Keys out of order, disk utility fails

PowerPC (?, whatever came just before Intel-based machines) iMac running 10.3.something failed to boot - hangs at "Logging into OSX" window but never gets there to log in. Booting from Install CR-ROM and running Disk Utility fails to repair Catalog. Booting in single user mode results in "Keys out of order (4, 51882)" "The volume Macintosh HD could not be repaired". Also tried to boot from Prosoft "Data Rescue II" CD-ROM but no help
Any suggestions to repair/recover?
Files all appear to be there - can navigate around in Unix and list them. Also have external Lacie hard drives connected (unconnecting does not resolve problem) - Would there be a way to cp or rcp some key files to these external drives to at least recover some?

Welcome To  Discussions jeff_st!
If all else fails, and you have access to another Firewire enabled Mac, you can also use Firewire Target Disk Mode, to backup as much data as possible.
Then reformat the HD, zeroing all data, and perform an Erase & Install.
ali b

Similar Messages

I have an iMac mid 2010. After Disk utilities said the drive was corrupt, I ran the hardware test (extended) 3 times. No problems. I than ran Disk utility again and got 2 messages in red-keys out of order, and --Volume corrupt, can't be repaired. I tried

I have an iMac mid 2010. After Disk utilities said the drive was corrupt, I ran the hardware test (extended) 3 times. No problems. I than ran Disk utility again and got 2 messages in red…keys out of order, and ……Volume corrupt, can't be repaired.
I tried to do a system install, but message said…disk can't be changed. Will a complete erase and install fix this ?
Everything is backed-up.

There's hardware and software.
Your drive could physically be in good condition but something has caused the file structure to be messed up (it just happens sometimes). The directory that keep track of files is corrupt. Disk Utility can help determine if that is the issue. In some cases it can repair the problem but it cannot do it to a drive that is being used to boot the system while you are doing that. You have to boot from another drive. Some things DU cannot repair and you need to try a stronger utility such as Diskwarrior.
A failing hard drive (one with mechanical issues) can be a cause of file structure issues but this is by no means always the case. Apart from looking at the SMART diagnosis feature of Disk Utility (and smart isn't totally reliable) there often isn't a way to tell if a drive is failing until it suddenly happens, which is why you need to maintain backups.
In your situation it does sound serious and not just minor directory corruption. You can try erasing (formatting) the drive, You may need to do this if it is really corrupt, in which case there could be underlying physical issues. I use old technology but if you have the patience you can try erasing the drive with the security option of writing zeros once (don't do more unless you are going on a 3 week vacation). This makes the drive not simply assume everything is okay by forcing it try every part of the drive by writing data. If something is gong wrong you may find it marks a lot of bad sectors, or flat out refuses to format. Then you know you need a new drive.

Disk utility says "keys out of order,... HD could not be repaired"

I have been trying to install osx 10.4.3 (just the update version) from the store bought kit. It fails during check of destination volume. First I found out that it was not a good idea to have 3rd party memory installed so I removed that, but no change. I have tried to repair HD using disk utility launched, at first from 10.4.3 install disk, then from original 10.3 install disk. Disk Utility now says:
Keys out of order
Rebuilding Catalogue B-tree
the volume Mac HD could not be repaired
Error: the underlying task reported failure on exit -9972
1 volume could not be repaired
Shortly after I install these 2 sticks of memory yesterday (referenced above), I was having troubles. Don't remember exactly what or what sequence, but got the locked beachball 2 or 3 times. At some point, there was a 'static' type "POP" over the speakers and maybe from the tower too but at that instant the desktop background reverted from some green apple swirls to the default blue swirls. Other than that everything continues to work perfectly fine. Static electricity is really non-existent here ; very humid, and I was carefull during install of the memory.
I made a disk image yesterday to back up selected files prior to trying to load 10.4.3 and not sure if I may have done something wrong there....
I have some 3rd party software installed like Nikon scan, Audacity, Firefox. What else do you need to know?? How do I fix the HD? How can it be messed up if everything is working normal?

It's not likely that the memory installed caused the corruption of the B-Tree, more of a coincidence that you noticed it soon after the installation. To fix a problem of that magnitude, you have two options:
1) Back up all of your important data, erase the hard drive, and reinstall everything.
2) Buy a program such as DiskWarrior to fix the B-Tree without requiring you to erase your hard drive.

