Error reinstalling Yosemite & hard drive can't unmount

Product: MacBook Pro 15-inch, Mid 2009
Processor: 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 8GB 1067 MHz DDR3 (Factory installed Samsung 4GB, upgraded to Crucial 8GB)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB
Software: OS X 10.10.x (base OS X = 10.6.x Snow Leopard)
Disclaimer: I am by no means an "advanced" user, I consider myself to be a beginner. All the steps I performed below were a result of research. Plus, I've done so many things my eyes are crossing and my brain hurts. I tried to provide as much detail as possible while attempting to be concise.
My initial problem began when my MacBook started to run very slowly. So I did some research and tried the following:
-Ran Activity Monitor to see what was taking up memory and CPU usage. MacBook was way too slow to respond.
-Performed the "sudo purge" feature in Terminal. MacBook was still very slow.
-Booted to Recovery and verified and repaired all permissions and disk. Everything was verified, no problems. Some permissions needed to be repaired and were repaired successfully. After a reboot, logged in, and after a few minutes the MacBook is still slow).
-Tried resetting the SMC (I seem to remember trying this). Still slow. Reset the SMC after running in safe mode. Still slow.
-Reset the PRAM. Still slow.
Note: by "slow" I mean every time I click on something I get the spinning beach ball for minutes on end. The last reboot after resetting the PRAM, I clicked "Restart" from the login screen and got the spinning beach ball... FROM THE LOGIN SCREEN!
I've had this spinning beach ball happen at least two or three times before -- but never at the login screen -- and I seem to remember that one (or more) of the above steps seems to fix the issue. Since I had no success, the following step had also fixed it for me in the past:
-Boot to Recovery and reinstalled OS X. Near the end of the process, I received an error message: "Error occurred while extracting files from the package Essentials.pkg" and the only option is to restart or go back to the Disk Utility. After restarting, the MacBook boots directly to the "Install OS X" screen, shows the progress bar at about "23 minutes remaining" and after about 10 minutes, gives me the same "Error occurred..." message when the progress reaches 18 minutes. Several restarts takes me back to the exact same message.
-I found on another thread that the third-party RAM upgrade may be in an issue. It was suggested to re-install the factory RAM, and the OS X install will work. I did that with no success. I still get the "Error occurred..." message after a reboot. (Perhaps I installed the factory RAM improperly, but I seriously doubt it). Several reboots, no change.
-Rebooted to single-user mode to do a file system check, and everything was fine. No errors, no problems... so I rebooted, and still received the "Error occurred..." message during the install process.
-Decided as a last last resort to erase the hard drive and start fresh, so at the "Error occurred..." screen, I am able to go back to Disk Utility. I go back to Disk Utility and attempt to erase the hard drive and immediately receive the message: "Unable to unmount disk." Then I tried to partition from Disk Utility and of course, "Unable to unmount disk."
Up until the "unmount" problem the issues seemed to stem from the OS X and not the hard drive. Especially after I did the file system check with no errors... Needless to say, I'm at a loss. So I guess my question boils down to: can I purchase a new unformatted hard drive, format it in Disk Utility, and start using that new hard drive? I've been wanting to upgrade to an SSD for about 2 months -- and I guess I waited too late -- but everything I've seen suggests "cloning" the current HD onto the SSD first to avoid boot problems. Not only am I not inclined to clone my current HD because of these issues, but I doubt that it will even work at this point. I don't want to waste any more time (nor do I want this endeavor to be a waste of money).
Another question: did I re-install the RAM improperly? If so, how would I know?
I started off with OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 but have upgraded to Lion, then digitally Mountain Lion, Mavericks, and now Yosemite. I have done a ton of research but I have yet to see a sequence of events like this one. I really hope someone can help me out!

By the way, I just found this thread a few minutes ago:
How to delete a hard drive that is corrupted with Yosemite. . .
I will try the Command + Option + R to try to reformat the hard drive, and use the original install disc to give it a shot. I just hope I don't do any more damage than I may have already done.

Similar Messages

  • External Hard Drive Error -- alias "Home Hard Drive" can't be opened be

    I've got an iMac and an external hard drive I've been using for about three years. Recently, every time I try to open the external hard drive I get the following error, "The alias “Home Hard Drive” can’t be opened because the original item can’t be found." The three options it gives me are, Delete Alias, Fix Alias or just ok. I've got my iTunes library on the EHD so I'm very skeptical about pressing fix alias b/c obviously I don't want to lose any of my data. Has anyone experienced this or have a solution?
    Thanks!

