"Disk Activity" monitor for multiple hard drives?

Is there something like "Disk Activity" in the Activity Monitor utility to show which hard drive is accessed? I put a SSD in my Mac Pro but it occasionally hesitates for a few seconds as if it's accessing a file on one of the other three (slower) hard drives. I want to see a list of files that it needs that aren't on the SSD, so I can move them over and speed up my computer, or remove the extra hard drive eventually.

Yes, it's possible.
However for the maximum length I have not figured out.
I haven't found a reason to go past 16 characters.

Similar Messages

Recovery Disk wont work for new Hard drive.

I have a HP Pavilion dv5-2132dx with windows 7 64-bit. Recently a message started popping up warning that the hard drive might fail and I need to back up my data. I decided to buy a new hard drive. The hard drive a bought is 320GB SATA 7200RPM by western digital. It is the same brand and model as the hard drive currently in the computer. I popped in the new hard drive and inserted the recovery disks I bought from HP. The computer goes through the whole process of istalling the disks. However, on the final setup it shows the welcome screen. Then u hear a beep and then the screen goes black with a message saying that windows could not install and to try installing it again. I have done this 3 times and its always the same thing. Is this a Hard drive issue or a software issue and how can i get this to work?

Hi,
Before trying the following, make sure you can still read the 25 Character Product Activation key on your Windows COA label ( 5 blocks of 5 alpha/numeric sets ).
Assuming that this is just a problem with the Recovery process, there is a straight forward work around.
Create a retail Windows 7 installation disc yourself using another PC - just download the correct Disc Image from the link below ( this must be the exact version your notebook came with ) and use an application such as ImgBurn to burn the ISO correctly to a blank DVD - a guide on using ImgBurn to write an ISO to a disc is Here. These Images are clean and from a well-respected source, however there are only limited versions available.
Windows-7 sp1-iso-official-32-bit-and-64-bit
Use the disc to perform the installation, enter the Windows activation key found on the COA Label when requested and when the installation has completed, use the 'Phone Method' detailed in the link below to activate the OS - this method supported by Microsoft and is popular with people who just want a clean installation of Windows 7 without the additional software load normally bundled with OEM installations.
http://www.kodyaz.com/articles/how-to-activate-windows-7-by-phone.aspx
Any additional drivers you may need can be found Here.
Regards,
DP-K
****Click the White thumb to say thanks****
****Please mark Accept As Solution if it solves your problem****
****I don't work for HP****
Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience

Set sleep time for multiple hard drives

I have 2 internal hard drives on my mac, one SSD boot drive and an HDD for media.
I would like to have the HDD go to sleep when it is not in use (i.e. when I am not using itunes) which is most of the time.
I have energy saver set to sleep drives when possible, and I have used CHUB Spindown HD to set the sleep time to 7 minutes. As far as I understand though, sleep time applies to both drives (i.e. if one drive is running then it wont sleep the other). This would explain why my HDD always shows active.
Is there way to set sleep times separately for separate drives?
Thanks

Obviously, spin down doesn't apply to SSD's but for others the key phrase is "when possible." Some (usually external) drives ignore system settings completely & spin up or down according to their own internal logic. Typically, some of them automatically spin down after an internally set interval of inactivity & this is cannot be changed. Less typically, some spin up any time they are accessed, even if no actual read or write is requested, usually as a result of how proprietary energy saver features are implemented.
This should not apply to drives Apple has supplied as original equipment, or to almost any "raw" internal drive. However, certain operations keep drives spinning or spin them up, thus resetting the spin down timer, & it it isn't always obvious what they are. With your settings, if you leave the Mac alone for while, does internal never spin down? (IOW, can you hear it running without using any command to check on that?)

Multiple hard drives question

Hi:
I have multiple hard drives on my Mac Pro and I also have an iMac. I currently have Photoshop CS5 loaded on both Macs using the Snow Leopard operating system. Does anyone know if I try to load Photoshop CS5 on another hard drive on my Mac Pro swith Lion as the operating system, will that be considered like another "computer" and go beyond the two computers normally allowed?
Herman R

Does anyone know if I try to load Photoshop CS5 on another hard drive on my Mac Pro swith Lion as the operating system, will that be considered like another "computer" and go beyond the two computers normally allowed?
To my knowledge the restriction for PS activation is per computer and not per drive or operating system. At least I was able to have an old and a new system on separate HD in my MacPro with both CS5 able to run while also installed a version on my MacBook. All using Snow Leopard but I have no reason to believe this has changed for Lion.
But you are always able to install PS on more then two computers, the only downside is that you first have to deactivate one of them and activate the version on another computer. And activating and deactivating is not much work, just select it in the Help menu

