Macintosh HD not visible / deleted in Disk Utility, cannot re-install Lion

Hi
Any help for the following? Excuse the unclear terminology
MBA 2011, trying to do a clean install of either Lion or Yosemite. I erased the 'Macintosh HD' in disk utility in preparation for this, but something went awry during the process and it seems to have actually deleted the 'parent' drive (i.e. the SSD which sometimes has the manufacturers name). So if I go into disk utility via ctrl+r the hard drive does not appear at all - totally gone. I try to do an internet reinstall of Lion, there is nowhere to install it; and if I try to reinstall Yosemite from a bootable USB I have the same problem. I checked the condition of the hard drive prior to this, it was fine, and I have checked the hardware using the ctrl+d on boot and this also indicates that there are no problems with the drive - so I reasonably sure the hard drive isn't actually fried.
So...where has it gone? And how to I get it back so that disk utility can see it and I can actually reformat it etc etc??

Boot the MBA OPTION + COMMAND + R. The resulting display should be a revolving globe.
By following the directions, you will be connected to the Apple servers and should be able to install the original OSX that the MBA came with (Lion).
A solid Internet connection will be required.
Ciao.

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I tried partitioning my HD to install linux, the installion was not successful and now I can't boot my mac, I tried internet recovery, it was not helpfull as the disk utility cannot delete the partition I created.

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It sounds like you may have multiple problems, but none of them are likely to be caused by malware.
First, the internet-related issues may be related to adware or a network compromise. I tend to lean more towards the latter, based on your description of the problem. See:
http://www.adwaremedic.com/kb/baddns.php
http://www.adwaremedic.com/kb/hackedrouter.php
If investigation shows that this is not a network-specific issue, then it's probably adware. See my Adware Removal Guide for help finding and removing it. Note that you mention AdBlock as if it should have prevented this, but it's important to understand that ad blockers do not protect you against adware in any way. Neither would any kind of anti-virus software, which often doesn't detect adware.
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Flash drive not visible except in disk utility

I have a new MacBook Pro running Mavericks 10.9.2. The invisible flash drive is my main drive, not a USB drive. Not in list of Devices in Finder, no icon on desktop, no way to see it except by using Disk Utility. I see that many people are having problems with invisible flash drives but they all seem to be USB drives. Does anyone know if this is a Mavericks problem, or is it a MacBook Pro system problem? If Mavericks, maybe it will get fixed with next version.

I'm not certain what you mean by "invisible flash drive"?
If you want your drives to show up on yoru Desktop, set the Finder Preferences to do so:
Clinton

Macintosh HD not showing up in Disk Utility

I know there have been many other threads related to this issue but I have not been able to find one that matches my situation. I was handed a mid 2012 intel based Macbook Pro from a cousin with "some issue" according to him. The computer was running extremely slowly and after resetting PRAM, checking the RAM (third party software), and doing a hardware test, I figured the motherboard may be going bad. I gave the Macbook back to my cousin for him to backup any wanted files before I started to try any repairs. When he went to turn it on, he got the blinking folder icon. I got it back and tried to run internet recovery, but only the Mac OS Base system (Disk0) is showing up for repair and the Lion reinstall is impossible. I have taken the HDD out, put it into my Linux machine and get the files he wanted off of it.
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Ralph,
Thanks for the response. I did not know it could not be done in Linux. I was just throwing out an option that was available to me if there was just a corrput file that I could download and reinstall on the drive. As far as the getting into recovery, I tried both options and did attempt the erase and reinstall. I am only able to get into the Internet Recovery which when prompted, I can go through the menus, but cannot go any further as the Utility can not "find" the Macintosh HD. It only displays the Mac OS Base System (Disk0) partition. I assume I cannot recover or install since it can not find/mount the Macintosh HD. I just emailed him and mentioned that there had been a small amount of liquid spilled on the keyboard a year ago. This makes me think it may be the logic board failing. I will try to replace the SATA first and then go on with a new board.
There was not a warranty to speak of that I was told about by him. Before I started I made sure my cousin knew the any warranty would be voided but he wanted to insure his files were safe, and I was the free option compared to the local computer repair shop.
Appreciate the help Ralph

