Stuck in Disk Utilities "creating partition map"

I don't know if this is the right place for this topic but here goes.
I just bought a new Maxtor One Touch 4 Plus 500 gig external drive to back up my stuff. I thought Maxtor, for Macs, were pretty much plug and go but it says that I must prepare the drive as Mac OS Extended (journaled)..aka..partition it in order for Mac to recognize it and be able to copy data onto it. Fair enough...but when I go to disk utilities and hit "partition" it starts "creating partition map". The little blue bar starts going...not even an 1/8 of an inch or so annnnnd then just stays there. I waited about 20 minutes before force quiting Disk Utility (in hopes I didn't just hose the drive). I rebooted and tried again...same thing....as a matter of fact it's still going as I write this. I'm so tired of running into issues lately I could scream. WHAT IS UP? Does it take that long to create a single partition on a 500gig drive? (I have it connected through the firewire, not the USB 2.0 port). Help PLEASE! thanks!

It does not take more than about 20 seconds to create a partition map If every block is good. You may have a bad block in the first part of the drive.
I suggest you initialize the drive with the "Zero all data" option, while you do not have much written to it. This process takes several hours, but when it completes successfully, you are assured that any bad blocks have been eliminated and the drive has substituted good spare blocks (kept aside for just this purpose).

Similar Messages

Stuck on Creating Partition Map

I was using the Install disk....the disk utility.....to erase my hard drive and now it is stuck on "Creating Partition Map". What do it do?
I am giving this i-Mac away so I want to make sure the disk is erased. Was it?

No, it sounds like there's been a problem. Do the following:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your OS X 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 Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger or Leopard.)
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, 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.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.

Disk utility-erasing a HD, creating partition map hanging

Hi all,
I have been given an external Maxtor USB drive, 120 BG, with the need to securely wipe the old information on it. I have used Disk Utility, and zeroed the HD with a 7 times pass. This took 17 hours, and it moved to the "create partition map" stage. It's been doing that for 24 hours and still the progress bar is rolling. All other options are greyed out and nothing can be selected in Disk Utility. I have chosen to format it in Mac OS X Extended, Journaled. There was about 45 GB data on the drive.
Would this amount of time be expected, or has something gone wrong? I hesitate to force quit DU, in case I render the drive unusable. If I do that or shut down the computer, what's likely to happen to the HD? Will I be able to mount it again and start over. Any tips much appreciated.
Frances

Hi Frances,
17 hours for the 7-times pass is normal (and usually completely unnecessary unless you work for the CIA). However, the hang at the "create partition map" stage is not normal. I would interrupt it and reformat the drive, since the zeroing is finished anyway.
If this answered your question please consider granting some stars: Why reward points?

Disk Utility: "Modifying Partition Map"

Good Afternoon all. Im not sure whether this is a problem or not but i have run disk utility to partition my hard drive, and as of now it has been running for over 24 hours.
700 Gb Hdd Partitioned at 487 ( Mac OSx ) and 210 ( Windows NTFS )
The 210 was partitioned by Bootcamp and xp is installed and runs fine
I am attempting to partition the 210 by 55 to allow for the inclusion of Vista
I ran Disk utility yesterday around 9 or 10 and since then it has been saying modifying partition map.
i dont believe it's frozen or has stalled because it responds and i have burned a disk using disk utility. however if i attempt to close it it warns me of damage.
so my issue is whether or not i should just wait it out or if there is something safe i can do. Additionally if installing vista there is a bad idea i would like to be advised.
Thanks In Advance

It's most likely stuck and not going to finish. I experienced this once while creating a new partition for testing purposes. Force quiting will loose any unsaved changes including a partition that's being modified but it looks like your only option at this point. It should not affect your current Mac partition however I'm unsure if it will affect your XP partition. Boot camp works well but in general I would say it's not a good idea to try and re-size or split existing partitions that have data. To do what you want to do you could use Boot camp to create another partition but it would only take the space from your Mac volume. You would probably have to backup or make an image of your XP system then start over using Boot Camp to create the 2 partitions of the size you want.
FYI: You would probably have a better chance getting an answer for this question over in the Boot Camp forum.
George

DISK UTILITY Error: Partition map repair failed...

