An open community 
of Macintosh users,
for Macintosh users.

FineTunedMac Dashboard widget now available! Download Here

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive????
#11122 07/25/10 09:39 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Well, here I am AGAIN - and I'd been so quiet for so long until these past few days.
In Firewire Target Disk Mode, my (G4 Ti,867 MHz, 768 MB, OS X 10.4.11) laptop does not appear on my wife's MacMini (late 2009 OS X 10.5.8), although it did about 2 weeks ago when I last tried. It IS, however, detected in System Profiler/Firewire and also in Disk Utility (although most options are greyed out).
I have checked that the ports and cables work on both the laptop and Mini with other devices and all seems fine, except of course for the absence of the laptop on the Mini desktop.
For no apparent reason, by this time I was beyond reason, I tried to repair (again, but that's a previous story) the Disk on the laptop, but Disk Utility cannot seem to complete the repair of :-Incorrect number of thread records, invalid leaf count, invalid volume free block count. frown frown frown
S.M.A.R.T. Status is "Verified". I know, for what that's worth. tongue
Finally, as if I needed more aggravation, starting up now seems to take about 6 minutes compared to about 1 minute previously, and shut down is also taking longer.
Has anyone any suggestions regarding ANY of the aforementioned? Sorry, I realise its another how long is a piece of string type question.
Also, in anticipation, which would be the better utility, DW or TTP to try to address these problems. Or, perhaps the HD is beyond even them and a replacement might be a better bet. OR, is my machine now considered too old to be contemplating its revival - I'd obviously love a new MacBook/Pro but I can't really justify or afford one at this moment in time.
By the way, just in case I'm giving the impression that I too am beyond whatever, I do keep (fairly) regular back ups on external FW drives. cool
Thanks in advance. Regards. Mike
PS Having just shut down and started up again, I was given a reminder of something else I should have added. (Very) recently the laptop has been making an occasional, how should I describe it, gentle clunk noise - I first noticed it when I was trying to repair the Disk. Would this indicate more of a mechanical problem or can such noises be caused by "other" problems.
See, it/I doesn't get any clearer. Sorry. confused

Last edited by MikeS; 07/25/10 09:54 PM.
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive????
MikeS #11123 07/25/10 10:55 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 1
Moderator
Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 1
Originally Posted By: MikeS
...Disk Utility cannot seem to complete the repair of :-Incorrect number of thread records, invalid leaf count, invalid volume free block count. frown frown frown
S.M.A.R.T. Status is "Verified". I know, for what that's worth. tongue

Also, in anticipation, which would be the better utility, DW or TTP to try to address these problems.


Your HD has a directory problem that's beyond DU to repair. The utility of (my) choice to apply in such situations would be DiskWarrior, which specializes in directory rebuilding and fixing. TechTool Pro can do this too, but personally I prefer the DW approach. While the directory may be beyond repair, you won't know for sure until you try DW or TTP.

The SMART status suggests that the drive mechanism is still OK, and the drive can be used even if it would need to be reformatted in case the directory can't be fixed.


alternaut moderator
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive????
MikeS #11124 07/25/10 11:14 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
There are several reasons why a mac won't appear on another mac in firewire target disk mode. (which I like to abbreviate FWTDM)

1) bad cable / loose connection
2) bad firewire port on either end
3) hard drive not posting on targeted machine / loose connection
4) io errors on hard drive of targeted machine
5) directory errors on targeted hard drive

#1-2 will cause the other computer to not show up in apple system profiler on the other mac, in the firewire section.

#3 you will see the computer listed in apple system profiler, but will see no hard drive in the list below the computer, you will only see "target mode" iirc with nothing below it. Usually dead (clicking immediately?) hard drive

#4 is easy to spot, the firewire symbol stops moving, or stalls for periods of time. the speed at which the symbol moves may change depending on activity, but it should not just stop for say, 30 sec. It can prevent disk utility from fully launching, or apple system profiler from displaying its list. (or either, with significant delay) Failing hard drive, often starts clicking or cycling after you try to access it, at which point the FWTDM symbol stops moving.

#5 can cause system profiler to stall, but always causes disk utility to stall when opened. it will open the window but not list any drives. this can last a period of time before it gives up, or it may not release until you unplug the firewire cable. (or maybe not even then!) you can open activity monitor and show all processes, sort by process id, and look for any process with "fsck" or "mount" near/at the top as the numerically largest process. If either is stalled, disk utility will stall when trying to list the drives. The most basic thing you can do is just try to wait it out.

