80GB HD is sudenly now 111.79GB

[peyo]

Hi Guys,

i am not much of a forum guy, nor much of a computer guy for that matter, but my mac has a problem and I thought I would try here before rushing off to the Mac Store to spend what little hard earned cash I have.

So as the description says, my MacBook 80GB (the white one) now suddenly thinks it has 111.79GB and whats worse is it is now SUPPER sluggish when starting up, it can take 30mins to an hour sometimes. It also likes to hang or freeze a lot now. Its been doing this for a bout two weeks, but I have lived with it until now. Exams are coming and I can't afford to lose any more time.

I would really appreciate any thing you guys could say that might help me out. I ran he disk utility and "verified" a whole bunch of things that make no sense to me. The were lots of number that "were" such and such but "should" be something one digit higher or lower. It is an awful lot to cut and paste into here but if you think I should then I will. I have include some general info about the HD and machine in general.

Cheers

Andrew

info:
Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook4,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.1 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MB41.00C1.B00
SMC Version (system): 1.31f0
Serial Number (system): W880720Y0P0
Hardware UUID: 00000000-0000-1000-8000-001EC213D6C3


Intel ICH8-M AHCI:

Vendor: Intel
Product: ICH8-M AHCI
Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.10 Supported

FUJITSU MHY2120BH:

Capacity: 111.79 GB
Model: FUJITSU MHY2120BH
Revision: 0081000D
Serial Number: K439T7C2H4YM
Native Command Queuing: Yes
Queue Depth: 32
Removable Media: No
Detachable Drive: No
BSD Name: disk0
Mac OS 9 Drivers: No
Partition Map Type: GPT (GUID Partition Table)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Verified
Volumes:
Macintosh HD:
Capacity: 111.47 GB
Available: 56.74 GB
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk0s2
Mount Point: /

 

[spinnerlys]

The Mac you have came with a 120GB HDD, you can look here.
So the stated 111.79GiB in System Profiler is correct, as HDD producers use the base 10 to advertise the capacity, but the actual capacity is calculated via the base 2.

Thus 100GB advertised are 93GiB (GibiByte) in real life. Mac OS X 10.6 uses the base ten to show file and HDD sizes though.

Have you partitioned your drive at any time since you bought it, as that might explain the 80GB?

Have you tried repairing permissions via Disk Utility to see if it improves performance?

Have you also taken a look at the S.M.A.R.T. status of your HDD in Disk Utility?

 

[peyo]

Hi Spinnerlys,

my macBook never had 120GB even when it was new it was always below 80GB, 69GB if I remeber correctly, it also state in my invoice that it is an 80GB mac.

I have checked the S.M.A.R.T status and it is verified like in your picture. I don't believe that I have ever partitioned my HD as I 1) have never heard of it and 2) wouldn't have a clue how one does it.

I ran the repair disk permission and got once again a whole bunch of text that I don't understand. It looks like this:

Repairing permissions for “Macintosh HD”
Reading permissions database.
Reading the permissions database can take several minutes.

Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/AirPort Base Station Agent.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/Utilities/AirPort Utility.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/DVD.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/FRSettings.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/FRSources.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Movies.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Music.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Photos.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Podcasts.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/TV.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/BackRow.framework/Versions/A/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/InternetUtilities.bundle/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Resources/iTunesHelper.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r-- .
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/Filesystems/AppleShare/afpLoad" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskManagement.framework/Versions/A/Resources/DiskManagementTool" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "sbin/umount" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras/RemoteDesktop.menu/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Warning: SUID file "usr/bin/quota" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DesktopServicesPriv.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Locum" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "usr/sbin/pppd" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "usr/sbin/vpnd" has been modified and will not be repaired.

Permissions repair complete




If that makes any sense to you...?

It says that the repair is complete, but I don't dare turn it off again before I write this up, a it could literally be hours before I could post again.


Cheers


Andrew

 

[spinnerlys]

That is really strange, that you only got a 80GB (74GiB not 69GiB) HDD, as even I got a 160GB HDD with a mid 2008 model (2.4GHz).

Did you buy it from Apple directly or another party, and if so, which?

Because something smells here, the 80GB HDD is quite off on that MB.
And www.everymac.com has been right about this as far as I can remember.
I'll check MacTracker and see if it corresponds.

...

It does. See the screenshot.

It even has the same MacBook model identifier.

 

[DoFoT9]

backup your stuff RIGHT AWAY. thats all i can say.

 

[peyo]

Hi again.

I bought this mac in mid 2008 from a large electronics retailer here in Germany and it wasn't the newest at the time. I think the Mac Air had just been or was about to be released, so I am inclined to think that it is more like this mac.
I know that the processor is different and so are a few other things but I never had so much space. Is it possible that they partitioned my HD, and if so why?

I am truly at a loss.

 

[DoFoT9]

im being serious here. slow bootup times and the hdd being read incorrectly indicates there is a chance of HDD failing! can you backup, for your own sanity and mine!

