Cannot unmount disk - Mac Mini

Hello! I recently purchased a used Mac Mini (specs provided below) from a friend, and I am starting the process of erasing all of his old data. The Mac Mini has two hard drives, MAC HD1 and MAC HD2. Only one of the hard drives was being used, MAC HD1, and had OS X Yosemite installed on it. I did some research and found out that to erase the first hard drive I needed to create a bootable USB, which I did using DiskMaker X and a 64 GB thumb drive (only one I had over 5 GB). That process was successful, and I then restarted and pressed ALT on my windows keyboard upon startup. I selected to boot using my thumb drive, and that seemed to work fine as well. I then selected Disk Utility and chose MAC HD1 from the choices on the left side. However, when I try to erase, I get an error that says "Volume Erase Failed with this error: Couldn't unmount the disk." Then when I try to unmount from the menu above I get "The disk
MAC HD1 could not be unmounted. Make sure that all applications and files are closed on the disk." I am a pretty tech-savvy guy, and my friend and I proceeded to put about 4-6 hours into trying to find what application/program/process might be keeping the disk from unmounting. We tried using sudo commands in terminal to kill spotlight, deleted every application/file that we could, and force quit everything and relaunched Finder. No luck. We decided to download What's Keeping Me, a program that shows processes and applications that are using the disk itself. Weirdly, it didn't show any processes for MAC HD1, but we looked closer and through a options window opened all open files on MAC HD1, which seemed to be at least 300. However, the list was just text, and we were unable to find out how to close any of them. I tried going to the Apple Store and they didn't help either. I'm simply wondering what it would take to unmount my MAC HD1 disk so I can finally get to using my purchased Mac Mini.
Side Note:
If this changes anything, my friend did say he was using the Mac Mini for a server of some sort, but he thought he turned it off already.... Anyways, just giving extra knowledge I know about the problem.
Specs:
Model Name: Mac mini
Model Identifier: Macmini4,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 8 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MM41.0042.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.65f2
- Landon

the Lion Installer ( OSINSTALL.MPKG ) does more then only check for the CPU.
1) It checks CPU for 64bit capable ( core2duo and all later )
2) It checks for the presence of minimum 2*1024 ( 2048MB Ram )
3) It checks the SerialNumber, Board ID, MacModel Name, Year of Production and SMBios Version if they are whitlisted as "ok to install". The Installers "Distribution" file contains also MacModel IDs that are blocked completely.
Obviously your Mac Mini does not pass check 3) as your Mini is one of the blocked ones.

Similar Messages

Error "cannot unmount disk"

I tried to erase+ reformat my Seagate HD for Macs but got the error "cannot unmount disk." Does anyone know what this means and how to fix it?
Thanks in advance.

In Terminal use the umount command. You will need to know the identifier of the disk you're trying to unmount. The command will look something like 'umount /dev/disk1'.

Cannot unmount disk

I am trying to install OS X 10.4.6 on an iBook.
I am installing from a DVD copy made by the local apple store.
The "Checking your installation DVD" part completes without errors.
During the install it stops and says:
BomFatalError - cpio read error: bad file format
Install failed: some files for BSD may not have been written correctly
I've tried this several times, always with the same error.
In the Disk Utility - First Aid tab, I tried Verify Disk and Repair disk, both which fail with "Could not unmount disk"
I also tried Verify Disk Permission and Repair Disk Permissions, both of which complete successfully.
Then I tried to erase the disk (1 pass), and it says:
Zero Disk failed with error
Could not unmount disk.
What else can I do?
iBook
PowerBook4.3
PowerPC 750(1.12)
1 cpu
700Mhz
640mb ram

