Using idefrag on the startup volume

just bought idefrag (on a recommendation from some of you) and used it on my media drive. Everything looks cool, and now I'm wondering if anybody has ever used it on their startup volume. I feel like this could potentially make me a very sorry dude.
any thoughts?

just bought idefrag (on a recommendation from some of
you) and used it on my media drive. Everything looks
cool, and now I'm wondering if anybody has ever used
it on their startup volume. I feel like this could
potentially make me a very sorry dude.
any thoughts?
I've used it.
I boot from my firewire drive's boot partition and can do a full defrag on the system drive.
caveat#1: I back up the system before doing so.
caveat#2: My startup volume is small, I keep all samples, loops...etc on the second partition of my system drive.
That said, it makes a noticeable difference in how fast the system boots and how quickly programs load.
For even smoother operation, disable spotlight and journaling.
pancenter-

Similar Messages

  • Did 10.6.5 alter the permissions of the top level of the startup volume?

    Since applying the 10.6.5 update it seems that non-admin users have read/write access to the top level directory of the startup volume. That means that non-admin users can create items there.
    I am wondeing if this is a normal change for 10.6.5 or if something is weird with my system.
    We updated from 10.6.4 via Software Update. This machine has only ever had Snow Leopard installed on it.
    (Note that top level sub-folders such as Library and System do not appear to be affected by this)

    Are you referring to the ownership and privileges for the drive? If so then if they aren't set at the default it's because of something a user has done because the installer makes no such changes. You can return them to the default as follows;
    1. Select the drive and Press COMMAND-I to open the Get Info window.
    2. In the Ownership and Sharing section at the bottom is a checkbox labeled, "Ignore permissions on this volume." If the box is checked then click on the lock icon and authenticate. Uncheck the box.
    3. Open the Terminal application in the Utilities folder and enter the following command then press RETURN:
    sudo chown root:admin "/Volumes/Macintosh HD"
    You will be asked to enter your admin password which will not be echoed.
    If you now click onto the still open Get Info window you should now see the proper info:
    Owner=system with r/w privileges
    Group=admin with r/w privileges
    Everyone is read-only
    Click on the lock icon to prevent any changes. Close the window then quit the Terminal.

  • How do you change the startup volume when you turn on your mac?

    Is there a control panel to change the chimes sound in system preferences or something? I'm not wanting to mute it completely but make it a little quieter. Resetting the PRAM only brings it to max volume. Thanks guys!

    I think this might answer your question:
    http://www.hacktheday.com/mac-tips-turn-off-your-macs-startup-sound/

  • Why is the startup volume invisible when booting MBP from Snow leopard disk?

    I loaded Snow Leopard onto a new harddrive. It boots and operates my MBP (April 2009) just fine but the drive icon does not show on the desktop. What gives?

    Hard drives don't show up automatically in Desktop, so you have to turn it on. Go to Finder menu > Preferences > General, and tick "Hard disks", so your hard disk will appear in the Desktop. You can do the same with external disks, DVDs, iPods, etc.

  • Ok so my MacBook Pro has begun saying the startup disc is full after importing photos, so I deleted done and the message went away. now my computer won't go passed the login page it gets stuck after I login and goes to a grey screen. Can anyone help?

    Startup disc full

    Step 1   
    The first step in dealing with a startup failure is to secure the data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, 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 that has changed since the last backup, you can skip this step.
    There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
    a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later. 
    b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.
    c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start 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.
    d. 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.
    Step 2
    You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.

  • How do I change the name of my Mac partition in the startup menu?

    Hi,
    So when I transferred my data to my new hard drive, I originally called my hard drive "changetitle" so I wouldn't confuse it with my other drive also named Macintosh HD.
    Now that I have my new drive installed, I changed the name to "Macintosh HD" but when I hold Option to use bootcamp on startup, I notice that my HFS+ partition still has the name "changetitle".
    Any way to change it? Thanks!

    System Preferences->Sharing sets the network name of the computer. The issue here is the name of the startup volume as seen in Startup manager (the option key start up mode).
    That should be changeable from the Finder: highlight the name of the volume, press return, & type in the new name. Is this what was done?

