Macintosh HD is unmounted in Disk Utility

So after a week after installing Boot camp on my lion computer (3.02GHz, 4GB, 24" 2009 model) I started to get the grey load bar when booting into Mac OS and  taking an eternaty (about 30mins, Windows boots fine on bootcamp partition) to boot. So i turned on Disk Utlity, verified and attempted a repair, and reported back i had a thread issue.  So i thought i'd do a clean install of my mac removing the partition as well.
The issue is that I realise now is Macintosh HD (internal drive) is greyed out and is unmounted, despite i can still use and access the drive (after the long boot) and as such it's not lettting me format the drive.
Is my HD just shot or is there someway to force mount the HD

Is there a solution to this at all?

Similar Messages

  • External hard drive won't unmount for disk utility.

    Im not sure if this is the right topic area but I have a white macbook and my external hard drive won't unmount. I want to erase it via disk utility but it keeps telling me other programs are using it.

    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. 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.

  • Disk Won't Unmount in Disk Utility

    I have a WD Passport external hard drive. When I plug it into my macbook pro via USB it does not show up so I went to disk utility to erase and re-format the hard drive as this has fixed the same issue in the past. However, when I try to erase the external hard drive in disk utility I get an error message stating that the disk cannot be unmounted. Please advise on steps I can take to fix this issue such that I can erase + re-format the hard drive so it will show up in my finder again. Thanks for the help.

    You could try using diskutil. This is a command line utility to manage your mounted disks:
    http://osxdaily.com/2013/05/13/mount-unmount-drives-from-the-command-line-in-mac -os-x/
    be sure to close all other applications before trying to unmount as if they're accessing the disk it will be considered busy.
    there is also a force option you can use as a last ditch attempt.

  • Macintosh HD is unmounted and S.M.A.R.T. verified. How can I retrieve data?

    My Macintosh HD became so full that OS X would not boot from it.
    I installed OS X on an external hard drive, and booted my computer that way.
    My Macintosh HD shows up in Disk Utility and is S.M.A.R.T. verified, but it will not mount.
    When I try to Verify Disk or Repair Disk, the operation fails.
    When I try to create a disk image in Disk Utility, the operation fails.
    When I try to create a disk image in Terminal by running the dd command, the operation fails due to an input/output error.
    My only concern is retrieving my data. Any help?

    If your Macintosh HD fails and you are unable to boot OS X, unable to Repair Disk in Disk Utility, and unable to create a disk image using the "dd" command in Terminal, you may still be able to recover your data!
    - Install OS X on an external hard drive
    - Boot from your external hard drive
    - Run Terminal and enter this modified "dd" command:
    sudo dd bs=512 if=/dev/<Macintosh HD> of=/Volumes/<External Drive Partition/backup.dmg> conv=noerror,sync
    - You will then be prompted for your password. Enter it, and your disk image will begin to be created. You will see input/output errors, but the process will continue. This will take some time.
    - Once the process is complete, open the disk image. You may get an error that says the image is unmountable because it contains "no mountable file systems", but after a few minutes it should mount anyway.
    - Open it and copy your files to an external hard drive. Chances are that only your file system was damaged and your actual data is safe!
    - Use Disk Utility to reformat your hard drive and hopefully it does not have physical issues and will function correctly. If your drive turns out to be physically dead, at least you were able to recover all of your data!
    Message was edited by: stephenfdavis

  • Disk Utility and DiskWarrior trouble with external hard-drive.

    I got an external hard-drive that doesn't show up on finder. On both Disk Utility and DiskWarrior it keeps mounting and unmounting. Disk Utility when trying to repair, spits this out when it unmounts...
    2011-07-28 22:43:43 -0700: Problems were encountered during repair of the partition map
    2011-07-28 22:43:43 -0700: Error: Some information was unavailable during an internal lookup.
    2011-07-28 22:43:43 -0700: : Some information was unavailable during an internal lookup.
    2011-07-28 22:43:43 -0700: [DUDiskController mountDisk] expecting DUDisk, but got nil
    On DiskWarrior it simply says 'Directory cannot be rebuilt due to disk hardware failure (-36,2747)
    Earlier today it would stay mounted and Disk Utility would spit out...
    Verify and Repair volume “Back-up Hard Drive”
    Checking file systemChecking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
    Checking extents overflow file.
    Checking catalog file.
    Invalid sibling link
    Rebuilding catalog B-tree.
    Invalid node structure
    The volume Back-up Hard Drive could not be repaired.
    Volume repair complete.
    Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
    Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
    while DiskWarrior would try to fix it, but on
    Step 5: Locating directory date...
    Speed reduced by disk malfunction: 339,474, er make that 340,239, er make that 341,327
    and I finally gave up there.
    I try to fix the Invalid sibling link error via Terminal and I get this...
    imac-2:~ Migrated$ fsck_hfs -r /dev/disk2s2
    ** /dev/rdisk2s2 (NO WRITE)
    Can't open /dev/rdisk2s2: Resource busy
    Is there ANY THING I can do to get it to stay mounted and possibly fix this? This is my back-up hard-drive!!