    We have the same exact problem on multiple machines and with multiple hard drives since upgrading to OS 10.6. It is a known issue at Apple. The suggestion to me from Apple support staff was to use a third party application called "Path Finder", which allows you to correct the problem by turning off an "alias bit" after selecting "show info" on the hard drive.
    The problem with this solution is 1) it costs $40 which I think is unfair... apple should provide a free solution, and 2) the problems can reoccur spontaneously, requiring periodic resetting of the alias bit.
    I'm hoping Apple can solve this problem... but I am still out the $40.

  • 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?

  • My WD 2tb external hard drive will not unmount from my MacBook Pro.

    My WD 2tb external hard drive will not unmount from my MacBook Pro. It no longer even shows up in finder, however it does show up in Disk Utility. I have tired so many of the suggestions on the internet all to a fail.
    I keep getting the message to be sure that all applications are closed before ejecting the drive. I have no clue how to tell which appliactions are using the external drive to shut them off. I turned off Time Machiene to be safe. 
    I don't need anything on the external drive, I am just trying to erase it, save my current info, and migrate it to my new MacBook Pro.
    I have been about four days now with this issue all over the internet, in this community, and watching videos on everything and nothing about this topic to a fail.
    I think I am doomed and have lossed this external drive because of some wierd application that will NEVER close on my hard drive for it to disconnect correctly. It's annoying.
    Does anyone have a solution?

    Have you trie using another USB port? Can you test the USB ports with other USB devices to assure they are working? You may want to reinstall OS X in case there has been a driver glitch.
    Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
    1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
    Boot from your Snow Leopard 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 Utilities menu. 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.
    If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
    2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
    If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer.  Proceed with reinstalling OS X.  Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files.  After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
    Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.

  • How big of a hard drive can I install in my HP Pavilion Elite e9220y Desktop PC

    I have a  HP Pavilion Elite e9220y Desktop PC I have gotten an error on my hard drive BIOHD-8 imminate failure, I am going to replace my drive and would like to know if I can replace it with a 2 TB?

    Hi,
    Should be ok to use 2TB HDD and lower. Anything bigger/larger (capacity) than 2.2TB you may get problem and have to do more work to be able to get it right.
    Regards,
    BH
    **Click the KUDOS thumb up on the left to say 'Thanks'**
    Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

  • How to reinstall a hard drive on a mac pro that was accidentally dragged out of Finder

    How to reinstall a hard drive on a mac pro that was accidentally dragged out of Finder?  I have files on this drive that I don't want to loose or corrupt.

    If you mean you dragged the hard drive shortcut out of the sidebar of a Finder window, you're quite all right - that's just a shortcut and you haven't lost any files. You can get it back by going to Finder preferences (the Finder menu, then Preferences), click Sidebar, and tick the "hard drives" box fully to show all hard drives.
    Post back if you did something different though.
    Matt

  • MacBook Pro 2010: Flashing folder w/? on not responding to startup keys & I'm trying to install a new hard drive, can anyone help?

    MacBook Pro 2010: Flashing folder w/? on not responding to startup keys & I'm trying to install a new hard drive, can anyone help?

    Thanks. It started up com that disk but when I went to install it had an error message (didn't get to write out what it said). So I attempted to restore from time machine but it said there was no space, even though it's a new (replacement under warranty) HGST 1TB HD,  so I did what  I think was right and tried to partition the disk but it now says 'Partition faild...POSIX report...cannot allocate memory'.  im not sure what to do, and I'm trying to remember how the previous hd was installed and formatted for use but that was over a year ago now. Should have erased the hd first or something?

  • Delete windows warnings, error messages from hard drive

    delete windows warnings, error messages from hard drive

    Hello @NeoTaino,
    I have read your post on how your desktop computer is displaying a "delete Windows warning, error messages from hard drive". Did you install any hardware or software recently? What does the full error message state as it appears on the screen? I would be happy to help you, but first I would encourage you to post your product number for your computer. Below is a is an HP Support document that will demonstrate how to find your computer's product number. In addition, it will also help if you indicate which operating system you are using; and whether your operating system is 32 or 64 bit. The more information you can provide, the better!
    How Do I Find My Model Number or Product Number?
    Which Windows operating system am I running?
    Is the Windows Version on My Computer 32-bit or 64-bit?
    Please re-post with the necessary information, this way I will be able to research this further for you. I look forward to your reply!
    Cheers!
    MechPilot
    I work on behalf of HP
    Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
    Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!

