Disk utility can't repair but can't access the HD to back-up files?

I'm relatively new to MACs and have a 2TB Seagate with a good portion of our family pics on it. I opened the Disk Utility and attempted to repair the HD but get the message:
"Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files."
Here's where I'm stumped...I can't actually access the disk to back it up. At one point I was able to open the disk and see the files so I went and bought another HD to back it all up....but now I can't access it. I've found a few threads discussing using recovery software but the data isn't that important. I was using the HD as my Time Machine BU so I'm more nervous about re-formatting it and trusting it with my data again. Should I bother even reformatting it or just toss the thing?

You might try a force mount...
Launch/Utilities/Terminal and enter this command at the prompt
diskutil list
Press return. If it sees the disk, note the number of the disk (far left column) you want to mount.
Then, enter this command
mount /dev/(number of disk)
Put in the number no parenthesis.
Press return.
If you're able to mount copy off the data you need. Even if you can mount it, wouldn't I trust the disk again.
Try Drive Genius in demo mode to run a surface scan and see if there are any bad blocks.

Similar Messages

Disk utility can't find the hard drive

I'm getting the flashing question mark when I try to start up my computer. I tried to use disk utility (starting the machine from the system software CD) to diagnose the problem but it wouldn't even find the hard drive. Any suggestions? Any help greatly appreciated!

Nothing at all, Tony. When I came back to work on my computer after a 30-minute break, one of the applications was frozen. Soon after, everything froze. After restarting, the flashing question mark came up. I was able to boot from CD but when I tried to run disk utility it wouldn't find the hard drive. At this point I'm at a loss and I'm worried about my data, which, as it happens, I hadn't stored elsewhere! Any suggestions?

Windows can not access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item?

You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item? Thats what it says when I try to open iTunes. Ive tried repairing iTunes from control panel... Ive tried reinstalling. Im running windows vista on an acer laptop. It was working fine until something (unknown to me) happened.(?) The destination its searching in is C:Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe. Ive tried everything so far.... Please help!

Are all of the computer users administrative users?
Do you have another account logged in with iTunes open, when you try to use a different account? iTunes doesn't work with fast user switching, so make sure you choose "log off" instead of "switch user" when moving between user accounts.
CG