"Keys out of order" message in Disk Utility

Hi,
I was just doing a regular maintenance check with Onyx and to my surprise it said I needed to repair the disk using the Installer DVD and Disk Utility.
I did this and again to my surprise I seem to have a problem.
After the whole processs is complete these messages come up:
"keys out of order" (in red)
1 HFS Volume repaired (in green)
1 Volume could not be repaired (in red)
I don't know what to do about this. On the one hand my system seems to be running fine, but on the other if these errors are coming up then surely there is an issue which I need to resolve.
Could someone enlighten me on what to do next?

Hi,
Thanks. Unfortunately my battey died and now I am stuck on the apple logo at reboot. Opening disk utility via the install disk doesn't work as disk utils doesn't recognise any disks (even though I hear them spinning)
I am lucky in that I am able to access th powerbook's HD in target mode via firewire on my G5
so I am going to copy over a lot of my data and then invest in Diskwarrior.
However, I am a little confused with the Diskwarrior website. I would prefer to download as I am not near a shop to buy the software and I would rather not pay for express amazon delivery.
Would I be able to use the download of diskwarrior on my Powerbook?
It seems a little confusing:
"If You Are Purchasing DiskWarrior
Repairing your usual startup disk requires that you start up from another disk. In order to use the download copy of DiskWarrior, you will need to start up from another disk with Mac OS X 10.3.9 through 10.4.x installed. You will then need to run a copy of DiskWarrior from a disk that is not the disk you are repairing. (The DiskWarrior download does not include the Apple System files necessary to create a startup CD.) If you cannot use the download version of the software (i.e. you have only one internal hard drive and this is the drive you wish to repair), please order directly from our sales department or from one of our resellers to be sent the software on CD. If you order via the secure server, you will be sent a CD, but delivery of your CD will take approximately three to four weeks, depending on your location."
Basically I am in a hurry to get my Powerbook working by Thursday my two options are
a)Buy from Amazon and pay extra to get express delivery by wednesday
b)Buy download from Alsoft (with cd version on way in 2-3 weeks)....however if the download version is not sufficient then i'm screwed.
I'd really appreciate help here. It just happens that I have to work away on Thursday....and I therefore need my powerbook. I usually use my G5 in my home studio.
THANKS!!
Message was edited by: recall

Disk Utility reports "keys out of order"

The machine I have is now reporting some worrying signs, when using Disk Utility it reports "keys out of order" which I have no idea what this means.
When starting in single user mode and running sbin/fsck -f it comes back with disk0s5: I/O error keys ot of order. Also its unable to repair
Bought Drive Genius and this say unable to fix and reports
error: invalid HFS resourse fork clump size in volume header (0)
HELP, what do I need to do and does anybody know what the problem is, come to to that what should I do.
Have just bought a 160GB D2 extreme hard drive firewire extreme drive as I think this might be very handy here. Assume that back up every thing is going to be essential
Thanks in advance of possible solutions
David

This is a difficult error to repair and neither Disk Utility nor fsck may be able to repair it. In which case you would need to try Disk Warrior which may have success depending upon the extent of the problem.
Boot into single-user mode and run the command, fsck -fy, at least four consecutive times but not more than seven. If fsck finally returns with a drive OK message, then it has successfully repaired the problem. If it does not succeed, then either use Disk Warrior or reformat the drive.

What now? I got repair failed "Keys out of order" and "Invalid extent entry"

What now? I tried to verify & then repair disk and I got "repair failed" "Keys out of order" and "Invalid extent entry"

You've booted from your OS installer disk, ran Repair Disk from Disk Utility? If so then you need a stronger disk repair utility like DiskWarrier to rebuild the directory.
BTW, update your profile information.

Keys out of order - reinstalling OS X or get Disk Warrior - Advice?

