Disk utility not allowing me to erase hard drive

Im trying to wipe my drive clean (running 10.6)....i am following apple's direction re reinstalling. but when i am in Disk Utility and i select Macintosh HD, i am not able to erase.....the erase option is not an option.

If you are booted from the drive you are attempting to erase, the system will not allow that.
In order to erase the system disk, you must boot from another drive first.
We generally suggest that you boot from the install DVD for your Mac so that you can erase the system disk.
Allan

Similar Messages

In disk utility, it shows that my external hard drive is somehow unmounted and I can't access it in finder or repair it in Disk Utility. How can I get this working without losing my important data?

In disk utility, it shows that my external hard drive is somehow unmounted and I can't access it in finder or repair it in Disk Utility. How can I get this working without losing my important data?
Thank you!

When you erased the disk did you select Mac OS Extended Journaled as the format option?

Disk Utility can't verify or repair hard drive

I started up my Tibook using the install disk and ran disk utility to try and repair my hard drive and it went through the verification process and then said that there was an error and it could not repair the disk. It says that it needs repaired, any suggestions?
Also, when I come back to my computer after being gone several hours, I'm having trouble getting the computer to respond. It's not supposed to go to sleep or go to screen saver, but when I come back, the programs take a long time to respond - any ideas on how to fix this?
thanks in advance.

This is what Disk Utility says when I try to verify:
Verifying volume “Hard Drive”
Checking HFS Plus volume.
Checking Extents Overflow file.
Checking Catalog file.
Overlapped extent allocation (file 479297)
Overlapped extent allocation (file Overlapped extent allocation (file plications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs/eco85.html)
Overlapped extent allocation (file 640270 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs/eco9.html)
Overlapped extent allocation (file 640272 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/dev.html)
Overlapped extent allocation (file 640273 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/dw.html)
640273 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/dw.html
ped extent allocation (file %@)",1)
640274 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/kbshortcuts.html
Overlapped extent allocation (file 640275 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/la.html)
Overlapped extent allocation (file 640276 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/sp.html)
Overlapped extent allocation (file Overlapped extent allocation (file Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/tips.html)
Overlapped extent allocation (file 640278 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/toc01.html)
Overlapped extent allocation (file 640279 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/toc02.html)
Overlapped extent allocation (file 640280 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/toc03.html)
640280 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/toc03.html
640281 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/toc04.html
Overlapped extent allocation (file 640282 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/toc06.html)
Overlapped extent allocation (file 640283 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/pgs2/tocstart.html)
Overlapped extent allocation (file Overlapped extent allocation (file /wn.html)
Overlapped extent allocation (file 640286 /Applications/Backup.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Backup Help/shrd/nav.js)
Checking multi-linked files.
Checking Catalog hierarchy.
Checking Extended Attributes file.
Checking volume bitmap.
Volume Bit Map needs minor repair
Checking volume information.
Invalid volume free block count
(It should be 2799915 instead of 2799941)
Volume Header needs minor repair
The volume Hard Drive needs to be repaired.
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
1 HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair

Disk Utility says I have a corrupt hard drive...

Had a problem with an application and was advised to run Repair Permissions in Disk Utility (it was fixed when I did that).
Out of curiosty I ran Verify Disc on my hard drive and was shocked to find the following message:
...In valid directory count
...The volume Macintosh HD was found corrupt and needs to be repaired
..."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'm unsure how to proceed. The iMac didn't come with a installation disc.
How can I repair this?
Thanks

Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions - Lion
Boot from your Lion Recovery HD. When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
To boot from the Recovery HD restart the computer. After the chime hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.

Disk utility recomends backing up files after hard drive can not be repaired?

My Mac mini will not complete the boot process. I am able to get to the disk utility by using the Snow Lepard disk that I recently purchased and pressing the option key. Disk utility is telling be that my disk can not be repaired and I should back up as much data as I can and reload the software.
Is there another disk repair program that could possibly fix what disk utility can not? Is it worth a try?
If not...
How do I back up data on the mounted disk since I can not access it? Do you recommend a perticular external hard drive and software to manage my backups?
Thank you.

Welcome to Apple Support Communities allensood!
You will get a wider audience and won't confuse the original poster with solutions that don't apply to them, if you start your own topic here
https://discussions.apple.com/community/desktop_computers/mac_mini?view=discussi ons
Unless you have a solution to try for the original poster, it is always best if you start your own topic.

I have an imac running OSX leopard 10.5.4, and a flashing question mark comes up on the screen. I opened disk utility, and in the sidebar my hard drive is not there. I also did the Hardware test supplied with the install CD, and "no problems were found".

note: I have not done the extended hardware test yet.

