Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems

[gdorn@me]

Hi Neil
thanks for the suggestion.
I'd agree- be much easer to put in a 2TB hardisk now migrate over to it and run 
it as a dual drive setup. We were hoping that the damaged harddrive would be 
replaced straight away, but unfortunately for us, it evidently has to be 
returned to manufacture first (Seagate).

We've only just have enough money to do SSD  or the HD at the moment  not both. 
- and figured that a SSD would be a better investement for now.

If we can get the drive off this week - hopefully by the time my Wife gets back 
into here work seriously again ( mid Jan) the replacement may have arrived.

chow

gary dorn
gd...@mac.com



On 19/12/2015, at 8:48 PM, Neil Houghton wrote:

> Hi Gary,
> 
> If it was me
> 
> First think about how you want your system to be finally organised when the 
> replacement HD arrives – eg. If it was me, I might be thinking about just 
> having the OS on the SDD for snappy operation and then putting all my data on 
> the new internal HD.
> 
> If that suits you, given how cheap external HDs are, I would probably buy an 
> external HD of appropriate size and put all the data on it and run with that, 
> as an external drive, until replacement HD arrives.
> 
> At that point clone the external HD to the internal HD and carry on as 
> normal. Reformat/erase the now redundant external HD and use as best suits 
> you – data backup, clone, whatever (a spare HD is ALWAYS useful).
> 
> Probably easier than trying to decide what you can/can’t do without and 
> trying to shoehorn it onto the SDD.
> 
> Just a thought.
> 
> 
> HTH
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Neil
> -- 
> Neil R. Houghton
> Albany, Western Australia
> Tel: +61 8 9841 6063
> Email: n...@possumology.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> on 19/12/15 16:52, gdorn@me at gd...@me.com wrote:
> 
>> Howdy 
>> Further to the problems we've had with our iMac harddisk, it is evidently a 
>> Seagate 2TB purchased+ installed feb 2013 by Macworx Joondalup. They have 
>> confirmed that its a dead harddrive and is still in warranty ( 3yrs) - 
>> return to base.
>> 
>> So we had them install a 250 GB SDD in the Superdrive bay, so we can install 
>> a replacement harddrive in the HD bay when it arrives .
>> 
>> Question
>> 
>> The files in time machine are total 650 GB - too much for the 250 GB SDD!
>> 
>> In migration assistant - its has the option to select which files/folders to 
>> migrate.
>> 
>> What is the minimum files/folders can we migrate from the time machine to 
>> the SDD so that we can atleast use the important business files.
>> 
>> hmm there are other questions attached to this - I might just start another 
>> thread on it.
>> 
>> chow
>> 
>> gary dorn
>> gd...@mac.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On 07/12/2015, at 3:47 PM, gdorn@me wrote:
>> 
>>> Further to the advice noted below, how do I go about checking  that the 
>>> Time Machine backup we supposedly have actually exists and is accessible. 
>>> I say this because for a while, the time machine had be turned off and I 
>>> frequently find that the usb cable unplugged.
>>> 
>>> So I would like to check the status of time machine before doing anything 
>>> else.
>>> 
>>> How would I do this - I have access to a macbook with Mavericksor Yosemite 
>>> and a macpro with Lion
>>> 
>>> chow
>>> 
>>> gary dorn
>>> gd...@mac.com
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On 07/12/2015, at 2:14 PM, Neil Houghton wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems 
>>>> Hi Gary,
>>>> 
>>>> Without wanting to be pessimistic – it sounds very similar to when I had a 
>>>> hard drive fail.
>>>> 
>>>> You will find out when you (try to) reformat your disk:
>>>> If the format is just badly corrupted – it should reformat and check out OK
>>>> If the disk has more severe problems – it will probably continue to give 
>>>> you error messages (cannot reformat or similar).
>>>> 
>>>> Before you start - 
>>>> If you are confident you have back-ups of everything – and, hopefully, 
>>>> from your post, this IS the case – you can get into the reformating.
>>>> If you are NOT confident you have back-ups of everything – don’t do 
>>>> anything until you have looked at methods of recovering data from damaged 
>>>> disks. (too big a subject to cover here & I’m no expert – but there is 
>>>> info out there...) the

Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems

[Neil Houghton]

Hi Gary,

If it was me

First think about how you want your system to be finally organised when the
replacement HD arrives ­ eg. If it was me, I might be thinking about just
having the OS on the SDD for snappy operation and then putting all my data
on the new internal HD.