Here's the readme...sorry, don't know what we're looking for, so the whole thing:
Read Before You Install Mac OS X
Read this document before you install Mac OS X. It includes information about supported computers, system requirements, and installing Mac OS X.
For more information about Mac OS X, visit this website: • www.apple.com/macosx/
For the latest information about using Mac OS X, connect to the Internet and open Mac Help. To open Mac Help, click the Help menu in the Finder and choose Mac Help.
For information about the support available for this product, see the AppleCare Software Services and Support Guide included with Mac OS X.
System requirements
You must have a Macintosh computer with: • a PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor • a DVD drive • built-in FireWire
• at least 256 MB of RAM • a built-in display or a display connected to an Apple-supplied video card supported
by your computer • at least 3 GB of disk space available, or 4 GB if you install the developer tools
If you see a message in the Installer that you do not have enough disk space to install Mac OS X, you can deselect items to save space. To deselect items, click Custom Install in the Easy Install panel.
Updating your computer’s firmware
You may need to update your computer’s firmware. It’s best to update the firmware before installing Mac OS X. If you haven’t started the Mac OS X Installer, check the Apple Software Updates website to see if there are any firmware updates for your computer:
• www.apple.com/support/downloads/
If you don’t do this, you may see a message that you need to update your computer’s firmware when you start the Installer. To update the firmware, you will need to quit the Installer and restart your computer using your current startup disk, then check the Software Updates website.
If you have problems with your computer after installing this version of Mac OS X, you might need to update the firmware even though you did not see a message when you installed the software. Check the Software Updates website for recent firmware updates for your computer.
Starting installation
To start installing Mac OS X, insert the Mac OS X Install DVD and double-click the Install Mac OS X icon:
You can also start installing Mac OS X by inserting the Install DVD and restarting your computer while holding down the C key, or by selecting the Install DVD as your startup disk using Startup Disk preferences.
Quitting the Installer
If you need to quit the Installer before you click Install in the Easy Install or Custom Install pane, choose Quit Installer from the Installer application menu, then click Startup Disk to select a startup disk for your computer.
If you have already clicked Install, wait until installation finishes.
Advice about hardware compatibility Installing on a Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White)
If you have a Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) that came with an Apple SCSI hard disk, do not choose UNIX File System (UFS) as the format for the destination disk.
Installing on a computer with a third-party SCSI card
If you have a third-party SCSI card installed in your computer and you cannot start up Mac OS X, attach a disk drive or terminator to one of the card’s ports. If you continue to have problems, try removing the card. Contact the manufacturer of the card for more information about using the card with Mac OS X.
Installing on a computer with a third-party video card
If you have a third-party video card installed in your computer, you may need to remove it before you install Mac OS X. Contact the manufacturer of the card for more information about using the card with Mac OS X.
Advice about installing Mac OS X Erasing and formatting your disk
When you install Mac OS X, you can erase the destination disk you select. In the “Select a Destination” pane of the Installer, click the Options button. Select Erase and Install then choose a format. In most cases, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
Important Do not choose UNIX File System (UFS) unless you need to work with this format. If you choose UFS, Mac OS 9 and all Mac OS 9 applications must be installed on a Mac OS Extended format disk to use them with the Classic environment.
To install Mac OS X on the same disk or disk partition as Mac OS 9, the disk must be in Mac OS Extended format. If it isn’t, quit the Installer and back up your files, then reformat the disk.
You can also partition your hard disk into several volumes before you install Mac OS X. In the Installer, choose Utilities > Open Disk Utility and click Partition. Partitioning the disk erases the entire disk, so be sure to back up your files first.
Installing optional software
Easy Install installs all the software you need to use Mac OS X, but does not install some additional software. If you want to install this optional software or you don’t want to install all the software installed using Easy Install, click Custom Install and select the items you want to install. If you want to install this optional software later, insert the Mac OS X Install DVD and double-click Optional Installs.
Locating the Installer log
When you install Mac OS X, the Installer saves a log of the installation. To see the log, open Console (in /Applications/Utilities), click Logs, then click the triangle next to / var/log and select install.log.
Reinstalling Mac OS X
To reinstall Mac OS X, insert the Mac OS X Install DVD and double-click the Install Mac OS X icon, then follow the onscreen instructions. When you see the “Select a Destination” pane, click Options to select how to install Mac OS X:
• Select “Archive and Install” to save your existing system files, user accounts and their home folders, and existing network settings. The Installer saves files in a folder named Previous System so that you can copy them to an appropriate location later. You cannot start up your computer using the Previous System folder.
• Select “Erase and Install” to erase the destination volume and install a new copy of Mac OS X. If you select this option, you will lose all your files and the software you have installed on the destination volume, so you may want to back it up first. If you select this option, you can choose the format for the volume. In most cases, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) from the pop-up menu.
Setting up and connecting to the Internet
If you have an existing Internet service provider (ISP) and you’re installing Mac OS X for the first time, you need to enter your Internet connection information when installation finishes. Be sure to have the information available. If you have problems connecting to the Internet, contact your ISP to make sure you have the correct information.
Advice about using Mac OS X If you have problems starting up
If you cannot start up your computer, insert the Mac OS X Install DVD and restart your computer while holding down the C key. Choose, Choose > Open Disk Utility, then click First Aid to repair your disk.
If you have problems starting up your computer and you have devices connected to your computer such as FireWire drives, USB printers, or external displays, try disconnecting them before starting up again.
Upgrading your applications and other software
For best results with Mac OS X, look for versions of your applications that are built for Mac OS X. Check the Mac OS X website for information about available applications:
• www.apple.com/macosx/
If you cannot find Mac OS X versions, upgrade to the latest Mac OS 9 version to use with the Mac OS X Classic environment. Check with the manufacturers for the latest updates.
Using POP email accounts and On My Mac mailboxes in Tiger and Panther
If you have a shared home folder and you access a POP email account using Mail in both Mac OS X Panther and Mac OS X Tiger, you will not see messages that you retrieve in one version when you switch to the other.
As an alternative, you can deselect the option to remove copies from the server after retrieving your messages. To change this option, open the Accounts pane of Mail preferences and click Advanced.
You will not see messages saved in a mailbox on your computer when you switch from one version to another. To avoid this problem, use separate home folders for each version of Mac OS X.
Your IMAP account will synchronize automatically when you switch between Mail in Tiger and Panther.
© 2005 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, FireWire, Macintosh, Mac OS, and Power Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. PowerPC is a trademark of International Business Corporation, used under license therefrom.