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lennydas

Ok... it is getting a bit clearer but there are still some questions.
I connect to the internet via airport only and it is pretty fast.
I was assuming airport in this statement in your first post meant the TC or the Express.. but I now realise we are still in the mass confusion stage where apple calls everything wireless an airport. So what you mean is the airport internal card of the computer??
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If the computer is close it will be faster than the FIOS.
You can run both wireless networks with different names.. so it is clear which is which. But you can also setup roaming so the computers themselves pick which is the best wireless.
I tried extending the wireless net work and tried joining wireless network, but the TC kept crashing and I had to keep resetting the TC. the Apple support person said these, extend wireless network and joint wireless network, are no longer a connection option with the new TC because of the new AC protocol.
Thanks again!
You cannot extend to a non-apple wireless router.
You cannot use join a wireless network because when you do the ethernet ports will be cut off.
But that has not changed.. I don't think Apple support is correct.. there has been no change with the AC model.. it is simply a fact that apple routers do not work in join wireless mode other than as a dumb client. The same applies to AC as to the earlier version.. but I have asked another person to check this.
Join in the express is the only apple router that still allows an ethernet connection.
For now you best use of the TC is bridged to the FIOS. Wireless you can sort out between several options.

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If you can't boot from an OSX DVD, it sounds bad. Yet I think you said you were running Disk Utility from the DVD?
I got an external Firewire drive enclosure for 2.5 inch IDE drives from Other World Computing (OWC)
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MOTGFW400/ but similar items are available from many vendors like Newegg. About $60 for the basic model. More money can buy additional interfaces on the enclosure like FW800 and USB2; an AC adapter instead of letting the firewire bus power the drive (usually OK).

Windows based WD external hard drive not showing up in Disk Utility to reformat to Mac... how can I erase the drive

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So I took out the vertex form my mac and then replaced it with the original toshiba hard drive, opened disk utility but the vertex didn't even show up.
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Chris,
I had a similar problem. This was with a brand new Vertex 3 that I tried to install into the system. It would not be recognized by Disk Utility or Time Machine Restore from the OSX 10.6 boot CD.
Here is my solution to the problem:
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2) I used Time Machine to restore the system onto the original HDD.
3) I placed the OCZ Vertex 3 into an external USB enclosure. I then re-booted the system into Gparted using a Linux live CD (http://gparted.sourceforge.net/)
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Here is the dd syntax: if stands for input file (source disk), of stands for output file (target disk). It takes a really long time, and has no indication of its progress. You can tell it is working by seeing the external enclosure LED blink.
>dd if=/dev/sda of=/dev/sdb
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-Sam