If that suits you, given how cheap external HDs are, I would probably buy an
external HD of appropriate size and put all the data on it and run with
that, as an external drive, until replacement HD arrives.

At that point clone the external HD to the internal HD and carry on as
normal. Reformat/erase the now redundant external HD and use as best suits
you ­ data backup, clone, whatever (a spare HD is ALWAYS useful).

Probably easier than trying to decide what you can/can¹t do without and
trying to shoehorn it onto the SDD.

Just a thought.


HTH




Neil
-- 
Neil R. Houghton
Albany, Western Australia
Tel: +61 8 9841 6063
Email: n...@possumology.com








on 19/12/15 16:52, gdorn@me at gd...@me.com wrote:

> Howdy 
> Further to the problems we've had with our iMac harddisk, it is evidently a
> Seagate 2TB purchased+ installed feb 2013 by Macworx Joondalup. They have
> confirmed that its a dead harddrive and is still in warranty ( 3yrs) - return
> to base.
> 
> So we had them install a 250 GB SDD in the Superdrive bay, so we can install a
> replacement harddrive in the HD bay when it arrives .
> 
> Question
> 
> The files in time machine are total 650 GB - too much for the 250 GB SDD!
> 
> In migration assistant - its has the option to select which files/folders to
> migrate.
> 
> What is the minimum files/folders can we migrate from the time machine to the
> SDD so that we can atleast use the important business files.
> 
> hmm there are other questions attached to this - I might just start another
> thread on it.
> 
> chow
> 
> gary dorn
> gd...@mac.com
> 
> 
> 
> On 07/12/2015, at 3:47 PM, gdorn@me wrote:
> 
>> Further to the advice noted below, how do I go about checking  that the Time
>> Machine backup we supposedly have actually exists and is accessible.
>> I say this because for a while, the time machine had be turned off and I
>> frequently find that the usb cable unplugged.
>> 
>> So I would like to check the status of time machine before doing anything
>> else.
>> 
>> How would I do this - I have access to a macbook with Mavericksor Yosemite
>> and a macpro with Lion
>> 
>> chow
>> 
>> gary dorn
>> gd...@mac.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On 07/12/2015, at 2:14 PM, Neil Houghton wrote:
>> 
>>> Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems
>>> Hi Gary,
>>> 
>>> Without wanting to be pessimistic ­ it sounds very similar to when I had a
>>> hard drive fail.
>>> 
>>> You will find out when you (try to) reformat your disk:
>>> * If the format is just badly corrupted ­ it should reformat and check out
>>> OK 
>>> * If the disk has more severe problems ­ it will probably continue to give
>>> you error messages (cannot reformat or similar).
>>> 
>>> Before you start -
>>> * If you are confident you have back-ups of everything ­ and, hopefully,
>>> from your post, this IS the case ­ you can get into the reformating.
>>> * If you are NOT confident you have back-ups of everything ­ don¹t do
>>> anything until you have looked at methods of recovering data from damaged
>>> disks. (too big a subject to cover here & I¹m no expert ­ but there is info
>>> out there...) there is much more chance of recovery if you have not tried
>>> anything else first.
>>> 
>>> Obviously to do a complete reformat of the internal drive you will need to
>>> either boot from another drive or do it from another computer with this one
>>> in Target disk mode (is this still possible with non-firewire machines?)
>>> 
>>> Many people recommend doing a secure erase when reformatting after problems
>>> like this ­ I believe the action of writing the zeros to every segment helps
>>> in identifying and mapping any problem sections.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Others with more experience/expertise may have more to add/suggest.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> HTH
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Cheers
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Neil

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Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems

[gdorn@me]

Howdy 
Further to the problems we've had with our iMac harddisk, it is evidently a 
Seagate 2TB purchased+ installed feb 2013 by Macworx Joondalup. They have 
confirmed that its a dead harddrive and is still in warranty ( 3yrs) - return 
to base.

