Disk Utility Question? Volume needs repair

Hi ALL, I need some help. My system seems to be running slow, so I did a repair permissions - that was OK then I did a Verify Disk and got the message."First Aid Falled" -"Volume Header needs minor repair
d.",1)
S&M Hard Drive
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
1 HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair " I have my Tiger Update disk but it will not bootup from it - not sure why? I do have my old install disk form my old iMac Version 10.1 - can I bootup from this disk and try fixing the issue? I would rather download something that's not expensive or free to help fix the issue. Any and all HELP would be GREAT!!!! THANKS Scott

Because the new software is insane. If there is a leading space on a line the line gets deleted. There's more insanity as well, but I would guess that's the problem with your post.
Anyway, your problem is that there is minor damage to your startup disk, which can probably be repaired. However, you can't repair the disk while booted from the disk. Boot from your install disk, then go to the menu and find Disk Utility there and use it to run the repair function, then reboot. If Disk Utility still can't repair the damage you need to buy a copy of Disk Warrior and use it.
Francine
Francine
Schwieder

Similar Messages

Disk Utility Problems - Volume Needs Repair

Hi,
I have an iMac G5 (PowerPC) and when I ran Disk Utility I get the following error:
+"Verifying volume “Macintosh HD”+
+Checking HFS Plus volume.+
+Checking Extents Overflow file.+
+Checking Catalog file.+
+Illegal name+
+Checking multi-linked files.+
+Checking Catalog hierarchy.+
+Checking Catalog hierarchy.+
+Checking Extended Attributes file.+
+Checking volume bitmap.+
+Checking volume information.+
+Volume Header needs minor repair+
+to be repaired.",1)+
+Macintosh HD+
+Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit+
+1 HFS volume checked+
+ Verifying volume “Macintosh HD”
Checking HFS Plus volume.
Checking Extents Overflow file.
Checking Catalog file.
Illegal name
Checking multi-linked files.
Checking Catalog hierarchy.
Checking Catalog hierarchy.
Checking Extended Attributes file.
Checking volume bitmap.
Checking volume information.
Volume Header needs minor repair
to be repaired.",1)
Macintosh HD
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
1 HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair"+
When I try to load off the Install CD to do the repair, I get an error saying something about "Kernal" and a grey box saying I need to restart.
I ran TechTool Deluxe and it did not find any problems.
What do I need to do to resolve this? I am not exactly sure what is wrong as I am not THAT technically inclined.
Any directions/help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Welcome to Discussions - what you are having are kernel panics, see Dr Smoke's Resolving Kernel Panics and follow his directions.
Let us know how things work out,

Disk Utility says volume needs repair, tests failed. Now what?

What exactly does this mean? Unfortunately, I bought this TiBook from a classmate, and he didn't have his Tiger DVD, so all I have is 10.0 and a 10.1 upgrade. Do I have to use this to re-install?
Thanks!
Jim

Hello James:
Since you do not have the Tiger DVD you have a few choices (none particularly good). You should ALWAYS have the software install DVD - I am not sure what will happen when you run repair disk from an older software install CD/DVD. You will be unable to reinstall Tiger unless you have the proper DVD. I would return the iBook and get my money back from your classmate unless that person produces the proper software.
Incidentally, if Apple's repair disk (run from the CD/DVD) is unable to repair problems, DiskWarrior is the next option. DW is the 'gold standard' of directory repair, but it is pricey at about $90.
Barry

Disk utility stopped verifying; need repair... over and over and over

I've gone through the restart, Command+R drill 4 times. Repaired the disk using "Disk Utility." Restarted after repair, ran disk utility to verify the repair and BAM disk utility stops verifying and instructs me to restart ... etc.
The errors have been consistent: orphaned blocks, invalid volume free block count. But when I use utility disk after restarting and pressing command+r, the "repair disk" does not appear to do anythign beyond "Load and Verify" freespace summary and block accounting. Am I missing a step?
Any suggestions appreciated.

That article does not pertain to the OS you are running. "This article has been archived and is no longer updated by Apple."
It pertains to using fsck not Disk Utility for:
Products Affected
Mac OS X 10.3.9, Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.5, Mac OS X Server 10.2, Mac OS X Server 10.3, Mac OS X Server 10.4, Mac OS X Server 10.4.7, Mac OS X Server 10.5

Disk Utility says HD needs repair-how to boot from original disk?

