10.15.7
I'm seeing the different volumes in Disk Utilities. That is what the screenshot is from that I posted.

 

[ferrarr]

Macintosh HD says macOS10.15.6
Macintosh HD - Data says macOS10.15.6
Macintosh HD2 says macOS10.15.7
Macintosh HD2 - Data says macOS10.15.7

I updated the OS hoping that it would fix the problem, but it did the same thing as before.

It is a Mac mini. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what a fusion drive is. The computer is between 6-7 years old.

Since you have a current Time Machine backup, you should create a bootable USB and erase/wipe/format the drive. Then bring everything back from Time Machine. See this,

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

You need to start clean on both the ac, and the Time Machine backup. So first restore your Mac, and all your data from Time machine, then erase/format/wipe Time Machine and start new again.

 

[cawsf90]

All of that looks very confusing to me. Sorry. I can try. Before doing all of that is there a way to delete the duplicate volume and do another TM backup to see if it does it again? If so, which would be considered the duplicate, the ones with the "finder" and "house" symbol or the ones without?

 

[ferrarr]

All of that looks very confusing to me. Sorry. I can try. Before doing all of that is there a way to delete the duplicate volume and do another TM backup to see if it does it again? If so, which would be considered the duplicate, the ones with the "finder" and "house" symbol or the ones without?

The Finder and House symbols only show, because you are booted from that volume/partition. If you restart your Mac, and hold down Option, what boot options are available to you? I believe you will have either 3 or 4 option; 1 (or 2) Recovery, and 2 Macintosh HD options, one with 10.15.6 and one with 10.15.7?

 

[cawsf90]

The options are Macintosh HD, Macintosh HD - Data 2 and Mini backup (Because my EHD is still connected). And under those options it says "choose network". I have lost mouse control in this screen.

 

[MacInWin]

I think Bob's suggestion is sort of a last-resort kind of action. Before you do that, are all the files you want/need visible in Finder on the "Macintosh HD" that shows on your desktop? Or, to put it another way, are all your files you want/need in the home folder in Finder? If those are the "right" files, you can probably delete the two Volumes with the added "2" to the name and just keep watch on what is happening. I still think that maybe TM backed up to your internal drive instead of to the external, which may have happened if you left TM activated and disconnected the external drive.

What Bob suggested is basically to completely wipe out the internal drive and start over, which is an option, but one I would put last on the list of things to try. That action is a huge step to take.

You didn't answer the question about where these "Finder" and "Home" symbols are appearing. They are not in the screenshot you posted. Are you seeing that in Finder? If so, all that indicates is that you are booted from that particular Volume. The clever thing is that if you look in the Home folder in Finder, that should show what is on the /Users/<<your account>>/ folder of the boot drive. For information, the "Users" folder is on the "Macintosh - HD" Volume, but Finder will merge that Volume with the "Macintosh HD" Volume, so if you look at the "Macintosh HD" in Finder, you will see not only "Users" but also "Applications," "Library," and "System," all of which are on the "Macintosh HD" Volume and all of which have higher security than the "Macintosh HD - Data" drive and the "Users" folder.

 

[cawsf90]

I think Bob's suggestion is sort of a last-resort kind of action. Before you do that, are all the files you want/need visible in Finder on the "Macintosh HD" that shows on your desktop? Or, to put it another way, are all your files you want/need in the home folder in Finder? If those are the "right" files, you can probably delete the two Volumes with the added "2" to the name and just keep watch on what is happening. I still think that maybe TM backed up to your internal drive instead of to the external, which may have happened if you left TM activated and disconnected the external drive.

What Bob suggested is basically to completely wipe out the internal drive and start over, which is an option, but one I would put last on the list of things to try. That action is a huge step to take.

You didn't answer the question about where these "Finder" and "Home" symbols are appearing. They are not in the screenshot you posted. Are you seeing that in Finder? If so, all that indicates is that you are booted from that particular Volume. The clever thing is that if you look in the Home folder in Finder, that should show what is on the /Users/<<your account>>/ folder of the boot drive. For information, the "Users" folder is on the "Macintosh - HD" Volume, but Finder will merge that Volume with the "Macintosh HD" Volume, so if you look at the "Macintosh HD" in Finder, you will see not only "Users" but also "Applications," "Library," and "System," all of which are on the "Macintosh HD" Volume and all of which have higher security than the "Macintosh HD - Data" drive and the "Users" folder.

In Finder it says Macintosh HD - Data2, not just Macintosh HD. In regards to TM, I chose the EHD when it asked me what I would like to use to backup. After the backup was complete I opened the EHD and the new backup was there. If it is using the internal hard drive as well, I don't know. All I know is that I'm using the EHD and then unplugging it afterward.

In Disk Utility, Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD - Data2 shows APFS Volume macOS 10.15.6
Finder shows Macintosh HD - Data2 which is macOS 10.15.6. Does this mean my computer is still using the old macOS even though I upgraded to macOS 10.15.7? Macintosh HD2 and Macintosh HD2 - Data shows APFS macOS 10.15.7. I will screen shot Disk Utility with each Volume chosen so that you may see what each one looks like. There will be four pictures.

In answer to where the "Finder" and "House" symbols are, you will notice those in the screen shots that I posted. This is not in Finder, but in the Disk Utility. The "Finder" symbol is on the Macintosh HD2 and the "House" symbol is on the Macintosh HD2 - Data. The symbols are with the hard drive.

