Schedule not working. ??

[Goldengoose7]

I can't get the schedule to launch and execute SuperDuper on my 24" iMac running 10.5.7.

When the appointed time arrives, nothing happens. I have rebuilt the launch services database using Onyx, but the problem continues.

All of our other Macs using SuperDuper run their schedules fine every night as directed. This iMac for some reason does not.

Have reinstalled SuperDuper with no change. I can't find a preference file for the application. Is there not one?

Can you please advise?

Thanks!

GG7

[dnanian]

What are the names of the source and destination partitions? Any special characters (non-alphanumeric)?

[Goldengoose7]

Originally Posted by dnanian

What are the names of the source and destination partitions? Any special characters (non-alphanumeric)?

No, and the SuperDuper! application doesn't even launch on schedule, so we are not even getting to the back-up routine.

The main drive is named:

iMAC HD

The backup drive partition is named:

iMac SuperDuper

I should mention that I am currently using Automator/iCal to get the backups done automatically each night, and this is working fine, but I would still like to figure out why the built-in scheduler fails to execute/launch SuperDuper and run the backup on this particular machine.

Cheers.

[dnanian]

Well, the 'reason' is that, for some reason, cron isn't running the user's crontab. Why that's happening is hard to know, but an archive-and-install of OS X usually clears it up: that's what I'd try.

[Goldengoose7]

Originally Posted by dnanian

Well, the 'reason' is that, for some reason, cron isn't running the user's crontab. Why that's happening is hard to know, but an archive-and-install of OS X usually clears it up: that's what I'd try.

Hmmmm...That is a pretty drastic fix considering how much stuff I have installed on that machine.

I think I will just let Automator handle the scheduled backups until 10.6 comes out.

Thanks anyway.

[dnanian]

An archive-and-install is pretty painless, actually, and shouldn't affect existing installed software...

[Goldengoose7]

Originally Posted by dnanian

An archive-and-install is pretty painless, actually, and shouldn't affect existing installed software...

Thanks. It has been so long since I had to do a reinstall to correct a problem, I couldn't remember how involved or not the archive and install is.

I may give that a try and see what happens, but as I mentioned, thanks to Automator, I am able to get the job done without SD's built in scheduler.

Cheers.

UPDATE: I tried to run an archive and install but it failed at the end being unable to import user settings? Anyway... I ended up having to do a clean install and used Migration Assistant to move my apps over.

Guess the root of this schedule problem involved more than just that screwed up cron job.

Oh well... I would have had to deal with this when I tried to update to 10.6 anyway. Just as well I spent the 4 hours now rather than later.

Cheers.

[Goldengoose7]

Just wanted to conclude this thread by letting you know that the cron schedule is now working normally after the reinstall of Leopard.

Thanks again for the info!

[dnanian]

Glad to hear it. Told you the archive-and-install wouldn't be painful!

[Goldengoose7]

Originally Posted by dnanian

Glad to hear it. Told you the archive-and-install wouldn't be painful!

Well... Actually is was VERY painful since the installer returned an error at the very end of the archive and install process and would not complete. Had a big yellow exclamation mark on the alert box and was told by the installer to restart to "try again"

When I restarted the second time, the installer did a clean install instead, which I was not prepared for.

About 8 hours of tedium later, I finally had everything moved over and functioning from the SD backup and was back up and running with a new copy of the system installed.

Since there was something wrong with my original system files that caused the cron failure and prevented an archive and install from finishing, I didn't want to use Migration Assistant to move everything on the SD backup over to the internal drive. I was afraid that whatever was screwed up would end up back on the new system.

It is too bad that OSX is not better at identifying system file problems and fixing them short of a complete re-install. When I ran disc utility on this system prior to this whole fiasco, it found nothing wrong. Neither did Onyx and half a dozen other system maintenance apps I have. :/

Only hint of a problem was the SD scheduler failing to execute, and ultimately the failure of the OSX installer to complete an Archive and Install.

[dnanian]

Wow, that is unusual. I wonder what was wrong there -- never had that happen myself.