  • Startup Volume screen keeps on appearing - no keys pressed though

    I've had this problem since I've had my Mac mini (about a year now). Sometimes the startup volume screen appears despite not having any other Hard Drives connected apart from the boot drive (which is the internal Hard drive) and despite not pressing any keyboard keys on startup.
    I am using 10.5.2 with the latest mini firmware and am unable to think what could be causing this? I have selected my main hard-drive in the startup disk preferences and have no permissions/hard drive problems (so says disk utility) but the problem persists. It's a minor annoyance but one I would welcome any help with.
    Many thanks,
    Paul
    Message was edited by: Paul Woodford

    Hi and many thanks for the reply.
    The only drive I attach is a firewire one to do time machine backups but I always disconnect it once I've finished backing up (the firewire lead is still attached to my Mac though, just not to the drive).
    The SMART status of the drive in Disk Utility is verified.
    I've taken this Mac back once to be repaired for this problem but they found nothing wrong with it. It is a very intermittent problem though and only occurs rarely. A small, but annoying niggle. I am also using a KVM switch but I didn't have this problem with my last Mac, another mini, connected to the same KVM.

  • Mac mini occasionally boots in startup volume screen (SOLVED).

    Here is my original message from March 08:
    "I've had this problem since I've had my Mac mini (about a year now). Sometimes the startup volume screen appears despite not having any other Hard Drives connected apart from the boot drive (which is the internal Hard drive) and despite not pressing any keyboard keys on startup.
    I am using 10.5.2 with the latest mini firmware and am unable to think what could be causing this? I have selected my main hard-drive in the startup disk preferences and have no permissions/hard drive problems (so says disk utility) but the problem persists. It's a minor annoyance but one I would welcome any help with."
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1433640&tstart=0
    Because the original post is archived I thought I would post the answer in a new thread. The answer to this problem was to replace the network cable connecting my Mac mini to my Apple router.
    I think the previous faulty cable was causing the mini to do a phantom network boot and that's why the startup volume screen came up from time to time.
    Since, the cable change no more startup volume screen problem.
    Phew, this has been bugging me ever since I bought my mini. It's nice to know sometimes it's the simple answers that work

    I have a similar problem. Whenever I startup my Mac Mini, an icon of the "Macintosh HD" appears in the middle of the screen. It doesn't go away until I click on it. After that, every thing works fine... until I use Safari. If I use Safari long enough, some type of glitch occurs that doesn't let me type correctly; Safari will stop working as it should be, and every time i try to type, some really weird symbols appear, like these ones: ßêÄ©¶¢. The only option I have left is to restart the computer, over, and over, and over again. Please help!!!!

  • Mac does not show startup volumes

    Hello, I've got a problem with my MBP!
    It's the latest model (Core i7) and I'm using it with an Intel X25-M G2 SSD (160GB).
    On a third partition of the SSD, I installed Windows 7.
    (a little gaming, a few win-only applications)
    Booting Windows (or from CD/DVD) should be possible by holding down ALT.
    This worked fine for years on my old devices - But this does not work with my new MBP! Holding ALT during startup ends with a grey screen showing nothing! Without ALT, my MBP boots OSX. In the System Preferences I can choose to reboot to Windows (or from a CD/DVD). This works without problems, Windows boots...
    But why can't I select my bootdevice by starting with ALT down? Any Ideas?
    And please don't tell me to install reFit! I'll never do so!
    I'm asking because I'm a little afraid of what to do in the case of reinstalling OSX to a broken/empty Drive where I can't select my bootdevice from within the running OS...

    I definitely do not need to modify my Mac that way.
    Selecting the startup-volume is possible without refit, or at least should be and works on many many Macs I know/own.
    As long as a feature is provided by any "preinstalled Tool" I wont use 3rd party. If a feature is missing I write my own program - but I'm not going to write my own bootloader...
    So why does my 2010 MBP have problems with showing startup volumes when booting with the "ALT"-Key?

  • Why is my startup volume  is a network dev. which connects to my HD?

    I have OS X 10.4.5. When I login to OS X my startup volume is shown as a network device. This is the upper right ICON which has a globe icon with the words network but no downward pointing arrow on it. I believe this should be a HD icon. The system works correctly and I see on my desk top the files for my hard disk. I am having a problem with Finale from codamusic. I do not believe that the problem is in Finale as I have two G4 desktop computer same OS side by side. The other computer shows an HD icon as the startup volume and does not have the problem. I believe that input from the KB is different for each computer and would account for the Finale problem. Perhaps the one with the network icon the characters go through a loopback driver? Both have the same version of Finale and the other computer's Finale works where mine does not. I am also seeing character dropouts from the KB particularly when starting programs.
    How do I restore the HD icon as the startup volume for my hard drive on my computer?
    Power PC G4 500Mh   Mac OS X (10.4.5)  
    Power PC G4 500Mh   Mac OS X (10.4.5)  