Hi,
My iMac has been acting up badly. Finally on Friday, it had trouble turning on and a burning smell arose from the top. Came on but with the blinking folder with question mark. So turned it off and tried again to turn on: no chime and couldn't turn it on.
Went to Genius bar this a.m. Tried different cord. It turned on. Everything came up fine. Genius ran special test. Everything came back with green check. But he said the internal hard drive could very likely be starting to fail.
Back home. Just ran the Disk Utility to "Verify." It couldn't continue verification. Got these messages:
Invalid volume directory count.
Error: Filesystem verify or repair failed.
The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
Questions:
1) Can I repair using the First Aid utility (or is it more about getting a new HD)?
2) If so, can someone remind me what keys to press on startup to boot from the CD?
3) I have 10.5.8 right now. Can I still boot from the original Tiger installation CD and use that Disk Utility?
Thanks for your urgently needed help!

If you're on 10.5.8 have you not got that disk as that would probably be the best one to use? If not, the disk that came with your Mac should still boot up. Disk in drive and restart holding down the 'C' key. Hopefully it'll boot - albeit slowly. At the multi-language screen choose your language and at the next screen from the menu bar select Utilities>Disk Utility. Select Macintosh HD on the left and 'repair disk'. Hopefully it'll do the necessary repairs. If it fixes anything click 'repair disk' again until you get a clean pass and then from the Apple menu restart as normal.
If you haven't got a backup make sure you make one ASAP.

Disk Utility - Partition map needs repair because a data partition needs loader space.

I just finished setting up both my OSX and Windows installs from scratch after fitting an SSD, which in-turn was right before my logic board died and Apple replaced it, now it looks like I have some sort of hard drive issue brewing.
This was my plan for the SSD, and how it currently displays in Disk Utility although that wasn't the case earlier:
And in Terminal:
My intention was to have two boot partitions for each OS, 'Macintosh HD' and 'Win 7 Pro' and a third shared data partition 'Projects' on the SSD, which I made in Drive Genius after installing Boot Camp. I don't want Macintosh HD accessible from Windows because I'll be using Paragon HFS+ or MacDrive to give write access and don't want OSs stomping on other OSs turf, hence needing three partitions. Everything looked fine until I just checked Disk Management under windows and realised it couldn't see the Projects volume. Even though it's fine in OS X, it was just marked black/unallocated space.
So I booted back into OSX, all my files look fine so I ran Disk Utility and the Partition tab looked really odd - unfortunately I didn't get a screenshot. All volumes reported their size correctly but visually, Macintosh HD took up most of the drive. I could see 'Windows 7 Pro' under this, but the Partition Layout section had a scrollbar, which if I scrolled down showed 'Projects' squished into a tiny gap at the bottom. I ran a Verify, which reported no problems, and at some time since the Partition Layout has reverted to how it should look (as in the screenshot above), with 'Projects' book-ended by "Macintosh HD' and 'Windows 7 Pro'.
Now when I run a Verify on Macintosh HD or Projects volumes, it says there's no problem, but if I run one on the drive, I get this message:
Volume Macintosh HD on disk0s2 has 0 bytes of trailing loader space and it needs 134217728 bytes
Problems were found with the partition map which might prevent booting
Error: Partition map needs repair because a data partition needs loader space.
I've only managed to find one other mention of this error here, but the fix is not relevant to me because I don't have Sophos installed. I've tried Single User/Safe Mode but it just boots into normal mode, so I can't do a fsck -fy.
** /dev/rdisk0s2 (NO WRITE)
Can't open /dev/rdisk0s2: Permission denied
That value in bytes is exactly 128mb, so I suspect the problem lies with one of the invisible partitions that show up in iPartition and Disk Management under Windows, but not in Disk Utility. I have backups and I suspect the root of the problem is partitioning in iPartition after installing Boot Camp, but I've never had issues with this approach in the past so I'm wary of just giving up and reinstalling Windows again will be massive hassle because I no longer have a SuperDrive and last time it refused to install from USB.
Anyone have any idea what's going on? It seems like the sort of issue Disk Utility should just handle, at least in Recovery mode, but it's not playing ball. It also doesn't seem like a massive problem since my files all look fine and performance is OK, so I'm reluctant to do anything major.
I'll update with a shot of the drive in Disk Management from Windows in a few minutes, in case that sheds light on anything. Thanks!

