Disk Utility options - partitioning types

I'm wondering what the Options button in the disk utility actually does.
When I click on a hard drive then click on partition, and the press the options button, I am presented with three options: GUID partition table, apple partition map and master boot record.
What do each of these do? I am trying to put to format my new eSATA enclosure work fast with my MBP in OSX as well as windows. Ideally I'd like to format it with HFS+ and NTFS.

In order to make a bootable disk for an Intel Mac you must select the GUID partition map option. Once partitioned you format the drive using Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) If you intend to install Boot Camp, then you should use the Boot Camp software to create the Windows partition. If you make the Windows partition with Disk Utility, then you can not remove the partition without re-partitioning the drive with Disk Utility. If you use the Boot Camp software then you can also use it to remove the Windows partition if you decide to at a later date.
Most if not all this info is available if you read the MBP User Guide and the user guide PDF that accompanies the Boot Camp software. Use Disk Utility Help from the DU Help menu to find out about all of DU's options. This is what documentation is for. Consult the documentation before you post questions here.

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I want to partition an external device for OSX and Windows. Opened Disk utility but Partition is not an option

I want to partition an external drive for OSX and PC. Went to Disk Utility but Partition is not an available option.

Why not? does the partition tab not exist?

Disk Utility: "Modifying Partition Map"

Good Afternoon all. Im not sure whether this is a problem or not but i have run disk utility to partition my hard drive, and as of now it has been running for over 24 hours.
700 Gb Hdd Partitioned at 487 ( Mac OSx ) and 210 ( Windows NTFS )
The 210 was partitioned by Bootcamp and xp is installed and runs fine
I am attempting to partition the 210 by 55 to allow for the inclusion of Vista
I ran Disk utility yesterday around 9 or 10 and since then it has been saying modifying partition map.
i dont believe it's frozen or has stalled because it responds and i have burned a disk using disk utility. however if i attempt to close it it warns me of damage.
so my issue is whether or not i should just wait it out or if there is something safe i can do. Additionally if installing vista there is a bad idea i would like to be advised.
Thanks In Advance

It's most likely stuck and not going to finish. I experienced this once while creating a new partition for testing purposes. Force quiting will loose any unsaved changes including a partition that's being modified but it looks like your only option at this point. It should not affect your current Mac partition however I'm unsure if it will affect your XP partition. Boot camp works well but in general I would say it's not a good idea to try and re-size or split existing partitions that have data. To do what you want to do you could use Boot camp to create another partition but it would only take the space from your Mac volume. You would probably have to backup or make an image of your XP system then start over using Boot Camp to create the 2 partitions of the size you want.
FYI: You would probably have a better chance getting an answer for this question over in the Boot Camp forum.
George

Can Lion disk utility dynamically partition a drive?

Can Lion disk utility dynamically partition a drive? I see many posts that Leopard Disk utility can but nothing about Lion.

Yes. I'll post a link to instructions. Be sure to create a full reliable backup before you begin (don't just do the backup, test the backup to be sure it's good), and the only application that should be running until the process is complete is Disk Utility.
http://osxdaily.com/2009/11/20/resize-partitions-in-mac-os-x-with-disk-utility/
Some people have problems resizing partitions because of the hidden Recovery HD partition. It sometimes gets in the way because Disk Utility can move it "up" but cannot move it "down".

TS2176 my mac disk utility option is not showing drive where to install

my mac disk utility option is not showing drive where to install

Sadly, it sounds like the drive has died if it isn't showing there, but on the off chance it's just really messed up...
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu at top of the screen. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
*Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Select your Mac OS X volume.
5. Click Repair Disk, (not Repair Permissions). Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214

Disk utility not partitioning usb thumb drive

Here is the log from disk utility
Dec 15 23:49:38: Disk Utility started.
Unmount of “disk1s1” succeeded
Eject of “LEXAR JUMPDRIVE SECURE Media” succeeded
Preparing to partition disk: “LEXAR JUMPDRIVE SECURE Media”
Partition Scheme: PC Partition Scheme
1 partitions will be created
Partition 1
Name : “Untitled 1”
Size : 121.5 MB
Filesystem : MS-DOS File System
Creating Partition Map
Partition failed for disk LEXAR JUMPDRIVE SECURE Media Input/output error
Partition complete.
error with partition Input/output error
This particular drive has two partitions on it currently, one of which is a DOSFAT_16_SHidden. I have been trying to play around and get this thing to format for a few days now on Linux, windows and my Mac. Should I just give up on it or what?