Also, when I click on the Home folder in Finder, nothing shows up. The folder is empty.

I hope that this is helpful.

 

[MacInWin]

It looks like you are booted from the "2" set of Volumes. And there doesn't appear to be anything there, from your report when you click on the Home Folder in Finder.

Try this. shut down your computer as you normally do. Then start it again, but hold down the Option key until you get a screen showing options for booting. Select the "Macintosh HD" (or whatever shows it has 10.15.7 on it) and let it boot. Then look again at Disk Utility to see if the Finder and Home icons are now on the two drives without the "2" in the name. Look in the Home directory in Finder to verify that your files are all there. If all of that is good, go back to Disk Utility and remove the two Volumes with "2" in the name. You remove a Volume by clicking once on the name in the left column, then clicking on the "-" button in the top of the window. It will ask for verification you want to do that and then delete the Volume. At that point, you should show just the two non-2 Volumes with icons for Finder and Home. Then go into System Preferences, Startup Disk and verify or select the Macintosh HD as startup default, (That should happen automatically so you probably won't need to do much at this step at all.) Close all windows, then shutdown and reboot normally and it should just boot into the drive also normally. If it reports any errors on reboot, reboot again with the Option key and point to the "Macintosh HD" drive and let it boot. Repeat the settings in System Preferences and reboot again.

 

[cawsf90]

It looks like you are booted from the "2" set of Volumes. And there doesn't appear to be anything there, from your report when you click on the Home Folder in Finder.

Try this. shut down your computer as you normally do. Then start it again, but hold down the Option key until you get a screen showing options for booting. Select the "Macintosh HD" (or whatever shows it has 10.15.7 on it) and let it boot. Then look again at Disk Utility to see if the Finder and Home icons are now on the two drives without the "2" in the name. Look in the Home directory in Finder to verify that your files are all there. If all of that is good, go back to Disk Utility and remove the two Volumes with "2" in the name. You remove a Volume by clicking once on the name in the left column, then clicking on the "-" button in the top of the window. It will ask for verification you want to do that and then delete the Volume. At that point, you should show just the two non-2 Volumes with icons for Finder and Home. Then go into System Preferences, Startup Disk and verify or select the Macintosh HD as startup default, (That should happen automatically so you probably won't need to do much at this step at all.) Close all windows, then shutdown and reboot normally and it should just boot into the drive also normally. If it reports any errors on reboot, reboot again with the Option key and point to the "Macintosh HD" drive and let it boot. Repeat the settings in System Preferences and reboot again.

I rebooted from Macintosh HD. It shows the Finder symbol on Macintosh HD2 and the Home symbol on Macintosh HD2 - Data. Should I reboot and choose Macintosh HD - Data2 and go through the steps you suggested? The options that were given when starting up the computer was Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD - Data2

 

[MacInWin]

The challenge is that you have nothing on HD2 - Data, at least that is what you reported. So all your files are on HD - Data. But you can't delete HD2 or HD2 - Data if you are booted from HD2. If the Finder symbol is on HD2, you didn't boot from HD, you booted from HD2. Did you boot from the drive showing 10.15.7 when you held down Option?

 

[cawsf90]

The challenge is that you have nothing on HD2 - Data, at least that is what you reported. So all your files are on HD - Data. But you can't delete HD2 or HD2 - Data if you are booted from HD2. If the Finder symbol is on HD2, you didn't boot from HD, you booted from HD2. Did you boot from the drive showing 10.15.7 when you held down Option?

When I reboot on Macintosh HD the Home symbol is on Macintosh HD2 - Data. When I reboot from Macintosh HD - Data2 it shows the Home symbol on Macintosh HD.

When I go to reboot it doesn't show if it is 10.15.6 or 10.15.7. It just says Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD - Data2, but no numbers. When I rebooted from the Macintosh HD - Data 2 the Home directory in Finder is empty as well. So Home is empty in each option. How is that possible?

 

[cawsf90]

I'll start over and go through step by step what I do...

*My startup options are Macintosh HD2 and Macintosh HD - Data2.

*The first time I startup I chose Macintosh HD2.

*I opened "About This Mac" and the macOS says 10.15.7

*When I open Disk Utility the Home symbol is on Macintosh HD2 - Data (193.85 GB) and the Finder symbol is on Macintosh HD2 (11.33 GB), which is the one that I chose from the startup after holding the Option key.

*When I open Finder I see on the left "Favorites" and everything in my favorites. Under that is "iCloud". Under iCloud is "Locations", which says Macintosh HD - Data2 & Network. Under that is "Tags" The Home button is under "Tags". I click on "Home" and the folder is empty.


*My second time that I startup I chose Macintosh HD - Data2.

*I opened "About This Mac" and the macOS says 10.15.6

*When I open Disk Utility the Home symbol is on Macintosh HD (200.15 GB) and the Finder symbol is on Macintosh HD - Data2 (11.29 GB), which is the one that I chose from this startup after holding the Option key.

*When I open Finder I see on the left "Favorites" and everything in my favorites. Under that is "iCloud". Under iCloud is "Locations", which says Macintosh HD2 & Network. Under that is "Tags" The Home button is under "Tags". I click on "Home" and the folder is empty.

Home is empty under both startups. I hope that this is helpful.