So we had them install a 250 GB SDD in the Superdrive bay, so we can install a 
replacement harddrive in the HD bay when it arrives .

Question

The files in time machine are total 650 GB - too much for the 250 GB SDD!

In migration assistant - its has the option to select which files/folders to 
migrate.

What is the minimum files/folders can we migrate from the time machine to the 
SDD so that we can atleast use the important business files.

hmm there are other questions attached to this - I might just start another 
thread on it.

chow

gary dorn
gd...@mac.com



On 07/12/2015, at 3:47 PM, gdorn@me wrote:

> Further to the advice noted below, how do I go about checking  that the Time 
> Machine backup we supposedly have actually exists and is accessible. 
> I say this because for a while, the time machine had be turned off and I 
> frequently find that the usb cable unplugged.
> 
> So I would like to check the status of time machine before doing anything 
> else.
> 
> How would I do this - I have access to a macbook with Mavericksor Yosemite 
> and a macpro with Lion
> 
> chow
> 
> gary dorn
> gd...@mac.com
> 
> 
> 
> On 07/12/2015, at 2:14 PM, Neil Houghton wrote:
> 
>> Hi Gary,
>> 
>> Without wanting to be pessimistic – it sounds very similar to when I had a 
>> hard drive fail.
>> 
>> You will find out when you (try to) reformat your disk:
>> If the format is just badly corrupted – it should reformat and check out OK
>> If the disk has more severe problems – it will probably continue to give you 
>> error messages (cannot reformat or similar).
>> 
>> Before you start - 
>> If you are confident you have back-ups of everything – and, hopefully, from 
>> your post, this IS the case – you can get into the reformating.
>> If you are NOT confident you have back-ups of everything – don’t do anything 
>> until you have looked at methods of recovering data from damaged disks. (too 
>> big a subject to cover here & I’m no expert – but there is info out 
>> there...) there is much more chance of recovery if you have not tried 
>> anything else first.
>> 
>> Obviously to do a complete reformat of the internal drive you will need to 
>> either boot from another drive or do it from another computer with this one 
>> in Target disk mode (is this still possible with non-firewire machines?)
>> 
>> Many people recommend doing a secure erase when reformatting after problems 
>> like this – I believe the action of writing the zeros to every segment helps 
>> in identifying and mapping any problem sections.
>> 
>> 
>> Others with more experience/expertise may have more to add/suggest.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> HTH
>> 
>> 
>> Cheers
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Neil
>> -- 
>> Neil R. Houghton
>> Albany, Western Australia
>> Tel: +61 8 9841 6063
>> Email: n...@possumology.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> on 7/12/15 12:49, gary dorn at gd...@me.com wrote:
>> 
>>> Howdy , 
>>> iMac 10,2 late 2009
>>> 2 TB (600 mb free)
>>> 8mb ram
>>> Mac OS  mavericks since September ( updated from snow leopard , which ran 
>>> really well for 3 years)
>>> 
>>> since Yesterday morning we've had startup problems
>>> At first startup , was able to login, but then spiral of death wouldn't,t 
>>> cease, so forced shutdown ( was in a rush)
>>> Upon restart starts into HD recovery only 
>>> 
>>> I've tried different start up options, i.e. Single user, Pram, select start 
>>> up disk, to no obvious effect
>>> I'm currently in HD recovery, disk utility 
>>> In Disk utility says , verifying "disk0s2" says disk needs repair
>>> 
>>> After some 60 mins disk utility says as a dialogue box.
>>> "Stopped repairing disk0s2  - can't repair disk - backup, reformat disk and 
>>> restore your backed up files."
>>> Behind that  shows details of disk repair
>>> Repairing file system
>>> Invalid content in journal
>>> Checking journal HFS Plus volume
>>> Catalog file entry not found for extent
>>> The volume could not be verified completely
>>> Invalid content in journal
>>> File system check exit code is 8.
>>> Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
>>> Error: disk utility can't repair this disk e disk, restore your 
>>> backed up files.
>>> 
>>> Ahhh
>>> We have a time machine backup 
>>> We don't have a Mavericks usb installer ( was installed via a Mavericks 
>>> installer copy put on hardisk)
>>> I have a lion usb installer
>>> 
>>> Gary Dorn
>>> On iPad 2
>>> 
>> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
>> Archives - 
>> Guidelines - 
>> Settings & Unsubscribe - 
>> 
> 
> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
> Archives - 

Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems

[Peter Hinchliffe]

> On 7 Dec 2015, at 1:26 PM, gary dorn  wrote:
> 
> Howdy , 
> iMac 10,2 late 2009
> 2 TB (600 mb free)
> 8mb ram
> Mac OS  mavericks since September ( updated from snow leopard , which ran 
> really well for 3 years)
> 
> since Yesterday morning we've had startup problems
> At first startup , was able to login, but then spiral of death wouldn't,t 
> cease, so forced shutdown ( was in a rush)
> Upon restart starts into HD recovery only 
> 
> I've tried different start up options, i.e. Single user, Pram, select start 
> up disk, to no obvious effect
> I'm currently in HD recovery, disk utility 
> In Disk utility says , verifying "disk0s2" says disk needs repair
> 
> After some 60 mins disk utility says as a dialogue box.
> "Stopped repairing disk0s2  - can't repair disk - backup, reformat disk and 
> restore your backed up files."
> Behind that  shows details of disk repair
> Repairing file system
> Invalid content in journal
> Checking journal HFS Plus volume
> Catalog file entry not found for extent
> The volume could not be verified completely
> Invalid content in journal
> File system check exit code is 8.
> Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
> Error: disk utility can't repair this disk e disk, restore your 
> backed up files.
> 
> Ahhh
> We have a time machine backup 
> We don't have a Mavericks usb installer ( was installed via a Mavericks 
> installer copy put on hardisk)
> I have a lion usb installer and original imac installer DVD (10.6.2)
> 
> ought I follow the above advise - ie reinstall mac os
> 
> or is there something else I ought to do/try first
> 
> advice appreciated
> 
> 

In the absence of god drive recovery software like Disk Warrior or Drive 
Genuis, your best bet will be to use the option offered in Recovery Mode of 
restoring from a Time Machine backup, which you say you have. Providing your 
hard drive is OK physically, this should work fine. If there is some more 
serious problem with your hard drive, then you’ll simply have to replace it. 
Either way, you’ll need that Time Machine backup available.

I've just  noticed that you have only 600 Mb of space free on your HD. On a 2Tb 
drive, this is almost nothing. Your hard drive is effectively full. You really 
should have at least 5-10Gb free on a drive that size. The “free” space is in 
constant use by Mac OS for "scratch space", and if there’s not enough of it the 
OS can just stop working, which is possible what has happened in your case. It 
might be best just to invest in that replacement drive anyway, opting for 3Tb 
or larger. Even if you do restore successfully onto the current drive, you’ll 
be no better off.

Peter HinchliffeApwin Computer Services
FileMaker Pro Solutions Developer
Perth, Western Australia
Phone (618) 9332 6482Mob 0403 046 948

Mac because I prefer it -- Windows because I have to.

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Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems

[gdorn@me]

I've checked the TM backup using a macbook - it was visible  and readable in 
Finder. ( dec 5 2015)

I've downloaded DiskMaker X and have started the making of the Mavericks 
installer to USB - how long ought this take - so far its been saying

" DiskMaker X prepares your disk ... please wait " 

for over 60 minutes now.

http://diskmakerx.com/whats-this/

chow


gdorn
gd...@mac.com



On 07/12/2015, at 5:01 PM, petercr...@westnet.com.au wrote:

> Hi Gary, a check of the "Last Modified" date of the backup sparsebundle file 
> on the TM disc for the suspect machine would be worth looking at. Using 
> another OSX machine to view would be needed under the circumstances you're in 
> I'd suggest.
> 
>  
> Regards
> 
>  
> Pete. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> - Original Message -
> From:
> wamug@wamug.org.au
> 
> To:
> 
> Cc:
> 
> Sent:
> Mon, 07 Dec 2015 15:47:27 +0800
> Subject:
> Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems
> 
> 
> Further to the advice noted below, how do I go about checking  that the Time 
> Machine backup we supposedly have actually exists and is accessible. 
> I say this because for a while, the time machine had be turned off and I 
> frequently find that the usb cable unplugged.
> 
> So I would like to check the status of time machine before doing anything 
> else.
> 
> How would I do this - I have access to a macbook with Mavericksor Yosemite 
> and a macpro with Lion
> 
> chow
> 
> gary dorn
> gd...@mac.com
> 
> 
> 
> On 07/12/2015, at 2:14 PM, Neil Houghton wrote:
> 
> Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems
> Hi Gary,
> 
> Without wanting to be pessimistic – it sounds very similar to when I had a 
> hard drive fail.
> 
> You will find out when you (try to) reformat your disk:
> If the format is just badly corrupted – it should reformat and check out OK
> If the disk has more severe problems – it will probably continue to give you 
> error messages (cannot reformat or similar).
> 
> Before you start - 
> If you are confident you have back-ups of everything – and, hopefully, from 
> your post, this IS the case – you can get into the reformating.
> If you are NOT confident you have back-ups of everything – don’t do anything 
> until you have looked at methods of recovering data from damaged disks. (too 
> big a subject to cover here & I’m no expert – but there is info out there...) 
> there is much more chance of recovery if you have not tried anything else 
> first.
> 
> Obviously to do a complete reformat of the internal drive you will need to 
> either boot from another drive or do it from another computer with this one 
> in Target disk mode (is this still possible with non-firewire machines?)
> 
> Many people recommend doing a secure erase when reformatting after problems 
> like this – I believe the action of writing the zeros to every segment helps 
> in identifying and mapping any problem sections.
> 
> 
> Others with more experience/expertise may have more to add/suggest.
> 
> 
> 
> HTH
> 
> 
> Cheers
> 
> 
> 
> Neil
> -- 
> Neil R. Houghton
> Albany, Western Australia
> Tel: +61 8 9841 6063
> Email: n...@possumology.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> on 7/12/15 12:49, gary dorn at gd...@me.com wrote:
> 
> Howdy , 
> iMac 10,2 late 2009
> 2 TB (600 mb free)
> 8mb ram
> Mac OS  mavericks since September ( updated from snow leopard , which ran 
> really well for 3 years)
> 
> since Yesterday morning we've had startup problems
> At first startup , was able to login, but then spiral of death wouldn't,t 
> cease, so forced shutdown ( was in a rush)
> Upon restart starts into HD recovery only 
> 
> I've tried different start up options, i.e. Single user, Pram, select start 
> up disk, to no obvious effect
> I'm currently in HD recovery, disk utility 
> In Disk utility says , verifying "disk0s2" says disk needs repair
> 
> After some 60 mins disk utility says as a dialogue box.
> "Stopped repairing disk0s2  - can't repair disk - backup, reformat disk and 
> restore your backed up files."
> Behind that  shows details of disk repair
> Repairing file system
> Invalid content in journal
> Checking journal HFS Plus volume
> Catalog file entry not found for extent
> The volume could not be verified completely
> Invalid content in journal
> File system check exit code is 8.
> Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
> Error: disk utility can't repair this disk ...e disk, restore your backed 
> up files.
> 
> Ahhh
> We have a time machine backup 
> We don't have a Mavericks 

Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems

[petercrisp]

Hi Gary, a check of the "Last Modified" date of the backup
sparsebundle file on the TM disc for the suspect machine would be
worth looking at. Using another OSX machine to view would be needed
under the circumstances you're in I'd suggest.

 

Regards

 

Pete. 