Hi all,
I purchased a new SEAGATE BACKUP PLUS 3T USB3.0 drive - and formatted GUID 1 partition - then ran repair disk and it showed with = "Error: Partition map repair failed while adjusting structures to fit current whole disk size"
And I also tried 4 partitions but no help
And I also tried formatting same on older 10.6 mac with no errors - then came back to 10.8 and error shows there...
Can some folks please try this on there own setups to see how widespread this is...
Criteria...
1 - ML 10.8.2
2 - Large external drive 2T or greater
Q: Has anyone experienced this and has a possible solution?
Thanks

HI all,
This issue has been in discussion (actively) since last August here:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4218970?start=0&tstart=0
After months and months of new reports, it's pretty clear that this is an Apple Mountain Lion problem and one that Apple needs to address. As one frustrated user noted :
>>There is no consistent solution for a user. Apple has to supply it. All you can do is submit a bug report to
>> http://www.apple.com/feedback
Please, if you are encountering this problem you will save yourself a lot of wasted time and energy simply by joining me and others in asking Apple to fix this problem: Make a bug report.
Thanks!

Disk Utilities - Zero HD

I am selling my iBook G4 - 1.33 Mhz, 60 Gig HD running 10.3.9.
I began to zero the HD and chose 8 times (in hindsite should have chosen once) in disk utility. It wrote random data to the hard drive for about 20 hours or so. When I left this morning it was close to 3/4 of the way done. When I got back about 9 hours later it still showed about 3/4 (had moved a bit) but the window changed its venue from writing random data to "Creating Partition Map". I can't tell if the progress bar has continued to move from the 3/4 point and the the rainbow wheel cursor is still spinning.
Is this normal or has disk utility "frozen"? If this is typical behavior, then how long does it take to finish the process of wiping the hard drive? If not normal, what should I be doing?
Thank you in advance for any assistance.

