Confused - Mail - Disk Utility - HELP

Mail is slow to respond or will not respond at all leading to a forever spinning ball. Attempted to find an answer in mail thread. Was lead to Disk Utility. I do not understand this at all. Used Verify Disk, it states Invalid node structure The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired. Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit. Repair disk is greyed out. I started up from disk. Repair disk is still grey. Other person who was trying to help become obviously frustrated with me and said they give up and to get help elsewhere. Please help.

Hi Cherryblossom,
Let's take this one problem at a time and the most important after reading your post is your internal disk. When you say you, "started up from disk", do you mean you started up from your Tiger restore disk? You're running 10.4.9, on a PBookG4 so you must have the Tiger disk. Running Disk Utility from the Applications/Utility folder on the drive can't repair the hard drive. Only booting from the system restore disk (Tiger in this case) can do the job.
If Disk Utility can repair the hard drive here is how to do that.
Make sure your PBook is shut down. Now, while holding down the C key, press the power button and insert the system disk all at the same time. You can let go of the C key when you see the Apple logo on the screen. Now, an Installer window will open by default. Quit the Installer from the Menu and instead click Utilities in the Menu, then click Disk Utility. When Disk Utility opens, select MacintoshHD in the panel on the left. Then click the Verify button. DU will scan the drive, report errors if any. Then the Repair button should be available at this point. If DU reports errors, click the Repair button. Disk Utility will advise one way or the other if it can repair the disk. If it can't, your options are this. You can purchase a great disk repair such as DiskWarrior from www.alsoft.com, OR, locate an Apple store or Apple reseller in your area.
As for Mail. Try this: Locate this file: com.apple.mail.plist
it's located here: MacintoshHD/Users/YourName/Library/Preferences. Open the Preferences folder, locate that file and drag it to the Trash. Now, try to launch and use Mail and see if it cooperates. You will have to reset your Mail/Preferences but if this works, it's minor in comparison to dealing with the spinning ball.
I sure hope something helps and you can always Reply for more help.
Carolyn

Similar Messages

Why do my applications hang (Mail, Disk Utility, Installer, Safari)

After the latest software update. Mail, Safari, Disk Utility, Installer, Activity monitor and some more applications do nothing more than jumping in the Dock and then hang-up with the spinning wheel always spinning... I think it was after the 2006-003 security update, or maybe the ITunes update....I'just don't know anymore...
I have tried to downgrade to the 10.3.7 combo update but the installer App behaves just the same... If it wasn't for Fire fox I wouln't be writing here.
During my search on these forums I have found a thread that stated that the latest ITunes update was responsible, I downgraded it to 6.0.1, and it worked until I restarted my mac... Then it didn't work anymore, all my Apple apps are not opening.
I really need some help with this...
The wierd thing is that all other (non-Apple) programs run just fine, like the whole Adobe CS and Macromedia Packages.
If anyone has a solution, please be so kind to let me know.
Thanks all

Try this and see if it works for you.
dee
kmosx: Apps unexpectedly quit
Posted: Dec 19, 2004 8:11 AM
Here are some possible reasons for this problem.
1. Recent Update: Download and reapply the most recent Combo Update: Mac OS X Combined Update 10.3.9 or Mac OS X Update 10.4.2 Combo
2. Font duplicates: Please read the articles by Kurt Lang and J.Otava here: Kurt Lang: Font Management in OS X Panther and J.Otava: Fonts & Apple Type Services
3. Corrupted preferences:
Go to Users/Your_Name/Library/Preferences and trash the files:
- com.apple.ATS.plist
- com.apple.BezelServices.plist
Restart. If this did not help, go to Users/Your_Name/Library and drag the folder Preferences to the desktop. Restart and see if this solved the problem
4. Permissions:
Symptoms:
a. Only Apple applications affected
b. Also happens when you switch to a new user.
c. First appeared after update to 10.3.4, 10.3.5 or 10.3.6
This usually happens if you do not repair permissions before you update to 10.3.4 or later. There are (unconfirmed) hints that corrupted cache files might also contribute to this problem. You can clean caches with programs like Cocktail or Panther Cache Cleaner. The only solution I am aware of is to do an Archive&Install.
You also might want to read this article: Applications don't work after reinstalling Mac OS X
Remember: Repair permissions before and after an update!
If none of the above solves the problem you might have to do an Archive&Install:
1. Insert the Install CD 1 and reboot while holding down the c-key
2. Once you are booted go to the menu and select disk utility
3. Repair the disk and Repair permissions!
4. Quit disk utility and proceed with the installation
5. Under "options" select "Archive&Install" and check the box "keep user and network data".
6. Install Panther
7. Restart
8. Go to the folder Application/Utilities and run disk utility to repair permissions again.
9. Download (or open if you downloaded before) Mac OS X Combined Update 10.3.9 or Mac OS X Update 10.4.2 Combo and install it.
10. Restart and repair permisssions
11. Go to the Apple menu and select "Software Update"
12. Install all missing updates and restart.
13. Repair permissions
For further information on Archive&Install read these articles:
Mac OS X 10.2, 10.3: About the Archive and Install feature
a brody: Installation options and their meaning

Western Digital drive not showing up in disk utility--Help please.