Cannot connect to mac mini before login

I just got a mac mini (the latest model) and turned on screen sharing and ssh. After I login (using a wired keyboard), I can connect to it from my MBP using VNC or SSH. But if I simply turn it on and do not login, I cannot connect to it (and I cannot even ping its IP address). Plus, it will turn off after 5 minutes (it is not asleep because tapping on keyboard does not wake it). I think this is not expected. I should be able to remotely connect to it even if I do not login locally. Does anyone have a solution?

Can you check your router to see if an IP address is assigned to the mini from your MBP? If so, you should be able to access it. You're right; you shouldn't need to login to get an IP address assigned. That should be requested at boot. The other thing, if you haven't already done so, make sure in:
System Preferences > Energy Saver > Select "Wake for Ethernet network access", as well as:
System Preferences > Sharing > Select "Remote Login" and "Remote Management"
While I don't have a mini (considering one now), that's what I have done to access my Mac and it does receive an IP address prior to my logging in.

Cannot use my Mac Mini server as Time Machine server

Hello,
May some one can help me...
I try to connect clients to a time Machine server, well it's seems to be a bit difficult, I created user's accounts, computers accounts, group of computers... It works for the update services, but after configuring Time Machine on the server, shared in server admin, in Workgroup manager, file sharing, preference pane, user's services... I can see the volume in time machine preferences, but there is always the same issue, first message is "the disk is not reachable" second "there is a probleme with the network name and password" I tried with different posix, ACLS, with user's password, server admin password, directory admin password... Well I'm a bit tired...
I tried on the server and on a Promise 4To, I can see the shared items folder and the Backups foledr and that the only thing I can do...
Well if some one can help me it will be great for me and for every body arround me...
Thanks,
Nicolas

Hello Peter,
Thanks for your answer.
There must be something wrong in the different steps I follow.
Firts I set Time machine on the server for each user, shoosing the Volume "SmartStor" (a network volume attached on the Mac Mini server) it creates a "Shared items" folder with a "Backups" folder in.
In Server Admin tools I can see in the AFP services the share point /Backups
In Workgroup Manager I set the Time Machine's preferences for the different computers and computers' group with the path afp://myserver.local/Backups/
At least on my client's computer I can shoose the volume "Backups" "on my server".
And it doesn't work... even with all the logins and password, User's, Dir Admin and Server Admin.
With User's and Dir Admin it runs quickly and tells "the volume is not reachable on account of wrong user's name or password"
With Server Admin login and password it runs indefinitly, nothing occurs ...
Is there something to do in terminal ?
Well I tried to find explanations on the web but I found nothing for the moment... The informations are to set a network volume in Terminal in place of the default one...
'Hope to find soon, I can't stand that something runs for every one but not with me...