indyopal:
Is it normal to see the pinwheel (beachball)? No. Dr. Smoke says:The "please wait" progress indicator — where your mouse pointer changes from an arrow to the rotating color wheel or "spinning beach ball" seen at right — generally indicates that your system is engaged in a very processor-intensive activity.
In most cases, the "beach ball" will usually disappear within five to ten seconds, depending on the processor speed of, and installed RAM in, the Mac®. For example, applying a Gaussian blur to a large file in Adobe® Photoshop® can be a very processor-intensive activity.
However, there are cases when the "beach ball" spins for a much longer period of time, a condition sometimes referred to as The Spinning Beach Ball of Death (SBBOD).I don't understand why this should take place during erasing the disk. How long have you been in the process of erasing, again?
The method to which I referred as preferable
This is the simple method and doesn't involve erasing the hard drive.
Boot from your OS X Installer. After the installer loads select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (or Utilities menu if using Tiger.) After DU loads select your OS X volume from the list on the left, 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. Now shutdown the computer for a couple of minutes and then restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (3.0.3 for Tiger) and/or TechTool Pro (4.1.2 for Tiger) 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. Next, boot to single user mode. Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-S keys until the computer starts up to a black screen with white type.
3. At the prompt, type the following commands, each command followed by the Return key:
/sbin/fsck -yf
mount -uw /
rm /private/var/db/.AppleSetupDone
shutdown -r now
The second-to-last command above will cause OS X to think that the operating system is newly installed, and when you reboot, it will send you through the Startup Wizard.
This is the long method:
Follow these instructions step by step to prepare a Mac for sale:
First, back up the data:
1) Shut down all Virtual PCs. They cannot be in their "fast saved" state. They must be shut down from inside Windows.
2) Clone to an external drive using Carbon Copy Cloner.
Next, prepare the machine for the new buyer:
3) Deauthorize the computer in iTunes! Deauthorize both iTunes and Audible accounts.
4) Remove Open Firmware passwords
5) Turn the brightness full up and volume nearly so.
Install a fresh OS:
6) Insert the OS X install CD/DVD.
7) Restart the computer while holding down the C key to boot from the CD/DVD.
8) Run Disk Utility from the file menu and erase the internal hard drive (optionally zero all data).
9) Install OS X.
10) Reboot the computer.
11) From the welcome screen, you can skip the registration step by typing command-Q.
12) When prompted, create an account (it will be an admin account).
13) From your new admin account, configure networking.
14) Then use Software Update to bring your system and all of it's applications up to date.
15) From Disk Utility, repair permissions on the new volume.
Now delete the account you just created:
16) Boot from a different volume (e.g. a firewire drive, if available)
17) Clean up the image using the following terminal commands:
prompt> rm /Volumes/<imagevol>/var/db/BootCache.playlist
prompt> rm /Volumes/<imagevol>/var/db/volinfo.database
prompt> rm -r /Volumes/<imagevol>/var/vm/swap*
18) Now you can get rid of the admin account you used to set up the machine Use the terminal:
prompt> nicl -raw /Volumes/<imagevol>/var/db/netinfo/local.nidb -delete /users/<admin>
prompt> rm -r /Volumes/<imagevol>/Users/<admin>
prompt> rm /Volumes/<imagevol>/var/db/.AppleSetupDone
19) Shut down and ship it to your buyer. When they get it, it will boot to the Welcome screen just like a factory Mac, except that it's better because it's completely up to date.
with thanks to Kappy.
Good luck.
cornelius

Disk utility not partitioning usb thumb drive

Here is the log from disk utility
Dec 15 23:49:38: Disk Utility started.
Unmount of “disk1s1” succeeded
Eject of “LEXAR JUMPDRIVE SECURE Media” succeeded
Preparing to partition disk: “LEXAR JUMPDRIVE SECURE Media”
Partition Scheme: PC Partition Scheme
1 partitions will be created
Partition 1
Name : “Untitled 1”
Size : 121.5 MB
Filesystem : MS-DOS File System
Creating Partition Map
Partition failed for disk LEXAR JUMPDRIVE SECURE Media Input/output error
Partition complete.
error with partition Input/output error
This particular drive has two partitions on it currently, one of which is a DOSFAT_16_SHidden. I have been trying to play around and get this thing to format for a few days now on Linux, windows and my Mac. Should I just give up on it or what?

Master Boot Record. Do this:
Extended Hard 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. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to MBR then click on the OK button. Set the format type to MSDOS. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.

Messed up partition map with iPartition - how to fix?

I was trying to change the partition map on my external USB HDD from Apple Partition Map to GUID so I would be able to create a FAT32 partition on it to be accessible from windows. I used iPartition to do so (through a bootable CD as it doesn't yet work on Leopard), but it told me it was "unable to write the new partition scheme".
Then, when I booted back into OS X, it told me that the drive could not be read, and under disk utility its partition map shows up as "Unformatted". I have a lot of important files on this drive, and only some of them are backed up. Is there any way I could fix the partition map of the drive? I'm pretty sure the files themselves are intact, I just don't know how to get to them.
I'm not a very experienced mac user. If this had happened under windows, I might've been able to fix it, but unfortunately I'm at a loss :S Any help would be greatly appreciated!