Hello all. This is my first post. I am having trouble with my WD 500GB external hard drive. It is not showing up in disk utility when connected either via the firewire or USB ports. I purchased the drive about 8months ago, brought it home and set it up as my Time Machine backup drive. It worked great for several months, until it got full. Then it stopped showing up on the desktop for no apparent reason. I discovered through reading support documents on the Apple web site that when I set the drive up initially I should have changed the partitioning protocol from master boot record to GUID, but I did not. I followed the apple web site instructions for making the change expos facto, but was instructed to press buttons that were "grayed out". As such, I couldn't do it. Perhaps foolishly, I thought that I would just start all over by reinitializing it, formatting it correctly (with my new found knowledge) and then do the time machine backup fresh. However, the drive no longer shows up in disk utility no matter how or in what order I connect it. When the drive is connected by firewire there is evidence of some recognition of the drive in system profiler, but it is listed as "External HDD Buttons and Lights". There is also evidence of the My Book showing up at a minimal level (eg. the firmware revision and a few other details are listed). On the front of the drive is a ring of blue lights that progress in a clockwise direction as soon as a connection is made via either firewire or USB. Before that it is solid blue. I have read through all the info that I can find on this site, and all the suggestions require the drive being recognized in disk utility. Without that, I am stuck. I know this must be a solvable problem, because the drive just a bucket of parts before it was manufactured. I just don't know enough to solve the problem or even know what qeustion to ask. I would really appreciate some help. Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long post.

If you can't boot from an OSX DVD, it sounds bad. Yet I think you said you were running Disk Utility from the DVD?
I got an external Firewire drive enclosure for 2.5 inch IDE drives from Other World Computing (OWC)
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MOTGFW400/ but similar items are available from many vendors like Newegg. About $60 for the basic model. More money can buy additional interfaces on the enclosure like FW800 and USB2; an AC adapter instead of letting the firewire bus power the drive (usually OK).

"revert" deleted hard drive name in disk utility HELP!!

I booted my wifes macbook pro 10.4.11 in target mode and connected it to my computer, macbook pro 10.5.6 and went into my disk utility to create a partition in the other computer. I used my disk utility from 10.5.6 because for some reason it got erased from the 10.4.11
so I started to do 2 partitions. It said there was not enough room so I clicked on "revert" and for some reason the name of the "macintosh hd" disappeared and I ejected the computer in target mode. Then when I tried to start it up, it just kept flashing a folder with a question mark. I booted again in target mode but still no "indented" "macintosh hd". it seems like it came unmounted maybe?
I have tried starting from x key, resetting pram, trying to load from install disc (which gets to the point where it asks where to install the OS and no HD shows up to choose) and even taking it to the apple store where they said the HD is damaged and/or corrupt. Before trying to reclaim the files, if I can, I wanted to see if anyone had this same issue and if it was solvable. I cant believe that I hit "revert" and it erased my hard drive name and it automatically made my HD corrupt or damaged?
PLEASE help anyone!
or if this is a lost cause, is there a good file recovery program where I can get my WIFES files back! Yeah, I am in trouble.
Thanks!

If anything can be recovered at all, you should quit using the computer asap. The more you use it the more OSX will write over those spots where the files were.
Data Rescue II...
http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php
(Has a Free Demo to see if it could or not, but you'll need another drive to recover to).
Or FileSalvage...
http://www.subrosasoft.com/OSXSoftware/index.php?%20mainpage=product_info&productsid=1
to recover what you can.
BUT, you'll need that other Mac with this one in FW Target Mode
BTW, don't use Leopards Disk Utility to do anything to a Tiger Hard Drive.

Drive has reported a fatal error to Disk Utility, HELP ME PLEASE!!!

