Simple work around for 'Item can't be modified' issue

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Simple work around for ‘Item can’t be modified’ issue

5 December 2011 2,477 views 5 Comments

Here’s a little problem that you may have come across — you try to delete files from an external hard drive and you get hit with this annoying message:

“The operation can’t be completed because backup items can’t be modified, OK?”

Wreck your car, OK? Bang your head on the open cupboard door, OK? Not exactly the “it just works” stuff of Apple legend.

However, before you freak out or otherwise lose your cool, try logging out and back in again. Restarting will also work.

Problem solved? For the time being at least, but this has been an issue at least since Snow Leopard and it’s known to reappear on affected machines.

Some folks have linked the issue to current or even disabled Time Machine backups. In my case, the external drive hasn’t been used as a Time Machine backup volume in a couple years.

Do you know of a more permanent solution?

via Apple Knowledge Base

5 Comments »

Steven Spruill said:

I have this same problem. None of the solutions listed here work. I cannot copy a file from my MacBook Pro to an external backup drive, either with the “copy” command or by dragging and dropping. The problem began when I upgraded to SnowLeopard. I’ll have a file on my hard drive that I want to back up on my backup drive and when I use “copy” and “paste” or when I drag and drop, I get this error message: “The operation can’t be completed because backup items can’t be modified.” It makes no sense. There is no item on the backup drive resembling the one I’m trying to put there. Logging out and back in, restarting, restarting the finder, none of that works. It’s very frustrating. If anyone can help, I’d be grateful.

# 24 August 2012 at 12:14 pm

Dal said:

Steven did you ever get this resolved? Im trying tp do the same thing you are and get hit with the message: “the operation cant be completed because backup items cant be motified.” Im just trying to move all my photos to this NEW external hard drive I bought and its not letting me put anything on it.

# 14 November 2012 at 11:03 pm

Steven Spruill said:

Dal, sad to say, I’ve found no solution to this. I know it started when I “upgraded” to Snow Leopard, so I suspect it has something to do with that OS. There comes a point in the life of any system or product when further changes are more likely to be for the worse than for the better. This point has been reached in most operating systems, but, of course, the people who work on these things wish to stay employed and their employer wishes to keep selling OS, so we get “treated” to “upgrades” that do little other than foul up software or functionality we used to have. Bah!

Dal, I think it may have to do with the fact that the drive I was trying to back up to is also my Time Machine drive. I finally gave up on being able to effectively use this drive for anything other than backups. I bought another external drive (USB) and have had no trouble copying or dragging and dropping to it. All I can say is, under Leopard, I could use the Time Machine backup for storage of other files. The “upgrade” is what knocked that on the head. I’d really like to know why some propellor-beanie thought that was a good idea. All I know is the upgrade has meant nothing but aggravation and extra expenses. And I’ll no doubt be forced to upgrade to Lion before long or be unable to do all the newest and latest. I can remember when great attention was paid to making upgrades backwardly compatible. Evidently the people at Apple have decided they can sell more stuff if they stop doing that for us. Again, Bah!

I know this is more than you asked for, but others may read this and, who knows, maybe someday we consumers will be heard by the folks who keep tweaking even when it’s for the worse.

Sorry I couldn’t give you a solution (other than slapping on a USB backup drive).

Best,
Steve

# 15 November 2012 at 12:53 pm

Tam said:

Im just trying to copy my iPhoto library on my iMac to an external hard drive so I can merge it with another library on my Macbook pro and getting the same issue. “The operation cant be completed because an item is being modified” (slightly different wording to the above but means the same thing right?)

Im just wondering if the format of the external HD im trying to copy it onto has anything to do with this problem? Its been formatted for Ex FAT.

yes?

# 28 April 2013 at 1:19 am