Similar issue here. I manually partitioned my hard disk for triple boot (using Gparted on Linux), then everything was just fine until I ran bootcamp, to do something as simple as create a boot USB.
I get the same error as a result and have to work my way into booting, by resorting first to a Linux live USB, then restarting from the live USB, to finally reach my rEFInd boot manager, or whichever boot manager should be initialized at startup.
I suppose that the cause in my case is that some operation "scratched" the protective MBR. See this:
http://www.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.23/23.03/APMtoGPT/index.html
I am hoping to fix it using an external Yosemite installation media: see this guide -
http://www.macworld.com/article/2367748/how-to-make-a-bootable-os-x-10-10-yosemi te-install-drive.html
And as a last resort to reinstall.
I'll admit I am negatively surprised. I need this computer for professional reasons, and for the sake of "preserving the integrity of OSX", measures defined by Apple instead tend to make partitions far easier to damage. And this problem seems to affect a number of users.
As for what I have to go through to fix it: a 5GB download, during which I have to register my credit card to the Apple Store. "Pay first, get your free software next."
IF Disk Utility can fix it, from the external media, then fair enough. The hassle is unpleasant but it files as "a choice".
Otherwise you can file it safely under software design calamity.

Disk Utility: "Volume needs repair" - what to do?

I just ran Verify Disk and got this result:
Verifying volume “iBook HD”
Checking HFS Plus volume.
Checking Extents Overflow file.
Checking Catalog file.
Incorrect block count for file Database3_BROKEN-journal
(It should be 25 instead of 0)
0
Checking multi-linked files.
Checking Catalog hierarchy.
Checking Extended Attributes file.
Checking Extended Attributes file.
,1)
1733913 /Library/Logs/Console/501/console.log.0
Overlapped extent allocation (file 1734737)
Checking volume bitmap.
Volume Bit Map needs minor repair
Checking volume information.
Invalid volume free block count
(It should be 8593446 instead of 8593471)
The volume iBook HD needs to be repaired.
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
1 HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair
How do I repair this volume?
bob.m.

bob:
Disk Utility reports "Underlying task reported failure" when repairing a volume is a serious directory error which Disk Utility cannot repair.
•I suggest you read through the article.
•Then, if you do not have an up-to-date backup, it will be a good idea to try to save as much as you can of your data.
•The article suggests using a third party utility. Disk Warrior and Tech Tool Pro are the best utilities for this job. You will need to get one of them and run it, by booting from the CD, or installing it on an external firewire drive or on a second Mac which you can then run in Firewire Target Disk Mode.
Please do post back with further questions or comments.
Good luck.
cornelius

Disk Utility says I need to repair disk

My computer is running a little sluggish so I went into the Disk Utility and selected verify disk. I got the message below. I inserted the OS X disk but the repair disk option wasn't available. I bought the computer with Panther and got Tiger later, unfortunately I don't have the Tiger disk. How do I fix this problem?
Verifying volume “Macintosh HD”
Checking HFS Plus volume.
Checking Extents Overflow file.
Checking Catalog file.
Checking multi-linked files.
Checking Catalog hierarchy.
Checking Extended Attributes file.
Checking volume bitmap.
Volume Bit Map needs minor repair
Checking volume information.
Macintosh HD
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
1 HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair

If you are running Tiger, you need the Tiger install disc you purchased in order to run Disk First Aid repair.
And withhout your Tiger install disc, you cannot perform an Archive & Install retaining Tiger, etc. so bad move not keeping this in a safe place.
Your only other option is running fsck.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214

OSX Lion Disk Utility won't verify/repair RAID volumes

SInce I upgraded to Lion (now at 10.7.4) I can't use the Disk utility to verify or repair the disk catalog (disk first Aid) on apple soft RAID volumes. These volumes were created in 10.6 use the Apple RAID feature of disk utility.
I have one striped and one concatenated volume - neither will work. Press the button and the progress bar flashes for a fraction of a second, then nothing. no error, no message in the window - just no repsonse. Works fine on non raid volumes in the same disk enclosure -Firmtek Seritek/5PM, with seritek 2ME4-E sata card.
Not sure I really want to recreate and recopy the drives....
Any ideas? Seaches haven't turned up this specific issue.