Cannot unmount disks

Hi:
I have been reading the post here in the Mac Pro forum for about six months and this is my first answer (and my first problem with my MP)
In short, the problem I am having is that Carbon Copy Cloner, wich I have been using for cloning my start up disk to a second internal HD without any problem since I bought my MP, has stopped doing so. The message “can not unmount disk“ shows up. Can not unmount in Disk Utility neither. So, I can not clone my disk as my normal security routine. Rebuilding start up disk´s directory (wich I do before every week clone) with DW4 is not longer possible, nor even booting from DW4 cd. This started happennig after my first system freeze and the installation of a 3rd HD in bay 3 (the same day and in that order) After freeze I repaired with Maintenance, then I installed the HD.
Any help will be very, very wellcome.
(and excuse for my english, guys.)
Mac Pro Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Hi The Hatter:
I do appreciate very much your help in this matter. I have learned a lot reading your answers to another peolpe´s questions.
To the point:
MAINTENANCE is a system maintenance and cleaning app. I switched to it from ONYX. Take a look at it at:
http://www.titanium.free.fr/pgs2/english/maintenance.html
I am sure you know well this app, but maybe I wrote its name in a funny way. I do my cleaning tasks with MAIN MENU as well. Wich one is the best, in your opinion?
I do boot from my clone disk every week. From it I repair the directory of my “main“ disk. Then I restart and boot from my “main“ disk and clone it (using CCC) to my Back Up HD. I do reuild the directoy before cloning following a recommendation I found in Bombich´s forums. This is about not to cloning a already “deffective“ system. When this problem appeared I booted from DW cd as a last option procedure.
You are right!!! I would be doing better with a Emergency Partition. I have been lazy on this point.
Until now, I thought that running maintenance scripts and cleaning with MAINTENANCE (or ONYX) and rebuilding directory before cloning to another HD would keep me safe.
Know I believe that to be safe the best I can do is not to have a computer and move to a deep, fresh and green forest.
So. Wich is your maintenance and back up procedure, Hatter? I am stilI learning and am sure that it would be a good thing to know how do you keep your machine safe.
(But think about the forest, Hatter... Think about it...)
Mac Pro Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Problems Restoring Erasing Drive: Cannot Unmount Disk

I just intalled an SSD in my macbook pro, and would like to use my old hard drive as a storage disk. When i boot into the ssd (mountian lion) and try to erase the old disk it says it cannot unmount the disk. i have also tried booting off an external disk (also mountain lion) and i get the same problem. Any ideas would be greatly apprectiated.

Sometimes when DU can't unmount a drive or volume it's because something else like Spotlight or TimeMachne has it in use. Set your Spotlight to ignore the drive.
Also try using command r booting into Recovery for Disk Utlity there, it doesn't have Spotlight, TM or anything like that so it should unmount the drive.
If your still having problems and you don't care about the data on the drive, then you can try buring a disk of Parted Magic ISO and see if you can option key or c key boot off of it and go hog wild messing up the drive's data and boot flags.
Once that's done use Recvoery to Secure Erase (middle selection) and that will take care of it, then format GUID OS X extended journaled, GUID or MBR + exFAT or whatever.

Dual disk Mac mini server - disk issue Disk Utility can't repair

ML Server.
There are two disks: Server OS HD and Server Mac HD. The Server OS HD only contains the OS and the Apple software update catalog. The Users folder is on the Server Mac HD. When the server is started / running, I go to the Disk utility > verify the Server Mac HD and I am told the Journal needs to be replayed but the volume is read only (it can't be!) and some other errors with regards to headers and bitmaps. DU then stops verifying the disk. I start the Mac mini / Server into recovery mode, try to verify the Server Mac HD. There are no problems - the "disk appears to be okay". I did this several times to same effect! How the heck do I repair the disk?

I see what you mean about live verification.
But didn't realize that the common sensical approach of separating the OS data from non-OS (user) data was an unusual config. Figured, it couldn't have any downside to it or atleast the least drawbacks.... had considered striping etc. but coulnd't see THAT much of a benefit in striping given my particular use / scenario. I have the system backed up to an external Time Machine drive (and will be doing an offsite / online backup of mostly user folders in the near future).
It would be interesting to see the results of fsck check though, like John said.
Anyway this whole thing was initiated because one of the users was getting an error of iTunes library being on a read only volume or on a locked volume. After repairing the Mac HD through Disk Utility in recovery mode (evethough no errors were found, I simply repaired it), that issue seemed to have resolved. So eventhough DU reported no errors, there must have been some small error - atleast it seems that way!
Thanks to both for the help!

Cannot print to Mac mini Server print server from MBP

Setup two USB printers on a Mac Mini server, they were recognized and new drivers downloaded. I can print from this machine. I shared them over LPR, IPP and SMB and announced through Bonjour
I installed the printers on a new MBP
When I try to print it starts to spool but the printer goes to pause. If I un pause it just goes back to pause.
The error log said printer does not exist, I have removed and reinstalled the printers - no change
I have no quotas
Firewall ports open
Have tried printing via LPR, IPP using generic PostScript driver and vendor specific
Printer service is up in Server Admin
I have not setup a an LDAP entry for this device as I thought I would not have to - am I worng here
The other odd thing is I have Parallels setup on same MBP and I loaded Bonjour there and it prints fine from the VM - wierd huh?
What have I done wrong here

How do you locate the firewall settings on the server?