You have only one option. You will have to boot from your OS X Installer Disc One and repartition the drive using Disk Utility. All your data will be lost, unfortunately.
You cannot change a partition map on the fly, and you cannot use partitioning software that is not compatible with Intel Macs and the GUID partition scheme.
As for recovering your files read the following:
Basics of File Recovery
If you empty the Trash the files are gone. Recovery is possible but you must not allow any additional writes to the hard drive - shut it down. When you delete files you erase only the directory entries, not the files themselves. However, the space occupied by the files has been returned to the system as available for storage. Writing to the drive will then eventually overwrite the space once occupied by the deleted files in which case the files are lost permanently. Also if you save a file over an existing file of the same name, then the old file is overwritten and cannot be recovered.
If you stop using the drive it's possible to recover deleted files that have not been overwritten with recovery software such as Data Rescue II, File Salvage or TechTool Pro. Each of the preceding come on bootable CDs to enable usage without risk of writing more data to the hard drive.
The longer the hard drive remains in use and data are written to it, the greater the risk your deleted files will be overwritten.
Also visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on Data Recovery.

WD Elements partition map EFI problem

Hi All,
I am trying to format a 3TB WD Elements (USB 2) external HD, GUID, 1 Partition Mac Extended Journaled. The formatting goes ok.
If I click on the "3TB WD Ext HDD 1021 Media" on the left in Disk Utility and hit "verify disk", I get the following error message:
"the partition map needs to be repaired because there's a problem with the EFI system partition's file system"
A 'repair disk' goes through without hitch, but if I hit 'verify disk' again, I get the same error.
I wonder if I can just disregard this or if I will encounter problems somewhere down the line.
Thank you very much for your help.
(Verify of the actual partition does not yield any problems)

I just bought a Seagate 3TB USB Expansion External HD and have exactly the same problem when verifying the disk.
"The partition map needs to be repaired because there’s a problem with the EFI system partition’s file system.”
It repairs ‘ok’ but get the same error message when verifying again.
As this thread has been running for 4 months or so and its still a problem!.... Has anyone had problems using their ‘drives’ while ignoring the error message?
I feel very uneasy trusting the drive as a reliable backup and I'm surprised that Apple hasn't sorted this potentially serious issue out with a 'fix'.... Most especially as it appears to be a fault with 'Lion' rather than the various brands of 3TB external drives?

How to completely erase ( no recovery partition remaining) a lion partition with disk utilities on lion install disk?

Where in a lion install disc made from the installer can I find a bootable file with disk utilities?
I downloaded lion a few hours ago and installed.
I have 4 large hardrives (1.5TB) arranged in 8 partitions to allow me to work on a varied group of projects. I have some projects that need to be worked on with software running under Tiger, some with software that runs under leopard, some with snow leopard, and now Lion. I own multiple copies of software and multiple user pack system install discs.
On a regular basis, I back up chunks of work on projects to external discs, and special backup areas on one of my drives. I don't like using time machine because I am running many operating environments on my mac pro and I don't ever want to be tied to one operating environment for important functionality, and I want to maximize the open space on my hard drives.
Several partitions involve large video files. I am working on them in various versions of final cut, premiere and imovie. Because I have to use the same software versions my different clients are running, I don't want to move all the files " up" to a modern version. It would be professional suicide to stop accommodating my various clients. I say this to try to head off being told to make my clients upgrade. There are too many different clients and they are not going to replace all their equipment.
On these volumes with video files, I often fill them up and copy off what I need to backup before I erase and do a clean install. I also run VM Fusion and windows XP. I absolutely do not want to have a Recovery HD partition left on the drive when I erase or influencing the other partions using different OS versions on that same drive.
Is there a bootable disc on the installer disk I just made? Can I use the disk utilities to do a low level erase on the lion volume that will remove the recovery partition?
Can I go back to booting from Snow Leopard and erasing the Recovery partition with the drive partition that way? Will the Snow Leopard utility take out the Lion HD recovery partition?
I am used to erasing my drives and rebuilding my machine and I believe it is the right way to use my multiple drives in my workflow. Now that I've got this invisible recovery partition, can you help me remove it and create a bootable disc that includes disk utilities?