Disk Utility Reports Permissions Repaired, but Don't Verify

I run permissions repair (as I've been having kernel panics), and there is a bunch of stuff that gets reported as fixed. However, as soon as the repair is complete, if I run Verify Disk Permissions, it reports back the same errors.
See the log below:
*Repairing permissions for “Hybrid”*
Permissions differ on "Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flash Player.plugin/Contents/MacOS/Flash Player", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x .
Repaired "Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flash Player.plugin/Contents/MacOS/Flash Player".
User differs on "private/var/at", should be 0, user is 1.
Repaired "private/var/at".
Permissions differ on "usr/lib/libpcap.A.dylib", should be -rwxr-xr-x , they are -r-xr-xr-x .
Repaired "usr/lib/libpcap.A.dylib".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/sandbox/mDNSResponder.sb", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -r--r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/sandbox/mDNSResponder.sb".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Classes/dt.jar", should be lrwxr-xr-x , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Repaired "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Classes/dt.jar".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Classes/jce.jar", should be lrwxr-xr-x , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Repaired "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Classes/jce.jar".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Classes/jconsole.ja r", should be lrwxr-xr-x , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Repaired "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Classes/jconsole.ja r".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Classes/management- agent.jar", should be lrwxr-xr-x , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Repaired "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Classes/management- agent.jar".
User differs on "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home/lib", should be 0, user is 95.
Repaired "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home/lib".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home/lib/dt.jar", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -rwxr-xr-x .
Repaired "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home/lib/dt.jar".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home/lib/jce.jar", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -rwxr-xr-x .
Repaired "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home/lib/jce.jar".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home/lib/management -agent.jar", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -rwxr-xr-x .
Repaired "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home/lib/management -agent.jar".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home/lib/security/b lacklist", should be lrwxr-xr-x , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Repaired "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home/lib/security/b lacklist".
User differs on "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Libraries", should be 0, user is 95.
Repaired "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Libraries".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/Support/Deploy.bundle/Contents/Resources/JavaPluginCocoa.b undle/Contents/Resources/Java/deploy.jar", should be lrwxr-xr-x , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Repaired "System/Library/Java/Support/Deploy.bundle/Contents/Resources/JavaPluginCocoa.b undle/Contents/Resources/Java/deploy.jar".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/Support/VisualVM.bundle/Contents/Home/profiler3/lib/deploy ed/jdk15/hpux-pa_risc2.0/libprofilerinterface.sl", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -rwxr-xr-x .
Repaired "System/Library/Java/Support/VisualVM.bundle/Contents/Home/profiler3/lib/deploy ed/jdk15/hpux-pa_risc2.0/libprofilerinterface.sl".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/Support/VisualVM.bundle/Contents/Home/profiler3/lib/deploy ed/jdk15/hpux-pa_risc2.0w/libprofilerinterface.sl", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -rwxr-xr-x .
Repaired "System/Library/Java/Support/VisualVM.bundle/Contents/Home/profiler3/lib/deploy ed/jdk15/hpux-pa_risc2.0w/libprofilerinterface.sl".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/Support/VisualVM.bundle/Contents/Home/profiler3/lib/deploy ed/jdk16/hpux-pa_risc2.0/libprofilerinterface.sl", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -rwxr-xr-x .
Repaired "System/Library/Java/Support/VisualVM.bundle/Contents/Home/profiler3/lib/deploy ed/jdk16/hpux-pa_risc2.0/libprofilerinterface.sl".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/Support/VisualVM.bundle/Contents/Home/profiler3/lib/deploy ed/jdk16/hpux-pa_risc2.0w/libprofilerinterface.sl", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -rwxr-xr-x .
Repaired "System/Library/Java/Support/VisualVM.bundle/Contents/Home/profiler3/lib/deploy ed/jdk16/hpux-pa_risc2.0w/libprofilerinterface.sl".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Classes/jconsole.jar ", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Repaired "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Classes/jconsole.jar ".
User differs on "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Home/lib", should be 95, user is 0.
Repaired "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Home/lib".
User differs on "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Libraries", should be 95, user is 0.
Repaired "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Libraries".
Permissions differ on "usr/bin/awk", should be -rwxr-xr-x , they are -r-xr-xr-x .
Repaired "usr/bin/awk".
Permissions differ on "usr/bin/iconv", should be -r-xr-xr-x , they are -rwxr-xr-x .
Repaired "usr/bin/iconv".
Permissions differ on "usr/lib/libcharset.1.dylib", should be -r-xr-xr-x , they are -rw-r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/lib/libcharset.1.dylib".
Permissions differ on "usr/lib/libiconv.2.dylib", should be -r-xr-xr-x , they are -rw-r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/lib/libiconv.2.dylib".
Group differs on "usr/lib/libutil1.0.dylib", should be 80, group is 0.
Repaired "usr/lib/libutil1.0.dylib".
Group differs on "usr/lib/libz.1.1.3.dylib", should be 80, group is 0.
Repaired "usr/lib/libz.1.1.3.dylib".
Group differs on "usr/lib/libz.dylib", should be 80, group is 0.