  • I had to reinstall my hard drive and now my iphoto is gone

    when I reinstalled my hard drive i realized that a few of the apps that came with my laptop are now gone. Does anyone know how to get iPhoto back? thats the only one I care about and I dont feel as though I should have to purchase it if it came with my computer to begin with

    It is a part of the "iLife" suite including Garageband and iMovie. Depending on what version of iLife you had; you may need to re-obtain the iLife software DVD's or Contact Apple Support if it was the most recent version which can only be downloaded from the app store. If you contact apple support via expresslane.apple.com they should be able to regrant the iPhoto download individually since the most recent iLife suite is now split up and each is an individual purchase.

  • Error when verifying hard drive

    I restarted a "snow" iMac (OS 10.2.8•256MB RAM•600 MHz• G3) with the system disc and verified/repaired permissions. I then tried to verify the hard drive and the following message appeared:
    "The disk hard drive failed to unmount because it is in use. The operation has been cancelled."
    What does this mean and how can I verify the hard drive?

    No. You need to use a bootable installer disc for the same major version as the installed OS (e.g., if you have 10.3.x installed then use any Panther installer disc.) An upgrade disc can only boot a computer that has an earlier version of OS X installed. A Jaguar upgrade disc can only boot a computer with 10.1.x installed.

  • I would like to know if you have to back up a macbook hard drive, can I use a external hard drive that has been previously used to back up several pc 's, or is it best to have a separate external drive for the Mac?

    I would like to know if you have to back up a macbook hard drive, can I use a external hard drive that has been previously used to back up several pc 's, or is it best to have a separate external drive for the Mac?

    In the Mac side of things, backups usually come in two flavors: clones or incrementals.
    A bootable clone is a bit-for-bit copy of all essential files in the startup volume. If using the Lions, clones can be made using CarbonCopyCloner or just plain old Disk Utility. These backups represent the safest protection of your info, but take the longest to do. Recovery is an inverse process: you copy the clone back into the internal drive.
    Incremental backups start with a complete backup of the startup volume and only copy whatever changed from the previous run. OS X includes the fully integrated Time Machine backup utility to do this. It is extremely easy to do and takes the least amount of time. Recovery is another matter altogether since you have to start with a freshly installed instance of the OS and have to apply all intervening backups to bring the result to the latest saved version.
    As for where the backup takes place, the recommended media is an external dedicated drive or drives connected via the fastest interface available on your Mac: Thunderbolt, USB3, Firewire, or USB2. Network-based backups, wired or wireless, are attractive but may not offer the same performance and hence take longer. Also important to note that the entire drive need not be completely dedicated to a single backup. The Mac's EFI firmware infrastructure allows for an unlimited number of partitions on a hard drive and each can be used for either type of backups.
    Holler if you need specifics on how to do each. This was just an executive summary.

  • I use an external hard drive for my Lightroom library and I notice that all the images shown on there are DNG. On my MAC hard drive I have images shown as NEF. I desperately need to free up space on my hard drive, can I safely delete these NEFs?

    I use an external hard drive for my Lightroom library and I notice that all the images shown on there are DNG. On my MAC hard drive I have images shown as NEF. I desperately need to free up space on my hard drive, can I safely delete these NEFs?

    dj_paige wrote:
    however, I do point out that obtaining an additional hard drive and not throwing anything away seems a preferable solution to me.
    heidie22, dj_paige has a very good point there. I would not through away the NEF files; I would archive them to a external drive.
    By the way, I am assuming that converting RAW files to DNG is a decision you have made and not an accident.

  • I use My Time Capsule as a external hard drive, can I transfer files other than wirelessly?

    I use My Time Capsule as a external hard drive, can I transfer files other than wirelessly?

    will TC appear on My desk top?
    It will, if you do the following:
    Open Macintosh HD and locate the Time Capsule icon under the SHARED heading on the left side of he window.
    Click on the Time Capsule icon and a folder representing the drive will appear to the right
    Double click the folder and the drive icon will appear on the desktop

  • HT1751 unable to copy iTunes folder from mac to external hard drive, says hard drive can't be modified

    when attempting to copy itunes folder to external hard drive, response is unable to copy file, hard drive can't be modified. What does that mean and how to I use external HD to transfer itunes library to new PC?

    The drive is probably formated as NTFS, and your Mac doesn't have an NTFS write driver installed. Why not transfer the folder over your network?
    tt2

  • HT1751 if I move my iTunes library to an external hard drive can my computer access these files in iTunes or do I need to move them back to play music, watch movies, etc.???

    If I move my iTunes library to an external hard drive, can my MacBookPro access these files in iTunes or do I need to move them backto my MacBookPro to play music, watch movies, etc.???
    Trying to alleviate some disc space on my Mac!!!

    Yes, it can. Launch iTunes with the Option key held down and navigate to that instance of the library.
    (86939)

Maybe you are looking for