    It's the cord that's being used that decides if it shows up, or if it shows up and then goes away over and over. Using a cord where it stays on in the programs, when I run Disk Utility of the darked out part of the hard-drive, it spits out...
    Verifying and repairing partition map for “MICRONET”
    Checking prerequisites
    Checking the partition list
    Checking for an EFI system partition
    Checking the EFI system partition’s size
    Checking the EFI system partition’s file system
    Checking all HFS data partition loader spaces
    Reviewing boot support loaders
    Checking Core Storage Physical Volume partitions
    Updating Windows boot.ini files as required
    The partition map appears to be OK
    while the part of the disk just below it that's light spits out
    Verifying volume “Back-up Hard Drive”
    Checking file system
    Error: This disk needs to be repaired. Click Repair Disk.
    Verify and Repair volume “Back-up Hard Drive”
    Starting repair tool:
    Checking file system
    Volume repair complete.
    Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
    Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
    Disk Utility stopped repairing “Back-up Hard Drive”: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
    while DiskWarrior tries to rebuild it and spits out a memory error.

  • Disk Utility can't repair Macintosh HD.  What should I do?

    Here is a "quick" synopsis of what has happened thus far:
    About one month ago, my computer started getting very sluggish (ie, it would take forever to startup, would always freeze after sleep, etc.)  I lived with it for about two weeks, since it would always run quickly after waiting ~30 minutes after starting/waking up.  Eventually, this grew old.  I browsed the internet and did multiple suggested fixes (reset PRAM, run Disk Utility, ran in Safe Boot Mode, etc.).  Nothing seemed to work.  I opted to zero out the harddrive and reinstall Mountain Lion after making a backup.  That was about two weeks ago.
    Everything worked fine, up until yesterday.  Once again, things started getting slow.  I decided to shut down my computer for the night and would check it in the morning.  When I turned it on this morning, it wouldn't startup correctly.  I could login, etc., but it was frozen and I couldn't open any applications without getting the spinning beach ball.  I waited about an hour, but it was still slow/loading.  I shut the computer down and booted it in Verbose Mode.  I ran the various commands to check the conditions of my disk, but when I ran the "fsck -fy" command, I got an "I/O Error."  I then tried rebooting my Mac, but it would get to the gray screen with the apple logo and the spinning wheel, and then the progress bar would appear.  Before the progress bar did anything, it would shut itself down.
    I then started the computer up and directly went to OS X Utilities.  I went into Disk Utility and tried to check permissions and repair the disk.  Only this time, Macintosh HD was grayed out and seemed to be unmounted.  I couldn't get it to mount.  I went into the Apple Store to have them run their own diagnostics.  However, the apple store employee was unable to get the test working, so that was basically a bust.  At this point, the computer still didn't turn on.
    I got home and, just for kicks, held the "N" key while booting up my computer.  For whatever reason, my computer started up (though it took a long time and there was a progress bar).  Now, I made another backup of my disk and am wondering what to do.  I ran Disk Utility again to repair my disk, but it says that Macintosh HD is not able to be repaired.  When I checked permissions, there were tons of Input/Output Errors.  Based on my research, it would appear that I have two solutions.
    I can either purchase DiskWarrior and use that to try and solve my problem, or I could just get a new hard drive (and I would upgrade to a SSD or SSHD).  DW is about $50 if I just download it, and the hard drive would cost me $150 or so.  Since I don't know exactly what is wrong with the disk, I don't know if DW would be able to fix it.  That being said, if the hard drive isn't the problem, there would be no reason for me to purchase a new one.  I guess I would just like some advice, as to what you would do.  I apologize for the long post.
    TL;DR: Disk Utility can't repair Macintosh HD.  Should I get DiskWarrior or a new harddrive?
    Thanks in advanced!