Repaired "usr/lib/libz.dylib".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/file/magic/cafebabe", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -r--r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/file/magic/cafebabe".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/file/magic/compress", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -r--r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/file/magic/compress".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/file/magic/database", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -r--r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/file/magic/database".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/file/magic/erlang", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -r--r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/file/magic/erlang".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/file/magic/filesystems", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -r--r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/file/magic/filesystems".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/file/magic/fonts", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -r--r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/file/magic/fonts".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/file/magic/fortran", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -r--r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/file/magic/fortran".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/file/magic/linux", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -r--r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/file/magic/linux".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/file/magic/lisp", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -r--r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/file/magic/lisp".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/file/magic/python", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -r--r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/file/magic/python".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/file/magic/troff", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -r--r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/file/magic/troff".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/file/magic/windows", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -r--r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/file/magic/windows".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/man/man1/bzcmp.1", should be lrwxr-xr-x , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/man/man1/bzcmp.1".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/man/man1/bzegrep.1", should be lrwxr-xr-x , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/man/man1/bzegrep.1".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/man/man1/bzfgrep.1", should be lrwxr-xr-x , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/man/man1/bzfgrep.1".
Permissions differ on "usr/share/man/man1/bzless.1", should be lrwxr-xr-x , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Repaired "usr/share/man/man1/bzless.1".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Resources/JavaPlugin Cocoa.bundle/Contents/Resources/Java/deploy.jar", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Repaired "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Resources/JavaPlugin Cocoa.bundle/Contents/Resources/Java/deploy.jar".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Resources/JavaPlugin Cocoa.bundle/Contents/Resources/Java/libdeploy.jnilib", should be -rwxr-xr-x , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Repaired "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Resources/JavaPlugin Cocoa.bundle/Contents/Resources/Java/libdeploy.jnilib".
ACL found but not expected on "private/etc/apache2/httpd.conf".
Repaired "private/etc/apache2/httpd.conf".
ACL found but not expected on "private/etc/apache2/users".
Repaired "private/etc/apache2/users".
ACL found but not expected on "Library/Preferences/Audio".
Repaired "Library/Preferences/Audio".
ACL found but not expected on "Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf.plist".
Repaired "Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf.plist".
ACL found but not expected on "Library/Scripts/Script Editor Scripts/Dialogs/Dialog - 1 Btn.scpt".
Repaired "Library/Scripts/Script Editor Scripts/Dialogs/Dialog - 1 Btn.scpt".
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/ARDAg ent" has been modified and will not be repaired.
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/Keychains/X509Anchors".
Repaired "System/Library/Keychains/X509Anchors".
ACL found but not expected on "private/etc/hostconfig".
Repaired "private/etc/hostconfig".
ACL found but not expected on "private/etc/hosts".
Repaired "private/etc/hosts".
ACL found but not expected on "private/var/db/launchd.db/com.apple.launchd".
Repaired "private/var/db/launchd.db/com.apple.launchd".
ACL found but not expected on "private/var/yp/binding".
Repaired "private/var/yp/binding".
*Permissions repair complete*
*Verify permissions for “Hybrid”*
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Classes/jconsole.ja r", should be lrwxr-xr-x , they are lrw-r--r-- .
User differs on "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home/lib", should be 0, user is 95.
User differs on "System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Libraries", should be 0, user is 95.
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Java/Support/Deploy.bundle/Contents/Resources/JavaPluginCocoa.b undle/Contents/Resources/Java/deploy.jar", should be lrwxr-xr-x , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Classes/jconsole.jar ", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Deploy.bundle/ Contents/Resources/JavaPluginCocoa.bundle/Contents/Resources/Java/deploy.jar", should be lrwxr-xr-x , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Resources/JavaPlugin Cocoa.bundle/Contents/Resources/Java/deploy.jar", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Resources/JavaPlugin Cocoa.bundle/Contents/Resources/Java/libdeploy.jnilib", should be -rwxr-xr-x , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
ACL found but not expected on "private/etc/apache2/httpd.conf".
ACL found but not expected on "private/etc/apache2/users".
ACL found but not expected on "Library/Preferences/Audio".
ACL found but not expected on "Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf.plist".
ACL found but not expected on "Library/Scripts/Script Editor Scripts/Dialogs/Dialog - 1 Btn.scpt".
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/ARDAg ent" has been modified and will not be repaired.
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/Keychains/X509Anchors".
ACL found but not expected on "private/etc/hostconfig".
ACL found but not expected on "private/etc/hosts".
ACL found but not expected on "private/var/db/launchd.db/com.apple.launchd".
ACL found but not expected on "private/var/yp/binding".
*Permissions verification complete*