Number 5 is the most common. If mount is hung, it's usually not going to recover. if fsck is at work, activity monitor will usually show slow continuous disk i/o. It will eventually stop the disk activity, at which time it will either give up and tell you that it can't fix it, or it will just stall indefinitely until you pull the fw cable. fsck has been seen to run for 25+ minutes and finally complete, but usually 1/2 hr in is well time to give up on it. Sometimes fsck or mount remains hung after the cable is pulled and you will have to reboot the computer. (sometimes force power down!) mount is very capable of kernel blocking.

If mount or fsck stalls and does not recover, (#5) you have a few options. One is to boot something that will nerf fsck and mount and allow tools to access the hard drive. (disk warrior CD for example) Another is to move/rename those (/sbin/) before attaching the drive so disk utility can have a crack at it. (that's what I do, remember to undo that before running the repair tools) Or if the drive boots still, run disk utility while booted from it, since it's already got the drive mounted. Odds of that being able to fix the problem though are very low. It's worth noting that booting off your restore disc is very unlikely to help because it's running the same or older versions of mount and fsck and will probably have the same problem.

Disk warrior is almost always your best bet for #5, but there have been occasions where DW would get an "unexpected error" and not let me preview it, and I ended up disabling fsck but not mount, and got the "could not repair, mounted read-only" from os x which allowed me to save the data.

Dealing with problem hard drives is an Art.



I work for the Department of Redundancy Department
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive????
MikeS #11127 07/26/10 04:40 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
Originally Posted By: MikeS
Disk Utility cannot seem to complete the repair of...


I'm with the others in recommending Disk Warrior. I don't pretend to be any kind of expert but DW has saved my bacon a few times over the years.

I'd also recommend using DW's Scavenge function. Hold down your Option button when you click Rebuild to get to this feature.

My daughter once had a series of continually worsening problems on her G4 that culminated in a churning beachball for 24 hours followed by a hard shutdown. The DW Scavenge function sorted it out. That was about three years ago and it's worked fine since.

Originally Posted By: MikeS
Finally, as if I needed more aggravation, starting up now seems to take about 6 minutes compared to about 1 minute previously, and shut down is also taking longer.


Do you have a device like an iPod attached? Twice I have experienced this lengthy startup problem and my iPod Nano was the source. The first time I thought "bad cable" and it was replaced, however it happened again, just the other day, with the new cable.

My startup was about 9.5 minutes but, when I unplugged the iPod, it was back to 30 seconds. The iPod can be plugged back in and will work, as the problem takes quite a while to develop.

In this recent case, the iPod itself got hung-up and needed a soft reset.

ryck

Last edited by ryck; 07/26/10 07:21 PM.

ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
ryck #11128 07/26/10 07:40 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
alternaut, Virtual1, ryck

Thanks for your replies and Disk Warrior it will be. I have "meant to" get it on a couple of occasions in the past, but have procrastinated after Disk Utility seemed to sort things out and lull me into a sense of complacency. blush
By the way ryck, no, I do not have any other "devices" attached.
Another of my naive/stupid questions :- If one (me) was making another (obviously most recent) back up, can/would the possible underlying problems be copied over e.g. data loss due to bad sectors caused by degradation of the platters or any other such reason. confused How dim/vague was that? crazy
Ironically, this evening when I have switched on, the computer started up in "only" 3 minutes and at the moment "everything" seems fine at the moment in "general" use. Mind you, I have not tried FWTDM wink or repairing the disk. smirk
Thanks again. Regards. Mike

Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
Virtual1 #11135 07/27/10 02:07 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Further development with the hard drive saga.
Now, any slight movement of the computer - obviously with it switched on and lid open - results in a "quietish" vibration type noise.
Like you said Virtual1, "Dealing with problem hard drives is an Art."
Any further observations, rather than me jumping to, possibly unlikely, conclusions.
Is my "on order" Disk Warrior going to be able to sort this out. frown
Look forward to any comments. Thanks again. Regards. Mike

Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
MikeS #11136 07/27/10 02:46 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
A "quietish" vibration type noise sounds more like a hardware problem that a software application such as Diskwarrior cannot possibly correct. The only practical correction being a new hard drive.

Having said that, I know that when I am chasing difficult or mysterious problems I often begin to hear or see things that had been there all along, but I simply had never noticed before. So your "quietish" vibration type noise may or may not be anything.