I assume the unix pdisk command will show you want is going on.
You may not have a big worry. There have always been a lot of hidden partitions. Disk Utility under 10.4.11 reports this drive has three (my now report four ) partitions, when pdisk reports that there are 15.
Macintosh-HD -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal
Press return when done typing sudo pdisk -l
-l include a lower case L
The sudo command will ask for your administration password. No characters will appear when typing your password. Press return when done typing. sudo stands for super user do. It's just like root. Be careful.
mac $ sudo pdisk -l
Password:
Partition map (with 512 byte blocks) on '/dev/rdisk0'
#:                type name                    length   base      ( size )
1: Apple_partition_map Apple                       63 @ 1
2:      Apple_Driver43*Macintosh                   56 @ 64
3:      Apple_Driver43*Macintosh                   56 @ 120
4:    Apple_Driver_ATA*Macintosh                   56 @ 176
5:    Apple_Driver_ATA*Macintosh                   56 @ 232
6:      Apple_FWDriver Macintosh                  512 @ 288
7: Apple_Driver_IOKit Macintosh                  512 @ 800
8:       Apple_Patches Patch Partition            512 @ 1312
9:     Apple_Bootstrap untitled                  1954 @ 149319048
10:           Apple_HFS Apple_HFS_Untitled_1   2254440 @ 263968    ( 1.1G)
11:     Apple_UNIX_SVR2 untitled               6617188 @ 149321002 ( 3.2G)
12:           Apple_HFS Apple_HFS_Untitled_2 146538496 @ 2780552   ( 69.9G)
13:     Apple_UNIX_SVR2 swap                    363298 @ 155938190 (177.4M)
14:          Apple_Free Extra                   262144 @ 1824      (128.0M)
15:          Apple_Free Extra                   262144 @ 2518408   (128.0M)
Device block size=512, Number of Blocks=156301488 (74.5G)
DeviceType=0x0, DeviceId=0x0
Drivers-
1: 23 @ 64, type=0x1
2: 36 @ 120, type=0xffff
3: 21 @ 176, type=0x701
4: 34 @ 232, type=0xf8ff

Install error : disk cannot be used to start up your computer [or] MediaKit reports partition (Map) too small

Greetings,
I am aware that this problem has been discussed, but in long and vague discussions that I had to sift deeply to find an answer. Therefore I am posting a clear message, as this problem can be very troublesome for someone who just received a Mac OS installation disk and cannot install it.
Situation : you cannot install/update your new system because the installer does not consider your volume.
Error message : this disk cannot be used to start up your computer.
Version française : Ce disque ne peut pas être configuré pour démarrer votre ordinateur.
Also discussed below error: "MediaKit reports partition (Map) too small"
Note : although this occurred with a Snow Leopard (10.6) install DVD, it can alo occur with Lion (10.7) according to discussions on Apple web site.
IF YOUR CONDITIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS :
- You are using an official Apple installation DVD of Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) [or 10.7 Lion] or an official download/upgrade of those systems.
- Your main Mac partition scheme is in GUID as it should be (check with Disk Utility). That partition contains a Mac system that can start-up.
- Your volume format is: Mac OS Extended (journaled) [the format should not be Case Sensitive.]
- You have the hardware requirements to install Mac OS 10.6 (Intel processor; internal or external DVD drive or a linked DVD drive; 1 GB of RAM; a screen controlled by your computer graphics card; at least 5 GB space on the hard disk or 7 GB if you install all components).
- Using Disk Utility, you of course tried the disk Repair Tool and the Repair Permissions tool.
- Your hard disk does not have a file called Backups.backupdb (if it does, this means Time Machine has once used this hard disk for its back-ups). Anyhow, if it were the case, the installation would give a different error message (with the word TimeMachine). This file may block the installation: Apple Support suggest to place it in the garbage, *without* deleting it, and placing it back on the disk later. Mind you, if you do not use this hard disk as such to save your Time Machine back-ups, you can simply delete this file.
HOW TO FIX :
1. Boot with the 10.6 install DVD (Tip: you can either select Mac 10.6 as the boot DVD in your Start-up Preferences or simply press down c during the start-up).
2. Above the install screen, you have a Utilities tab from where you can run Disk Utility. Select your hard disk and select the Partition tab. Resize the primary Mac partition (don't add a new one) by decreasing it by about 5 GB.
It will look like this http://i.imgur.com/jHTbr.jpg
( That image shows only one partition, but the same principle applies even if you have two or more partitions on your disk.)
Also see the official Apple how to: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3926
Version française: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3926?viewlocale=fr_FR
3. Commit the change by hitting "Apply"
3.b. If you get the error "MediaKit reports partition (Map) too small", this is a rare error where the partition that follows (for example Bootcamp) is slightly overlapping your main Mac partition. You will need to reduce that other following partition. Once you have reduced the other partition, you will probably need to return to step 2 and 3 and try again.
[ For example, in my case, I had resized my Bootcamp with CampTune software and it would seem that the file system ended-up somehow larger than the actual partition container. I simply asked CampTune to reduce the partition a bit (barely 2 GB) and that fixed it.]
4. Reboot, again into the 10.6 install DVD.
5. You can then install 10.6.
6. Once 10.6 is installed, use the Disk Utility on the desktop (you can boot into the primary HD at this point) to resize the primary partition back to its original or maximum size.
SOURCE (main fix): http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=774410 [and] http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3926
SOURCE (explaination for MediaKit error): some Apple discussion post.
nb: in my case, it was on a MacBook Pro (late 2008).

GasMan4932 wrote:
When I click on the icon for this drive, the warning message below states "Mac OS X cannot be installed on 'iMac HD', because this disk cannot be used to start up your computer." Obviously that's not true, since that's where the OS is installed.
How did you partition this drive, if you did that? Does it contain start up or utility partitions for any other OS (for instance Linux)? There have been reports that the "cannot be used to start up your computer" message will appear if a third party utility was used to create a 'triple boot' system or such, apparently because SL is picky about the format GUID partition scheme table info & how partitions are allocated space on the drive by other formatting/partition methods.
For some users with these partitions, the fix has been as simple as "tickling" (slightly changing) the partition size of some partition with Disk Utility, which apparently updates the GUID partition scheme table info so that the SL installer accepts it as safe to use with SL.( In this sense, the message may be trying to say the installer thinks the disk can't be used to reliably start up your computer with SL, not in general.)
See the discussions topic Cannot install Snow Leopard over 10.5.8 for more about this.

Disk Utility - Partition map needs repair because a data partition needs loader space.

I just finished setting up both my OSX and Windows installs from scratch after fitting an SSD, which in-turn was right before my logic board died and Apple replaced it, now it looks like I have some sort of hard drive issue brewing.
This was my plan for the SSD, and how it currently displays in Disk Utility although that wasn't the case earlier:
And in Terminal:
My intention was to have two boot partitions for each OS, 'Macintosh HD' and 'Win 7 Pro' and a third shared data partition 'Projects' on the SSD, which I made in Drive Genius after installing Boot Camp. I don't want Macintosh HD accessible from Windows because I'll be using Paragon HFS+ or MacDrive to give write access and don't want OSs stomping on other OSs turf, hence needing three partitions. Everything looked fine until I just checked Disk Management under windows and realised it couldn't see the Projects volume. Even though it's fine in OS X, it was just marked black/unallocated space.
So I booted back into OSX, all my files look fine so I ran Disk Utility and the Partition tab looked really odd - unfortunately I didn't get a screenshot. All volumes reported their size correctly but visually, Macintosh HD took up most of the drive. I could see 'Windows 7 Pro' under this, but the Partition Layout section had a scrollbar, which if I scrolled down showed 'Projects' squished into a tiny gap at the bottom. I ran a Verify, which reported no problems, and at some time since the Partition Layout has reverted to how it should look (as in the screenshot above), with 'Projects' book-ended by "Macintosh HD' and 'Windows 7 Pro'.
Now when I run a Verify on Macintosh HD or Projects volumes, it says there's no problem, but if I run one on the drive, I get this message:
Volume Macintosh HD on disk0s2 has 0 bytes of trailing loader space and it needs 134217728 bytes
Problems were found with the partition map which might prevent booting
Error: Partition map needs repair because a data partition needs loader space.
I've only managed to find one other mention of this error here, but the fix is not relevant to me because I don't have Sophos installed. I've tried Single User/Safe Mode but it just boots into normal mode, so I can't do a fsck -fy.
** /dev/rdisk0s2 (NO WRITE)
Can't open /dev/rdisk0s2: Permission denied