I'm a little worried my Macbook Pro has become an overpriced paperweight.
Here's what happened:
I had a spare 512MB RAM, which was taken out of my 24" iMac Intel Core 2 Duo when I replced it with a 1GB RAM and, after checking several sources on the web, successfully installed the extra RAM in the MBP.
I restarted the MBP and the new RAM was registered after checking in About this Mac. I then began using the MBP as normal and wrote and saved a Word document. I clicked on the email and Safari icons in the dock and they just kept bouncing in the dock without launching. Pressed Power button - nothing. Took out the battery and replaced it after 30secs and pressed power button. All I got was the grey screen with the Apple logo and the winding circle which stayed like that for 20 minutes.
First reaction was to remove the RAM and restart. Same endless grey screen and winding circle.
Rebooted from CD, checked disk and repaired and said everything was OK. Restarted without CD still nothing.
Tried Archive and Install and came back with an error during installation.
Tried Erase and Install - same error.
Tried to select startup disk and it no longer could find my HD yet Disk Utility could find it and told me everything was OK. Tried resetting PRAM nothing.
Tried to erase the HD and nothing happened. Erasing a HD takes some time, but everytime I hit erase 10 seconds later it was back to the same point where I began
Next tried to create one single partition and struck the message Drive has reported a fatal hardware error to disk utility. Even the lettering for the main drive is now in red.
Do I need to replace the hard drive altogether or is there a solution to this problem. Was it the RAM that brought me undone or was that just a coincidence?
PLEASE HELP ME!!!

make sure that you haven't used it yet as RAM can only be used in one machine, not transferred to another one (like you did).
Sorry, but that's completely untrue, and I don't know where you might have read or heard such a fallacy. RAM has no registration that even tells a system that it's been used, much less a key that would make it work only in one system. As long as the RAM is properly compatible and precautions are taken not to shock a system with static electricity while removing or inserting the component or causing mechanical damage, a RAM module can be swapped between systems as often as desired.

Partitioning my iPod using Disk Utility help?

Hi there.
I'm trying to partition my iPod so I can back up some stuff (I lack an external HD) but every time I click on the partition tab I get "Disk Utility has lost its connection with the disc management tool and cannot continue"
Yes, I've completely deleted iTunes and all those pkg. files, still doesn't work. I've honestly no idea what to do next! It's driving me mental.
Please help, thanks!

I don't know if you are aware that partitioning the iPod means it loses it's ability to play music?
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA26466?viewlocale=en_US
You can store files on the iPod without the need to partition by simply enabling disk use. Although I would caution that the iPod is not really a reliable enough device for long term back up purposes.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1478?viewlocale=en_US

Disk Utility Help! There is no Mac HDD shown under my Hard drive. Repair disk is grayed out.

I can't repair my Mac HDD in Disk Utility. Nothing is popping up under my Hard Drive. Please Help!

Yes, it matters. You need to repair the hard drive with the Install disc of the version of the operating system which is installed on the hard drive.
Try starting up in Safe Mode as an alternative to using the OS Install DVD in order to repair the hard drive.
Once started up in Safe Mode, you can click on the Apple logo in the upper left of the display and choose "About This Mac" to find out important information about the MacBook. What information is listed there?
After starting up in Safe Mode, try starting up normally and then go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility and repair permissions on the named boot volume.
I suppose you are having problems, or you would not be needing to repair the hard drive? You may want to let us know what problems you are experiencing.
Please include the exact model of the MacBook. You can choose from this list:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook/index-macbook.html
Also, which version of the OS is installed, how much RAM is installed, and what it the hard drive capacity and how much space remains available on it?

Disk utility help

Disk utility will not erase free space it gets almost to the end and starts creating a temp file. The hard drive then fills until there's no space left.
I've tried the same in terminal from the admin account with the same result.
I've tried in single user mode but the command doesn't seem to even start...left it for a long time.
running fsck -yf from S u Mode and mounting the drive has returned the disk to the expected free space but the same error occurs each time.
In S u mode I'm using: diskutil secureErase (squarebracket)freespace(squarebracket) 1 /
thanks

Neil
Thanks for the explanation.
I get the same behavior each time. ie a full disk (disk full warning) and disk utility stops. Standard & admin accounts.
fsck worked the first time and found orphand files which appeard in the trash on reboot into the admin account but then this stopped.
I've also used CliX in the admin account to purge 'tmp' and also force empty the trash. which 'may-be' why I've got back some space? At present about ten GB are still missing.
CliX nor terminal were working from my standard account it kept saying password incorrect try again hence the attempt at using Single-user-Mode.
(having run disk utility from the standard account I'd need to purge the temp file from there?)
In any case Disk utility app has now stopped working altogether. Even the icon has turned generic.
I've tried re-installing it from pacifist but this had no effect. The generic app icon bounces once in the dock and then nada.
It would be helpful if someone could tell me if I've got the SuMode command right as when I use it it just seems to hang and I've left it with fans and all for over 2 hours with nothing happening.
I'm using
diskutil secureErase [freespace] 1 /
also
diskutil repairPermissions /
with the same behaviour, the cursor moves down one line and stops.
(25670) back at ya.
Bob