There are tools that can help detect impending drive failure:
  • Apple Hardware Test (that comes on the OS X install disk that came with your Mac), Diskwarrior, and Drive Genius all have a complete suite of drive hardware tests
  • TechTool Pro, like the others, has a full suite of drive hardware tests and in addition provides a far more fulsome readout of the S.M.A.R.T. values than any of the others. A drive may be failing and still pass S.M.A.R.T. but the TTP readout will flag deteriorating parameters before actual failure.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
MikeS #11137 07/27/10 02:51 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
Visit Hard Drive Sounds and listen. You may be able to make a diagnosis from there.


Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
joemikeb #11138 07/27/10 04:36 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
I "hear" what you're saying. smirk
But this is definitely a new noise. Perhaps when DiskWarrior arrives it may shed more light.
Also, as I'm about to reply to jchuzi, it does not sound anywhere near as harsh as any of the (Toshiba) "Hard Drive Sounds", maybe a little similar to "stuck spindle", but again, not as loud.
Would/wouldn't a stuck spindle be exhibiting something more mechanical or obvious than what I'm experiencing and not just when the computer is moved?
Thanks for your advice and I look forward to any further you may have.
Regards. Mike
I forgot to add that it does not sound like any of the other manufacturers' noises either!

Last edited by MikeS; 07/27/10 05:12 PM.
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
jchuzi #11139 07/27/10 04:43 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Hi Jon
Thanks for your reply.
As I've just "said" to joemikeb, the noise does not sound anywhere near as harsh as any of the (Toshiba) "Hard Drive Sounds", slightly similar to "stuck spindle" but not as loud.
Also as I replied to joemikeb, I, in my ignorance, would have expected something more noticeable with a stuck spindle.
Again, thanks and I would obviously appreciate any more input you - or anyone else - may have.
Regards. Mike
I forgot to add that it does not sound like any of the other manufacturers' noises either!


Last edited by MikeS; 07/27/10 05:12 PM.
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
MikeS #11159 07/27/10 10:04 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
many hard drives vibrate a bit if they're not secured. This can cause access speed problems if the vibration gets bad. But if they're screwed down like they're supposed to be, you should not really hear or see them vibrate (much)

Vibration can also heat up the drive even if it's accessing ok.


I work for the Department of Redundancy Department
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
Virtual1 #11168 07/28/10 11:19 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Thanks for your info. At the moment the drive (I'm assuming that's what it is) is quiet unless the computer is tilted or lifted.
S.M.A.R.T. Status is still "Verified".
Is it probably throwing good effort after bad at the moment until I receive and run Disk Warrior?
Sorry for slight delay in responding. I have also been subjected to being "mysteriously" logged off the forum and was having problems getting back in until Cyn used her magic touch.
Thanks again. Regards. Mike

Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
Virtual1 #11199 07/29/10 07:53 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Have just started "looking at" DiskWarrior info.
Guess what. Yes, I'm confused before I've even started using it.
Like a good chap I actually read the "Permitted Uses and Restrictions" note on the outer envelope and it states that Alsoft Software should not "exist on more than one computer at a time." Does this mean that people with more than one computer, particularly if running on different OS's, need to buy more than one copy? confused
Also, so far at least, the other query I have is that I noticed that in one set of "Installing" information it advises that "Before installing DiskWarrior you should start up from the DiskWarrior disc and rebuild all of your disk directories with DiskWarrior. This will eliminate any existing disk damage.", whereas on another .rtf no mention is made to that effect. confused
Any de-confusion would be appreciated so that my brain is totally free of any unnecessary distractions before I start to "get down to business".
By the way I intend/ed to use DiskWarrior from an external drive rather than the DVD.
Right, I am about to check out the Quick Start Manual, or maybe I'll leave it another day. shocked
Regards. Mike

Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
MikeS #11200 07/29/10 08:10 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
Quote:
." Does this mean that people with more than one computer, particularly if running on different OS's, need to buy more than one copy?
The current version of DW (i.e. version 4.2) will work on OS 10.3.9 or later. If you have it installed on an external drive, you can (hopefully) boot from that drive and run DW on the internal without violating the license agreement. Of course, the OS version on the external has to be able to boot the computer in question! For example, if the external has 10.4 and you intend to boot a computer that originally came with 10.5 or later, you won't be able to do it.
Quote:
the other query I have is that I noticed that in one set of "Installing" information it advises that "Before installing DiskWarrior you should start up from the DiskWarrior disc and rebuild all of your disk directories with DiskWarrior. This will eliminate any existing disk damage.", whereas on another .rtf no mention is made to that effect.
It's not a bad idea. I did exactly that before I installed DW on my internal. It can take 5 minutes or longer to boot from the DW CD so be patient. FYI, I run DW from a second internal hard drive that has a bootable clone of my main drive.

