Can't format hard drive

I have an iMac 21.5" mid-2010. One day my computer wouldn't get past the loading grey screen (rotating grey bars). Since I didn't have anything important on the comuter, basically no apps or anything (I had reinstalled the OS just recently), I decided to just wipe hard drive and install it again. My dvd drive doesn't work, so I've been using a Mountain Lion install disk on my flash drive (It has worked just fine the past few times that I've had to reinstall). When I tried to erase the hard drive using disk utility it first gave a "can't unmount" error, so I restarted and tried again, but this time it went with it and then gave an error along the lines of "can't write to last block of disk". So after that the disk was basically empty (no partitions, kind of in a middle state). So I tried to use the partition tab and set 1 partition, GUID, and Mac as the name. It says partitioning, but it's basically stuck halfway through. I tried to use Terminal and list disks, and it shows 13 disks, each one ranging from 500kb to 5mb. The last one, Disk13, is my actual hard drive, 500Gb. I tried to run the erase command, which I found somewhere else on the forums on Disk13, but it says can't unmount.
Any help on erasing the drive would be much appreciated.

That's not good news for your internal HD, sounds like it has failed. I would run Apple Hardware Test (AHT) in extended mode at least 3x. If hardware errors occur that confirms hardware issues which means a stop at your local Apple Store or AASP is necessary to get it professionally diagnosed.
You can find AHT instructions at
support.apple.com/kb/ht1509

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Cd/dvd drive not found, can I format hard drive with an external cd/dvd drive. If so how?

My cd/dvd drive quit working and is not found in device manager so I purchased an external cd/dvd rw. Now I am having other issues with installing software and windows updates so I would like to format hard drive. Can this be done with external cd drive, if so how do I boot from it? presario v6000 laptop windows vista 32bit os.

Restart the notebook >> start tapping F10 key >> go to configuration menu >> Boot Order >> select the Ext DVD drive as 1st boot device >> save and exit >> Insert the recovery disc >> restart the PC >> press any key when prompted >> follow the instructions..
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Can't format hard drive for time machine

I couldn't find a better community for this question so here goes: I just purchased a 1 TB Toshiba hard drive to use as a Time Machine device. I installed the NTFS software, but know I understand that I need to format it in HFS+ (MacExtended Journal) in order to make it work with Time Machine. I have attempted to do this with Disk Utility but I keep getting "file system formatter failed error." what to do?

If this is the inexpensive Toshiba USB drive I suggest you exchange it for something else as they tend not to work well with Macs.
Drive Preparation
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.

HT4796 Can i use windows migration assistant to transfer files from a windows formatted hard drive to a mac?

I have a windows formatted hard drive and a macbook pro. I was wondering if i could use the windows migration assistant to transfer files from my hard drive to the mac

No.
Just connect the drive to your Mac. The Mac can read most Windows formats (it cannot WRITE Windows New Technology File System (NTFS) formatted drives.

L305D-S5934 Has formatted hard drive, can I load recovery disk from a different machine?

Hi,
I have an older L305D (can't remember the sub group model, but it does not have the web cam). The LCD screen went out so I bought a L305D-S5934 with a formatted hard drive. I swapped my old hard drive into the new computer, but it will not boot up. It tried to recover, but that failed. Can I make a recovery disk with my old computer to use in the new one, even though they are different sub models? The new computer has a Windows license on it. If I can't make a recovery disk with the old one that will work, can I get a copy of Vista Home and use the license on the new computer to install it or does the license only work with the recovery disks? Once I have an operating system installed, I know I can get the right drivers from this website. Any help/ideas would be appreciated! I would rather not have to buy a recovery disk through Toshiba if I can avoid it.

Satellite L305D-S5934
Can I make a recovery disk with my old computer to use in the new one, even though they are different sub models?
That won't work.
can I get a copy of Vista Home and use the license on the new computer to install it or does the license only work with the recovery disks?
The OEM key won't work with a retail version of Windows. (And with the recovery discs it's unnecessary, because that one is pre-activated.)
The recovery media from Toshiba costs less than the product key for the retail installation DVD. And you don't need to mess around adding drivers and utilities.
Order Toshiba Recovery Media
-Jerry

Advanced Format Hard Drive not recognized by HP DV6000 Controller

Hello,
I have an HP DV 6000 laptop (6276 I think, I'm at work can't check) that came preinstalled with a Western Digital 160gb 1.5gb/s 5400 RPM drive (Vista) that failed a couple of weeks ago. So i bought a Western Digital 750 GB WD Black SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB drive to replace it. I read about people having some problems with Advanced Drive Format hard drives not being recognized by their controller, but also read that depending on the controller and specific Dv6000 model laptop they had-one wouldn't run into problems.
Well sure enough, when attempting to install Windows 7 I received the error that the hard drive was not detected. After researching online I came across an article on WD's site that noted
"Our SATA II hard drives use autospeed negotiation. This enables our SATA II drives to automatically detect the motherboard data transfer rate, making it backward compatible with SATA I data transfer rates. However, some older SATA I controllers are unable to support autospeed negotiation and cannot recognize the drive. This “drive not detected” condition occurs when a chipset is incapable of correctly negotiating the data transfer speed with a SATA II hard drive."
my drive is a SATA ||| but I'm pretty sure it's the same problem. The site goes on to say a fix would be to "purchase and install a third party PCI or PCI-Express Second Generation Serial ATA controller card for your Serial ATA hard drive(s)."
My question(s) are.
1)Is the problem that I am trying to install a Sata ||| hard drive on a laptop with a controller that will only recognize SATA | hard drive?
2) Or is the problem that the hard drive is an Advanced Drive Formatted hard drive and I need to buy a hard drive with out that specification?
3) Or Should I buy a SATA controller card as WD suggests on their website and if so will this definitely allow my laptop's controller to recognize the new hard drive and proceed with the installation?
4)Or Should I just return the hard drive and buy a SATA | non Advanced Drive Format hard drive? (question 2 basically)
Thanks for your help!

Hi @jasmine00
Welcome to the HP Support Forums.
I certainly understand your issue with the drive upgrade. Unfortunately it is a bit of the nature of notebooks, the sacrifice of a large amount of upgradeability, in exchange for compactness and portability. Whenever a new technology comes out, older notebooks are never really going to be easy to upgrade, it at all. Normally the unit as a whole is tested with a set list of hardware, and only those items are supported.
That being said there is this document that could be helpful with your problem.
Preparing Advanced Format hard drives for Microsoft Windows installations on HP Business Notebook PC...
And for your reference:
HP Pavilion dv6000 Notebook PC Maintenance and Service Guide
Malygris1
I work on behalf of HP
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Want to format hard drive and start over but do not have original disks

Hey guys I want to format my hard drive however I messed up my mac partition and also I do not have my original install disks so I can not do it either. The only working OS i have is Windows right now. how can I format the drive and instal an OS X. I have leopard 10.5.7

Snow Leopard is just US$29. Or Apple can send you new Install disks for your model for a nominal fee.
Dah•veed

HP System Recovery DVD incorrectly formats hard drive (WIN Vista HP SP1 64-bit 510141-001)

HP Pavilion DV4-1225dx
Vista Home Premium 64-bit
AMD Turion x2
I had previously posted the issue as "HP System Recovery Fails on new HDD", however it appears that the reason it is failing is due to incorrect formatting of the hard drive:
Went to purchase the oem HDD @ Tiger Direct (Hitachi 0A56415 Travelstar 5K320 Mobile Hard Drive - 2.5", 5400 RPM, SATA 3G, 250GB, 8MB Cache) but found it was out of stock. I purchased the suggested replacement (WD Blue 320GB Mobile Hard Drive - Designed for everyday computing - 2.5", SATA 3Gb/s, 5400RPM, 8MB C...)
I have attemptted the System Recovery several times each failing with errors. But after each failure the HDD is found to be incorrectly formatted as documented in the following link:
System Recovery Fails on new HDD
hp G71-340US WIN 7 HP 64 Bit
hp pavilion dv4-1225dx VIsta HP 64 Bit
hp pavilion zd7000 WIN XP Pro
hp pavilion xv886 WIN Millennium / WIN XP Pro
hp deskjet 6980xi
hp pavilion xt236 / ze4200 WIN XP Media Edition

Slolearner,
After doing a little research, I believe your issue may be related to your new hard drive being an AF (Advanced Format) drive. Please see "WD Scorpio® Blue™ SATA/PATA Hard Drives", which indicates your WD3200BPVT may an AF drive.
Please see "Cannot Recover the PC after Replacing the Hard Drive with an AF Drive (Windows 7 and Vista)" for information on this subject. While this document isn't for your specific computer, it is generic enough that it applies to your situation. If you wish to use your HP Recovery Discs successfully, you may need to purchase a non-AF drive.
If your computer boots into Windows, please see "Identifying an Advanced Format Hard Drive" to download and run the HP Advanced Format Hard Drive Information tool.
If it is an AF drive, please see "Preparing Advanced Format Hard Drive for Windows" and "Improving the Performance of an Advanced Format Hard Drive" for more information on the subject and possible steps to be taken to resolve your issue.
Lastly, it may be necessary to follow Paul_Tikkanen's advice and install Windows Vista from a Microsoft Windows Vista installation disc as follows;
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
If you can still read the 25 character Microsoft Vista product key on the bottom of your PC, you can make your own plain Vista installation media and use that to at least get the OS on your PC.
Here is how to do that if you can read that key:
Please click on the link below, click on the Windows Reinstallation Guide [27-07-2013] pdf link on the upper left of the page and then read the instructions for doing this starting on page 302.
http://philipyip.wordpress.com/dell-community-forums/
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
You may also consider purchasing a copy of Windows 7 and installing that instead. Windows 7 SP1 has much better support for AF drives than the previous versions of Windows.
Please click the white KUDOS star to show your appreciation
Frank
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This is a user supported forum. I am a volunteer and I don't work for HP.
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About to format hard drive. How do I preserve I-Tunes?

Hi,
*About to format hard drive. How do I preserve I-Tunes*
Apologies if this has been asked before, but I need reassurance that I will not make an expensive mistake.
I have iTunes installed on my PC, but the library and any original music files are stored on a NAS external device.
What do I need to do in iTunes (or anything else) before I reformat my PC drive?
In addition, I am guessing, but I figure that that afterwards I reinstall iTunes and reenter some settings and I can make connection with my Library again? Is that correct?
Thanks in advance
flobbyblob

Are you certain that the iTunes folder containing you library databases is on the external drive?
If you have the iTunes folder containing your current iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Music Library.xml in My Music on the C: drive, then you need to back that up.
If you are certain everything is on the external drive then all you need to do with your PC is deauthorise it before reinstalling Windows.
You asked something else:
Yes after reinstalling Windows and iTunes, you redo the settings you used to connect to your library on the external drive. You will also need to reauthorise your PC.
Message was edited by: polydorus

SOLARIS OS Support for Advance Format Hard Drives

Hello,
I am fairly new to the UNIX Operating System so I'm hoping that someone can help me. Does Solaris support the new Advance Format hard drives (4k sector boundaries)? I cannot find any mention of the advance format drive in the Oracle literature. I believe, based on my recent reading that Open Source Solaris depends on ZFS to handle the support of the new 4kbyte sector size.
Thank you in advance for any information you can supply.
Steve

Moderator Action:
This post has been moved to the Solaris 10 forum.
@ O.P.,
You originally posted your inquiry to the Clustering forum, which has nothing to do with the topic of disk cluster size.
Glance at the documentation for Oracle Cluster 4.0 to see what clustering is all about.

T400 Windows 7 or Vista Clean Install - Can't Detect Hard Drive

I've attempted to install Windows Vista x64 and Windows 7 x64 using retail copies of both OS's on my T400. Neither OS can find the hard drive during the install process. I've downloaded every driver possible from Lenovo and loaded them via USB during the install, with absolutely no luck. I've installed Ubuntu in the meantime to have a usable computer, but I really need Win7 on there, so I have to figure this out. Any solutions? (and telling me to go download the driver isn't going to help me). Also, I've messed around with the AHCI setting in the BIOS, but that didn't help either.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Weird. Win 7 Pro 64 installed on my T400 without any issues that I can recall. I realize that doesn't help you much
I was doing a clean upgrade install using a Microsoft upgrade DVD over the top of a Vista installation.
Since you've already tried fiddling the ACHI/IDE mode the only other thing I can think is something about your initial disk partitioning or formatting (or lack of same) confused the installers. (I realize a confused MS installer is hard to imagine...)
Maybe fire up your Ubuntu live CD and dd some zeros to the first few sectors of your drive and try again. Or format the thing w/your choice of FAT32 partitions and see if that makes the installer(s) happier.
What model drive are you using? Is it the original drive (not that it should matter, mine wasn't)? What was installed on the machine initially?
Just pulling stuff out of my <....>,
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The large print: please read the Community Participation Rules before posting. Include as much information as possible: model, machine type, operating system, and a descriptive subject line. Do not include personal information: serial number, telephone number, email address, etc. The fine print: I do not work for, nor do I speak for Lenovo. Unsolicited private messages will be ignored. ... GeezBlog
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Formatting hard drive for project compatibility PC /Mac

I'm editing a project for a friend who uses PC. I bought a Lacie Quadra d2 drive for the project. The media files I'm being give are DV and WMV files, which my friend will copy to the drive.
So my question is: Will there be any compatibility issues and is there any way to avoid them?
Should I (or how should I) format hard drive before giving it to my friend? And will I be able to take drive back as is and work with the files?
I appreciate any guidance.

Download this free driver: http://www.ntfs-3g.org/index.html#download and you can format the drive as NTFS, which both of you can read and write.
Once installed, NTFS will appear as a formatting option in Disk Utility.

Formatted Hard drives on my late 2005 g5 and cant reinstal os

I cant re-install my operating system from cd after formatting hard drives in a pc it say we are hanging here can any one help

The drives need to be Mac OS Extended & APM Partition Scheme, re-format them with the Install Disc...
How to format your disks...
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/partitioning_tiger.html
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Create PXI Format Hard Drive Disk

Hello,
Can i use a "Create PXI Format Hard Drive Disk" created from LV 8.5.1 ver for formating the PXI RT controller which is having LV RT 7.1.
Regards
Aks
(Appreciate answers by giving KUDOS)
Hit the stars.............. sky is not the limit.

Hi,
I think you can, but you'll need LV (RT) 7.1 on the host PC to install LV RT 7.1 on the PXI controller using MAX after formatting it.
(Unless you have an image created by the RT replication toolkit, but then other problems might arise...)
Daniel

Could not deactivate before formatting hard drive

Hi, my hard drive failed and I couldn't uninstall and deactivate my Acrobat, so now I'm afraid I'll lose my license. Can anyone tell me what should I do?

Thank you so much!
2014/1/5 Bill@VT <[email protected]>
Re: Could not deactivate before formatting hard drive created by
Bill@VT <http://forums.adobe.com/people/Bill%40VT> in *Acrobat
Installation & Update Issues* - View the full discussion<http://forums.adobe.com/message/5983178#5983178

Can't format hard drive

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