    Most importantly, youve already backed up all the data.  All else is cake.
    A new HD would cost you only $20 more than disk warrior,....theres no reason to repair a worthless crippled HD, .....new HD 1TB is $70.
    Once you back up all the data on a failing HD, further diagnosis has no meaning,....not anymore.
    Grab a 1TB  or 750GB  Toshiba/Hitachi (both used by Apple inside their Macbook Pro nonRetina,...both are made by Hitachi)  5400RPM SATA HD.
    Forget the repair,.......repair only serves to bring a HD to a point of BACKUP.....since youve already done that, its now just wall art or trashbin fodder.
    These are the same HD used by Apple in their Macbooks
    http://www.amazon.com/MQ01ABD-2-5-Internal-Hard-Drive/dp/B0077CV2RO/ref=sr_1_1?i e=UTF8&qid=1376281905&sr=8-1&keywords=toshiba+1tb+2.5%22
    In the future ALWAYS remember to have 2 backups for everything.  2 backups is 1, and 1 is none.
    That way when something crashes (and they all do).....its no worries.

  • Can't repair Macintosh HD in Disk Utility (extended attributes)

    Hi all,
    I have a Retina Macbook Pro with one of them new fancy SSDs in it. I'm running 10.9.3 all up-to-date and am a bit computer-savvy, but I'm more than puzzled by what my Mac has been doing as of late.
    When trying to install Windows via Bootcamp, I ran into an error message in the Partitioning step of the process. I hopped into Disk Utility, figuring I could simply partition from there (something in me trusts Disk Utility more than the Boot Camp Assistant). Partition failed!
    I then executed the "Verify Disk" command in Disk Utility, only to be told I needed to restart from the Recovery Partition and use the "Repair Disk" function of Disk Utility then. Log of this whole event is at the end of this post, but the offending line seems to be
    2014-06-12 20:59:30 -0400: Checking extended attributes file.
    2014-06-12 20:59:30 -0400: (It should be 15783744 instead of 14437995)
    I then restarted and followed these instructions. "Verify Disk" found no errors, nor did "Repair Disk." I rebooted, only to be met with the same problem!
    Is there some sort of lower-level command I can use to repair my disk if I boot in Single User mode or something?
    Thanks,
    Nathan
    2014-06-12 20:58:30 -0400: Disk Utility started.
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Verifying partition map for “APPLE SSD SD512E Media”
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Starting verification tool:
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking prerequisites
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking the partition list
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking for an EFI system partition
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking the EFI system partition’s size
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking the EFI system partition’s file system
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking all HFS data partition loader spaces
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking booter partitions
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking booter partition disk0s3
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking file system
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking extents overflow file.
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking catalog file.
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking multi-linked files.
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking catalog hierarchy.
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking extended attributes file.
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking volume bitmap.
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking volume information.
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: The volume Recovery HD appears to be OK.
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking Core Storage Physical Volume partitions
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking storage system
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking volume
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: disk0s2: Scan for Volume Headers
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: disk0s2: Scan for Disk Labels
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Logical Volume Group D79A3F82-3153-4DCC-A58F-C9B3ADAD2F6E on 1 device
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: disk0s2: Scan for Metadata Volume
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Logical Volume Group has a 16 MB Metadata Volume with double redundancy
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Start scanning metadata for a valid checkpoint
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Load and verify Segment Headers
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Load and verify Checkpoint Payload
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Load and verify Transaction Segment
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Incorporate 0 newer non-checkpoint transactions
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Load and verify Virtual Address Table
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Load and verify Segment Usage Table
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Load and verify Metadata Superblock
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Load and verify Logical Volumes B-Trees
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Logical Volume Group contains 1 Logical Volume
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Load and verify BDEE2B2F-6770-4707-AE0A-3862965E6414
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Load and verify B761A88F-B034-44A9-8F54-F7732861C825
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Load and verify Freespace Summary
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Load and verify Block Accounting
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Load and verify Live Virtual Addresses
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Newest transaction commit checkpoint is valid
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Load and verify Segment Cleaning
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: The volume D79A3F82-3153-4DCC-A58F-C9B3ADAD2F6E appears to be OK
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: The partition map appears to be OK
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400:
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Verifying volume “Macintosh HD”
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Starting verification tool:
    2014-06-12 20:58:36 -0400: Checking storage system
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Checking volume
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: disk0s2: Scan for Volume Headers
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: disk0s2: Scan for Disk Labels
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Logical Volume Group D79A3F82-3153-4DCC-A58F-C9B3ADAD2F6E on 1 device
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: disk0s2: Scan for Metadata Volume
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Logical Volume Group has a 16 MB Metadata Volume with double redundancy
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Start scanning metadata for a valid checkpoint
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Load and verify Segment Headers
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Load and verify Checkpoint Payload
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Load and verify Transaction Segment
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Incorporate 0 newer non-checkpoint transactions
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Load and verify Virtual Address Table
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Load and verify Segment Usage Table
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Load and verify Metadata Superblock
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Load and verify Logical Volumes B-Trees
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Logical Volume Group contains 1 Logical Volume
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Load and verify BDEE2B2F-6770-4707-AE0A-3862965E6414
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Load and verify B761A88F-B034-44A9-8F54-F7732861C825
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Load and verify Freespace Summary
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Load and verify Block Accounting
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Load and verify Live Virtual Addresses
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Newest transaction commit checkpoint is valid
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Load and verify Segment Cleaning
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: The volume D79A3F82-3153-4DCC-A58F-C9B3ADAD2F6E appears to be OK
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Checking file system
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Performing live verification.
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Checking extents overflow file.
    2014-06-12 20:58:37 -0400: Checking catalog file.
    2014-06-12 20:58:59 -0400: Checking multi-linked files.
    2014-06-12 20:59:30 -0400: Checking extended attributes file.
    2014-06-12 20:59:30 -0400: (It should be 15783744 instead of 14437995)
    2014-06-12 20:59:30 -0400: Error: This disk needs to be repaired using the Recovery HD. Restart your computer, holding down the Command key and the R key until you see the Apple logo. When the OS X Utilities window appears, choose Disk Utility.
    2014-06-12 20:59:30 -0400:
    2014-06-12 20:59:30 -0400: Disk Utility stopped verifying “Macintosh HD”: This disk needs to be repaired using the Recovery HD. Restart your computer, holding down the Command key and the R key until you see the Apple logo. When the OS X Utilities window appears, choose Disk Utility.
    2014-06-12 20:59:30 -0400:

    I'm having a similar problem with my G4 Desktop.
    I have a 2nd internal hard drive and 2 FW Drives.
    None of them are able to be verified or repaired using DU.
    I get the following message: "Verify volume failed with error Could not unmount disk." And then some message about "make sure that all your files are closed."
    I tried soft-booting by holding the shift-key down just as a trouble-shooting idea and I was able to verify and the drives were working well. However, when I restarted in normal mode I was not able to verify or repair.
    What is my G4's problem? Why does it need to use that secondary drive in order to operate? What do I need to do to fix it?
    Any suggestions?
    G4 Dual 1.42   Mac OS X (10.4.6)   1 Gig Ram / 2 Internal Hard Drives

  • Disk Utility will not unmount drive

    I have a cloned copy of my Macintosh drive on a LaCie firewire drive as backup. I have booted to the firewire drive and encountered the following problems with the Disk Utility.
    1) Verify & repair disk function on the Mac volume failed with the error: Could not unmount disk.
    2) Volume erase on the Mac failed with the error: Could not unmount disk.
    Using Terminal I have checked to see if any processes on the Mac drive are active, but that does not seem to be my problem. I tested this idea based the suggestion in a thread that reported the same type of problem.
    I have used this backup system for many years with no problems. I always use the normal procedures for system maintenance that Mac users recommend.
    Any suggestions for resolving this problem?
    CS
    iMac 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo   Mac OS X (10.4.10)   2GB RAM

    elmac
    I have wiped the LaCie drive many times and reset the disk format. Just as a drill, I repeated the process this morning. No change in my situation.
    I use OnyX on a regular basis to run BSD scripts. Based on your suggestion I ran all other maintenance processes. Did not solve my problem.
    Since I last posted I ran the Apple Hardware Test, and the results indicated no problems. I also checked Disk Utility while booted from my installation disk, and successfully ran the First Aid repair disk function. So in this mode the Mac disk dismounts correctly.
    The Mac drive dismount problem indicates that a process is active on the Mac drive. I have checks this out several times and I find no evidence that this is the source of the problem.
    I plan on meeting with a friend on Monday who also has a Mac. I will test the LaCie drive connected to his computer to see if I get the same results. If I do then I will replace the LaCie drive.
    Thanks for your assistance. If you have any additional ideas just post and I will followup.
    CS