Automated deployments of Windows 7 on systems with multiple hard drives

Last week I helped a customer use MDT2010 to deploy Windows 7 to ThinkStation systems with multiple hard drives. The customer has multiple HDDs in the system and wants Windows to be installed to the HDD that is connected to SATA port 1. Unfortunately Windows does not always assign "Disk 0" to the HDD on SATA port 1 - in fact it is completely random what disk ID gets assigned to which SATA port. The bug is documented by Microsoft in KB937251:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/937251
MDT2010 uses hard-coded disk IDs (0, 1, 2, etc) to specify where Windows gets installed. And because of the bug, sometimes Windows gets installed to the HDD on SATA port 1 and sometimes it gets installed to a different HDD.
The solution is to install Windows to the HDD identified by the "SELECT DISK SYSTEM" command of DISKPART. This will always return the disk that is connected to the lowest SATA port.
To configure this in MDT2010, use the following steps (refer to the attachment):
1. copy "FormatPartition.txt" and "SystemDisk.vbs" to your Scripts folder in the Deployment Share.
2. in your Task Sequence, disable the existing step called "Format and Partition Disk" (see TaskSequence.jpg)
3. create a new step at the same location called "Format and Partition Disk (custom)". The type is "General -> Run Command Line". The command line is " cmd.exe /c "diskpart /s %SCRIPTROOT%\FormatPartition.txt" "
4. on the main screen for Deployment Workbench, right-click on the Deployment Share and select "properties", then click on the "rules" tab
5. under section [Default], add the following entries (see Rules.jpg)
    - UserExit=SystemDisk.vbs
    - DestinationDisk=#DiskID#
    - DestinationPartition=1
Hopefully this info will help someone else!
Attachments:
MDT2010.zip ‏261 KB

Last week I helped a customer use MDT2010 to deploy Windows 7 to ThinkStation systems with multiple hard drives. The customer has multiple HDDs in the system and wants Windows to be installed to the HDD that is connected to SATA port 1. Unfortunately Windows does not always assign "Disk 0" to the HDD on SATA port 1 - in fact it is completely random what disk ID gets assigned to which SATA port. The bug is documented by Microsoft in KB937251:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/937251
MDT2010 uses hard-coded disk IDs (0, 1, 2, etc) to specify where Windows gets installed. And because of the bug, sometimes Windows gets installed to the HDD on SATA port 1 and sometimes it gets installed to a different HDD.
The solution is to install Windows to the HDD identified by the "SELECT DISK SYSTEM" command of DISKPART. This will always return the disk that is connected to the lowest SATA port.
To configure this in MDT2010, use the following steps (refer to the attachment):
1. copy "FormatPartition.txt" and "SystemDisk.vbs" to your Scripts folder in the Deployment Share.
2. in your Task Sequence, disable the existing step called "Format and Partition Disk" (see TaskSequence.jpg)
3. create a new step at the same location called "Format and Partition Disk (custom)". The type is "General -> Run Command Line". The command line is " cmd.exe /c "diskpart /s %SCRIPTROOT%\FormatPartition.txt" "
4. on the main screen for Deployment Workbench, right-click on the Deployment Share and select "properties", then click on the "rules" tab
5. under section [Default], add the following entries (see Rules.jpg)
    - UserExit=SystemDisk.vbs
    - DestinationDisk=#DiskID#
    - DestinationPartition=1
Hopefully this info will help someone else!
Attachments:
MDT2010.zip ‏261 KB

Is it possible to use multiple hard drives with iphoto?

I am pretty new to Mac's so bear with me, I used to use multiple hard drives on my pc with my photos seperated by catagory in different hard drives. Is it possible to run iphoto with multiple hard drives without the photos loading onto my Imac? If so, How do I set it up. I have tried importing to a external drive, but when I check the file path of the photos it shows my Imac hd in the address. I seriously dont know why I cant just add the external hard drive as a library and have Iphoto work, Help

There are instructions - and not the caveats - on how to do what you want below.
However, you'e not quite grasping iPhoto:
I used to use multiple hard drives on my pc with my photos seperated by catagory in different hard drives.
When you do this, you're using the Finder (or file manager) to categorise the photos. All well and good, but why? That's exactly iPhoto's job. iPhoto is a database designed to help you manage your pics - including categorising them.
Anyway:
*How to do it:*
Simply go to iPhoto Menu -> Preferences -> Advanced and uncheck 'Copy Files to the iPhoto Library on Import'.
*What Happens:*
Now iPhoto will not copy the files, but rather simply reference them on your HD. To do this it will create an alias in the Originals Folder that points to your file. It will still create a thumbnail and, if you modify the pics, a Modified version within the iPhoto Library Folder.
*Some things to consider:*
1. Importing and deleting pics are more complex procedures. You have to to put the files where they will be stored before importing them. When you delete them you'll need to remove the files from the HD yourself.
2. You cannot move or rename the files on your system or iPhoto will lose track of them on systems prior to 10.5 and iPhoto 08. Even with the later versions issues can still arise if you move the referenced files to new volumes or between volumes.
3. Most importantly, migrating to a new disk or computer can be much more complex.
4. *Because iPhoto has no tools for managing Referenced Files, if, for some reason, the path to the photos changes then you could find yourself resolving aliases for +each photo in the Library+ one by one.*
My own opinion:
I've yet to see a good reason to run iPhoto in referenced mode unless you're using two photo organisers
If disk space is an issue, you can run an entire iPhoto Library from an external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
If you're concerned about accessing the files, There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
*For Users of 10.5 and later*
You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Command-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
You can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
*For users of 10.4 and later* ...
Many internet sites such as Flickr and SmugMug have plug-ins for accessing the iPhoto Library. If the site you want to use doesn’t then some, one or any of these will also work:
To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. However, if you're using Gmail you can use iPhoto2GMail
If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto.
If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.
*If you want to access the files with iPhoto not running*:
For users of 10.6 and later:
You can download a free Services component from MacOSXAutomation which will give you access to the iPhoto Library from your Services Menu. Using the Services Preference Pane you can even create a keyboard shortcut for it.
For Users of 10.4 and later:
Create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use this free utility Karelia iMedia Browser
Other options include:
1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.
3. *Show File*: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
If you really want to spread your photos across volumes like this, Aperture would be a better fit.
Regards
TD

Wiki: Using multiple hard drives, LVM & encryption

I have lately found myself with the issue of having multiple hard drives and wanting to do LVM stuff & encryption with while retaining maximum flexibility. After scanning through wikis, manpages and forum entries I came up with a solution for myself. The only thing I don't cover with it is mounting while booting as I don't need and can't test it.
I want to share the knowledge I gained and help other people find a solution faster and so I wrote a Wiki entry (first on my user page). I would now like to hear the opinion of the community regarding the following questions:
Do you see any security risks with my solution (especially the part on storing the unencrypted keyfile on a ramdisk)?
Do you think this text is worthy for a wiki entry or should I keep it in the forums?
Do you spot any errors (typing or else)?
Would you improve this article anywhere?
Of course, if you have further comments, I would like to here them as well. And now without further ado: Using multiple hard drives, LVM & encryption.
Regards,
javex
P.S.: As a small side question: Is my user page a good playground for article creation or would you recommend some other area where to do this (since here noone else could improve the article while in this early stage)?

mwmmartin wrote:
I have a 1 TB hard drive; but I have a 500GB and 250GB usb external hard drives.
Wouldn't it be cool if I could make the two external hard drives a RAID drive and use Time Machine to use all the 750GB of external memory to do my backups???
You can, but I would +*strongly recommend against+* it. See +Concatenated RAID+ in the Help for Disk Utility.
There are several potential problems:
Depending on how much data is on your 1 TB drive, 750 GB may not be enough to back it up. See #1 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
To set up a +Concatenated RAID+ set, both drives will be erased.
When (not if) either drive fails, you'll lose all the data on both.
Both drives must be connected any time you do a backup or want to browse your backups.
Especially with USB, if one drive wakes from sleep, or spins up, quickly enough, but the other one doesn't, the backup may fail and/or your backups may be corrupted.
For now, it looks like my only solution is to go buy a bigger external hard drive and spend more money,,,
That's your best solution +*by far.+* Anything else is taking a large risk with your backups.

Combining Multiple Hard Drives

If I have a lot of data that needs to be split between multiple hard drives, is there any way of installing the drives but having the OS treat them as a single drive? The idea being that my file system would be just as easy to manage but I could have a huge amount of extra storage.
I've read a bit about using a RAID 0 array in order to do this, but apparently this splits up individual files between the drives to make the system faster, so if one drive fails, you've lost everything.
Is there a way of setting up the drives so that one drive is filled to capacity, then the second is filled and the third and so on? So it's just treated as one big hard drive without any file separation taking place?
Any help appreciated,
Thanks,
Adam
Message was edited by: AdColvin

what drives & capacity do you have? are they the same - match with one another?
RAID 0 "stripes" your data between a pair of usually matched drives - capacity, brand, model. 1TB drive + 1TB drive = 2TB of total storage. This makes things go fast, but isn't safe.
RAID 1 "mirrors" the data between a pair of usually matched drives - capacity, brand, model. 1TB drive + 1TB drive = 1TB of total storage. This isn't fast but keeps data safe.
RAID 10 combines both qualities above. it takes at least 4 drives, all identical, & is half of total storage. 4 x 1TB = 2Tb of total storage.
SPAN is when you take a group of disks & "add" them together to make one big pool of storage. it's not safe nor fast. a drive falling out of the array can create data loss.

How do you find the right replacement for a hard drive

i have a 2007 macbook and the hard drive just went out and i want to find a new one that would be combatible

For a new hard drive try Newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=380&name=Laptop-Hard-Dr ives&Order=PRICE
Or OWC for regular hard drives and SSDs http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/
Here are instructions on replacing the hard drive in a MacBook with a removable battery. http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=45088
After you put in your new hard disk put your install DVD into the optical drive (CD/DVD drive) and reboot. Be sure to either use the disc that came with your Mac, or, if you installed a later Mac OS X version from disc, use the newer disc. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the "c" key on your keyboard (or the Option Key until the Install Disk shows up) until the apple shows up. That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
When it does start up, you'll see a panel asking you to choose your language. Choose your language and press the Return key on your keyboard once. It will then present you with an Installation window.
Completely ignore this window and click on Utilities in the top menu and scroll down to Disk Utility and click it. You should see your hard drive in the left hand column along with your other drives. Click on the drive and select the Erase tab. Set the format value to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and click the Erase button. After that has finished select the Partition tab. Type in a Name for your hard drive and select how many partitions you want from the Volume Scheme. The usual setting is one partition. Click on the Options button after you've selected a partition to make sure it's set for GUID. Then click the Apply button and after the Partitioning is done quit Disk Utility.
You can now follow the instructions on the install screen

HT1727 i copied itune music from old hard drive to memory disk the copied onto new hard drive into itunes and music wont play unless removalbe disk is inserted

i copied itune music from old hard drive to memory disk the copied onto new hard drive into itunes and music wont play unless removalbe disk is inserted

Then your iTunes must be looking at the removable disc, not your hard drive. Did you actually copy the songs onto your computer, or simply tell iTunes to look at the removable drive?
Highlight a song and click on File/Get Info/Summary>Where and check the location that iTunes has listed for the song. What does it say?

AC cords for external hard drives?

okay! everyone uses external hard drives, yes?
It's great that they connect to computers via standardized ports & cables: USB, firewire, eSATA.
but why is it that the power cords for external hard drives are completely unstandardized?
I have an external USB enclosure that I can't use because I misplaced the AC cord (my bad!)
my question: is there a chart somewhere that shows the different types of power cords for hard drive enclosures (they're the same batch of options for monitors, external CDR burners etc, optical drives etc.)
thanks
Will

I think nerowolfe was referring to the types of AC "mains" appliance power cords, specifically to the connector on the end that attaches to an AC powered device like a computer or power brick. While there are a lot of connectors used for this, there are only a few commonly used in the computer industry. The two most common are the "universal" 3 blade ones used on Mac & most PC desktops & the "figure 8" two pin ones used on many laptop power bricks, as shown below.
It would be no problem to find one of those at a Radio Shack or similar store, but as Network 23 says, most external hard drives use separate DC power supplies, & they can be fitted with one of many types of small plugs. Gumsie's advice more or less applies to these, with the following important exceptions:
• Most drives require DC, not AC power. (Thus the plus & minus polarity markings.)
• The DC power supply characteristics are not completely specified by voltage & current numbers. Some power bricks supply a well-filtered, electronically regulated voltage that doesn't vary with the current drawn from it; others a poorly filtered voltage with substantial AC "ripple" components and/or an unregulated voltage that varies from well above the rated one at zero current down to the rated voltage at the rated current. The second type is intended for devices that do not have critical voltage requirements or contain built-in filtering & regulation. They will most likely damage or cause mis-operation in voltage-sensitive devices like hard drives even if their nominal ratings are correct.
• It is not always easy to tell the two types of power bricks apart but in general the regulated types use switching supply technology & as a result are much lower in weight than the cruder ones, which use relatively heavy iron core transformers. Also, because switching supplies can easily be made that accept a wide range of mains voltages, essentially all of the "universal" power bricks rated for 100 to 220 VAC inputs use switching supplies & often are fitted with a "figure 8" type mains connector so the same brick can be sold in different countries with a mains power cord supplied with an appropriate plug for that country's wall outlets. Typically, cheap "wall wart" supplies like those sold at Radio Shack are not the regulate kind & should be used with caution with sensitive electronics. It is especially important when using them to match both current & voltage rating as closely as possible to avoid the over-voltage problem.
• A few of the more sophisticated external supplies have special features like "fold-back" current limiting. In most regulated supplies, if an over-current situation is encountered, the supply limits the current by reducing the voltage to whatever level causes its maximum rated current to be supplied. This protects the supply but not necessarily the powered device, which may be damaged by a sustained low voltage condition. (This is particularly true for electric motors.) Fold-back current limiting basically shuts down the supply until the over-current condition is corrected, which protects the powered device more completely.
• Because of all of the above, it is always safest to use the power brick furnished as original equipment with the drive or to obtain a new one as a replacement part from the vendor. If you use anything else, you do so at your own risk & you may very well damage the drive if you are unlucky enough to make a bad choice.
• A little humor to lighten this up a bit: Did you know that all electronics devices are really smoke-powered? It's true! This explains why, if you let the smoke out, they quit working!

Image Selection Rule Properties - Multiple Hard Drives

How can I specify machines with multiple hard drives? I only see options for Hard drive size.

On Thu, 06 Nov 2008 05:46:01 GMT, jayen wrote:
> How can I specify machines with multiple hard drives? I only see
> options for Hard drive size.
only in the script I would say..
Marcus Breiden
If you are asked to email me information please remove the - in my e-mail
address.
The content of this mail is my private and personal opinion.
http://www.didas.de

Ipodresq for iPod hard drive disaster?

My 4G 40GB iPod has died a miserable death, and naturally, it has occurred less one month after the warranty ended. Nice.
I took it to the Genius Bar yesterday, and they confirmed its demise. Apparently the hard drive has retired. ** By the way, if you can't mount your iPod, you're getting the folder icon and the sad iPod icon, and occasionally you are seeing the big battery charging picture stuck on one picture, chances are your iPod is dying, too.**
Has anyone used iPodresq specifically for a hard drive replacement? If so, how much was it? I am concerned that it will just be cheaper for me to buy a new iPod.

Well... i have multiple libraries that require me to reformat often... plus it doesnt help that i am running third party software on my ipod...

I want to Connect my Mac Mini as a Slave to a Mac pro Server while at the same time using the Mac mini's thunderbolt ports peripherals ( ie monitor, Sound Card, Hard drives) Creating a poor man's new mac Pro. Can this be Done?

I want to Connect my Mac Mini as a Slave to a Mac pro Server while at the same time using the Mac mini's thunderbolt ports peripherals ( ie monitor, Sound Card, Hard drives) Creating a poor man's new mac Pro. Can this be Done?

Well, I really would love the new unreleased mac pro however , I'm not sure of the expected cost , Everyone speculates from $3,000 to $8,000, in which I may have to wait a while to purchase.
To the point .... I want fully functional thunderbolt ports to be on the current mac pro's .... wonder if anyone had workarounds yet?... or could I chain the the current mac pro to a mac mini to make that happen?

I have one HDMI port on my television that is currently used for my hard drive/free view box. What kind of adaptor can I buy so I can have the hard drive and my apple tv device plugged into the same HDMI PORT?

I have one HDMI port on my television that is currently used for my hard drive/free view box. What kind of adaptor can I buy so I can have the hard drive and my apple tv device plugged into the same HDMI PORT? Is it a switch or a splitter? And where is it best to buy one? Thanks!

Welcome to the Apple Community.
You need an HDMI switch.

"Disk Activity" monitor for multiple hard drives?

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