- Original Message -
From: wamug@wamug.org.au
To:
Cc:
Sent:Mon, 07 Dec 2015 15:47:27 +0800
Subject:Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems

 Further to the advice noted below, how do I go about checking  that
the Time Machine backup we supposedly have actually exists and is
accessible. I say this because for a while, the time machine had be
turned off and I frequently find that the usb cable unplugged. 
 So I would like to check the status of time machine before doing
anything else. 
 How would I do this - I have access to a macbook with Mavericksor
Yosemite and a macpro with Lion  
 chow 
 gary dorn gd...@mac.com [1] 

 On 07/12/2015, at 2:14 PM, Neil Houghton wrote: 
 Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems Hi Gary,

 Without wanting to be pessimistic – it sounds very similar to when
I had a hard drive fail.

 You will find out when you (try to) reformat your disk:

* If the format is just badly corrupted – it should reformat and
check out OK 

* If the disk has more severe problems – it will probably continue
to give you error messages (cannot reformat or similar).

 Before you start - 

* If you are confident you have back-ups of everything – and,
hopefully, from your post, this IS the case – you can get into the
reformating. 

* If you are NOT confident you have back-ups of everything –
don’t do anything until you have looked at methods of recovering
data from damaged disks. (too big a subject to cover here & I’m no
expert – but there is info out there...) there is much more chance
of recovery if you have not tried anything else first.

 Obviously to do a complete reformat of the internal drive you will
need to either boot from another drive or do it from another computer
with this one in Target disk mode (is this still possible with
non-firewire machines?)

 Many people recommend doing a secure erase when reformatting after
problems like this – I believe the action of writing the zeros to
every segment helps in identifying and mapping any problem sections.

 Others with more experience/expertise may have more to add/suggest.

 HTH

 Cheers

 Neil
 -- 
 Neil R. Houghton
 Albany, Western Australia
 Tel: +61 8 9841 6063
 Email: n...@possumology.com [2]

 on 7/12/15 12:49, gary dorn at gd...@me.com [3] wrote:

Howdy , 
 iMac 10,2 late 2009
 2 TB (600 mb free)
 8mb ram
 Mac OS  mavericks since September ( updated from snow leopard ,
which ran really well for 3 years)

 since Yesterday morning we've had startup problems
 At first startup , was able to login, but then spiral of death
wouldn't,t cease, so forced shutdown ( was in a rush)
 Upon restart starts into HD recovery only 

 I've tried different start up options, i.e. Single user, Pram, select
start up disk, to no obvious effect
 I'm currently in HD recovery, disk utility 
 In Disk utility says , verifying "disk0s2" says disk needs repair

 After some 60 mins disk utility says as a dialogue box.
 "Stopped repairing disk0s2  - can't repair disk - backup, reformat
disk and restore your backed up files."
 Behind that  shows details of disk repair
 Repairing file system
Invalid content in journal
Checking journal HFS Plus volume
Catalog file entry not found for extent
 The volume could not be verified completely
 Invalid content in journal
File system check exit code is 8.
 Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
Error: disk utility can't repair this disk e disk, restore
your backed up files.

 Ahhh
 We have a time machine backup 
 We don't have a Mavericks usb installer ( was installed via a
Mavericks installer copy put on hardisk)
 I have a lion usb installer

 Gary Dorn
 On iPad 2

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Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems

[gdorn@me]

Further to the advice noted below, how do I go about checking  that the Time 
Machine backup we supposedly have actually exists and is accessible. 
I say this because for a while, the time machine had be turned off and I 
frequently find that the usb cable unplugged.

So I would like to check the status of time machine before doing anything else.