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When trying to launch Disk Utility I get the following error message. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix this? I'm running 10.6.4. Thanks in advance for any help.
Disk Utility cannot be opened because of a problem.
Check with the developer to make sure Disk Utility works with this version of Mac OS X. You may need to reinstall the application. Be sure to install any available updates for the application and Mac OS X.
Process: Disk Utility [342]
Path: /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.app/Contents/MacOS/Disk Utility
Identifier: com.apple.DiskUtility
Version: ??? (???)
Build Info: DiskUtility-2980100~37
Code Type: X86-64 (Native)
Parent Process: launchd [131]
Date/Time: 2010-08-21 18:44:20.863 -0400
OS Version: Mac OS X 10.6.4 (10F569)
Report Version: 6
Interval Since Last Report: 2359004 sec
Crashes Since Last Report: 75
Per-App Crashes Since Last Report: 5
Anonymous UUID: 93489452-CA67-4296-AA9A-2228E825BA2F
Exception Type: EXC_BREAKPOINT (SIGTRAP)
Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000002, 0x0000000000000000
Crashed Thread: 0
Dyld Error Message:
Library not loaded: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/PlatformHardwareManagement.framework/Versions /A/PlatformHardwareManagement
Referenced from: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/ServerFoundation.framework/Versions/A/ServerF oundation
Reason: no suitable image found. Did find:
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/PlatformHardwareManagement.framework/Versions /A/PlatformHardwareManagement: no matching architecture in universal wrapper
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Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro, ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro, PCIe, 256 MB
Memory Module: global_name
AirPort: spairportwireless_card_type_airportextreme (0x14E4, 0x8C), Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.10.91.27)
Bluetooth: Version 2.3.3f8, 2 service, 19 devices, 1 incoming serial ports
Network Service: Ethernet, Ethernet, en0
Serial ATA Device: ST3320820AS_Q, 298.09 GB
Parallel ATA Device: OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5630A
USB Device: Built-in iSight, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8502, 0xfd400000
USB Device: Keyboard Hub, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x1006, 0xfa200000
USB Device: Apple Optical USB Mouse, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x0304, 0xfa230000
USB Device: Apple Keyboard, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x0220, 0xfa220000
USB Device: IR Receiver, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8242, 0x5d100000
USB Device: BRCM2046 Hub, 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.), 0x4500, 0x1a100000
USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x820f, 0x1a110000
FireWire Device: unknown_device, Unknown

Reinstall Disk Utility from your Snow Leopard DVD. If your DVD does not install 10.6.4 then use the Combo Updater to update back to 10.6.4.
How to Use Pacifist to Replace Deleted or Missing OS X Components
Insert the OS X Installer DVD into the optical drive. Use a simple utility like TinkerTool to toggle invisibility so you can see invisible items. Alternatively, open the Terminal application in your Utilities folder and at the prompt enter the following:
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles Yes
Press RETURN.
To turn off the display of invisible files repeat the above command substituting No for Yes.
The install packages are located in the /System/Installation/ folder on the DVD.
Download the shareware utility Pacifist from VersionTracker or MacUpdate. Use it to extract a fresh copy of the missing item(s) from the file archives on your OS X installation DVD. The file archives are in the /System/Installations/ folder (use Go to Folder option in the Go menu of the Finder.)
Here are Four Basic ways to use Pacifist (courtesy of George Orville.)
A. Drag a .pkg icon onto the Pacifist window .....proceed to step 7.
B. Click on “Open Package ....” and navigate to package desired and click “Open” in the open/save window.....proceed to step 7.
C. Insert Mac OS X installer CD and when it mounts, navigate to .... Menu->Go->Go to Folder.
In the path field enter or paste ....
/Volumes/disc name/System/Installation/Packages (where disc name is the name of the CD/DVD that you inserted.
• Click on the "Go" button .....
• Drag a .pkg to Pacifist..... proceed to step 7.
The package you'll need will have to be discovered by trial and error, but for most applications you should start with the Essentials.pkg and/or Additional Essentials.pkg.
D. Insert your Mac OS X install disk 1 .... and open Pacifist.
1. In Pacifist, select "Open Mac OS X Install Packages" ... dialog may appear asking for disk 2, then disk 3 and finally disk 1 again.... {if DVD is not used)...If “Stop Loading” is selected...the procedure will stop!!!
2a. When loading is complete, a new window appears, click the triangle to display contents of each package...Select item and proceed to step 7.
2b. or click the “Find” icon in the Pacifist window and type the name of the software you need.
3. In the list that comes back, click the top most entry for the item that you want. ..... that is the one for the English language.
4. On the top of the Pacifist window, click “verify” .... you will probably be prompted for your password.
5. Enter checks for.... “verify permissions” and “verify file contents.” and click “verify” ....enter password when prompted.... you will get back output which may look like this:
20 files were scanned.
20 of 20 files were present on the hard disk.
0 of 20 files had file permissions that did not match those specified in the package.
0 of 20 files had checksums that did not match those specified in the package.
6. Click “close”. Go to step 7.
Extract or Install........
7. In the Toolbar (upper left), you now have the option to extract or install. Click a file in the lower list and those two icons will be enabled.
8. If “Extract to...” is selected.... navigate to the location where the file will be placed, select “choose”, select “extract” in new dialog that appears,authenicate , if prompted, click “OK”.
9. In the next dialog, click “Extract”.
10. If “Install” is selected... dialog will appear with the location/path of the installed software. Click “Install”
11. Type in your password, click “OK”
• Pacifist will begin to extract files.
12. In steps 8/10ß.... you also have the choice to “cancel”
Notes.....
• Pacifist may find that a file it is installing already exists on the hard disk. Pacifist will present you with an alert panel....
Stop
Leave original alone
Update ..... Default selection
Replace .... Replace option should only be used on full install packages

