Unable to access Time Machine, incorrect password?

[hempomatic]

I have a time machine back up, but I'm unable to access it. The password I use for everything Apple doesn't seem to work.

 

[IWT]

May I ask you to elaborate a little, please? Time Machine backups usually work automatically in the background, hourly, then weekly and so on - unless you do them manually - I've just noticed you have a MBP, so it will be manually when you connect the backup drive. When the drive is not connected, then snapshots are taken and stored on your Mac till you connect the TM Drive.

None of these actions requires a password. So, can you specify the circumstances where a password is requested, please?

And the usual way of "accessing" your TM Backup is via the TM Icon in the top Menu Bar. It is not advised that you attempt to "access" the backup via Finder. Either way, no PW needed.

Ian

 

[hempomatic]

Hmmmm. Well, what I was intending to do is take the TM back up and use it to reinstall the data on a computer that is failing, then remove the hard drive and get rid of the computer. When I click on the icon in applications, it takes me to today. I don't need today, I need last year. When I go to system preferences, I get a "select disk" dialog box. When I click on the appropriate disk, of which there is only 1, making my choice fairly simple, I highlight the disk, click on USE DISK. It then tells me that I'm trying to connect to the server named, in this case "Ken's Time Capsule" and when I click on connect, a password box appears. I have written down every Apple password I've ever used. It is none of those.

This is a wireless airport, not a hard drive physically connected to the computer.

Time Capsule appears in finder, but when I click on it, it also asks for a password.

To elaborate further, I haven't used TM for over a year, I used Super Duper, but there is 900 gig of data on the TM that I'd like to access now and transfer it to a hard drive so I have access to it in the future without needing to re-install the OS, or anything other than the data I wish to cherry pick.

 

[hempomatic]

Do I assume that I can no longer access that Airport Drive or the 900 GIG of data on it? ?

 

[MacInWin]

Did you try the password for your local area network?

 

[hempomatic]

Yes I did (at your suggestion) but it's asking for a password to "Ken's Time Capsule" and not the network.

 

[MacInWin]

Sorry it didn't work. About all I can suggest is that either you have one more password that isn't on your list or that you typed the right one in wrongly.

 

[hempomatic]

Sorry it didn't work. About all I can suggest is that either you have one more password that isn't on your list or that you typed the right one in wrongly.

Worth a shot.

No one has any more ideas? I get the whole security thing, but there HAS to be a work around, no?

 

[Rod]

I'm a bit confused about your objective here. Are you trying to install a Time Machine backup onto a computer different to the one that created the backup? If so that is not "re" installing that's installing or restoring.
And if I understand correctly you want to put this data on a device that is "failing" then keep the HD but dispose of the device. Am I on the right track?

 

[pm-r]

No one has any more ideas? I get the whole security thing, but there HAS to be a work around, no?

Is the caps lock key enabled perchance while typing in your password???

Apple has this to say:

About the Time Machine backup password on Mac
To encrypt the Time Machine backup, you must provide a backup password. No one but you should have access to your password. Choose a hint that helps you remember your password. To restore files from encrypted Time Machine backups, you must provide your backup password.

Important: If you lose or forget your password, you will not be able to restore or recover your data.

About the Time Machine backup password on Mac

Provide a backup password to encrypt Time Machine backups.

support.apple.com

And of course that last sentence means you are up the creek without a paddle if you forgot the password... :-(


- Patrick
=======

 

[Rod]

It's just possible that the device that created the TM backup may have the password to the Airport Time Capsule in its Key Chain utility.
If you choose a TM backup made on a different computer as the TM device on another computer in TM preferences it follows that you would only see today because it has no record of "yesterday" for this device.

 

[Rod]

Do you still have the device that created the original TM backup to the Time Capsule? If so can you still access the Time Capsule on that or does it require a password as well?

 

[Rod]

@Patrick, I had not even thought of the possibility that the backup might be encrypted. Good call, let's hope it's not the case. I have a couple of things that are encrypted, my iMazing full backup of my iPhone and same for my iPad. I put them both into my password manager the moment I entered them. I wouldn't bother if I had a choice after all it's data on my personal device but it's a precondition of a "full" backup.
As with macOS encryption this pointless use of home encryption causes more trouble than it's worth. Once again I quote Ars Technica, " The prevalence of data loss is much higher than data theft."

 

[pm-r]

As with macOS encryption this pointless use of home encryption causes more trouble than it's worth. Once again I quote Ars Technica, "The prevalence of data loss is much higher than data theft."

So true, and the paranoid reaction in the name of security, but I daresay it might help to have multi levels of warnings of the consequences of using encryption before it is enabled. Apple could certainly help out in this respect.


- Patrick
=======

 

[MacInWin]

Just a thought, but was FileVault turned on when the TM backup was made? If so, could the password be the FV password?

 

[IWT]

Great idea, Jake. Forgot about that.

Ian

 

[hempomatic]

OK, a couple of points. I would not have encrypted the TM back up, partly because of fear of what I'm going through now, and partly because it's an extra step. As a technological troglodyte I tend to keep things as simple as possible and avoid extra steps like the plague. I don't use any kind of password manager, it's pen and paper for me. I never had an issue in 20 years ...... until now. My system of passwords is very effective and until now, foolproof.

Not a caps lock issue. I was pretty aware of that possibility the moment my password failed and double checked.

I'm a bit confused about your objective here. Are you trying to install a Time Machine backup onto a computer different to the one that created the backup? If so that is not "re" installing that's installing or restoring.
And if I understand correctly you want to put this data on a device that is "failing" then keep the HD but dispose of the device. Am I on the right track?

Yes, that is my objective. The computer that is failing (display issues) has a new 2 TB SSD. I simply want to transfer the data from TM (Airport) to the SSD, remove that drive so I can cherry pick the data I wish to save which is mostly music and pictures. I was unable to reinstall via time machine. Time machine was not even recognized even though it appears in

Do you still have the device that created the original TM backup to the Time Capsule? If so can you still access the Time Capsule on that or does it require a password as well?

Yes and no. That is the computer with the new drive which is now running Catalina. That was not by choice. I spent weeks trying to figure out how to install the ORIGINAL OS on that machine which was Mavericks. When I was unable to do so, I followed the step by step re-install of an OS on a new drive, which ended up being Catalina (much to my chagrin). At that point, after everything was up and running very well, I was unable to access the TM back-up. Now that the repaired machine is slowly self destructing, that has become a bit more urgent.

 

[hempomatic]

Never used file vault. Never will.

 

[hempomatic]

Just a thought, but was FileVault turned on when the TM backup was made? If so, could the password be the FV password?

No, never used it, never will.

Partly for exactly this reason, but mostly because I'm the only one that has access to this computer, it's password protected and it never leaves my home.

 

[MacInWin]

I had an incident of getting that same message about needing a TM password. I had never set one, never had one, just like you. I shut down the Mac and rebooted and tried again and the TM was available, no password needed. Just thought I'd throw that out there just in case you haven't done a shutdown/restart.