To allay some of your fears, I have used DW for many years and swear by it. It has gotten me out of hot water several times. I really like Alsoft's philosophy, similar to Hippocrates, to "first, do no harm". When you click the Rebuild button, DW goes through 9 steps before giving you an option to make changes. In other words, nothing actually happens until you go to step 10. Unless you have OS 9 drivers installed, it skips steps 2-4 so don't be alarmed if you go directly from 1 to 5.

At the end of step 9, you get an opportunity to preview its proposed changes. You can examine a Before and After scenario and move items from one to the other if something seems amiss. Then, you have the option of letting it rebuild the directory or canceling. DW has never let me down.

Last edited by jchuzi; 07/29/10 09:40 PM.

Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
jchuzi #11201 07/29/10 08:23 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Hi Jon
Thanks for tour ultra swift, extremely useful, response.
So, do you think, if I have an external drive with, say for example, 10.4 and 10.5, both with DW on them, that also is not violating the license agreement - obviously only an opinion. wink
Looking forward to another swift response, if you haven't already replied. grin
Regards. Mike

Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
MikeS #11203 07/29/10 09:36 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
I'm no lawyer, but if the license agreement says that you can only install it in one computer, you don't violate it by installing it in an external drive because the external is not in a computer. Take my legal advice for what it's worth (maybe 2¢?).


Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
jchuzi #11204 07/29/10 10:25 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
The actual licensure would depend on the details of tghe specific language used in each license agreement and to some extent how rigorous the publisher is in enforcing the agreement. I can make two arguments..
  1. If the software is installed only on the portable external drive then it would be installed only on one computer at a time which I believe would meet the intent of the license agreement. However, I am confident any competent attorney could make me spend tens of thousands of dollars defending that position in court should the publisher so desire.
  2. I would look further in the license agreement to ascertain if there is a clause regarding installation of the software on a network. It strikes me that a portable drive moved from machine to machine could technically be considered a "sneaker" network and therefore not kosher.
In most cases I suspect number 1 would prevail.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
jchuzi #11205 07/29/10 10:27 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Thanks again Jon.
I think I should have left "fairly well" alone, like I said earlier, until tomorrow. crazy
Having swiftly perused part of the manual I find myself in a Catch 22 situation - so much less demeaning an expression than saying confused all the time. smirk
I have noticed remarks like "If You Have Used Another Utility First", "suspect that files and/or folders are still missing", "make DiskWarrior scavenge the directory", to mention just three.
Do I need to take heed of these yet, as after all it was after using Disk Utility (does this count?) that I realised I needed "something stronger" - perhaps all will be revealed before the end of the Manual?
Do you think I am, if you'll excuse the pun, "just looking for problems". grin
Anyway I really must call it a day as I am obviously scraping new lows of "humour". If you have anything else re-assuring to add I'll look forward to reading it tomorrow.
Thanks again. Regards. Mike

Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
MikeS #11207 07/29/10 11:33 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
I can only speak from personal experience with Disk Warrior. I have never had it cause damage (and I have always let it do whatever it wants without modification because I never found anything wanting) and it has gotten me out of trouble on more than one occasion. I can't guarantee that it will solve your problems but I think that it has a better shot at it than anything else.


Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
joemikeb #11211 07/30/10 11:45 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Quite agree with your "sentiments".
Whilst I am rather surprised at the restrictions on a personal level (for something that cost nearly 100 UK pounds - about 160 US dollars), surely this would impact quite substantially on the "techies" who are "responsible" for many computers. frown
Anyway, I will just have to do my best to keep myself "kosher", as I'm sure countless people have to.
Regards. Mike

Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
jchuzi #11212 07/30/10 12:00 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Hi Jon
I have no doubt about your "enthusiasm" with DW and I am confident that I will feel the same after I have got over this initial "false start".
I guess I thought that I would (and probably could have) just run it without having to take into consideration so many "caveats", which I would not have encountered had I just referred to the "Quick Start Manual".
Anyway, I should be , hopefully, giving it a go in a few minutes and I'm sure I will be able to confirm that I am, again, probably being over cautious.
Regards. Mike

Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
jchuzi #11215 07/30/10 04:09 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Well, I have done the not so dirty deed and rebuilt with DW. It has "successfully rebuilt a new optimized directory" repairing errors, scavenging, etc. along the way.
Obviously it could not do all this without causing me some confusion from time to time - that goes without saying - but there I've said it, so now I feel obliged to explain. grin
On the initial report it advised me (underlined too) that "It is recommended that you preview the replacement directory." So, I did, but to be honest I didn't know/understand what I was looking for/at despite consulting the various docs on the DW disc.
At the end it asked me if I wanted to save the report, at the same time as stating "DiskWarrior found problems and the report was not saved. The report is a useful reference." It still gave me the option to save, which I clicked, but the next window had "save" greyed out. crazy
At this point I quit DW and the computer restarted. As promised it has placed various files/folders at "the root level of the disk": Damaged Files (containing a 4KB alias), MoveRename (contains nothing), Rescued Items (ultimately nothing), Trash 2 (also ultimately nothing). Can I assume that I may delete these seemingly innocuous files/folders as I cannot find any advice in the Manual to this or any similar affect.
I'm sorry for going through an idiot's (me) guide to what is/was a comparatively straightforward "task", but neither age nor health (or wealth come to think of it :() seems to be on my side nowadays.
Thanks for "listening". Regards. Mike

Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
MikeS #11216 07/30/10 07:00 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
You probably can remove them. If you want to be extra cautious, put them in the trash but don't empty the trash. If everything works well (give yourself some time to find out), then empty the trash. Alternatively, copy them to another medium (CD, DVD, whatever) and then trash them from your hard drive. If necessary, you can restore them.


Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
jchuzi #11217 07/30/10 07:31 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Good ideas. Will try one, two or three of them. smile
That's all (for now probably) thanks - I'm mentally & physically shattered at the moment. What a pathetic wretch (me). grin
Thanks again. Regards. Mike

Re: TDM problem associated with "dodgy" Hard Drive
jchuzi #11229 07/31/10 08:38 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
MikeS Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
frown mad
Well it looks as though my underlying problems have come to light.
I'll give you a clue - I'm typing this from my wife's computer.
7 hours ago I started re-backing up my laptop (with my rebuilt, new optimized directory). I thought it was taking a long time - it even gave a message about a quarter of the way through that there had been an error and stopped temporarily - but after about 6 hours , very nearly at the end, the Silverkeeper (the back up software I have used without any problems for many years) window flew of the desktop, replaced by the spinning beachball.
After several minutes of watching the beachball I got bored and switched off and restarted the computer. After several minutes of the grey screen with Apple icon and spinning thingy I again switched off and tried to reboot holding down alt key to see what options (excuse the pun) I might get. I thought the external drive might get detected, but it didn't, just the internal, which when chosen only, again, took me as far as the grey Apple icon, spinning thingy screen.
Again, I eventually swiched off (by the way, using the power button) and started up with the DiskWarrior disc - it detected the internal and external drives. confused I proceeded to check out the internal drive with the "Hardware" option, but this simply confirmed SMART verified.
I then rebuilt the internal drive, during the process of which came up a message "speed reduced by disk malfunction : 3". I googled this message, the upshot of which is in the last paragraph of an Alsoft Support Database" "Answer", advising the need to "backup your files from the DiskWarrior Preview window (accessed from the DiskWarrior Report window) to another drive. This is what I am in the middle- well, about one sixth way through - of at the moment.
But, the real crunch comes in the last sentence - "Once you have a backup of your files, you will need to install a new hard drive to replace the damaged hard drive."
So, there it would appear to be - unless anyone has any other suggestions. laugh
Just as a last thought, do you know of a good, reliable hard drive for my G4 Ti 867 MHZ laptop. No worries if you can't as I shall open a new topic asking for recommendations, as I remember trying, not very successfully (I can't remember why), to source a new HD some time ago when the 40 GB was getting too small for my iTunes music - eventually I transferred the music to an external drive. cool
Hope you're still paying attention. grin
Regards. Mike

Page 1 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  alternaut, dianne, MacManiac 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.4
(Release build 20200307)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.4.33 Page Time: 0.036s Queries: 65 (0.026s) Memory: 0.7224 MB (Peak: 0.9151 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-28 11:45:23 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS