Verify Disk gives message invalid volume file count/invalid directory count

My Powerbook G4 (running Leopard 10.5.5) was running slower and slower. So I ran Disk Utility. When running “Verify Disk”, I received the following message -
Quote
At “checking volume information”, got the following message –
Invalid volume file count
(it should be 608262 instead of 608269)
invalid volume directory count
(it should be 126277 instead of 126270)
The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
Error: Filesystem verify or repair failed.
Unquote
A friend told me my hard drive was DEAD and needed to be repaired. Is this true or is there some way to fix my drive?

I started up from my latest OS X Installer (Leopard) and opened Disk Utility (although it seems to give me the Disk Utility that's on my Hard Drive, NOT one on the installation disk). Repair Disk was NOT an option (even after running Verify Disk again to see if that helped).
So, now what do I do now? Disk Warrior may help (or it may not) and a new hard disk isn't THAT expensive. Should I just go ahead and bite the bullet and get a new hard drive???
Oh, and while I'm asking questions - my PowerBook G4 is 5 years old. Besides the dodging hard drive everything else is running ok. But after 5 years (mainly run on mains power, not the battery), is it about time for a new battery? Is there a way to tell whether your battery is about to die before it actually dies and you can't start up?
Message was edited by: paswines

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Verify Disk: Invalid Volume File Count

So... I'm not really sure what to do or what exactly is wrong. I'm hoping not to reboot or reinstall all together, but if I have to... I suppose there's no choice.
I tried 'Verify Disk' from the utilities, but is fails and says
Invalid volume file count
(It should be 712836 instead of 712840)
Invalid volume directory count
(It should be 171417 instead of 171413)
The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
Error: Filesystem verify or repair failed.
I tried doing a 'Repair Disk' from the installation CD, but it says it fails because it could not unmount the HD.
what am I doing wrong and how can I fix it and is it really bad?
I've heard some suggest to go buy Disk Warrior. Will this fix it... or.. probably not?

*"Will this fix it... or.. probably not?"*
You won't know until you give it a try. You should own a copy of Disk Warrior anyway for at least some peace of mind in the future.
If it doesn't work, then you'll need to backup your files, erase the drive and start from scratch.

Disk Utility: invalid volume file count & directory count

My MacBook OS X version 10.5.8 has ran quite slowly occasionally but I think that's due to the fact I've had it for almost 5 years. But then yesterday it kept on freezing every few seconds so that it was impossible to do anything. I then left it overnight and in the morning cleared the safari cache and kept rebooting it which eventually stopped it freezing so often. But now certain applications such as iTunes keep quitting before they even open properly and applications that do work still freeze every so often. So then I ran disk utility and verified the disk which came up with this:
"Performing 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.
Checking volume information.
Invalid volume file count
(It should be 759557 instead of 759584)
Invalid volume directory count
(It should be 157930 instead of 157903)
The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
Checking multi-linked files.
Checking Catalog hierarchy.
Checking Extended Attributes file.
Checking volume bitmap.
Checking volume information.
Error: Filesystem verify or repair failed."
However the 'repair disk' button is dimmed so I can't click on it. Then when I typed in my problem on the help bar it said I need to use the installation disk to be able to repair this but I don't know where this disc is, so was wondering if there are any ways of fixing this without needing a disc?

was wondering if there are any ways of fixing this without needing a disc?
No.
You cannot do this from the same start-up disk. Reboot from your install disk (holding down the C key). Once it opens, select your language, and then go to Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. Select your hard disk as before and click Repair:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1782?viewlocale=en_US
Once that is complete reboot again from your usual start-up disk.
Call Apple Customer Support 1-800-767-2775, provide the Serial Number and specifications of the Mac, and for a reasonable fee, they will supply a replacement set of system discs (if available).
The discs will be for the original version of the OS that was pre-installed when the Mac was manufactured.

Invalid volume file count and directory count

My wife's macbook pro started shutting down by itself randomly, so i performed Disk Utility Verify Disk and found these errors:
Invalid volume file count
(It should be 800651 instead of 800653)
Invalid volume directory count
(It should be 191005 instead of 191003)
The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
Error: Filesystem verify or repair failed.
As i do not have the Mac OS Leopard disks physically with me, I target-disk started her mac on my mac, and use my mac to run Disk Utility on her hard-disk, and repaired the disk without problems.
However, this is the 3rd or 4th time this has happened. After the 1st time, i figured something is causing it, so i checked this forum, and found that for some, the Blackberry Messenger app causes programs, so i promptly uninstalled it fully (including associated system files) and this problem didnt come back for a while.
Or could this be a sign the hard disk is physically failing soon? It is out of warranty now. We have regular TimeMachine backups. We are actually kinda waiting out until the new line of macbook pro's come out.. (hopefully in June at WWDC)
Any suggestions as to how else to address this? Thanks!
Laptop stats: MacBook Pro 15"
2.4 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo
2 GB RAM
HDD: 250GB
Graphics: NVDIA GeForce 9400M VRAM 256MB
OS: Mac OS Leopard

Well, the disk errors are due to corruption caused by the random power downs, so focus on getting that issue solved first. What's the stats on the battery?

