"Operation Failed" Error When Creating Disk Image

Dorner2011 wrote:

HWTech wrote:

Disk Utility is a terrible app for trying to make an archive image of a large volume or drive. In my personal experience it fails more times than not. I'm surprised this is the first time you've had an issue.

I tried making an image using UFS Explorer. UFS completed the process without error, but when testing the image that UFS created, it wouldn’t even mount. I have no idea why.

I've never used UFS Explorer, but if you imaged the physical drive, then macOS may not be able to handle the partition layout when trying to access the resulting image....assuming UFS Explorer creates a raw image file that macOS can mount. When you used Disk Utility you were likely imaging the APFS volume instead.

Assuming UFS Explorer included the partition layout of the drive, then it may be possible to use the command line to "mount" the image like you would a DMG archive using "hdiutil attach". Start by typing the following command into a Terminal window making sure to leave at least one space after "attach ":

diskutil  attach

Now using the Finder, drag & drop the file created by UFS Explorer onto the open Terminal window so the correct path to the archive file is filled. Press the "Return" key to execute the command. If successful, you should see it mount the raw image in Finder assuming you have Finder configured to show mounted images on the Desktop or the Finder's sidebar.

If you compressed the archived image, then you will need to contact UFS Explorer developers for support.

https://support.bombich.com/hc/en-us/articles/20686476880791-Can-I-use-CCC-to-copy-a-Time-Machine-backup

Copying a Time Machine backup volume with anything other than the Finder is not supported (by us, nor Apple);

CCC specifically disallows copying anything to or from a Time Machine backup volume.

Apple does not document a procedure for making copies of Time Machine volumes.

For future purposes

To truly protect your non replaceable Data

Have a 3-2-1 Rescue Plan in place and always current

3 Backups using 2 methods and 1 off site incase of natural disaster or un-natural disaster.

That is where to have the redundancies you what

Each of the above should be done to a Dedicated Single Purposed External Drive 

Below link is intended to augment what TM Backup does 

https://bombich.com

Dorner2011 wrote:

I'm getting an error in Terminal when I run that command:

drew@Drews-MacBook-Pro ~ % diskutil attach /Volumes/WD\ 10TB/Feb.\ 2018-Apr.\ 2022\ 4TB\ ExtHDD/2018to22TimeMachine4TB.dmg

diskutil: did not recognize verb "attach"; type "diskutil" for a list

drew@Drews-MacBook-Pro ~ % 

Advice?

Sorry about that. I'm so used to using "diskutil" it just came out of my fingers while typing.

The correct command should be:

hdiutil  attach 

Dorner2011 wrote:

1. I appreciate this, but must note two things:

I'm not trying to "copy"; I'm trying to create a disk image.

2. I have successfully imaged Time Machine backup drives using Disk Utility in the past (just 6 months ago, in fact).

So what exactly changed on the computer between now and 6 moths ago.

In theory, what was done 6 months ago and now should work.

Though, as you have demonstrated, it has not worked

Disk Utility is a terrible app for trying to make an archive image of a large volume or drive. In my personal experience it fails more times than not. I'm surprised this is the first time you've had an issue.

👍🏽