  • HT3275 I continue to get the following error message: Unable to complete back up.an error occurred while creating backup folder. It's a brand new drive. When I attempt to repair it using disk utility I get:unable to repair disk cannot unmounted

    I have been trying to use time machine on a new lacie 2tb usb 2 drive for back up. I continue to get: "unable to complete backup.An error occured while creating backup folder". When I use disk utility to repair I get another error message: unable to repair disk unmountable.
    Help me Obie One Canobie you are my last hope

    I have confused myself with the facts!  Started out keeping track of every step and every variable but have sort of lost it as we progress here.  First I quit all applications then swapped connections between mouse port and backup disk port to influence possible bad connections question.  Changed power outlet receptacle for the backup disk. Disabled the put-the-HD-to-sleep option.  Then powered down the computerator.
    Next started up computerator.  Turned Time Machine ON  and experienced multiple successful backups!  Then I started up a few applications, Mail and Text Edit (but not Safari so far).  Had a few more successes.  After each backup, I used Disk Utility to verify the backup disk is still OK.  This because the error about unable to unmount the backup disk seems to go hand in hand with Disk Utility finding the backup disk to be bad.
    Put computer to sleep for the night.  Upon starting up in the morning, and before doing anything else, I did a backup disk verification... BAD!   Did a restart and verified the backup disk... OK.
    Did a few    Sleep-bad, Restart -OK    repetitions.
    It seems consistent:  Sleeping the computer apparently messes up the backup disk but doing a Restart "repairs" it.
    =============================
    Now then, I don't understand everything I know here.  Methinks that maybe keeping the HD from sleeping during lulls in activity has allowed successful backups through the day but manually putting everything to sleep for the night causes a return to the problem of spinning-back-up-too-slowly (which was explained earlier).  Is there any truth in this?
    I may abandon this Seagate thing for something more compatible.  What's out there that we know works reliably for us?

  • After getting the dreaded gray/blue screen, I tried to run disk repair on the internal disk. I got an error message saying "Disk Utility can't repair this disk and restore your backed-up files. The volume Macintosh HD could not be verified completely

    After getting the dreaded gray/blue screen, I tried to run disk repair on the internal disk. I got an error message saying "Disk Utility can't repair this disk and restore your backed-up files. The volume Macintosh HD could not be verified completely." What do I do now? This is an iMac and I'm running 10.6.8.

    Clean Install of Snow Leopard
    Be sure to make a backup first because the following procedure will erase
    the drive and everything on it. See below for how to clone a drive.
         1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came
             with your computer.  Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer.
             After the chime press and hold down the  "C" key.  Release the key when you see
             a small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.
         2. 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 the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive
             size.)  Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.  Set the number of
             partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, click on Options button
             and select GUID, click on OK, then set the format type to MacOS Extended
             (Journaled, if supported), then click on the Apply button.
         3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer.  Proceed
             with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
         4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup
             Assistant. Be sure you configure your initial admin account with the exact same
             username and password that you used on your old drive. After you finish Setup
             Assistant will complete the installation after which you will be running a fresh
             install of OS X.  You can now begin the update process by opening Software
             Update and installing all recommended updates to bring your installation current.
    Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.
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    Clone using Restore Option of Disk Utility
      1. Open Disk Utility.
      2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
      3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
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           it to the Destination entry field.
      5. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to
          the Source entry field.
      6. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
    Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.
    Now this will only work if the drive is accessible and can be cloned by Disk Utility. Otherwise, you would need to access your drive from another Mac that you can connect via Firewire - Target Disk Mode.

  • External HDD is seen as drive but no as volume in Disk Utility (unmountable

    I've unplugged my external HDD without unmounting it and tried to hook it up via eSata to my MBP.
    Now Leopard won't see the Drive neither via USB neither via eSATA (i use expresscard/34).
    The drive is seen as USB device in Disk Utility, but not as Volume.
    The Dtive is formatted and partitioned for OSX. Has data on it.
    What can I do to make the drive appear again?
    Resetting PRAM and SMC didn't help.

    of course you should be aware that to run esata external drive is not hot swappable. user must power on before Mac and power off after Mac.
    even though you did the smc reset did you in fact disconnect all devices, and that means the externals to the point of powering them down and removing the connecting cables from all devices.

  • Macintosh HD won't boot, but disk utility says "The volume Macintosh HD appears to be OK." How do I repair the hard drive?

    I have a MacBook that needs its internal hard drive's Macintosh HD partition repaired, as the boot screen freezes on startup.  I am running a separate, working mac OS from an external hard drive in order to run disk utility and repair the MacBook's internal OS.  The issue is, it has dismounted the internal Macintosh HD partition, and won't remount. And in addition to that, the Verify Disk option returns with, "The volume Macintosh HD appears to be OK." I've run Verify Disk and Repair Disk a few times, all with that same result.  And the internal OS still won't boot.
    I have attempted to make a disk image of the internal Macintosh HD partition and save it to my external hard drive so I can wipe the internal hard drive clean and restore the image, but I receive errors when trying to create the disk image, and when trying to erase the hard drive (I know, I should try to erase the hard drive when I haven't made an image. When I tried to erase the hard drive, the image wasn't done and I thought it was. I got an error for erase, and I got an error for making the disk image)  I have tried making a disk image multiple times and haven't been able to create one.
    There is also a boot camp partition on the internal hard drive which is of no importance as to whether it stays or is erased.

    Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
    Do the following:
    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 the Combo Updater for the version you prefer from support.apple.com/downloads/.

  • DISK UTILITY STOPPED REPAIRING MACINTOSH HD!

    So initially, my mac just was stuck on the white screen with grey apple logo and the spinning wheel. It wouldn't move! So I held down the power button and turned it off, let it rest for good 8 hours, turned it back on and it was still the same! With the help of some online postings: command + control + p + r, I got to the Disk Utility page and I tried checking for any damage. For most part everything was"ok" or "clear"! Then I ran 'VERIFY DISK' for MACINTOSH HD and some problems occurred. I clicked on 'REPAIR DISK' as promted. It said "DISK UTILITY STOPPED REPAIRING MACINTOSH HD: Disk Utitlity can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
    I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA HOW TO DO THAT ! I have not backed up a single thing on my mac!

    If you want to preserve the data on the boot drive, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data, you can skip this step.
    There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to fully boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
    1. Boot from the Recovery partition or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) Launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
    2. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
    3. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.

  • Disk Utility stopped verifying "Macintosh HD"

    I verify my disk and disk permissions every month or so, when I tried to verify the disk today I received the following message -
    "Disk Utility stopped verifying "Macintosh HD"
    The alert goes on to recommend I restart using my installion disk - since I'm running Lion - I don't have an installation disk.
    Details -
    MacBook Pro Mid 2010
    Shipped with Snow Leopard, upgraded to Lion - now running 10.7.2
    I am backed up with Time Machine right up until today.
    Details from Disk Utility
    Verifying volume “Macintosh HD”
    Checking file systemPerforming live verification.
    Checking Journaled 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 bitmap needs minor repair for orphaned blocks
    Checking volume information.
    Invalid volume free block count
    (It should be 23464181 instead of 23330172) ***
    The volume Macintosh HD was found corrupt and needs to be repaired.
    Error: This disk needs to be repaired. Start up your computer with another disk (such as your Mac OS X installation disc), and then use Disk Utility to repair this disk.
    *** these numbers chang each time I attempt to verify.

    Firstly, you should never bother with Verifying the drive. If you're going to do anything then repair it:
    Repair the Hard Drive - Lion
    Boot from your Lion Recovery HD. When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. 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, then quit DU and return to the main menu. Upon completion select Restart from the Apple menu.
    Boot to the Recovery HD:
    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.

  • Disk utility can't repair the Macintosh HD, asking toback up all files as possible? and how to  reformat the disk?

    disk utility can't repair the Macintosh HD, asking toback up all files as possible? and how to  reformat the disk?

    Some problems can indeed be fixed this way. But working from Recovery_HD or Disk Warrior DVDs and working in the restricted environment those provide can be difficult. You can literally spend days working on this problem (while your regular work is unavailable) only to discover the old drive is unsalvageable.
    There is no way to know up front whether you are facing a major Hardware failure or a minor software glitch, or something in between. Often you are forced to work from the drive you no longer trust. I continue to recommend you do this work from a different, fully functioning Mac OS X booted from a different drive.
    If you have had the foresight to (as The hatter often recommends) clone your virgin install onto another drive for use in such situations, you will be able to recover from such problems in record time. If not, my previous recommendations stands:
    Buy a new Drive. Or  two. Install Mac OS X from scratch on a new drive, and get your Mac running again. Later, you can use the full power of Mac OS X to attempt to rescue your data, if needed. Then Zero the old drive, to see if it can hold data again reliably.
    If the old drive eventually provides some needed data, and is salvageable, Merry Christmas.

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