How do I access my Time Machine with a PC?

[bungiefan89]

My iMac died last month, but everything was backed up on a 1-TB partition of a 2.5" HDD.

But now I'm on a PC running Windows 10 and I don't know of the "correct" way to go about recovering all my beloved files. Where do I start?

 

[Sustainerplayer]

You need a Mac.

 

[bungiefan89]

You need a Mac.

You can't be serious. I have an old Macbook, but it doesn't have enough storage space on it to pull all the files at once. Will that work?

 

[chscag]

Unless you use Time Machine to restore those files, you will not be able to read them from a PC.

If you have Time Machine on that old MacBook you might be able to selectively restore files. Not sure it will work especially if the version of Time Machine on that old MacBook does not recognize the backed up files made with a newer version of Time Machine.

 

[Dan666]

Apparently windows cannot access it (not that surprising, it won't even read disks formatted with a Mac or a Linux fs).
Linux can, but as time machine does a nasty thing which isn't allowed by Linux (hard linking of directories, this is to prevent circular directory trees, BTW) what you'll find in there is a bit different from what you see on a Mac.
There are tools, though, on github to help you doing so (for example: https://github.com/isnotajoke/fuse-time-machine)

The Mac you have should work fine as well, but you'll need a second Hard Drive to copy the files to...

 

[maflynn]

You can't be serious

He's serious, Windows has no way of dealing with DMGs/Sparse images.

 

[adrianlondon]

Assuming you just want some files, you can simply restore only the ones you need on to your old Mac, then transfer them across (network, or simply a PC-formatted USB stick).

If even the files you need don't all fit on your old Mac, restore them (and transfer them over) in chunks. However, if the old Mac runs an OS too old to read the Time Machine backup, then another option is to ask a friend with a newer Mac to help you out. At a push, maybe even an Apple store might help.

 

[maflynn]

Assuming you just want some files, you can simply restore only the ones you need on to your old Mac, then transfer them across (network, or simply a PC-formatted USB stick).

You don't even need to restore the files. Time Machine stores your files in a dmg, and so just mount the DMG and navigate in Finder to the file you want. Mounting and accessing the files still needs to be done on a Mac (or a PC running macOS)

 

[Fishrrman]

Folks, here goes "ol' broken record" again.

IF the OP had used CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper INSTEAD OF Time Machine, he would have a backup that was in "POFF" -- "plain old finder format".

He could take that cloned backup and mount it on ANY Mac, regardless of what version of the OS was running.

He could also mount it on a PC (I believe) -- IF the PC had special software that would it enable it to mount and read Mac-formatted drives.
I'm not sure of what that PC software is named -- never had, never will have need to use it.

 

[green86]

Folks, here goes "ol' broken record" again.

IF the OP had used CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper INSTEAD OF Time Machine, he would have a backup that was in "POFF" -- "plain old finder format".

He could take that cloned backup and mount it on ANY Mac, regardless of what version of the OS was running.

He could also mount it on a PC (I believe) -- IF the PC had special software that would it enable it to mount and read Mac-formatted drives.
I'm not sure of what that PC software is named -- never had, never will have need to use it.

This is nonsense. I'm guessing you never used Time Machine, and instead knock it for pedantic alternatives. Time Machine backups are kept in "plain old folder format". IF a PC can read a CCC drive, it would be able to read a TM drive.

Time Machine is an excellent incremental backup system, and TM drives are merely HFS+ formatted drives.

You'll just need software like MacDrive to read the volume:

https://eshop.macsales.com/search/mediafour

 

[maflynn]

You'll just need software like MacDrive to read the volume:

He can read the volume but the backup is stored in a sparse image, which cannot be mounted in windows. You need macOS for that.

Folks, here goes "ol' broken record" again.

TimeMachine is an excellent tool and that works well. I would say the OP is fine with using it. Its baked into macOS and it provides the majority of users ease of use.

 

[Weaselboy]

He can read the volume but the backup is stored in a sparse image, which cannot be mounted in windows. You need macOS for that.

TM only uses a sparse bundle image for networked backups like to a Time Capsule. A local backup like say to a USB drive is just a regular HFS+ file format and you can see the files in Finder.

OP > If you install something like Paragon HFS or the software @green86 mentioned, you should be able to see the files in Windows Explorer and just drag out what you need.

https://www.paragon-software.com/home/hfs-windows/

 

[maflynn]

TM only uses a sparse bundle image for networked backups like to a Time Capsule.

Thanks for the clarification, I hadn't connected a TM drive via USB in a while, I use a NAS

 

[bungiefan89]

TM only uses a sparse bundle image for networked backups like to a Time Capsule. A local backup like say to a USB drive is just a regular HFS+ file format and you can see the files in Finder.

OP > If you install something like Paragon HFS or the software @green86 mentioned, you should be able to see the files in Windows Explorer and just drag out what you need.

https://www.paragon-software.com/home/hfs-windows/

Thanks for the link! Once I installed the trial version of that software, Windows Explorer recognized the Time Machine partition right away.

But now I'm having trouble actually finding my files. Or when I do, they read as having a file size of 0. The whole HDD itself registers as 1 TB filled almost to capacity, but one level in, the only visible folder has a file size of just 1.02 GB. Going deeper, I can see a folder I stored thousands of family photos in, but each of those sub-folders appear as files that register as "0 KB" in size, and this appears to be the case for any other file I try to access ... the file or folder name will appear, but it'll seem to have zero contents.

Am I accessing the wrong thing here?

EDIT: Revealing hidden folders uncovered multiple other folders, including one labeled ".HFS+ Private Directory Data" that appears to have like 98.1% of the data on the 1TB HDD according to WinDirStat.

So now I appear to have the folder with my files in it ... but once inside, I have a more than 120,000 folders all labeled "dir_" followed by a sequence of semi-sequential numbers (I can't see an exact pattern). Inside those folders are lots of assorted files, all with garbled text as file names, most of which have a file size of "0 KB" but every once in a while one will register as having a few MB of size... but everything is garbled text file names, and nothing can be read on Windows 10. Still stuck. :/

EDIT 2: Attempting to transfer all those files over to my PC's 2TB HDD through Windows Explorer is doable, but could take a few hours, and I don't know if that would even help. I did stumble upon this video that suggests a possible solution (the guy is even using the same WD Passport that I've got for the Time Machine data) so I plan to try that once I get home from work. Please advise if this is a bad move.

 

[chscag]

Perhaps someone else can provide a better answer, but it's my understanding that Time Machine stores its backups and uses pointers to files and or data that has not changed. So you may go thru many Time Machine backups where certain files and data have not changed. Time Machine uses a pointer so that the particular data or file can be found.

I know what some others have stated previously but I have never had any luck trying to view Time Machine backups or the individual files stored within using only the Finder. However, when invoking Time Machine and then pointing to a particular backup (date) the files can then be seen using the Finder.

Which is why I replied to you previously that you really need to use Time Machine in order to find your files and restore them.

 

[Weaselboy]

Or when I do, they read as having a file size of 0.

TM uses what are called "hard links" to point to old versions of files and I think what you are seeing is those links with no real size to them, but they are essentially a mirror image of the file.

Have you tried just dragging a couple off to the desktop in Explorer to see if it brings over the actual file. That is how it works in Finder under macOS.

 

[bungiefan89]

Which is why I replied to you previously that you really need to use Time Machine in order to find your files and restore them.

OMG I hang my head in shame. More shame than when I was asking people for help while building my PC and wrongly said that the HDMI cord definitely was plugged into the monitor on boot.

I've followed your advice, plugged the Time Machine backup into my 2009 Macbook, and accessing my iMac's files is as easy as dragging old school assignments from a flash drive. lol. I am literally transferring dozens of GB worth of files from my Time Machine backup right now to a pair of old 80GB Disk drives through the Macbook, so they can then be transferred to the new PC. Might take the HDD out of the PC later and put IT into the external encloser and just transfer that way ... will still be bottlenecked by my Macbook's USB 2.0 ports, but hey, beats the hell out of the software fun and games I was trying earlier!

Thanks so much for your help!