My nightmare is below but before describing it, I'm at this point in the problem: using an IBM laptop I've already logged into my 800MHz Mac G4 using Target mode and extracted all important files using HFS Explorer. Now I need help on what to do next so that I can try to save myself from having to reformat the Mac's hard drive. The full story:
I ran 5 Apple software updates (listed below with approximate versions from my recollection) and the Mac installed them fine but rebooted to a blank blue screen. The OS level before running these updates was v.10.4.10 ...
Apple OS X version 10.4.11 update
QuickTime v. 7.5.1
Java Console update
iTunes 8.0.1
…and one other minor update program.
... after several reboots I found that the Mac was pretty much gone. The error message I got in verbose mode was: "keys out of order, (4, 726)". I started the Mac in Single User Mode and ran several variants of the fsck command (-y, -fy, etc.) about 4 times each and no dice - the message I always got was: "Rebuilding catalog B-tree"... followed by: "volume could not be repaired". The Mac will not boot from the Mac OS X CD and I already tried holding down the "C" key trick but no dice there either. The only thing I haven't tried yet is typing "boot cdrom" at the Apple Firmware prompt - and wanted to ask if anyone thinks this might actually boot the OS X CD (?)
At this point my real question is how to preserve the programs & files on the Mac and get it back working, if possible, without having to reformat the hard drive. I did not purchase Disk Warrior because the Mac won't boot the OS X CD using the "C" key. The Mac will eject the CD tray and I can insert the OS X CD but the CD never spins up and the Mac spits the CD out and then shuts itself down. If the "boot cdrom" command will work in the Firmware, then purchasing Disk Warrior becomes an option. I see my options right now as the following. Anyone know which option is best to reduce the headache factor and save the wallet.
1. If "boot cdrom" using Apple Firmware will in fact boot a CD, will using Disk Warrior preserve the Mac's installed programs (Adobe Suite CS2) once Disk Warrior creates the new hard drive volume?
2. Use "boot cdrom" using Apple Firmware and re-install OS X (will Adobe Suite still be installed?) Yes, it's a legal copy of CS2 but the install CD is not at my house and will take a week to get.
3. Reformat the hard drive, install OS X and reinstall Adobe Suite, reconfigure my wireless settings, etc. and all the other stuff you have to do after a hard drive has to be reformatted.
4. Take it to the local Apple Store
5. ??? Any other options out there ???
Thanks in advance.
RPQ

Thank you for the replies. Here is the final outcome on this one: a bad hard drive. The verdict from a local Apple authorized service center was that it was a coincidence that the hard drive (made in 2001) pretty much failed at the point when I was running the 5 updates. On their test bench, my Mac would not boot from the OS X CD or a DiskWarrior CD, but, it would boot from an external hard drive. I was told the CD-ROM drive and hard drive are on separate buses so the service provider did some testing with a new hard drive and the old hard drive. They were straight with me and everything they tried made sense because they were the same problems that I encountered when trying to fix/diagnose the Mac. In the end, they installed a new 250GB hard drive, installed OS 10.4.6 and gave me the old hard drive back – on which I still can access all the old files just in case I missed any with my original copy job to my laptop using HFS Explorer. $169 total bill. Not bad.
I still think there is probably a way to clone the old hard drive but that could have run up the labor charges and by that time I could have purchased another entire (used) G4. So the only real loss is not having the Adobe CS2 suite of programs installed but I can still get the install disk if needed. Now sitting in my update list is: the Apple update to OS 10.4.11… the minimum OS system requirement to get a brand new Nano to work on a Mac. My fear is that running that update might cause the same Keys out of Order issue on this ol’ Mac so I’m thinking that I’m not going to install any more updates – just in case!

10.4.10 'Keys out of order' - unable to repair disk!!

After getting sick and tired of endless problems with my 3 month old iMac, which only seem to get worse with every update, I've just run the Disk Utility. It found many problems with permissions and sorted those out. So then I thought I'd just verify the disk to make sure and got this....
Verifying volume “Macintosh HD”
Checking HFS Plus volume.
Checking Extents Overflow file.
Checking Catalog file.
Keys out of order
The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
1 HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair
But no, it can't repair the disk.... Help!

I have to say I bitterly regret switching to Macs
- very expensive, unstable, and clearly susceptible
to fundamental problems like this.
All modern computers are susceptible to this sort of problem (file system corruption) -- that's why it is a fundamental problem. If you want to avoid the possibility, you have to avoid using a file-based OS, which limits you to OS's embedded in ROM ... like maybe a 30 year old Commodore 64.
Seriously, if you want to protect yourself from this sort of problem -- no matter what OS you use -- there is only one reliable option: backup your files regularly to something other than your startup drive.