Master Boot Record. Do this:
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. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to MBR then click on the OK button. Set the format type to MSDOS. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.

Disk Utility cannot partition drive

I'm trying to parition a new 1.5 TB USB drive so that I can backup prior to upgrading to Snow Leopard
The Drive is a Maxtor Basics
I am trying to partition it into 3 HFS+ (journaled) partitions. It allows me to creare a single MSDOS (FAT32) partition, but fails on HFS+ or any combination of HFS
Any help?

Do the following:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder. If you need to reformat your startup volume, then you must boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger or Leopard.)
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, 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.
Upon completion click on the Partition tab in DU's main window. Now select 3 partitions from the drop down menu. Size them as you prefer. Leave the format set for Mac OS Extended, Journaled. Click on the Partition button.

Disk Utility and Partition

hey guys ..i have two partitions on my MBP, one Macintosh HD & another one Mac HD.. each 250GB. I made another partition between them...it's empty. first, Macintosh HD,,then this new one and the third one is Mac HD. now i want to delete the middle one..what's gunna happen to that space?

Start with the model ID/number then look on LaCie's website for a description of the product. How are you attempting to partition the drive? The proper procedure is:
Drive Partition and Format
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 two. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Apply button and wait until the process has completed.
This should work unless your drive is configured as a Core Storage device. In that case you need start by selecting the core storage volume (indented entry in Disk Utility,) click on the Erase tab in the main window, then click on the Erase button. This will return to drive to a normal bare state so that you can repartition it.

Disk utility wont partition

hi, i have an external firewire drive that i need to be mac os standerd to boot os 8.6 on a pre g3.
disk utility in mac os 10.4 and 10.3 it looks like it partitions it fine (no error messages) i named the drive 6500 and partition it as mac os standerd. what it does is partition it as mac os extended journaled, names it disk1s3 and it wont mount, i did this with an ibook g3 with 10.4 and an ibook g4 with 10.3, and with 2 differnet harddrives. and it does the same thing.
what it does when i press partition
what i tell it to do

How do you plan to install OS 8 without the CD? You'll need to boot that computer from a CD in order to install OS 8.
In any event if you try to use Disk Utility then you need to:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder. If you need to reformat your startup volume, then you must boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger or Leopard.)
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to APM then click on the OK button. Check the box to Install OS 9 Drivers. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Standard. Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.
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.
Disk Utility cannot prep a drive for OS 8.x, so I'm not sure if installing the OS 9 Drivers will actually mean anything for a drive with OS 8 installed. Furthermore, your OS 8 system must have the Firewire extensions installed otherwise it won't be able to boot or recognize a Firewire device.
This is why you really should be doing everything from an OS 8 installer disc.

Using Disk Utility to partition drive

After downloading a system update yesterday my mac mini hard drive is no longer bootable. The recovery HD is unbootable, too.
When I boot up using the install CD I can run Disk Utility and see that there are no problems reported with the hard drive, but I cannot repair permissions (No valid packages).
If I restore the operating system from the CD my only option is to erase the hard drive.
But what if ...
I create a new partition using Disk Utility?
There's loads of free space on the drive, but if I attempt to create a new partition will I wipe out existing data?
If I succeed in creating a new partition would I be able to restore the operating system there without erasing the hard drive?
Would it be possible then in some way to restore my user account data?
I'm just trying to avoid the hassle of re-installing my applications and recovering my data files from backup. It seems like the data is still all there on the hard drive except that something went wrong during the system update that renders the disk unusable.
Any help appreciated.

Yep, that is too old...
Mac mini
Mac OS X Install Disk 1
Mac OS X version 10.4.7
AHT version 3A102
Disc version 1.1
2Z691-5887-A
Mac OS X Install Disk 2
Disc version 1.0
ZZ691-5860-A

Using Apple "Disk Utility" to partition a disk drive

I have seen some incorrect info on the forums about partitioning disks.
You CAN do this with Disk Utility.
To do this will erase the new partitions you create, so BE CAREFUL.
To partition a disk, start Disk Utility and click on the DRIVE (not Volume) you want to partition.
The DRIVEs are the icons all the way on the left side of the Disk/Volume window area.
If you click on a Drive, the PARTITION tab will appear. Click on it and it's pretty self-explanatory.
Good luck.

It looks like the mountable image option only applies to NTFS partitions. The preferences interface does not show a choice for FAT32.

Disk utility message "partition failed". What to do??