How would I do this - I have access to a macbook with Mavericksor Yosemite and 
a macpro with Lion

chow

gary dorn
gd...@mac.com



On 07/12/2015, at 2:14 PM, Neil Houghton wrote:

> Hi Gary,
> 
> Without wanting to be pessimistic – it sounds very similar to when I had a 
> hard drive fail.
> 
> You will find out when you (try to) reformat your disk:
> If the format is just badly corrupted – it should reformat and check out OK
> If the disk has more severe problems – it will probably continue to give you 
> error messages (cannot reformat or similar).
> 
> Before you start - 
> If you are confident you have back-ups of everything – and, hopefully, from 
> your post, this IS the case – you can get into the reformating.
> If you are NOT confident you have back-ups of everything – don’t do anything 
> until you have looked at methods of recovering data from damaged disks. (too 
> big a subject to cover here & I’m no expert – but there is info out there...) 
> there is much more chance of recovery if you have not tried anything else 
> first.
> 
> Obviously to do a complete reformat of the internal drive you will need to 
> either boot from another drive or do it from another computer with this one 
> in Target disk mode (is this still possible with non-firewire machines?)
> 
> Many people recommend doing a secure erase when reformatting after problems 
> like this – I believe the action of writing the zeros to every segment helps 
> in identifying and mapping any problem sections.
> 
> 
> Others with more experience/expertise may have more to add/suggest.
> 
> 
> 
> HTH
> 
> 
> Cheers
> 
> 
> 
> Neil
> -- 
> Neil R. Houghton
> Albany, Western Australia
> Tel: +61 8 9841 6063
> Email: n...@possumology.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> on 7/12/15 12:49, gary dorn at gd...@me.com wrote:
> 
>> Howdy , 
>> iMac 10,2 late 2009
>> 2 TB (600 mb free)
>> 8mb ram
>> Mac OS  mavericks since September ( updated from snow leopard , which ran 
>> really well for 3 years)
>> 
>> since Yesterday morning we've had startup problems
>> At first startup , was able to login, but then spiral of death wouldn't,t 
>> cease, so forced shutdown ( was in a rush)
>> Upon restart starts into HD recovery only 
>> 
>> I've tried different start up options, i.e. Single user, Pram, select start 
>> up disk, to no obvious effect
>> I'm currently in HD recovery, disk utility 
>> In Disk utility says , verifying "disk0s2" says disk needs repair
>> 
>> After some 60 mins disk utility says as a dialogue box.
>> "Stopped repairing disk0s2  - can't repair disk - backup, reformat disk and 
>> restore your backed up files."
>> Behind that  shows details of disk repair
>> Repairing file system
>> Invalid content in journal
>> Checking journal HFS Plus volume
>> Catalog file entry not found for extent
>> The volume could not be verified completely
>> Invalid content in journal
>> File system check exit code is 8.
>> Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
>> Error: disk utility can't repair this disk e disk, restore your 
>> backed up files.
>> 
>> Ahhh
>> We have a time machine backup 
>> We don't have a Mavericks usb installer ( was installed via a Mavericks 
>> installer copy put on hardisk)
>> I have a lion usb installer
>> 
>> Gary Dorn
>> On iPad 2
>> 
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Re: iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems

[Neil Houghton]

Hi Gary,

Without wanting to be pessimistic ­ it sounds very similar to when I had a
hard drive fail.

You will find out when you (try to) reformat your disk:
* If the format is just badly corrupted ­ it should reformat and check out
OK 
* If the disk has more severe problems ­ it will probably continue to give
you error messages (cannot reformat or similar).

Before you start - 
* If you are confident you have back-ups of everything ­ and, hopefully,
from your post, this IS the case ­ you can get into the reformating.
* If you are NOT confident you have back-ups of everything ­ don¹t do
anything until you have looked at methods of recovering data from damaged
disks. (too big a subject to cover here & I¹m no expert ­ but there is info
out there...) there is much more chance of recovery if you have not tried
anything else first.

Obviously to do a complete reformat of the internal drive you will need to
either boot from another drive or do it from another computer with this one
in Target disk mode (is this still possible with non-firewire machines?)

Many people recommend doing a secure erase when reformatting after problems
like this ­ I believe the action of writing the zeros to every segment helps
in identifying and mapping any problem sections.


Others with more experience/expertise may have more to add/suggest.



