Hard Drive Invalid node structure - Disk Utility Repair Failed -

Disk Utility returns
Invalid node structure
(4, 27237)
Repair Failed Unable to unmount Drive
I can still boot from the drive. So should I start looking for a new hard drive? or is the problem not that serious.
Thanks

SuperDuper is safe and reliable backup program to clone a drive.
For 500GB I would go with a pair of WD RE2.
Makes an excellent boot RAID.
Seagate in a RAID but not for boot drive.
10.4.6 DVD? that is the latest version. 10.4.0, not so good.
Always have two backups. AND have one partition on another drive just for emergency.
Once you have a good solid system, back it up. Put it somewhere safe.
A lot of problems tend to get created and grow from cache files and folders. Fonts, system, extension cache, web browsers, even temp files left over from printing.
Put all your updaters somewhere safe on another disk.
Burn them to DVD.
Don't use Software Update.
Use standalone updates and keep them handy, then apply when you need to. Many or most can be run in succession without restarting.
Can you install OS X to the other 250GB drive? well, maybe not until you are sure it is safe, backed up etc.
From the DVD, Disk Utility, the Restore tab lets you select the source drive and destination drive and will copy everything over.
Finder: Get Info on target destination, look to be sure "Ignore Ownership" if NOT selected (won't be bootable and permissions will be wrong).
Would be nice to have a 32GB emergency boot partition (large enough for burning DVDs as well as system).
If you had a FW drive you could download and buy Disk Warrior.

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Hard disk w/ invalid node structure - Disk Util Repair fails

I have a 15" MacBook Pro that started having problems when software installs were run on it. It came back with out of disk space on volume ("null"). I ran Disk Util after booting off my OS X install disk. I get the following:
Verify and Repair disk "Macintosh HD"
Checking HFS Plus volume.
Checking Extents Overflow file.
Checking Catalog file.
Invalid node structure
Volume check failed.
Error: The underlying task reported a failure on exit
1 HFS volume checked
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Any guidance here would be helpful. I would rather not reformat the disk and start over if I can help it.

Hi, William.
See the "Disk Utility cannot repair the disk" section of my "Resolving Disk, Permission, and Cache Corruption" FAQ.
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X
Note: The information provided in the link(s) above is freely available. However, because I own The X Lab™, a commercial Web site to which some of these links point, the Apple Discussions Terms of Use require I include the following disclosure statement with this post:
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

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John Nightingale1 wrote:
I then tried simply dragging over the Backups folder from the clone, and Finder tells me "Operation Not Supported."
Yes, prior to Lion, you can't copy Time Machine backups with the Finder.
Are both drives formatted exactly the same, and with the GUID Partition Map scheme?
I'd be inclined to just let Time Machine start fresh on the new drive. You can always view and restore from the old one via the Browse ... option, per #17 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.

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Hi-
"OEM" would be Original Equipment Manufacturer, which means the drive would have firmware specifically aimed at PC/Windows users.
The description of the drive specifiactions only states "PC" in compatibility, so I would assume the drive to be OEM, though not stated specifically.
The drive should work with the Mac, though it could be a firmware version problem, or, simply a problem with the drive. The Hitachi 7K drives are generally well regarded by Mac users.
In the past, any reported problems were either a firmware problem (typically early release models) or simply a bum drive.
BTW, the Hitachi site states that all their drives have the necessary Mac drivers in the firmware (along with the Windows drivers).
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Hi, Bob. I obviously didn't understand the situation properly, and now that I realize that, I'm afraid I still don't.
When the G5 is connected, via ethernet to my PB, the hard drive does not show-up in the PB's disk utility pane.
The G5 doesn't have a hard drive in it now, is that correct? So why connect it via Ethernet to the Powerbook?
If you're trying to clone the Powerbook's hard drive onto the G5's drive inside the external enclosure, all that needs to be connected is the external enclosure to the Powerbook, via USB cable. The G5 itself isn't involved in that process at all. When the G5's drive is in the enclosure and connected to the Powerbook, does it appear in Disk Utility on the Powerbook? If not, see my previous suggestions, with the exception of my comment about it not working with either computer.
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While the hard drive is in the external enclosure, I can hear it spinning, and am assuming that all the connections are working properly.
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EDIT: Let me also add that if the only Tiger installer discs you have are the ones that came with the Powerbook, then having copies of that Tiger installation on both of your computers would be a violation of the software license that accompanied those discs, which entitles you to have Tiger installed on only one computer at a time. If that's the case, you should really buy a retail Tiger installer disc to use on the G5.
Message was edited by: eww

Hard Drive Invalid node structure - Disk Utility Repair Failed -

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