First Aid Services reports Errow "Invalid Volume File Count"

In attempt to deleate a small Windows psrtition and creating a larger new Windows partition, Boot Camp directed to First Aid where the resulting error messages are "Invalid Volume File Count" and Invalid File Count", Directions to reboot with program disks failed to work. What next??

What failed to work? Booting to your OS installer disk or running Repair Disk from Disk Utility when you were booted to the installer disk?

Recurring invalid volume file count (I repair, it comes back)

On my desktop system (10.6.8), every once in a while Disk Utility says there is an invalid volume file count (off by 2) and an invalid volume directory count (also off by 2). I boot off the DVD, use Disk Utility to repair the file system, and a couple of weeks later, it recurs. Any way to figure out what's causing this and put an end to it?

A Cortez wrote:
I generally don't post here unless a problems has become a REAL problem. I upgraded a few months back to MacOS10.6.8 and have experienced some pretty strange behavior. It starts with horizontal lines across the screen and these can appear for several hours and then hang or within 10-15 minutes of starting up. The obvious check for me is to run disk utility because it looks to me like something is getting overwritten - virtual memory maybe. When I run disk verify I get:
Performing 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.
Checking volume information.
Invalid volume file count
(It should be 759557 instead of 759584)
Invalid volume directory count
(It should be 157930 instead of 157903)
I then have to repair the disk by starting up from original install disks...
I'm getting the horizontal lines right now and I just ran disk repair!
I can't run/find/access Apple Hardware test - seems to have disappeared from this release!
Any ideas as to how to fix/stop it from happening. It seems to be happening daily, today it has happened at least 3 times....
making me nuts!
Appears you have directory damage & need a stronger 3rd party utility to fix. You should not use your computer until the damage has been repaired to avoid damaging your directory any further.
Utilities are best run from the CDs to avoid system interference & false readings/reports. You must use the versions that are compatible w/your OS system & keep the utilities updated to avoid damaging/harming/trashing your system.
You need to make your own decision on which to purchase. Read up on them on their websites because each do something a little different.
DiskWarrior (Highly Recommended for Directory Damage Repair)
Techtool Pro
Drive Genius
================
Check out:
Apple Hardware Test

INVALID VOLUME FILE COUNT and INVALID VOLUME DIRECTORY COUNT

Every few days, something on my machine is causing an invalid volume file count and an invalid volume directory count. Error message will read something like:
Invalid volume file count
(it should be 520176 instead of 520178)
Invalid volume directory count
(it should be 152750 instead of 152748)
This causes the machine to lock up.
This is my SECOND machine (same set up on the previous machine) that is experiencing these issues. Once I run the disk utility off of the original OS disk everything is fine.

This is my SECOND machine (same set up on the previous machine) that is experiencing these issues. Once I run the disk utility off of the original OS disk everything is fine.
Invest in a couple things - backup drive, Disk Warrior, and SuperDuper
Install OS X to part of your external (small and just big enough for an emergency system and minimal programs).
Booting off DVD is fine, but no Finder and you are limited to the (older) version of Disk Utility on there (and it does get updated and changed).
Clone your system for boot backup, especially before updates and changes.
Disk Warrior recognizes and repairs more issues, some of which Apple First Aid doesn't even look for.
So even though it appears okay afterward...
Next would be to run Apple Hardware Test, and along with that check your RAM with MEMTEST (REMBER is handy and is just GUI wrapper to memtest program) or run Memtest yourself from the Terminal.

I have been working on the same numbers file for the past few weeks. The last time I opened it was 1 week ago. Today when I tried to open it I am unable and getting a message that the file is invalid and the index.xml file is missing.

I have been working on the same numbers file for the past few weeks. The last time I opened it was 1 week ago. Today when I tried to open it I am unable and getting a message that the file is invalid and the index.xml file is missing.

Hi Tracie,
I upgraded to Maverick OS X 10.9.5, numbers spreadsheet is saved. Upon re-opening, it appears to be frozen, a warning "file is invalid as index.xml file is missing". I checked, and the file is not "locked". This appears to occur only with using the new numbers app. When I open previous spreadsheets from old iWorks, no such problem occurs.
How did you resolve your problem?
Would appreciate any help here.
Thanks,
Deehay

Disk Utility in Mavericks Verify Disk gives no report

When I use Disk Utility, version 13, in OS X Mavericks (10.9) to verify a disk, it goes through the various steps ...
Verifying volume “MacSSD”
Starting verification tool:
Checking file system
Performing live verification.
Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
Checking catalog hierarchy.
Checking extended attributes file.
Checking volume bitmap.
Checking volume information.
...and then gives no report at the end of the process -- the way it used to under Mountain Lion, where you'd see a (green) statement that the disk was OK. Instead, the Verify Disk button once again is highlighted.
Am I correct that this is a change in behavior? and why no report -- not even in the log?? Is this just "no news is good news"?

Apple doesn’t routinely monitor the discussions. These are mostly user to user discussions.
Send Apple feedback. They won't answer, but at least will know there is a problem. If enough people send feedback, it may get the problem solved sooner.
Feedback
Or you can use your Apple ID to register with this site and go the Apple BugReporter. Supposedly you will get an answer if you submit feedback.
Feedback via Apple Developer

I am trying to open my files and I get the message that the file is invalid. The index sml file is missing

I am trying to open my files and get a message saying that the file is invalid. The index xml file is missong

Tell us the whole Story in detail about what App (if any), version, any changes you have made recently and Importantly, the exact message - verbatim - a screenshot of the entire display would be very helpful - ÇÇÇ

I own a website and my customers download zipped files. Until yesterday everything worked great. All of the sudden they are getting a message that the file is invalid or corrupt. This does not happen in Chrome.

I own a website selling digital files. My customers receive an email after they place their order with a download link. Up until yesterday (for the past 3 years to be exact) everything worked smoothly. I have not changed one thing on my site or cpanel. Now customers get an error that the file is invalid or corrupt when they try and download with firefox. The links work fine with chrome. Please tell me there is a solution. This is causing major trouble!!!

You can get a "Corrupted Content Error" error if there are multiple location redirects send via the HTTP response headers.
*http://www.mozilla.org/security/announce/2011/mfsa2011-39.html
*[https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=681140 bug 681140] - Corrupted Content error due to multiple Content-Disposition header field instances
A good place to ask advice about web development is at the mozillaZine Web Development/Standards Evangelism forum.<br />
The helpers at that forum are more knowledgeable about web development issues.<br />
You need to register at the mozillaZine forum site in order to post at that forum.<br />
See http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewforum.php?f=25

Invalid volume file count

My system gets stuck on gray screen at start-up. I boot as target drive and use disk utility from my laptop to repair the invalid file count. It starts up fine for a few starts, them hangs on gray screen again. Any fixes?
Once I've repaired the drive remotely from my laptop using the disk utility with the mac pro booted in target mode it starts up ok 2 or 3 times... then gets stuck again and disk utility reports the same invalid count message.

You may be getting that notice from a drive that is having problems.
Do you have current backups? If not, put everything aside and make backups as soon as possible, as the drive may be about to fail catastrophically.
There is a lot you can do to restore your faith in that drive. But several steps in the process take all afternoon. I suggest you buy a new drive and replace the one that is being unreliable, then work on the unreliable drive at your leisure.
One thing that makes a drive unreliable is blocks that are Bad, or that require many retries to get good data. The classic way of dealing with this problem is to security Erase and write Zeroes into every data Block. It takes Hours, but can be done in the background IF this were not your Boot Drive.
When completed without error, the drive has substituted spares from its private stash to replace any Blocks found bad after Zeroing. If too many blocks were spared out, the Zeroing can be repeated, but the drive should be assigned lighter-duty use, such as periodic Backups. Sometimes the drive never passes, and must be retired.

Invalid volume file count/volume directory count - how to fix?

a run of the disk utility app gave this message:
when I attempt to load my Leopard Install Disk 1, all I get is a hardware check. What else can I try?

If your Macbook is running Snow Leopard do not use a previous OS version to repair a newer system.
Boot from the Snow Leopard installer disc (hold down C key) and use Disk Utility there to repair the drive. If it cannot repair it then you will need to buy a stronger utility such as Diskwarrior.

Disk Utility cant verify or repair - invalid directory count

Hi there, I perform disk utility fairly often, about once a month. But this has come up and the button for 'repair disc' is not available, what should I do. I'm not very advanced so if you could break it down for me simple, should anyone be able to help. Thank you so much.
Nick
this is what it shows -
Checking Extended Attributes file.
Checking volume bitmap.
Checking volume information.
Invalid volume file count
(It should be 694264 instead of 694266)
Invalid volume directory count
(It should be 163922 instead of 163920)
The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
Error: Filesystem verify or repair failed.