Can we assumed that the Disk Utility you used was not on your hard disk? If it was on the hard disk you can ignore most of the advice here and we should start again.
I am am a retired Electrical Engineer with many years electronics and IT experience and advise that whilst it is likely that the hard disk has failed and may never work again this may not necessarily be the case.
Do you normally hear or feel the disk running and has this changed?
Have you moved, dropped or hit your Mac while the disk was rotating? - never good for disks.
Even if the disk is not rotating it may not have failed - there could be an imperfect connection, damaged pcb track, a Mac electronics failure such as disk power etc.
The disk could be working mechanically and there could be a break in the data route to or from it etc.
Getting at disks inside some Apple assemblies can be tedious but probably not as bad as you may think - Google for instructions and pictures.
Much may depend upon how important information on a troublesome disk is. Even with a totally dead disk 90% of data can normally be extracted - ocasionally I have been lucky enough to do this at home - a few years back several experts were offering to to this for about 1,000 USD.
Trying the disk in another enclosure was good advice.
You could try gently moving your powered up Mac to see if anything changes.
It is technically possible for a software (unlikely as issue still exists booting from DVD I assume) or firmware issue to cause your symptoms so it might be wise to try every type of reset you can find before going any further. Firmware normally resides within the electronics - it often affects booting and power supplies etc.
Good luck.

My MacBook Pro 13 inch makes a clicking noise from the hard drive and can not start up in safe mode and normal. I then ran disk utility in recovery mode and disk utility shows no problems with the hard drive. What is the problem?

Please help me, I have a mid 2010 Mac book pro with a toshiba mk3266gsxf harddrive. It started making a clicking noise and then my computer crashed. I proceeded to boot in safe mode, but it doesn't work. When I ran disk utility in recovery mode, it showed no problem with my disk. Does any one know what the problem is?

Sounds like a mechanical problem with the drive and it ruined the sectors where the Macintosh HD partition (and OS X, and files and programs) reside, but not your Recovery HD partition.
If you held command option r while booting, that's Internet Recovery and it's loaded via the Internet, not via the Recovery HD partition on the boot drive, so that could mean the drive is dead mechanically or there is another issue.
In either case the drive will likely have to be replaced, it's a matter of what occured to where and the drive state if you can recover data or not. If you made recent backups then your fine.
My computer is not working, is my personal data lost?
Most commonly used backup methods

Using Disk Utility Restore function to clone external hard drives

Hi all,
I have a WD 3Tb My Book external hard drive which I want to use as a replacement for an older WD 1Tb My Book external hard drive. I would like to use Disk Utility's built-in Restore function to clone my old external hard drive onto my new external hard drive. Unfortunately, Disk Utility will not allow me to drag the new drive to the "Destination" box; I can drag the old drive to the "Source" box just fine. Why is this? Am I doing something wrong?
It might be important to note that my old external drive is formated to FAT32, whereas the new drive came pre-formatted to NTFS. Do I need to reformat the new drive to FAT32 before dragging the disk to the "Destination" box? In other words, do the source and destination drives need to be the same format in order to use Disk Utility's Restore function?
Thanks very much in advance.

Are these drives being used on Windows machines? If so then you will need to create a new partition from the Partition Scheme dropdown menu after which you can set the scheme to MBR. If the drives are being used only on the Mac then you have to prep the new drive as follows:
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.
After you copy your files from the old drive to the new one you want to repartition and reformat the old drive in the same way as outlined immediately above.

Disk Utility and DiskWarrior trouble with external hard-drive.

I got an external hard-drive that doesn't show up on finder. On both Disk Utility and DiskWarrior it keeps mounting and unmounting. Disk Utility when trying to repair, spits this out when it unmounts...
2011-07-28 22:43:43 -0700: Problems were encountered during repair of the partition map
2011-07-28 22:43:43 -0700: Error: Some information was unavailable during an internal lookup.
2011-07-28 22:43:43 -0700: : Some information was unavailable during an internal lookup.
2011-07-28 22:43:43 -0700: [DUDiskController mountDisk] expecting DUDisk, but got nil
On DiskWarrior it simply says 'Directory cannot be rebuilt due to disk hardware failure (-36,2747)
Earlier today it would stay mounted and Disk Utility would spit out...
Verify and Repair volume “Back-up Hard Drive”
Checking file systemChecking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
Checking extents overflow file.
Checking catalog file.
Invalid sibling link
Rebuilding catalog B-tree.
Invalid node structure
The volume Back-up Hard Drive could not 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.
while DiskWarrior would try to fix it, but on
Step 5: Locating directory date...
Speed reduced by disk malfunction: 339,474, er make that 340,239, er make that 341,327
and I finally gave up there.
I try to fix the Invalid sibling link error via Terminal and I get this...
imac-2:~ Migrated$ fsck_hfs -r /dev/disk2s2
** /dev/rdisk2s2 (NO WRITE)
Can't open /dev/rdisk2s2: Resource busy
Is there ANY THING I can do to get it to stay mounted and possibly fix this? This is my back-up hard-drive!!