Macintosh HD can't be mounted, keys out of order and repairing can't be completed

Hi,
English isn't my mother tongue so I'll make my best to be understood.
I have a Macbook Pro from 2012, running on Yosemite (latest version). I installed Onyx which told me my disk needed to be verified and repaired. Following this advice, I restarted my computer with Disk Utility and completed a verifying and repairing. Which led to a terrible outcome. Since then, everytime I boot with my user on my Mac, my computer shuts down in the middle of the progress bar. I tried to find an explanation to it and fix it, so I tried the following things:
1) I booted with CMD + R to go into Disk Utility
2) I runned a verify Disk on "Macintosh HD" Core Storage Logical Volume Disk, which didn't give me any error
3) I unlocked "Macintosh HD" Mounted encrypted partition and runned a verify disk, which says :
"Keys out of order
The volume Macintosh HD was found corrupt and needs to be repaired.
File system check exit code is 8.
Error : the disk needs to be repaired, Repair disk."
4) Unfortunately, the "repair disk" button is grayed.
5) So I runned repair Disk on "Macintosh HD" Core Storage Logical Volume Disk, which didn't give me any error.
6) I tried to boot my computer again but it still shuts down when trying to open my user.
7) Did all the same process again, but now the error is "Keys length incorrect" and repairing is now always blocked in the middle of the progress bar.
Is there any way I could extract the data I care about (photos, etc.) before erasing the disk or buying a new one?

There's hardware and software.
Your drive could physically be in good condition but something has caused the file structure to be messed up (it just happens sometimes). The directory that keep track of files is corrupt. Disk Utility can help determine if that is the issue. In some cases it can repair the problem but it cannot do it to a drive that is being used to boot the system while you are doing that. You have to boot from another drive. Some things DU cannot repair and you need to try a stronger utility such as Diskwarrior.
A failing hard drive (one with mechanical issues) can be a cause of file structure issues but this is by no means always the case. Apart from looking at the SMART diagnosis feature of Disk Utility (and smart isn't totally reliable) there often isn't a way to tell if a drive is failing until it suddenly happens, which is why you need to maintain backups.
In your situation it does sound serious and not just minor directory corruption. You can try erasing (formatting) the drive, You may need to do this if it is really corrupt, in which case there could be underlying physical issues. I use old technology but if you have the patience you can try erasing the drive with the security option of writing zeros once (don't do more unless you are going on a 3 week vacation). This makes the drive not simply assume everything is okay by forcing it try every part of the drive by writing data. If something is gong wrong you may find it marks a lot of bad sectors, or flat out refuses to format. Then you know you need a new drive.

PowerBook doesn't boot. Keys out of order?

A few weeks ago my powerbook's keyboard stopped working properly - unresponsive or nonresponsive keys. It seemed to right itself after a couple of boots.
Last time I was using it (weeks of use later) it started to make a high pitched whine and I had to shut it down using the power key as nothing else would work. I have not since been able to boot it up. The boot process gets as far as the 'bong' and the grey screen with the spining time cog and then the screen goes black and it goes off.
I have just tried running disk first aid from the installation disk and got the following message:
Disk utility stopped repairing "macintosh HD" because the following error was encountered:
The underlying task reported failure on exit OK (the blue button)
I noticed in the report box the following:
in red-
Keys out of order
in green-
Rebuilding catalogue B-tree
The first aid got no further than this
Please can somebody help me?
Has my drive failed? Is there any thing else I can try to do with my installation disk or do I have to resort to target mode to try to rescue my files before flinging it through the window?!

Hi, Christie. If you're planning to fling your Powerbook out the window, please be sure to open the window first, and give me time to get out there in the yard to catch it before it lands.
What you need is DiskWarrior (the best option) or TechTool Pro, which should resolve the "keys out of order" problem in your hard disk directory in just a few minutes. That problem may have been caused when you forced the machine to shut down after it began to whine, or it may have been present beforehand. Directory corruption of that kind is most often caused by abnormal operations like forced shutdowns and freezes, but it can also cause them later on if it isn't corrected. A failing hard drive can also cause its own directory to be corrupted, and bad RAM and other hardware faults are also possible causes of directory damage. But much more often the culprit is just a one-time glitch in software that can be remedied using DiskWarrior or TTPro and won't soon recur (as it's likely to do very soon if there's an underlying hardware cause).
If you have a complete, recent backup of your hard drive, another option to consider is erasing the drive completely and restoring everything to it from your backup. That too will write a new, undamaged directory to the disk, but it's more tedious than using DiskWarrior or TTPro. Of course it's also free.