A quick search in these forums for permissions or *permissions problem* reveals many posts the past four months.
In a nutshell, repairing permissions w/Leopard takes anywhere from 10-40 minutes, depending on what's installed and what's contained in /Library/Receipts/bom/. The repair permissions operation has changed in Leopard. The stalled progress bar is an unresolved bug (they haven't figured out how to make it work whilst it's checking or rebuilding the a.receiptdb, in /Library/Receipts/db/. To see what's really going on, open that folder in a Finder window, select list view, launch Disk Utility, select your boot volume, and click on repair permissions. Watch the Finder window flash files that are being read and checked against the current a.receiptdb file. That's what's taking all the time and freezing the progress bar. Once that's finished, the progress bar starts moving and the permissions are being checked and repaired. Also note, that you won't get any *they were repaired* message back for any that are noted to be incorrect.

A crash, volume needs repair?

Hi, I have no idea what has happened. It's embarrassing but I can't even tell you accurately what OS X I was using but all my software was up to date. When I try to open applications like Safari, it says "you cannot use the application Safari with this version of Mac OS X" The same goes for iTunes and other apps. Some programs just quit unexpectedly when I try to open them. Seems like it reverted back to a very old operating system I didn't even know existed. Even the JPEGs open with a different program I don't use. When I click "about this mac" it says the memory capacity is 512 MB when I know it usually 250 GB and I currently have 25 GB free. I tried Disk Utility and the error messages read exactly as followed: Volume bitmap needs minor repair. Invalid volume free block count (it should be 6873884 instead of 6873859) The volume Machintosh HD needs to be repaired. Error: the underlying task reported failure on exit. First Aid failed. Disk Utility stopped verifying "Machintosh HD" because the following error was encountered: The underlying task reported failure on exit. HFS volume checked volume needs repair.
I stopped messing with it because I have no idea what to do and I don't want to make it any worse. I have installation disks buried in storage but I'll get replacements if that's what it is. I'm panicked. Please help

Welcome to Discussions - boot from your install disc and use Disk Utility to repair your volume. If that fails, get hold of DiskWarrior and use that.
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer, 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. (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. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk.
When you have finished, reboot and repair permissions from your hard drive.

1 HFS volume needs repair -- can't boot from OS X Tiger "kernel panic"

I just searched the support discussions and did find an answer so hopefully someone can help me. Today I ran Disk Utility on both my G4 powerbook and G5 desktop. Both have Tiger 10.4.8 on them and have been running good. To my surprise both came back with a message saying:
1 HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair.
So I booted off my Tiger start up disk on the laptop first and went to utility and repair disk and all was good. The message came back that the volume was repaired.
When I tried to do the same thing on my G5 desktop my computer went to a gray screen and gave an error of “kernel panic” with a page long message. I shut the computer down and rebooted normally and all was fine. I then went back to disk utility and clicked on Verify Disk again to see what it said and here is what I got:
Verifying volume “MacOS250”
Checking HFS Plus volume.
Checking Extents Overflow file.
Checking Catalog file.
Illegal name_
Illegal name_
Checking multi-linked files.
Checking Catalog hierarchy.
Checking Extended Attributes file.
Checking volume bitmap.
Checking volume information.
The volume MacOS250 needs to be repaired.
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
1 HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair
So i noticed that under:
Checking Catalog file.
Illegal name_
Illegal name_
came back twice. I have no idea what this means. At this point I tried to boot from DiskWarrior and the computer just sat in a state of limbo for an hour or so. I know DW can take some time but 1 hour was pushing my patients so I shut it down and rebooted normally and all was fine again except I still get the message above. I then methodically backed up all my docs, movies, photos etc to my second hard drive. I tried to boot again from Tiger and got the same “kernel panic” message. Can anyone help me?
Thanks,
Tim
G5 Mac OS X (10.4.8)
G5 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Maverick922 Before you erase, you might want to try and run fsck first even though it says you are using HFS+
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Another reason is your version of disk utility on the Tiger disk might may not match the newer version of 10.4.8 My Tiger start-up disk utility is 10.5 while the OS X version on my HD is 10.5.6.
The Finder along with other applications do not like you naming a file with a period in front of it. This turns it into a Unix dotfile and it then becomes hidden.Hence, illegal name.This may have been done by accident or with purpose.
And a little more to read up on, http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302672
If these don't help, sherry johnson's suggestion is probably the next step.