    My apologies - it was very early in the morning when I posted my question, I should have recounted all of what I tried. I have tried all of the easy fixes such as resetting my startup system using the startup disk preference panel. When I do reset the startup I get the same exact problem. It does not change my startup volume and it still uses a network volume pointed to my harddisk! When I use the startup disk preference panel it states the system I am trying to reboot to is on my HD not on a network volume, but it still comes up on a network volume. Also my HD icon is on my desktop at the lower right.
    The network icon at the upper left is not movable, the HD is. If I try to move the network icon I simply get a clone of the icon.
    I've also reset parameter ram, No change. I've also rebooted holding down the X key, no change. I have tried to reboot with the option key down, but the system will not reboot, it will simply sit there with a black screen and no activity on the disk.
    I am very frustrated.
    Power PC G4 500Mh   Mac OS X (10.4.5)  

  • Software RAID as startup volume

    I want to get 4 velociraptor hard drives for my mac pro. If I create a software RAID 0 in Disk Utility, and reinstall Leopard on that volume, can I use it as a startup volume? If you can, does it take longer for the computer to startup?
    Thanks

    Firstly, I'm assuming that you have an extra external disk for time machine. So in order to restore to the raid, maybe instead of using time machine clone it using superduper. Just to maybe make things easier. Clone the your boot volume to the external, create the raid of all 4 hds in disk utility, then once it's made clone back the boot volume from the external to your raid.
    For superduper:
    www.shirtpocket.com
    But just to reiterate, (and adding to what hatter mentioned) maybe a couple larger 640 or 1 TB Western Digital Blacks might be better, instead of all VRs. You could maybe use 1 VR for your boot drive, and like 2 or 3 WD blacks(if that's what you want to do). 3 x 1TB Blacks might serve you better as you are using video apps.
    Or if speed is your main concern, maybe an external enclosure might be a better fit. Sonnet, Firmtek, etc. Raid the drives on the external (using hardware or software raid) and use the internal slots for backup. Of course this will cost more, however it would probably be better for you down the road, especially since you are working with video.
    http://www.amug.org/
    They have some good reviews for external enclosures.

  • DropBox on non-startup volume

    Is it possible to create a guest accessible drop box that is accessible via a networked connection, but does not reside on the startup volume of the host? I'm running 10.4.11 with an 80Gb HD. It is partitioned with an 8Gb startup volume and the remainder is for files. I want networked guests to upload files by default to the non-startup volume.
    Thanks

    Hi, on 10.4.x you'll need Sharepoints to add the other drive as a Normal Share, you can also use it to set Users & Groups that you want to have access...
    http://www.hornware.com/sharepoints/

  • Partitioning startup volume

    hi,
    i'm a newbie on Mac OS X and I want to partition my HD, which has the startup volume on it. the HD is freshly formatted since there was an error in the header of the volume (?) and the Disk Utility couldn't repair it (Repair button disabled).
    so, in the Disk Utility, I used the Partition section of my HD and tried to create 2 partitions, but the Utility wouldn't let me do so because "it's the startup volume".
    so how the **** am I suppose to partition the only drive in my notebook?
    i'd like to have 2 partitions of 54 GB and 20 GB (total 74).
    aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh please teach me!
    NOTE: maybe I used some wrong technical terms because I had to translate them from my OS X French version.

    You must do the following:
    1. Boot from your Tiger DVD. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button, then select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
    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. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.
    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 will take 30 minutes to an hour or more depending upon the drive size.
    This is a destructive process so your hard drive will be completely erased.

  • My startup volume boots but is "missing"

    I have a freaky problem. My BlackBook boots normally, but in Startup preferences i can not see my startup volume.
    I've tried to install Ubuntu and I tried to use rEFIt. Ubuntu was crappy and does not work any more and rEFIt caused my laptop boot always to Ubuntu. Only bootting with alt-key, I was able to boot to OS X. Could rEfit cause my problem? I got rid of it and now OS X boots normally.
    My disk is copied with Super Duper but Disk Utility says its ok. And I just installed newest update with no problems. All seems to be allright.

    will2will wrote:
    I have a freaky problem. My BlackBook boots normally, but in Startup preferences i can not see my startup volume.
    I've tried to install Ubuntu and I tried to use rEFIt. Ubuntu was crappy and does not work any more and rEFIt caused my laptop boot always to Ubuntu. Only bootting with alt-key, I was able to boot to OS X. Could rEfit cause my problem? I got rid of it and now OS X boots normally.
    rEfit/Ubuntu are the most likely culprits.
    My disk is copied with Super Duper but Disk Utility says its ok. And I just installed newest update with no problems. All seems to be allright.
    You should consider cloning a new copy, using a file (not block) clone and then after checking it out thoroughly, erase your HD by repartitioning it several times and then clone back. This should remove any boot area problems.
    When you boot into the clone, does the startup volume show up normally in preferences?