Keys out of order?

i think this is a command line question. i recently unplugged my B&W G3 so i could use the space to play with my new (to me) G4. i also "borrowed" some RAM from the G3 to install in the new machine. when i tried to hook up the G3 again, it would not load anything. i did the usual 'zap' and 'option' dance, which did finally bring the beast to life, but it would go to black screen where i would get "root". i know very little about Mac OS command line, so i didn't try to do anything there. i would type 'exit' which would give me a run down of the start-up POST and end in a "panic, stops here" line [sorry, not the exact term, but your get the idea].
so i put in the OS install disk (OS 10.4) and run the first aid utility to see whats up. i get a red line that reads "Keys out of order, needs repaired". what does that mean? i ended up erasing the hard drive and am now reinstalling the OS, but was wondering what mistake i may have made to crash the system in the first place.
Message was edited by: rtabish

The "keys out of order" message indicates your hard drive has file directory corruption. Disk Utility can't fix, but usually DiskWarrior can. I don't think the RAM removel/reinstall could have cauised this problem.
Besides using DiskWarrior, the only other option is to erase & reinstall the system which you have done.
 Cheers, Tom

Unrepairable: Keys out of order

hi,
I have a MacBook Pro, a few months old, and just recently, it refused to boot. I was able to boot in single-user mode and run fsck -fy, but it gave the error "Keys out of order" and says the disk can not be repaired. I was able to boot from my install CD as well; running Disk Utility shows the hard disk as unmounted. if I click the "Mount Drive" button, the DU log says it was successful, but the disk remains grayed out. Tryign to repair the disk from DU returns the same "Keys out of order" error, and exits without repairing.
I seem to be able to start the MacBook in FW target disk mode, but it does not show up on the connected computer. Disk Utility on the connected computer gives the same behavior as from the install CD - MacBook disk is visible but grayed out, unmounted, and can not be repaired.
any suggestions? none of the repair programs work with the Intel-based Macs yet (TechTool Pro 4.5 is coming in early July, supposedly, with full support for the new architecture) - I don't like being without my MacBook for that long though. help?
many thanks,
tim d

I'll have to see if my warranty is still effective
Obviously, keep troubleshooting as you have been to see if you can repair the problem. But if your issue turns out to be a hardware problem, you are still covered. Your MacBook Pro has a one-year hardware warranty. (After 90 days, your free phone support for any issue under the sun expires - if you don't have an extended AppleCare Protection Plan - but you still have hardware warranty support and can call to get that support. More details are in this FAQ: Is phone support and warranty service free? and the links within the FAQ.)

Weird "keys out of order" problem

So, keys out of order was new to me, but I've read up about possible fixes... My situation seems strange, here's why...
I was working on my dual 1.8 G5, 10.4.11, clicked on a video link, then got the greyed out screen, and the multilingual restart message.
So, I did several restarts, but the fans would go to full, and it would shut down before showing any activity on screen. So I entered single user mode, and typed the command for checking the disk (thankfully I could get info from the web on my macbook). That's when the 'keys out of order' message was first seen. After reading up I tried to run the fsck thing, which I read could be an option. I got an 'unable to repair' message. Then I put my workmates machine into target disk mode and started from that disk and tried to run disk utility over my startup disk, of course it didn't work, with several warnings in read about keys out of order etc.
So I'm learning that DiskWarior is probably my best bet, but in the meantime I put my machine in target disk mode, and using a handy hint I found online, dsragged out my g3 iMac, booted it into OS9, extensions off. Connected by firewire, my G5 HD showed up and I was able to drag off some recent files, Mail folder etc. (At this point let me say I did a system back to a DMG file on a separate partition of an external USB drive several months ago, and that maybe 99% of my work and important files are on another external drive, so it's not life and death here.)
NOW... comes the strange part. I go back to my machine, and just for a lark try to start it up again.... and it starts up fine, no problems, everything normal. Wow I think, I'll go and run disk utility over it now, so I restart using my friends powermac, and run said program, and get exactly the same errors, keys out of order. hmmm.
So I go back to my machine, restart using its own system, all good, all fine. So I plug in another external HD and do a clone of the internal drive while its all working fine.
So, since then its been running fine, (about a day and a half). But what should I do, and what's going on? Should I reformat my drive and out the earlier cloned system on it? Would the recent system clone I did likely be corrupt? Does it seem right that my system should work OK now, when Disk Utility was still reporting keys out of order? Should I pony up and buy DiskWarrior? (can't really afford to to be honest)
I'm a bit flummoxed, thanks for any help...