That value in bytes is exactly 128mb, so I suspect the problem lies with one of the invisible partitions that show up in iPartition and Disk Management under Windows, but not in Disk Utility. I have backups and I suspect the root of the problem is partitioning in iPartition after installing Boot Camp, but I've never had issues with this approach in the past so I'm wary of just giving up and reinstalling Windows again will be massive hassle because I no longer have a SuperDrive and last time it refused to install from USB.
Anyone have any idea what's going on? It seems like the sort of issue Disk Utility should just handle, at least in Recovery mode, but it's not playing ball. It also doesn't seem like a massive problem since my files all look fine and performance is OK, so I'm reluctant to do anything major.
I'll update with a shot of the drive in Disk Management from Windows in a few minutes, in case that sheds light on anything. Thanks!

Similar issue here. I manually partitioned my hard disk for triple boot (using Gparted on Linux), then everything was just fine until I ran bootcamp, to do something as simple as create a boot USB.
I get the same error as a result and have to work my way into booting, by resorting first to a Linux live USB, then restarting from the live USB, to finally reach my rEFInd boot manager, or whichever boot manager should be initialized at startup.
I suppose that the cause in my case is that some operation "scratched" the protective MBR. See this:
http://www.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.23/23.03/APMtoGPT/index.html
I am hoping to fix it using an external Yosemite installation media: see this guide -
http://www.macworld.com/article/2367748/how-to-make-a-bootable-os-x-10-10-yosemi te-install-drive.html
And as a last resort to reinstall.
I'll admit I am negatively surprised. I need this computer for professional reasons, and for the sake of "preserving the integrity of OSX", measures defined by Apple instead tend to make partitions far easier to damage. And this problem seems to affect a number of users.
As for what I have to go through to fix it: a 5GB download, during which I have to register my credit card to the Apple Store. "Pay first, get your free software next."
IF Disk Utility can fix it, from the external media, then fair enough. The hassle is unpleasant but it files as "a choice".
Otherwise you can file it safely under software design calamity.

I erased everything on my internal HD and ONLY have disk utilities,terminal, and install OS X MAVERICKS but wont install because no recovery system can be created

Help me,ANYONE!
I was a fool thinking downloading OS X MAVERICKS offline would be easy if I cleared my WHOLE HD, WELL the past 2 days ive been trying to figure it out in disk utilities and in terminal to run os x mavericks installer but nothing will work, it also says OS X cant be installed because a recovery system cant be crested.... plzz... someone help.. idk, ive been pretty **** emotional about this and about to throw laptop out the window..
Macbook pro
Specs are mid 2010 15" screen.

This might depend on how you made your installer. If it is a flash pen installer that you made yourself, depending on how you made it, it has consequences on what is installed.
I am assuming that you have made an installer?
If you have and you did it manually, without using the Terminal command then it is a know caveat that a recovery partition is not installed as part of that procedure. The second method to create a bootable installer, using Terminal, will allow and install a recovery partition.
See here (without Terminal): http://www.macworld.com/article/2151706/create-a-bootable-mavericks-install-driv e-for-newer-macs.html
& here (with Terminal): http://www.macworld.com/article/2056561/how-to-make-a-bootable-mavericks-install -drive.html
Alternatively, have you zapped the PRAM and SMC, prior to trying to install?
See here: About NVRAM and PRAM
Some of these might help or even answer your query...
Good luck.