Bootcamp/Disk Utility Help

Hi everyone,
Yesterday I tried deleting the Windows partition I had on my Macbook Pro. I tried deleting the partition using Bootcamp assistant, but I got an error message. I don't remember exactly what the error message said, but essentially it was unable to join that partition to the existing OSX partition. The Windows partition was deleted, however, since when I open disk utility, there is no Bootcamp partition listed.
I tried going into the disk utility, clicking on my hard drive and dragging the OSX partition box down to reclaim the hard drive space allocated to the windows partition and clicking "apply", but this gave me the following error message: "Partition failed with the error: Couldn't modify partition map because file system verification failed". I tried doing what the following article told me to do:
http://osxdaily.com/2012/03/05/fix-p...led-error-mac/
However this has not helped, as the next time I tried to reclaim the partition space, I got the same error listed above.
My ultimate goal in all of this is to reformat my macbook pro since it had slowed down significantly. I have installed OSX Mavericks on a USB stick to install the OS once I can figure this mess out. I'd greatly appreciate any help you guys could provide. Thanks!

Hold down Option command and R to boot into internet recovery.
Or boot from the USB if its capable.
Erase the top level hard drive, then re-install OS X.

Disk utility help (in reference to my grey screen question)

i couldn't boot in safe mode so i put in the software installer dic 1 and held down c at start. it booted up to the disk and came to an install screen. i got to disk utilites, click macintosh hd, clicked first aid and then repair.
after it finished at the bottom it said:
1 HFS volume repaired
1 volume could not be repaired
after scrolling up i saw:
volume bit map needs minor repair
invalid volume free block count
(should be 10867732 instead of 10863920)
then i click info and this is what came up:
disk identifier : disk0s3
mount point : /volumes/macintosh hd
file system : mac os extended (journaled)
connection bus : ATA
io content : apple_HFS
device tree : pci2/ata-6@d/@o:3
writable : yes
capacity : 74.4 gb
free space : 41.5 gb
used : 32.9 gb
number of files : 239,858
number of folders : 58,448
permissions enabled : yes
can turn permissions off : yes
can repair permissions : no
can be verified : yes
can be repaired : yes
can be formatted : yes
bootable : yes
so i thought i was done and went back to the install screen and quit. it restarted my mac but still wouldn't get past the grey screen.
do i have to install osx again, and if so will i lose all my music, photos and other stuff i have saved on my hd?

Hi! If the stuff is important your best shot is to get Diskwarrior and try it. OR you could use the archive and install feature to try and install a new system but beware any time you are having disk problems there's a chance of losing everything...that's why you back stuff up..for times like this. Tom

Disk Utility - Erase Free Space

Hey Forum,
I am using mac snow leopard on my macbook and I wanted to erase the free space on my hard drive, so is the zero-out free space enough, or do I need the 7-pass erase free space. I just wanted more disk space, thats it. So can anyone tell me what are each options for? And do i need to 7-pass erase if i just wanted more disk space?
I await your favorable replies.
Thank you.
Regards.
Ala.

As The hatter says, the erase free space option has nothing to do with creating more free disk space -- the space is already free.
If you are confused about this, just open Disk Utility to the "Erase" tab & click the purple question mark at the bottom of the window. This will open Disk Utility Help to the topic *Erasing disks*. Refer to the last subject, *Securely erasing empty space* & if necessary click the link below it to go to the help topic *Erasing free disk space*, which explains this function in more detail.
FWIW, should you ever need to use this security function, a one pass secure erase is probably adequate to make the data unrecoverable.

Drive Utility Help Viewer "does not know how to handle selected URL"

I have Drive Utility 10.5.6, according to . I'm trying to reformat a FAT32 partition on an external drive to Mac OS X Ext. Journaled in preparation for using SuperDuper to back up my Mac HD boot partition. For a time, which seems to have passed, now that erasing the partition has been done. The Disk Utility Help wouldn't work. Instead of putting up topic information, I got a message saying "Help Viewer does not know how to handle selected URL", followed by an reference to an html file that allegedly existed inside a set of folders inside the app. Where, of course, Finder cannot see. Once the erasing was done, Help seems to have come back. I tried Apple Support, but could only get a reference to OS 9 Appleworks macros not working in OS X. No help at all. Is this a question? I don't know. Help is working now. But for a while it was very annoying. It must be one of those little windows glitches that no one ever bothered to fix.