Hi, weird but not completely inexplicable.
Indeed Disk Warrior is your best bet, IMHO every Mac oener should have it.
I wouldn't completely trust any clone/backup once you get that error.
Generally the only real fix for that error is DW, or Zeroing your drive & reinstalling.
http://supportdb.alsoft.com:591/FMPro?-db=alsoftsupport&-lay=main&-max=15&-forma t=AlsoftSupport-qa.html&-script=counter&-token=182&-Skip=101&-find

From previous post HD gone, Keys out of order???

Thanks to those of you who answered my last post. You're really a beacon of hope in what seemed at the moment, a Mac-less (or at least a HD less) world.
I ran First Aid from the utilities menu, and it came up with a "keys out of order" message. The utility wasn´t able to fix it, so the question is: will diskwarrior do the trick?? I mean I really have a lot of important material in that computer, but I would like to know if this is going to work, before paying $90 bucks...also, as I will be receiving the download in another mac...do I have to make a boot disk or is it possible to do a remote fix?
thanks a lot

No one can answer this question. A reported "Keys Out of Order" is a significant problem and although Disk Warrior has been known to work miracles and should work, there is no guarantee provided.
Are you able to boot from and access this hard drive at all so you can transfer/backup all important data?

My Macintosh HD partition is damaged and the disk utility failed to repair it

I cannot boot anymore after I tried to repair the disk with Disk Utility after my Mac became very slow.
This is the second time it happened to me in a week with the same symptoms. When I try to boot, I see a gray screen and the computer just stops
When I use the recovery partition, the disk utility fails to repair the disk, stopping after failing to fix the catalog file.
I started to use TM to backup my data after erasing the disk and reinstalling Mountain Lion but I wonder if my hard drive is damaged because the same problem happened twice. (Thanks TM for keeping my data safe this time)
Any advice or ways to fix that once and for all ?
PS : The worst is that i can still boot with Bootcamp to Windows, not very useful though

rpignard wrote:
Any advice or ways to fix that once and for all ?
Since your Recovery HD and Windows partition work fine, the problem is located in your Macintosh HD partition and I very highly suspect it's bad/failing sectors that's to blame for your troubles.
This can sometimes occur if the computer was moved while the hard drive was in operation, else sectors fail all by themselves, or if the drive is having mechanical issues, which you problem will continue no matter what you do.
This time when you use Recovery > Disk Utility to erase the Macintosh HD partition, use the middle secure erase option, not the far left or right options (the right will work also just take a really long time)
What your doing is with the middle secure erase option is called a "Zero" write, which Disk Utility will write 0's over all the bits in that partition. When it's done it will read it back for confirmation and when it does so, any bits that are failing will be mapped off by the drive. Hopefully this will resolve the issue without needing a drive replacement.
Once that is completed, reinstall OS X from Recovery, any programs from original sources, files only from backup and your problems hopefully should disappear.
What happens is if your data gets corrupted on the boot drive by failing sectors, it gets transfered to TimeMachine (or to bootable clones) and when you restore your right back to square one. So it's important to rule out that possibility with original installs of OS X and third party programs.
If your problems continue, then it's possibly a problem with third party at boot kernel extension files, (and the catalog problem was yet another one) so to solve this you need to make sure all your third party software is updated and works with your current OS X version.
A trick is, if you get gray screen at boot time, is to hold the Shift Key while booting the computer, this will disable a lot of things and allow you to fix the third party software issue.
What I suggest you do is have multiple backup systems, including hold option key bootable clones, this way if your TM drive gets corrupted you can go back in time to a saved state on the clone, restore that and then your files from the TM drive.
Most commonly used backup methods

Keys out of order, disk utility fails

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