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I've trashed the .InProgress file, disconnected the external drive, reconnected it, run Disk Utility First Aid on it and come up clean. Disconnected the external again, shut down the laptop (2015 MacBook Pro running Catalina 10.15.6), restarted, reconnected, still getting hung up at Preparing Backup.
Addendum: switching USB ports might have made a difference. Anyway: resolved.
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.13
Please read If Time Machine remains in the “preparing” stage on Mac.
Addendum: switching USB ports might have made a difference.
It might have. Confirm by switching it back, after a backup finishes. I've seen TM remain in the "preparing" stage for as much as an entire day.
Please read If Time Machine remains in the “preparing” stage on Mac.
Addendum: switching USB ports might have made a difference.
It might have. Confirm by switching it back, after a backup finishes. I've seen TM remain in the "preparing" stage for as much as an entire day.
Time Machine hangs during "Preparing Backup"