Volume needs repair

Disk Utility First Aid reports the following:
Verifying volume “Macintosh HD”
Checking HFS Plus volume.
Checking Extents Overflow file.
Checking Catalog file.
Invalid node structure
The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
1 HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair
sudo fsck_hfs -l /dev/disk0s2 reports as below:
** /dev/rdisk0s2 (NO WRITE)
** Root file system
** Checking HFS Plus volume.
** Checking Extents Overflow file.
** Checking Catalog file.
Invalid node structure
(4, 27421)
** The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
I've tried to boot up on OSX Installation disk and run Disk utility from there but with no success on repairing the fault.
Anyone who knows how to solve this problem? What does (4, 27421) mean?
Thanks!
Johan
MBP 17" Core Duo 2.16MHz Mac OS X (10.4.9) 2GB RAM

JS_MACNewBie,
Assuming Disk Warrior can successfully repair your file structure (good luck, BTW), this doesn't mean that you are "out of the woods."
When you have a disk error, especially one as serious as the current one, some files will undoubtedly be damaged. Repairing the file system, when successful, does not repair the damaged files; it only returns the file system to a "consistent" state.
If these damaged files are critical system files, you are going to continue to have problems. Disk Repair utilities (Disk Utility included) are indispensible tools, but they should be used only in emergencies such as yours to facilitate making a good backup prior to formatting and reinstalling.
Only by formatting, then reinstalling can you "fix" the files that may have been damaged by the disk error. I recommend that you do this immediately, once you are able to make a good backup of your important files.
Scott

Stuck in reboot-Volume needs repair?

Stuck in reboot. Able to reboot using my start up disk, ran disk utilities, after running "repair disk" I get the message "HFS Volume repaired" then I ran "verify disk" I get the message "0 HFS volume verified- 1 volume needs repair. I ran each, ""repair" and "verify" several times and get the same conflicting messages and I still get stuck in reboot when trying a "normal reboot". So it looks like my hard drive needs repair? I may have access to a "Tiger" install disc which I understand has improved disk utilities, should I try this on my Panther machine? Thanks.

As Sherry has already helpfully noted, the retail Tiger 10.4.2 (or later) Install DVD has a version of Repair Disk that has significantly improved disk repair capabilities compared to earlier versions. It remains true, however, that the best-recommended utility for handing disk directory problems is DiskWarrior. That's an option if the Tiger 10.4.2 + version of DIsk Utility can't make the necessary repairs.
Reagrdless of what utility you use, anytime you run a repair utility that reports making a repair, best practice is to immediately run the repair (not verify) utility again. Many times, one error blocks discovery of other errors, so you want to run the repairs until you either get an all-clear report or it becomes painfully obvious to you that the repair utility isn't working.
If you mentioned this earlier, I managed to miss it: what does Disk Utility say about the SMART status of the hard drive? If the SMART status is reporting failed, you might as well skip Disk Warrior and look to borrow another Firewire-equipped Mac so that you can try booting into FireWire target disk mode to recover what you can from your hard drive. Data Rescue has a one-file free evaluation mode; you could try that on the second Mac to see if it'll help you recover your data in the case of a failed SMART status.

Volume needs repair..Invalid volume Free block count..

When I did a scan on the HD through Disk Utilty I got this error..."Volume needs repair...Invalid volume Free block count,,,Should be 65607....instead od 65606."
Is there any application that I can get to fix that error..so that I don't have to Reinstall with the start up disks.. I don't feel like reinstalling everything all over again. Please help or if you can direct me to the area so that I can change the numbers myself...Thank you

Hi Nvrdan1de, and a warm welcome to the forums!
You cannot repair the HD you're booted from, "Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Tiger 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. (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. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
Then Safe Boot , (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it finishes.
Safe Boot... holding Shift key down at bootup. Safe Boot is a special way to start Mac OS X 10.2 or later when troubleshooting.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107392
Though this seems like a simple one for DU to fix, unfortunately DU can't fix all that much,So, if it fails your best bet is DiskWarrior, you need the CD though.
http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/

Volume needs repair AND hard drive problem...