In order to change a FAT or NTFS formatted drive for use with OS X you will need to do the following:
Extended Hard 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. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (for Intel Macs) or APM (for PPC Macs) then click on the OK button. 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 Options 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.
If you have an Intel Mac and can partition the drive using GUID then you can have FAT32 and OS X partitions on the same drive.
As for problems with the Help viewer see:
In most cases doing the following will restore the Help Viewer:
1. Trash the following three files, if extant:
/Home/Library/Preferences/com.apple.help.plist
/Home/Library/Preferences/com.apple.helpui.plist
/Home/Library/Preferences/com.apple.helpviewer.plist
2. Trash the /Home/Library/Caches/com.apple.helpui folder.
3. Empty the Trash and Restart.
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on the Help Viewer for additional suggestions.

Can Disk Utility make a "New Image" from a desktop copy of a DVD?

I have not been able to get Disk Utility to make "new images" of a couple of DVDs. For one of the DVDs, it may have something to do with a hyphen in the title. I haven't a clue why I'm failing with the second of the two DVDs. (Previously, I've had no trouble with about a dozen DVDs so far.)
Several members of this discussion group recommended me to copy&paste or drag&drop the files from a DVD to a new folder (say on the desktop), and then to drag the resulting new folder into the box in Disk Utility, and then to make a disk image using Disk Utility.
(Note: While I believe the original DVDs are not encrypted, I ran an experiment to make double sure, by using MacTheRipper first to produce folders containing clean files.)
However, when I drag the new folder into the box in Disk Utility, and let go of the mouse button, then the folder does not stay in Disk Utility window, but instead springs back to the desktop.
How can I get Disk Utility to make new images from the new desktop folders?
Note:
As a partially successsful work around:
For one of the two original DVDs - which has only about 3.7GB on it - I can sometimes (only sometimes) succeed in doing without Disk Utility simply by dragging the audio and video files from the new desktop folder onto a blank DVD, and then burning that DVD. However, in an average of about two out of every three attempts so far, my Mac rejects the new disk as unusable during the burn process.
For the other original DVD - which has about 4.36GB on it - the contents of the new desktop folder won't fit onto a blank DVD. It then gets messy - shrinking the files - so I'd like to avoid all of that by getting DIsk Utility to work properly.

For the answer, see the following excerpt from my own posting dated 2 May 2006, i.e.:
"I finally found out for myself (from Disk Utility Help) that to make a new image from a file/folder, rather than dragging the folder to the Disk Utility pane, in the top menu bar in Disk Utility you select Images/New/Image from Folder."

Disk Utility: Create image fails with input/output error

Starting to create an image and saving it into an external hard drive (MacOS extended Journaled).
It starts after less than 60 secs it comes out with an error : Failed to create the image (input/output error)

If you don't mind I'd like to discourage you from backing up a drive onto a disc image file no matter where you plan to save it. Disc image files can be very problematical when it comes to trying to restore the backup. Furthermore, you cannot boot from a disc image. If the disc image file becomes corrupted then you have no backup.
I would like to propose that you think about a better way to backup your drive. You can clone the drive to your backup drive. It's easy to do using Disk Utility's Restore feature. A clone backup is not only bootable but you have direct access to all the files on the backup.
In order to make a bootable clone open Disk Utility. Select Disk Utility Help from the Help menu. Search for +duplicating a disk+. Click on "Duplicating a disk" at the top of the list of articles. Follow the directions.

Disk Utility - Create Image Fails

Hello all -
I'm trying to make an image of one of my hard drives as a back up. I've followed the instructions in Disk Utility help, but when I click "Save" to try to create the image I get a failure message "Unable to create <Disk Name>. (Resource Busy)".
I've tried saving to the destination with a new folder, that did not solve the problem. No other applications are running and both the source and destination disks are mounted and appearing on my desktop. The source is a USB connected drive, destination is a firewire drive, and I can read and write to both the source and destination disks.
Anyone have any idea what this failure message means and how to correct the problem? Thanks - Randy

If you don't mind I'd like to discourage you from backing up a drive onto a disc image file no matter where you plan to save it. Disc image files can be very problematical when it comes to trying to restore the backup. Furthermore, you cannot boot from a disc image. If the disc image file becomes corrupted then you have no backup.
I would like to propose that you think about a better way to backup your drive. You can clone the drive to your backup drive. It's easy to do using Disk Utility's Restore feature. A clone backup is not only bootable but you have direct access to all the files on the backup.
In order to make a bootable clone open Disk Utility. Select Disk Utility Help from the Help menu. Search for +duplicating a disk+. Click on "Duplicating a disk" at the top of the list of articles. Follow the directions.

Confused - Mail - Disk Utility - HELP

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