  • Can I use OS9 as the start up disk on my Intel Mac?

    I have a new Intel iMac. I want to partition my hard drive, install OS9 and run the old system. I know I can't use "classic" on 10.4.7 but I wonder if I could simply install OS9 and reboot my computer. I don't need to move between the two, meaning I don't need to work in OS9 then instantly click and be in 10.4.7. I can deal with the inconvenience of rebooting.
    I'm having 3 problems
    #1, I have an old version of Photoshop. I'll buy the newest Photoshop someday but the latest version wasn't made for Intel Macs and it is very expensive. $600. I wonder if it runs slow on Intel Macs. Maybe I should wait for the next version.
    #2 I have a great Epson printer (875 DC) but Epson has not updated the print drivers for this model and probably won't. OK fine I can buy a newer better photo printer $550.
    #3 I have a "Nikon Coolscan 4000" film Scanner $1,300. This scanner is great in OS9 but the thing never worked in OS10 and now that I have this Intel iMac I downloaded the latest software update and the thing still doesn’t work and if the computer sleeps while the Nikon software is open it won't wake up and I have to restart.
    To sum everything up, can I run OS9 on my Intel iMac? I don't care if I have to work in OS9 then shut down and restart to work in 10.4.7 Can this Intel iMac understand OS9. If I try to restart using OS9 as the startup disk will I damage the computer? Will I screw things up and have to spend hours and days removing files and correcting problems?
    I feel like this computer is a fresh clean new baby and I'm afraid that if I start messing around with it I'll regret it.

    Hello,
    I have a new Intel iMac. I want to partition my hard
    drive, install OS9 and run the old system. I know I
    can't use "classic" on 10.4.7 but I wonder if I could
    simply install OS9 and reboot my computer.
    The problem here, is that the OS 9 environment / Operating System will only run on a PowerPC processor.
    The only reason that OS X will run on either processor, is that it was specifically designed to do so from the beginning.
    But, OS 9 and older were specifically written for the PowerPC / Motorola processors.
    So, you will need a machine with a PowerPC processor to run OS 9.
    Currently, there is one program that will enable OS 9 to run on an Intel Mac. But, it requires making a copy of the Power Macintosh ROM. So, it's legal use is questionable at best.
    http://www.gibix.net/projects/sheepshaver/
    This program works by emulating the PowerPC processor. And, it is reported to operate at roughly 1/8-th of native speeds. So, it could be pretty slow for productive photo work.
    #1, I have an old version of Photoshop. I'll buy the
    newest Photoshop someday but the latest version
    wasn't made for Intel Macs and it is very expensive.
    $600. I wonder if it runs slow on Intel Macs. Maybe I
    should wait for the next version.
    If it is a Mac OS X version, then it will run on the Intel systems. But, yes it will be slower. Usable, but slower.
    I haven't tried this program, so I cannot personally comment on it. But, even Steve Jobs admitted it was slow on the Intel Macs.
    #2 I have a great Epson printer (875 DC) but Epson
    has not updated the print drivers for this model and
    probably won't. OK fine I can buy a newer better
    photo printer $550.
    OS X comes with drivers for the Epson Stylus Photo 875. They are provided by the Gimp-Print layer. But, installed / select just like any other printer. So, as long as you can connect the printer using USB, then you can select the driver for the 875 and be fine (as long as this is the same printer).
    Otherwise, some people have reportedly installed PowerPC print drivers without trouble. I haven't tried it myself.
    #3 I have a "Nikon Coolscan 4000" film Scanner
    $1,300. This scanner is great in OS9 but the thing
    never worked in OS10 and now that I have this Intel
    iMac I downloaded the latest software update and the
    thing still doesn’t work and if the computer sleeps
    while the Nikon software is open it won't wake up and
    I have to restart.
    Can't really help you there.
    To sum everything up, can I run OS9 on my Intel iMac?
    I don't care if I have to work in OS9 then shut down
    and restart to work in 10.4.7 Can this Intel iMac
    understand OS9. If I try to restart using OS9 as the
    startup disk will I damage the computer? Will I screw
    things up and have to spend hours and days removing
    files and correcting problems?
    As mentioned above, the only method currently available to use OS 9 on an Intel system is that SheepShaver program.
    But, I would not expect good results with it for your uses. And, it's legal status would be questionable since you need to copy a ROM file from another Mac to use it (which goes against Apple's license agreement).
    I feel like this computer is a fresh clean new baby
    and I'm afraid that if I start messing around with it
    I'll regret it.
    Just make sure you have a good backup of everything before you start experimenting.
    I hope this helps.

Maybe you are looking for