Unable to repair disk (Partition map) Please HELP !

Hi,
I have the weirdest problem with my 15" retina macbook pro.
Earlier today, OS X automatically rebooted after some kind of bug. I was then unable to start the computer, wether it was through recovery or as usual.
Started in Safe mode, Backed up with time machine, and restored system.
I'm now able to boot as usual but when I launch Disk Utility, I detects an error. Please find DU log at end of this message.
When I click Repair Disk, I continuously get the same error message (this disk needs to be repaired).
Any ideas how I can get this error fixed ?
Thanks so much !
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Verifying and repairing partition map for “APPLE SSD SM1024F Media”
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Starting repair tool:
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Checking prerequisites
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Checking the partition list
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Adjusting partition map to fit whole disk as required
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Checking for an EFI system partition
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Checking the EFI system partition’s size
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Checking the EFI system partition’s file system
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Checking all HFS data partition loader spaces
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Checking booter partitions
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Checking booter partition disk0s3
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Repairing file system.
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Invalid number of allocation blocks
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: The volume could not be verified completely.
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: File system check exit code is 8.
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Reviewing boot support loaders
2015-02-14 19:10:03 +0100: Checking Core Storage Physical Volume partitions
2015-02-14 19:10:04 +0100: Updating Windows boot.ini files as required
2015-02-14 19:10:04 +0100: Problems were encountered during repair of the partition map
2015-02-14 19:10:04 +0100: Error: This disk needs to be repaired. Click Repair Disk.

If you have a backup (for both OS's: OS X and Windows) you might try with booting to single user mode and use fsck tool: Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck - Apple Support
But if that would be my own mac i would probably create myself a Recovery USB Disk or Bootable OS Yosemite Installer Disk and repartition my Hard Drive and then reinstall OS X and restore data to it. If Disk Utility is reporting an issue with Partition Map Scheme i would be a bit anxious about my data stored on this drive...
Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac - Apple Support
OS X: About Recovery Disk Assistant - Apple Support
Create a bootable installer for OS X Mavericks or Yosemite - Apple Support
How to move data to your new Mac using Mountain Lion and earlier - Apple Support also Yosemite

Imac not booting, Able to get to disk ulility with snow leopard disk. Tap on had disk, not given choice to do anything. Information list that smart is certified and partition map is us formatted. How do I get mac to start up again?

Imac not starting up, keep getting white screen. Using snow leopard. Able to get to disk utilities with snow leopard installation disk. Tap on had disk, not given choice to certified disk or anything else. Information on disk states that smart status is certified. Partition map I formatted. Also tried to restore from back up, but get error: not enough disk space. Tried to erase disk, but unable. What do I do next to get mac to start up?

Thank you. That's what I thought will need to happen.
One more question. I tried using the Apple install disk that came with the computer. It's an OS 10.5.6 disk. It does not see my 10.6.8 system internal hard drive to repair. All it see's is itself 10.5.6 disk. Do you think I can use a 10.8+ disk utillity since that is a higher system it will see the 10.6.8. Where the 10.5.6 does not?
I don't want to turn the computer off for fear I'll get the question mark again. P-Ram got me going last time but for how long I don't know? It would be nice to be able to turn the computer off for the night and startup as usual to give it a rest and try to reset itself.
Thanks for your help, I know I will eventually need to re-install. But I am in the middle of a project with tight deadlines and all I can do right now is back-up. Trying to migrate to another computer temporarily to finish the job. That's a lot of extra work in the short time also.
Just trying to put a band-aid on it for another couple weeks.

Stuck in Disk Utilities "creating partition map"

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