HTH


Cheers



Neil
-- 
Neil R. Houghton
Albany, Western Australia
Tel: +61 8 9841 6063
Email: n...@possumology.com




on 7/12/15 12:49, gary dorn at gd...@me.com wrote:

> Howdy , 
> iMac 10,2 late 2009
> 2 TB (600 mb free)
> 8mb ram
> Mac OS  mavericks since September ( updated from snow leopard , which ran
> really well for 3 years)
> 
> since Yesterday morning we've had startup problems
> At first startup , was able to login, but then spiral of death wouldn't,t
> cease, so forced shutdown ( was in a rush)
> Upon restart starts into HD recovery only
> 
> I've tried different start up options, i.e. Single user, Pram, select start up
> disk, to no obvious effect
> I'm currently in HD recovery, disk utility
> In Disk utility says , verifying "disk0s2" says disk needs repair
> 
> After some 60 mins disk utility says as a dialogue box.
> "Stopped repairing disk0s2  - can't repair disk - backup, reformat disk and
> restore your backed up files."
> Behind that  shows details of disk repair
> Repairing file system
> Invalid content in journal
> Checking journal HFS Plus volume
> Catalog file entry not found for extent
> The volume could not be verified completely
> Invalid content in journal
> File system check exit code is 8.
> Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
> Error: disk utility can't repair this disk e disk, restore your backed
> up files.
> 
> Ahhh
> We have a time machine backup
> We don't have a Mavericks usb installer ( was installed via a Mavericks
> installer copy put on hardisk)
> I have a lion usb installer
> 
> Gary Dorn
> On iPad 2
> 

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iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems

[gary dorn]

Howdy , 
iMac 10,2 late 2009
2 TB (600 mb free)
8mb ram
Mac OS  mavericks since September ( updated from snow leopard , which ran 
really well for 3 years)

since Yesterday morning we've had startup problems
At first startup , was able to login, but then spiral of death wouldn't,t 
cease, so forced shutdown ( was in a rush)
Upon restart starts into HD recovery only 

I've tried different start up options, i.e. Single user, Pram, select start up 
disk, to no obvious effect
I'm currently in HD recovery, disk utility 
In Disk utility says , verifying "disk0s2" says disk needs repair

After some 60 mins disk utility says as a dialogue box.
"Stopped repairing disk0s2  - can't repair disk - backup, reformat disk and 
restore your backed up files."
Behind that  shows details of disk repair
Repairing file system
Invalid content in journal
Checking journal HFS Plus volume
Catalog file entry not found for extent
The volume could not be verified completely
Invalid content in journal
File system check exit code is 8.
Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
Error: disk utility can't repair this disk e disk, restore your backed 
up files.

Ahhh
We have a time machine backup 
We don't have a Mavericks usb installer ( was installed via a Mavericks 
installer copy put on hardisk)
I have a lion usb installer and original imac installer DVD (10.6.2)

ought I follow the above advise - ie reinstall mac os

or is there something else I ought to do/try first

advice appreciated

Gary Dorn
On iPad 2

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Archives - 
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iMac & mavericks: start up disk problems

[gary dorn]

Howdy , 
iMac 10,2 late 2009
2 TB (600 mb free)
8mb ram
Mac OS  mavericks since September ( updated from snow leopard , which ran 
really well for 3 years)

since Yesterday morning we've had startup problems
At first startup , was able to login, but then spiral of death wouldn't,t 
cease, so forced shutdown ( was in a rush)
Upon restart starts into HD recovery only 

I've tried different start up options, i.e. Single user, Pram, select start up 
disk, to no obvious effect
I'm currently in HD recovery, disk utility 
In Disk utility says , verifying "disk0s2" says disk needs repair

After some 60 mins disk utility says as a dialogue box.
"Stopped repairing disk0s2  - can't repair disk - backup, reformat disk and 
restore your backed up files."
Behind that  shows details of disk repair
Repairing file system
Invalid content in journal
Checking journal HFS Plus volume
Catalog file entry not found for extent
The volume could not be verified completely
Invalid content in journal
File system check exit code is 8.
Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
Error: disk utility can't repair this disk e disk, restore your backed 
up files.

Ahhh
We have a time machine backup 
We don't have a Mavericks usb installer ( was installed via a Mavericks 
installer copy put on hardisk)
I have a lion usb installer

Gary Dorn
On iPad 2-- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
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