jackjames wrote:
*Permissions repair complete*
as long as you see this, you're ok.
JGG

Disk Utility can't repair permissions

For the first time I neglected to repair permissions before security upgrade and now I find I can no longer repair permissions. Everything goes as normal until about 75% done and then it just freezes. I have tried running it from the install CD but it does the same. I used the disk repair and got this error message;
ERROR: The underlying task reported failure on exit (~9972)
1 Volume could not be repaired.
Computer otherwise OK. AHT reported all OK.
Is this the start of an HD failure or some querky software malfunction? Help needed!
G4 867 MDD Mac OS X (10.3.9) Extra 120Gb HD, 1.75Gb SDRAM LG 4163B Superdrive

If my HD has developed a bad sector then surely a clone will not work?
My best guess is that the cloning would fail when it tried to access the data that's referenced in the bad directory node. I've had similar problems when trying to copy files when there were directory problems. You may not have a bad sector per se, but certainly the directory record is damaged in such a way that Disk Utility can't reconstruct the record.
If I moved all my APPS folder to another HD and then did a Zero and format on this one could I then still use the APPS folder with a new install by repairing permissions?
You have to remember that apps store files in other locations - particularly in the /Library, /System/Library/ and /Users/username/Library directories. While you can copy the Applications directory to another drive, you're liable to miss supporting files the apps are going to look for. Since there's no real way to determine what the damaged directory is referencing, you'd be chancing something's going to get missed and leave you with apps that won't run. The only way I've ever been able to find what directory erorrs were pointing to was to copy files to another drive one chunk at a time until I found the offending directory and then narrow down the search by copying files individually. Given the nature of OS X to store files in directories that are otherwise hidden from the user, this can be a complicated and tedious process.
Since Disk Utility running from the install disk can't repair the damaged directoy record, I'd go to the Disk Warrior repair strategy next.
-Douggo

I have been using thelatest ver firefox. Noe I can not access it. I receive the following message" Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file. You may not have appropriate permission to access. I am using windows XP ,

unable to access firefox. I receive the following message" Windows can not access the specified device, path or file. You may not have appropriate permission to access. I restored the system to an earlier date when I could access Firefox. I removed an re-installed firefox no changes.

Do a clean (re)install and delete the Firefox program folder (C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\).
Download a fresh Firefox copy and save the file to the desktop.
*Firefox 13.0.x: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all.html
Uninstall your current Firefox version, if possible.
*Do NOT remove personal data when you uninstall your current Firefox version, because all profile folders will be removed and you will also lose your personal data like bookmarks and passwords from profiles of other Firefox versions.
Remove the Firefox program folder before installing that newly downloaded copy of the Firefox installer.
*It is important to delete the Firefox program folder to remove all the files and make sure that there are no problems with files that were leftover after uninstalling.
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Uninstalling_Firefox
Your bookmarks and other profile data are stored elsewhere in the Firefox Profile Folder and won't be affected by a reinstall, but make sure that you do not select to remove personal data if you uninstall Firefox.
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_backup
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Firefox#Clean_reinstall

How can I access the properties of Microsoft files (excel, ppt, and word)

Hi,
How can I access the properties of common Microsoft file formats (Excel, Word, and Powerpoint) from a Java program. You can access/modify the properties of each document type using File->Properties in each MS application. The properties are essentially name/value pairs.
Basically, I need to write a java program that scans a directory and accesses the properties in each of the MS files in the directory.
thanks,
-john

By api. That is only way to establish a contract with the MS programs you want to interface with, unless you write an api yourself! I've used POI and it was an awesome way to use Excel in java. I created an excel spreadsheet from the results of a sql query from a batch program and then it was automatically emailed using javamail to my client. I had a lot of VBA experience with Excel, Word, and Outlook and it didn't take me long to get used to using Jakarta-POI.
Now I see there is Jakarta-POI-HWPF which works with MS Word documents. Go to: http://jakarta.apache.org/poi/

After getting the dreaded gray/blue screen, I tried to run disk repair on the internal disk. I got an error message saying "Disk Utility can't repair this disk and restore your backed-up files. The volume Macintosh HD could not be verified completely

After getting the dreaded gray/blue screen, I tried to run disk repair on the internal disk. I got an error message saying "Disk Utility can't repair this disk and restore your backed-up files. The volume Macintosh HD could not be verified completely." What do I do now? This is an iMac and I'm running 10.6.8.