My Firewire HDD cannot use with Mac Mini

I have Firewire 400 HDD and it work well with my MacBook with firewire 400 port, but when I use it with Firewire 800 + logitech firewire 800-400 cable it not work correctly, sometime It can't see the hdd, sometime It see but I can't copy file from/to my hdd.
I did bring the cable to test with another Mac Mini that brought together it did the same, but when I take it to the store thay can use it with MacPro correctly without any problem.
Can anyone help me to figure it out

What OS is your MacBook running? I have an iPod that kills the FireWire ports on Leopard systems, but works OK on Tiger. When I upgraded my MacBook to OS 10.5.7 from 10.4.11, FireWire went bad with that iPod. It drove me nuts with my new Mini running Leopard.
There are some Firewire interface chips which are incompatible with some Macs, and you can also check with the HDD manufacturer to see if there is a firmware update.

Cannot get new Mac Mini to detect TV

I've just got a new Mac Mini which I wanted to connect to my TV via HDMI. I used to use my Macbook to connect to it using mini DVI to HDMI and it worked fine but the Mac Mini doesn't detect it at all. I've tried changing the resolution and various other things but no luck. Any ideas how to get it working?

Install the recent EFI firmware update for your mini that was just released. It should be available through software update. Do one power cycle of your mini after this firmware update.
Power your mini off. Power on the TV and switch to the specific HDMI port connected to your mini. Now, power on the mini. See if this TV first scenario and the firmware update resolve your TV detection and HDMI picture.

Cannot unmount disk from standard user account (bound to AD)

I have an intel iMac running 10.8.2 with problems unmounting disks. This isn't an issue from administrative accounts. However, any standard account requires authentication by an administrator to unmount a disk. I ran top while trying to unmount the disk and noticed that the daemon securityagent kept emerging. Unfortunately I can seem to modify any config or plist files to stop this prompt from happening. I need standard users to be able to mount and unmount disks from the machine. Here is what I've tried:
Safe booting
removing the plugin at /System/Library/CoreServices/SecurityAgentPlugins/DiskUnlock.bundle
Writing an Applescript running a diskutil command with administrator privileges (I'm sure the syntax was fine because it worked on a 10.7 machine)
removing com.apple.unmountassistant.useragent.plist
Disk Utility
I might be forgetting a step or two but that's about it. Any ideas?

Open Console in Utilities & see if there are any clues or repeating messages when this happens.
Could Spotlight or TM be running on those drives in that account?

Cannot remotely access mac mini via Chicken of the VNC post recent updates

Hi, updated my remote mac mini A running OS X 10.4 with QuickTime 7.5 for Tiger and AirPort Utility 5.3.2 Tiger yesterday. I can connect from my mac mini B via ssh into the mac mini A, but for some reason Chicken of the VNC will not work (it was working prior to the updates). I get the following message "channel 3: open failed: connect failed: Connection refused" in the command window when I try to get access to the computer via Chicken of the VNC and Chicken of the VNC itself tells me that the connection is refused.
Any suggestions? How can I remove the AirPort Utility 5.3.2 Tiger which I assume is the culprit? Thanks
(mac mini A is miles away, the only access I have is via the command window)

Welcome to the forums, and thanks for the tip!

HT1338 cannot eject my mac mini the disk stuck

at first icannot put in the dvd or a cd in it. it just stuck whenever whenever the cd or the dvd disk is halfway inside so ithought there was something inside but its was clean inside the cd drive there are no object or whatever small things in it so i just used some writing pad by inserting it and slowly pulling it out and there was this spinning sound that the drive is working, so eventually i tried to insert the disk suddenly it works but after a couple of ejecting and inserting then it happened it wont eject but i can hear the spin of the disk but it just wont pop out. thanks if there could be onte that could help me solve it

Reboot and hold down the mouse button until it ejects.

Cannot receive mail - Mac Mini mail - can send, not receive

Cannot receive mail - Using Mac Mail - Can connect with internet - Can send, but not receive
== This happened ==
Every time Firefox opened
== Noon on June 26, 2010 ==
== User Agent ==
Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10_5_8; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.16 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0 Safari/533.16

If you don't mind me asking, what domain is MacMail under?

Cannot unmount disk - Mac Mini

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for