HI,
I just downloaded Lion and was trying to make a seperate partition for it do I didnt delete Snow Leopard..
WHen i was doing it, my computer froze for a while so i had to turn it off manually...
Now when i try to create a partition i get this message..
Partition failed with the error:
Could not modify partition map because filesystem verification failed
how can i fix this so i can install Lion on a partition??
PS I dont have a external HD so i dont want to risk losing all my files...

Well the first thing you need to do is get yourself a external powered drive, format it HFS+ Journaled in Disk Utility and transfer a copy of your Users folders off the computer.
If you can't boot off the internal hard drive, you can hold c and boot off the 10.6 installer disk and under the Utilities menu is Disk Utility which you can then (careful!) select the external hard drive to Erase and format Hfs+ journaled.
Once you do that quit and your back into the installer where you can (careful!) install OS X 10.6 onto the external drive.
Once that's completed reboot holding the Option key and select the external drive to boot from, then go through the setup using the same user name as before. Access the internal boot drive and grab your files.
If you can't access the internal boot drive in a normal fashion, you might have to install DataRescue to read your files off the platters via the 1's and 0's that make up the files themselves, not what the screwed up partition map says.
Once your files are off the computer and the drive disconnected, your free to wipe everything and reinstall OS X and programs if necessary, just follow the same steps.
Next time have a Carbon Copy Clone of your boot drive on another external HFS+ journaled formatted drive already prepared before experimenting. This drive is hold option bootable and you can erase and reverse clone if need be.

Disk Utility Bootable partition on the fly?

It seems I CAN make a partition on the fly in OSX mountain lion, without erasing anything (yes, I have the GBs). If I make a new partition and install Snow Leopard, is this partition bootable? Do Ihave to make any adjustments in Time Machine? Thanks, Henrik

If you use a Snow Leopard DVD and your computer can boot from 10.6.3, then you can boot from the partition. What model do you have? Did it come with Snow Leopard discs? If it did, then use those discs to install Snow Leopard.
Do you know how to add the new partition? If not see the following:
To resize the drive do the following:
1. Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
After the main menu appears select Disk Utility and click on the Continue button. Select the hard drive's main entry then click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
2. You should see the graphical sizing window showing the existing partitions. A portion may appear as a blue rectangle representing the used space on a partition.
3. In the lower right corner of the sizing rectangle for each partition is a resizing gadget. Select it with the mouse and move the bottom of the rectangle upwards until you have reduced the existing partition enough to create the desired new volume's size. The space below the resized partition will appear gray. Click on the Apply button and wait until the process has completed. (Note: You can only make a partition smaller in order to create new free space.)
4. Click on the [+] button below the sizing window to add a new partition in the gray space you freed up. Give the new volume a name, if you wish, then click on the Apply button. Wait until the process has completed.
You should now have a new volume on the drive.
It would be wise to have a backup of your current system as resizing is not necessarily free of risk for data loss. Your drive must have sufficient contiguous free space for this process to work.

Nearly all Disk Utility options are greyed out. I just want to wipe dvd-RWs.

I have been searching for a few months for a solution, I finally decided to post my problem.
I have many rewritable disks that I would like to reuse. However, my disk utility is utterly worthless as nearly every option is greyed out. Only the "verify disk" option is available on any of the disks on the left column. All I want is to be able to erase my disks (or not even erase, just burn over them!), yet my disk utility does next to nothing.
I currently run 10.8.3 Mountain Lion, yet I had this problem at least since lion, and possibly snow leopard.
Thanks all,
Hazzard V

Can you post a screen shot of what you're seeing in Disk Utility?
I just tried it with a DVD-RW which shows no files, except that I know there are some on it.

My disk utility option to turn off encryption does not highlight so I can't turn off the encryption of my external hard drive with time machine back up

I have an iMac and Retina MBP. I use Time Capsule for backup of iMac and I wanted to use an external hard drive attached to time capsule as time machine backup. The problem is that I encrypted previously that external hard drive and now Time Capsule does not recognize it.
When I try to turn off encryption with Disk Utility, that option is not highlighted so I cannot use it.
I tried with terminal but it answers The given UUID is a not a CoreStorage Logical Volume UUID

Can you plug in the hard drive directly to your MBP and then decrypt the hard drive? You should be able to do this by opening up Finder and then either right clicking the hard drive (holding down two fingers and clicking) or holding down ctrl and then clicking on the hard drive.

Disk Utility options - partitioning types

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