Clean Install of Snow Leopard
Be sure to make a backup first because the following procedure will erase
the drive and everything on it. See below for how to clone a drive.
     1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came
         with your computer. Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer.
         After the chime press and hold down the "C" key. Release the key when you see
         a small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.
     2. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue
         button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
         After DU loads select the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive
         size.) Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window. Set the number of
         partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, click on Options button
         and select GUID, click on OK, then set the format type to MacOS Extended
         (Journaled, if supported), then click on the Apply button.
     3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed
         with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
     4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup
         Assistant. Be sure you configure your initial admin account with the exact same
         username and password that you used on your old drive. After you finish Setup
         Assistant will complete the installation after which you will be running a fresh
         install of OS X. You can now begin the update process by opening Software
         Update and installing all recommended updates to bring your installation current.
Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.
You may be able to backup your data if you have an erased external drive you can use. Before you do the above but after you have opened Disk Utility you can try to clone your drive:
Clone using Restore Option of Disk Utility
1. Open Disk Utility.
2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
4. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag
       it to the Destination entry field.
5. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to
      the Source entry field.
6. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.
Now this will only work if the drive is accessible and can be cloned by Disk Utility. Otherwise, you would need to access your drive from another Mac that you can connect via Firewire - Target Disk Mode.

Error disk utility can't repair this disk...disk and restore your backed-up files

I have been working on a project using an external hard disk. I used my Macbook Pro (2010) to create this project and files (about 31 GB). Now I am trying to open the disk on my iMac (2014) and it doesn't show up. I can see the HDD when I use disk utility but get this message when I try to repair/restore the disc:
"error disk utility can't repair this disk...disk and restore your backed-up files"
The funny thing is that the disk works absolutely fine with my Macbook Pro. What am I missing?
Imac :OSX 10.9.4 , 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 Gb Ram.

Nico,
Did you find a way?
This just happened to me too.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5981446
-John

Can I fix a disk with this message?-Disk Utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.

Can I fix a disk with this message?
Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.

Some problems can indeed be fixed this way. But working from Recovery_HD or Disk Warrior DVDs and working in the restricted environment those provide can be difficult. You can literally spend days working on this problem (while your regular work is unavailable) only to discover the old drive is unsalvageable.
There is no way to know up front whether you are facing a major Hardware failure or a minor software glitch, or something in between. Often you are forced to work from the drive you no longer trust. I continue to recommend you do this work from a different, fully functioning Mac OS X booted from a different drive.
If you have had the foresight to (as The hatter often recommends) clone your virgin install onto another drive for use in such situations, you will be able to recover from such problems in record time. If not, my previous recommendations stands:
Buy a new Drive. Or two. Install Mac OS X from scratch on a new drive, and get your Mac running again. Later, you can use the full power of Mac OS X to attempt to rescue your data, if needed. Then Zero the old drive, to see if it can hold data again reliably.
If the old drive eventually provides some needed data, and is salvageable, Merry Christmas.

External Hard Drive Disk Utility Can't Repair the Disk

Hi,
I have a Seagate 1 TB Backup Plus Drive which was working perfectly fine until I plugged it into a USB hub. It detected it while in the hub and I was able to get files off of it, but when I ejected it from the hub and put it back into the USB slot on the computer it was not detected by finder. It shows up in the disk utility and I clicked verify and repair and it says:
Verify and Repair volume “Seagate Backup Plus Drive”
Checking file system
Volume repair complete.
Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
Is there any way to get this to work properly again? Or if not is there a way for me to recover my files on the external hard drive?
Thanks
I have a Macbook PRO late 2011 running OS X Mavericks.