Unable to boot disk utility or reinstall Mountain Lion

Hello,
I bought an iMac via ebay and I am unable to boot to disk utility and reinstall mountain lion becouse the guy I bought it from didnt delete the users nor reinstall OS
I have a Pc keyboard and am pressing the correct command+r but mac just hangs on apple sign and loading.
I can enter single user terminal and this is what I did and can do. There are 4 users in the /Users
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disk is ok
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launch_msg(): Socket is not connected
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Apr 7, 2013 7:42 AM (in response to daiktsu)
@daiktsu: I wonder why these two are helping you at all.
@sls and Radiation: I admire your patience with this troll.
Unreal ! hahaha , congrats to all 3 - Lex, SSLS and Radiation for taking the HIGH road . Now that is CON"TROL" !

My HD needs to be reformatted according to Disk Utility, but even when I use an external device for startup, Disk Utility cannot reformat the HD

I have a Macbook with a 500 GB Hard Drive. A routine check on Disk Utility told me the disk needed to be reformatted. I restarted from an external USB drive, but when I try to use Disk Utility to repair the HD or to reformat it, Disk Utility is unable to do anything with the HD (cannot repair, cannot erase,cannot reformat the HD). Is there a utility App that can help me with this, or is the HD unrecoverable?

Hi
Thanks very much for your reply. We have been starting up from a backup (USB) drive and use the disk utility that is on the backup drive so the internal (problem) HD is not being used for anything (except for wanting to repair it). Still Disk Utility cannot reformat or repair the drive. I have also run Onyx but it tells me everything is OK on the drive.
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I went to my Leopard Installation disk and ran "Repair Disk." No problem found. From the Installation disk, ran Repair Disk Permissions. got the same RED INK comments and flag, First Aid failed.
Restarts don't help. Also, so far I have not found an application which is NOT working despite this Disk Utility problem, happy to report ;-))
Additional background. I was reinstalling iLife to fix iPhoto after a clean reinstallation of Leopard and reincorporation of files and apps vis Time Machine. It had been several weeks and iPhoto appeared to be the only app which was not quite right.

Disk Repair can trigger "underlying task" but I've never heard or seen a Permissions Repair do so.
You should never use the DVD to repair permissions. You should be using the same OS version. And of course you can always repair permissions from your boot drive; or from backup/clone or alternate "emergency" drive. Otherwise, the DVD and older version of DU will be wrong.
I know I read that on MacFixit, but I am not sure I bookmarked it.
Don't rely on Apple First Aid, even a clean bill of health doesn't mean there aren't problems which Disk Warrior can deal with.

Disk Utility cannot repair startup volume, and where's my AppleCare cover?

Hi all,
The 250GB SATA drive on my Power Mac G5 Dual 2.5GHz has some 'issues' that Disk Utility cannot repair. It says, "Invalid sibling" and something about "key not found" or "keys out of order". I've run fsck -fy in single-user mode but it drops out saying "(4, 18880) error".
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Thanks for that.
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Macintosh HD not visible / deleted in Disk Utility, cannot re-install Lion

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