OK so I have an Intel Based iMac and its about 1 year old. Randomly I got a message saying that the hard drive disc space is almost full, which makes NO sense. I have a 250 hard drive and I use it mainly for video editing. Before I got this message, I had about 100 GB left on my hard drive. I have NO CLUE where 100 GB went to, and i know it was not from video. Also I went to the disk utility and it said "Volume needs repair" and it gave me an "The underlying task reported failure,". Im not sure what to do and I'm hoping you guys will.....if this has been asked before, I apologize.

Yes, you can delete it, but it indicates a bigger concern namely your maintenance scripts aren't running regularly to clean up the logs or you have a problem in the system or an application that is writing huge amounts of information constantly into the log file. You should check the log using the Console application (Utilities folder) and examine its content to see if this is the case.
You should also read the following for information on installing utilities that can assure the maintenance scripts are run as well as other information on system maintenance that can help keep your computer running better.
Kappy's Personal Suggestions for OS X Maintenance
For disk repairs use Disk Utility. For situations DU cannot handle the best third-party utilities are: Disk Warrior; DW only fixes problems with the disk directory, but most disk problems are caused by directory corruption; Disk Warrior 4.0 is now Intel Mac compatible. TechTool Pro provides additional repair options including file repair and recovery, system diagnostics, and disk defragmentation. TechTool Pro 4.6.1 is Leopard compatible; Drive Genius is similar to TechTool Pro in terms of the various repair services provided. The current version, 1.5.1, is Intel Mac compatible.
OS X performs certain maintenance functions that are scheduled to occur on a daily, weekly, or monthly period. The maintenance scripts run in the early AM only if the computer is turned on 24/7 (no sleep.) If this isn't the case, then an excellent solution is to download and install a shareware utility such as Macaroni, JAW PseudoAnacron, or Anacron that will automate the maintenance activity regardless of whether the computer is turned off or asleep.
OS X automatically defrags files less than 20 MBs in size, so unless you have a disk full of very large files there's little need for defragmenting the hard drive. As for virus protection there are few if any such animals affecting OS X. You can protect the computer easily using the freeware Open Source virus protection software ClamXAV. Personally I would avoid most commercial anti-virus software because of their potential for causing problems.
I would also recommend downloading the shareware utility TinkerTool System that you can use for periodic maintenance such as removing old logfiles and archives, clearing caches, etc.
For emergency repairs install the freeware utility Applejack. If you cannot start up in OS X, you may be able to start in single-user mode from which you can run Applejack to do a whole set of repair and maintenance routines from the commandline. Note that presently AppleJack is not compatible with Leopard.
When you install any new system software or updates be sure to repair the hard drive and permissions beforehand. I also recommend booting into safe mode before doing system software updates.
Get an external Firewire drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
1. Retrospect Desktop (Commercial - not yet universal binary)
2. Synchronize! Pro X (Commercial)
3. Synk (Backup, Standard, or Pro)
4. Deja Vu (Shareware)
5. PsynchX 2.1.1 and RsyncX 2.1 (Freeware)
6. Carbon Copy Cloner (Freeware - 3.0 is a Universal Binary)
7. SuperDuper! (Commercial)
8. Data Backup (Commercial)
The following utilities can also be used for backup, but cannot create bootable clones:
1. Backup (requires a .Mac account with Apple both to get the software and to use it.)
2. Toast
3. Impression
4. arRSync
Apple's Backup is a full backup tool capable of also backing up across multiple media such as CD/DVD. However, it cannot create bootable backups. It is primarily an "archiving" utility as are the other two.
Impression and Toast are disk image based backups, only. Particularly useful if you need to backup to CD/DVD across multiple media.
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on maintenance, optimization, virus protection, and backup and restore.
Additional suggestions will be found in Mac Maintenance Quick Assist.
Referenced software can be found at www.versiontracker.com and www.macupdate.com.

Disk Utility Question? Volume needs repair

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