It's the cord that's being used that decides if it shows up, or if it shows up and then goes away over and over. Using a cord where it stays on in the programs, when I run Disk Utility of the darked out part of the hard-drive, it spits out...
Verifying and repairing partition map for “MICRONET”
Checking prerequisites
Checking the partition list
Checking for an EFI system partition
Checking the EFI system partition’s size
Checking the EFI system partition’s file system
Checking all HFS data partition loader spaces
Reviewing boot support loaders
Checking Core Storage Physical Volume partitions
Updating Windows boot.ini files as required
The partition map appears to be OK
while the part of the disk just below it that's light spits out
Verifying volume “Back-up Hard Drive”
Checking file system
Error: This disk needs to be repaired. Click Repair Disk.
Verify and Repair volume “Back-up Hard Drive”
Starting repair tool:
Checking file system
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.
Disk Utility stopped repairing “Back-up Hard Drive”: 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.
while DiskWarrior tries to rebuild it and spits out a memory error.

Disk utility doesn't let me erase flash drive

Hello Everyone!
Today I have encountered a very annoying problem. So I put my flash drive into my computer and it worked fine. But in the permissions it said I can read only. I knew what to do - I went to Disk utility. I expected to be able to just erase the drive but no. It wasn't letting me. Does anyone know how to fix this?
Thanks

Some flash drives have a failure mode in which they are irreversibly write-locked by the internal controller when it detects a write error. If the drive doesn't have a write-lock switch (most do not) and you can't erase it in Disk Utility, that's almost certainly what has happened. To be sure, test it with another computer, if possible.

Disk utility won't restore to external hard drive.

I recently installed Leopard on my Imac G5. I tried to "restore" the HD to a USB external hard drive. It said it would take 15 hours and when I came back - the time machine window was up and had a failure message as did the disk utility for the restore. Does the time machine need to be turned off to successfully restore the HD to an external hard drive?

Also worth noting that, if your drive has a FireWire interface, use that instead of USB. While the theoretical max speed of USB2 is faster than FireWire 400, in real-world conditions FW will blow the socks off USB. And if you're purchasing an external drive, it repays on the long run to pay a little more to purchase one with FW. And, of course, if FW400 is faster, FW800 is out of sight.

Disk Utility says it can't repair hard drive...now what?

I managed to get Disk Utility to run the Repair, but it gave me a message that said after 3 attempts to repair the disk, it was unable to. Repair failed. Now what do I do? Any thoughts?

Ah, I see your other post is a duplicate of this thread. Regarding the "underlying task reported failure" message, are you getting that with respect to "temp#####" files? Per Using Disk Utility in Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later to verify or repair disks, you can ignore those messages.
DiskWarrior can often make repairs that Disk Utility cannot.
If you have access to another Mac, you can try FireWire target disk mode to backup/recover the eMac data.

Disk Utility To Erase Hard Drive

I've been trying to use Disk Utility to zero out an external hard drive before selling it. The problem is that all of the zero out options take an incredibly long time. I was experimenting with the different zero pass options within the security options section. I selected don't erase data and started it. The estimated time was 30 hours. I then tried the 35-Pass Erase. The estimated time was 500 something hours. Is this normal? The drive I want to erase is an 80GB Lacie drive connected via USB to an iMac G4 15 inch.

iMac LCD (iLamp), 800mhz.
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/stats/imac800fp.html

Disk utility not showing volume

I was having boot issues on a mac mini running OS 10.5 so decided to boot off the DVD and run Disk Utility. When Disk Utility came up it listed the hard drive and the DVD drive but it did not list the volume under the hard drive. This means the volume could not be selected thus all the repair/verify buttons are grayed out. Any next steps? Would rather not have to erase the entire drive.
Thanks,
Jim

James,
I don't know for sure but looking into TestDisk may be of help to your situation. http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk It claims to be able to restore a bad partition table.
I hope that helps

Disk utility not recognizing HD

Hi,
I have a G4 PowerMac with two 80 GB hard drives. When I boot up the computer, it boots up from the primary drive and runs fine. At this time, both my primary and my secondary drives are accessible and visible.
However, when I boot up the computer using either the Tiger or Leopard DVDs and then run Disk Utility, it only recognizes my secondary hard drive and not my main hard drive.
Also, if I quit Disk Utility at this time and tell it to re-start, it asks me which drive to boot from and the only option is either the DVD or the secondary hard drive. It just doesn't even see my main hard drive. I have to eject the DVD and re-boot for it to boot from the primary drive again.
Any advice?

I can see and use the hard drive only when I boot from it. When I boot from it, it is on my desktop, in my System Profiler, and visible under Disk Utility.
When I boot from DVD, the drive is not visible anywhere - not in System Profiler and not in Disk Utility.
I booted the computer using the HD and did a "Verify Disk". It gave me several errors and one in red that told me I needed to do a disk repair. I did a disk repair by booting the computer into Safe Mode (which performs a disk repair automatically). Then I rebooted regularly (from the HD) and went into Disk Utility and did another "Verify Disk". This time it verified successfully. I also repaired permissions successfully.
However...
when I booted from DVD, the drive was again invisible.

Disk utility not allowing me to erase hard drive

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for