I had a similar problem and your solution (restart holding down the shift key) worked. I though I was going to have to purchase a disk utility program. What does that key combination do?
thanks!
Bob

Reoccuring errors with volume file count, directory count, etc...

I'll give a little back story...
I purchased a new MacBook Pro 17" with OS X Lion (10.7.2) preinstalled back in January of this year (2012). I migrated my user accounts from my old MacBook Pro 15" (2008) running OS X Snow Leopard. Almost right away I started having issues of all sorts, including Admin accounts that wouldn't allow me admin priveledges, hidden user groups, apps that wouldn't run, multiple obscure error messages and a host of other issues. After scouring forums like this one I used Disk Utility and not only discovered innumerable permission errors but also disk errors like these:
Invalid volume file count
(It should be 1656658 instead of 1656636)
Invalid volume directory count
(It should be 345764 instead of 345743)
Invalid volume free block count
(It should be 69344839 instead of 69355225)
Volume header needs minor repair
Disk Repair would correct the ACH/permission errors and above-noted disk corruption, but only temporarily. After repairs I would reboot and be met with all of the same problems in the migrated accounts. Over the following days I reinstalled OS X Lion at least three or four times, completely wiping the 750 GB hard drive before two of those reinstalls (even doing one-pass reformatting on one of those instances). After reinstalling the OS, I would reinstall from TimeMachine and be met with all of the same problems again.
I then brought my machine in to the Genius Bar where, after more than two-and-a-half hours they declared it to be an unknown issue that must be related to defective hardware and replaced my entire machine. But wait - there's more!
After getting home and moving my old accounts back over from TimeMachine all the same issues began reoccuring. After at least two more OS reinstalls later I discovered that uninstalling Norton Internet Security seemed to fix some problems. However, running Disk Utility still returned results like those listed above...
Then there were the failed attempts at upgrading from 10.7.2 to 10.7.3 which hung at the end the first two times and required complete OS reinstalls from the Recovery HD. Several more headaches later I eventually I managed a sucessful upgrade.
But still I find myself with a machine that stalls on boot-up at least once or twice a week, necessitating a power-off to interupt the process. After each of these instances I run Disk Utility and get more of the same...
Checking volume information.
Invalid volume file count
(It should be 1656658 instead of 1656636)
Invalid volume directory count
(It should be 345764 instead of 345743)
Invalid volume free block count
(It should be 69344839 instead of 69355225)
Volume header needs minor repair
The volume [...] was found corrupt and needs to be repaired.
And now, this morning, after a month or two of all that... and after installing the Java Security Upgrade last night, I can't get into my accounts at all. On first boot-up it hung for 20 minutes before I shut it down. After running Disk Utility from Recovery Drive and repairing the drive I rebooted and got the log-in screen. I clicked on my user icon, typed the correct password, was shown they white/grey screen for a few flickering seconds then was brought back to the log-in screen. I rebooted to the Recovery Disk, ran Disk Utility, saw all the same errors again, repaired the disk, rebooted and got the same problems with logging in again.
I've repeated this cycle five times today, as both a normal boot-up and in "Safe Mode" all with the same results. I've repaired the disk using Disk Utility from Recovery Disk as well as accessing the disk in Target Mode, and always there are the same errors needing to be repaired.
I don't buy that I'm dealing with a hardware issue. My antivirus and security software are all up-to-date. What the heck is going on? Why do I keep having these disk problems? Why can't I access my accounts anymore? Why does it keep hanging during boot-up? Why am I about to throw the machine out my bedroom window?

WithoutID wrote:
I don't buy that I'm dealing with a hardware issue.
You have a software issue carried over from the previous computer likely caused by Norton and perhaps some other issues related to recent malware.
Your going to need to copy your users data folders only to a external drive and disconnect everything,
command r boot into Recovery,
DU erase (with Zero) your Lion partition,
install Lion fresh from Apple,
setup with the same name (important),
Software update,
install all your programs from fresh sources,
and return files from the external drive manually into their respective folders
in that precise order.
and for good performance for a long time, try not to go over 50% of the drive filled, but certainly not more that 75%
Do not use migration or TimeMachine restores.
This is known as a Fresh Install, where everything is brand spanking new and only vetted files are returned.
It's a pain I know, the problem with too much automation, the crap seeps in and ruins everything.
I don't migrate nothing, I like my machines to work perfectly.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3046
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents

Verify Disk gives message invalid volume file count/invalid directory count

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