Use a more powerful utility such as DiskWarrior, or a product such as those listed here.
(108710)

Disk Utility can't repair disk

Hi, I just saw that the amount of memory left on my HD just dropped around 60GB, so I used the "Verify Disk" option on Disk Utility, and the output was:
Verifying volume “Macintosh HD”
Performing live verification.
Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
Checking extents overflow file.
Checking catalog file.
Checking multi-linked files.
Checking catalog hierarchy.
Checking extended attributes file.
Checking volume bitmap.
Checking volume information.
Volume header needs minor repair
The volume Macintosh HD was found corrupt and needs to be repaired.
Error: This disk needs to be repaired. Start up your computer with another disk (such as your Mac OS X installation disc), and then use Disk Utility to repair this disk.
I don't have the disk right now, so is there some other way I can repair it, get another install disk, or anything else? I've been thinking of booting up with a Linux livecd, but can it access the HFS+ filesystem?
Thanks.

Try this: from http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1417
Start up your computer in single-user mode to reach the command line.
Note: If necessary, perform a forced restart as described in the Emergency Troubleshooting Handbook that came with your computer. On desktop computers, you can do this by pressing the reset/interrupt button (if there is one) or holding down the power button for several seconds. On portable computers, simultaneously press the Command-Control-power keys. If your portable computer doesn't restart with this method, you may need to reset the Power Manager.
At the command-line prompt type:
/sbin/fsck -fy
Press Return. fsck will go through five "phases" and then return information about your disk's use and fragmentation. Once it finishes, it'll display this message if no issue is found:
** The volume (name_of_volume) appears to be OKIf fsck found issues and has altered, repaired, or fixed anything, it will display this message:
***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED *****
Important: If this message appears, repeat the fsck command you typed in step 2 until fsck tells you that your volume appears to be OK (first-pass repairs may uncover additional issues, so this is a normal thing to do).
When fsck reports that your volume is OK, typerebootat the prompt and then press Return.
Your computer should start up normally and allow you to log in.
If you can't find your original install disk, you could always buy another Snow Leopard disk. It's only $29.

Disk Utility can't repair TM backup disk

Hello all
Recently, my external backup disk (a 750 GB WD My Passport) that I use with Time Machine has been acting up. At first, it wouldn't show up on the desktop, but was being recognized in Disk Utility (with the "Time Machine Backup" partition greyed out). After multiple restarts and unplugging/replugging the hard drive, I finally got to be properly recognized, i.e. it showed up on the desktop with the proper Time Machine hard drive icon. So I thought the problem was gone and started a routine backup. However, Time Machine returned an error:
"Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while creating the backup folder."
I search the forums, and followed the advice here: http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/C10.html
I tried repairing the disk, but DU couldn't repair it:
Verify and Repair volume “Time Machine Backups”
Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
Detected a case-sensitive volume.
Checking extents overflow file.
Checking catalog file.
Incorrect number of thread records
Checking multi-linked files.
Checking catalog hierarchy.
Checking extended attributes file.
Checking multi-linked directories.
Checking volume bitmap.
Checking volume information.
Invalid volume file count
(It should be 3991498 instead of 3904049)
Invalid volume directory count
(It should be 678218 instead of 673790)
Invalid volume free block count
(It should be 9588404 instead of 11784378)
Volume header needs minor repair
The volume Time Machine Backups was found corrupt and needs to be repaired.
Volume repair complete.Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
So now I'm still following the advice on the above mentioned page by posting on here. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. I am using a 2010 15in 2.66 i7 MBP, if that makes a difference, although my guess is the problem's with the harddrive itself. I think there may have been one time about a month ago when Time Machine stopped responding (or something like that) which forced me to pull out the harddrive, possibly corrupting the data. But I'm not sure, and I do recall making at least one successful backup after that. Well, actually TM confirms this: "Latest successful backup: 5/27/11 at 11:51 PM". So I have no idea what's going on. Again, any help would be appreciated.

You can't tell what's corrupted or where. Time Machine backups have a very complex structure, all linked together. So, you can often do new backups, or restore individual items, or even entire backups, as long as you don't stumble over the damage.
There's a chance a heavy-duty 3rd-party disk repair app, such as Disk Warrior, can repair them. It's about $100, and probably a good investment for the future, but there's no guarantee it can fix them.
If not, or if you don't want to spend the money, your only option is to erase the disk and let Time Machine start fresh.
It sounds like you may have other data on it; if that's in the same partition, that's not a good idea. This is a good time to copy the data off, erase the disk, and make 2 (or more) partitions on it, so Time Machine has its own, exclusive space. See #3 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions for details and instructions.

Disk utility can't repair a partition on external hard drive

I have a 1TB Western Digital external FW drive that's only a couple years old (2 or 3, probably). I have it split into partitions, one of which I'm using for Time Machine. The non-Time Machine partition checked out fine with DIsk Utility, but when I ran Disk Utility on the Time Machine partition, I received this message:
Disk Utility stopped reparing "Time Machine." Disk Utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
Does this mean the drive itself is failing? I erased the Time Machine partition and recreated it through Disk Utility, and then I verified it. Everything checked out okay, but I want to make sure, especially since I'm hosting my iTunes music in the other partition (it's backed up to a 2nd external drive, so if the drive does die, at least I don't lose everything).
Before this problem happened, both partitions dropped off the Finder and the light on the drive went off. I unplugged the drive and plugged it back in again a couple times, but nothing happened. Finally, the light went back on after plugging it back in for the 3rd or 4th time, but I'm wondering if the drive could be going bad, which would surprise me since it isn't very old.

Brad Cook wrote:
Disk Utility stopped reparing "Time Machine." Disk Utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
Does this mean the drive itself is failing?
Possibly, but not necessarily. The File System on the disk was so badly corrupted that Disk Utility couldn't fix it. That might indicate a problem with the drive. It's not unusual for consumer-quality (ie, inexpensive) drives to fail after 2-3 years, although many will run for several years. It's a bit of a crapshoot.
Before this problem happened, both partitions dropped off the Finder and the light on the drive went off.
Whatever caused that is another good possibility -- if a drive is improperly disconnected, OSX can't "close it out" properly, and that can cause damage to the file system. Sometimes Disk Utility can fix it, sometimes it can't. And sometimes heavy-duty 3rd-party disk repair apps like DiskWarrior can fix things Disk Utility can't.
A power dip or spike could have caused it, or an overheated electronic component, etc. If it has it's own power supply, be sure it's on a good (ie, not cheap) surge protector or U.P.S. system.
Otherwise, keep an eye on it. If you don't have "secondary" backups, this would be an excellent time to get another drive for that purpose. See #27 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions for some suggestions.
Bottom line: personally, I'd not trust my only backups to that drive.
(But then, I'd never trust my backups to any single drive, no matter how new or high-quality.)

Disk Utility can't repair this disk

I have been having trouble booting. It started when I connected a router to it. It seemed to eat up the free disk space and I only have 77 MB left or something around that.
Anyway, I tried deleting files with command-s commands, and it worked one time and it freed up 2 GB of space. I restarted the computer and when I tried to start it up, it still got stuck in the gray screen with the whirly thing at the bottom. I checked the space and it was 77MB now.
I decided to boot from the Install Disk (Snow Leopard 10.6.0).
I checked Disk Utility first and verified the disk. It came up with the message:
"Error: Disk Utility can't repair this disk .... disk, and restore your backed-up files."
What should I do now?
I have the Mac HD volume on backup already so I don't have to do the back up stage.
Should I erase the disk while I am in Disk Utility?
And format it to Mac OS Extended Journal?
And then install the operating system again?
Thanks.

To answer your questions, first, some other options...
If you fill your disk up that far, you are going to have problems. Don't ever do this, 10% is a bare minimum, you may need even more, depending on the size of your disc.
I have seen before where a disc repair utility couldn't perform its function simply because there was not enough slack space available on the drive. While I have never seen this with disc utility, it is possible that the disc is repairable as-is, if you could just free up a couple more gigs of space first.
Secondly, you could also try Disk Warrior, or to a lesser extent, Techtool Pro, or even iDefrag. I have personally never had Techtool Pro fix anything that Disk Utility or Disk Warrior couldn't fix, so I hesitate to even mention it, but I have had Disk Warrior and iDefrag clear up problems that Disk Utility either couldn't detect, or couldn't fix.
If you are still in dire straits, you should re-partition the drive using disk utility. This is the safest route, then go from there.
good luck!
-a

Disk utility can't repair but can't access the HD to back-up files?

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