 

[BlueRevolution]

im being serious here. slow bootup times and the hdd being read incorrectly indicates there is a chance of HDD failing! can you backup, for your own sanity and mine!

Agreed. I'm a bit puzzled by some parts of this thread, but even so, the first thing you should always do even before posting a "my hard drive is acting funny" thread is back up. I have never met someone who regrets making a backup.

 

[spinnerlys]

Hi again.

I bought this mac in mid 2008 from a large electronics retailer here in Germany and it wasn't the newest at the time. I think the Mac Air had just been or was about to be released, so I am inclined to think that it is more like this mac.
I know that the processor is different and so are a few other things but I never had so much space. Is it possible that they partitioned my HD, and if so why?

I am truly at a loss.

Where have you bought it?
Media Markt, Gravis, Saturn?

And as DoFoT9 said, backup your data, external HDDs can be had for cheap, even cheaper at Cyberportstore in Berlin or Dresden (if you reside there).


But I'm still intrigued as to what Mac you have.

Your System Profiler says you have a MacBook4,1, which is at least two generations ahead of the one you linked to.

You linked to a MacBook2,1, which was available from November 2006 to November 2007, the MacBook 4,1 was available from February 2008 til January 2009.

The MacBook Air was released in January 2008.

I know that some retailers, especially Media Markt and Saturn still offer outdated models, long after they have been updated, for the same price sometimes.

 

[DoFoT9]

Agreed. I'm a bit puzzled by some parts of this thread, but even so, the first thing you should always do even before posting a "my hard drive is acting funny" thread is back up. I have never met someone who regrets making a backup.

oh most certainly not! ive never come across an issue where HDD space is read as HIGHER then the actual capacity of the hdd - but it cannot be good! it indicates to me that the major parts of the hdd are corrupt/corrupting.

i guess it could be a problem with software (osx). once backed-up, i would try an archive and install.

 

[peyo]

Funnily enough I have always backed up my uni and work related stuff to and external drive because I have never had enough space to save everything on my HD, so there is no real threat of losing any thing more than a few old moves and my bad taste in music collection.

I bought it at Saturn in Stuttgart in April 2008, but I am sure that it wasn't new, it cost €999 at the time, but there were newer ones there, namely the one with 120GB but they cost more ca €1200.

 

[DoFoT9]

Funnily enough I have always backed up my uni and work related stuff to and external drive because I have never had enough space to save everything on my HD, so there is no real threat of losing any thing more than a few old moves and my bad taste in music collection.

I bought it at Saturn in Stuttgart in April 2008, but I am sure that it wasn't new, it cost €999 at the time, but there were newer ones there, namely the one with 120GB but they cost more ca €1200.

oh thank god! *sighs relief*

 

[spinnerlys]

Funnily enough I have always backed up my uni and work related stuff to and external drive because I have never had enough space to save everything on my HD, so there is no real threat of losing any thing more than a few old moves and my bad taste in music collection.

I bought it at Saturn in Stuttgart in April 2008, but I am sure that it wasn't new, it cost €999 at the time, but there were newer ones there, namely the one with 120GB but they cost more ca €1200.

What a small world. I'm currently editing a short presentation for a cultural institute in Stuttgart, and I was once in the Saturn you spoke of. No firewire cables, what a drag.

But I'm still confused as to what model you have. Did you copy the contents
Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook4,1
Processor Name: In.....
of your first post out of your System Profiler?
If so, you should have a 120GB HDD.
If not, you should have the MacBook3,1 model, not the MacBook2,1 model.

Btw, do you still have some kind of warranty?

 

[OllyW]

Your System Profiler states you've got a FUJITSU MHY2120BH, which is a 120 GB hard drive.

 

[peyo]

No I don't have a warranty any more. I did for the first year (Jamba) and I didn't need it at all. In fact I have never had a problem with this computer, it always worked perfect until a few weeks ago, the case is a bit beat up and it has the odd scratch, but it always worked well.

I know, I looked up the hard drive as well. I am at a loss to explain it. It is not as though I woke up this morning and went WOW I have 31 GB mehr as yesterday. It really never had more than the 80 it said it did???

I am begining to think that I should delete the whole thing and try to reinstall it. Which brings me to my next question; how do I do that?


Disk Identifier : disk0s2
Mount Point : /
File System : Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Connection Bus : Serial ATA 2
Device Tree : /PCI0/SATA@1F,2/PRT0@0/PMP@0/@0:2
Writable : Yes
Universal Unique Identifier : 322AC6D4-CAAA-3386-B0B1-BA6D9B11B8FF
Capacity : 111.5 GB (119,690,149,888 Bytes)
Free Space : 56.6 GB (60,795,744,256 Bytes)
Used : 54.8 GB (58,894,405,632 Bytes)
Number of Files : 656,708
Number of Folders : 159,182
Owners Enabled : Yes
Can Turn Owners Off : Yes
Can Repair Permissions : Yes
Can Be Verified : Yes
Can Be Repaired : Yes
Can Be Formatted : Yes
Bootable : Yes
Supports Journaling : Yes
Journaled : Yes
Disk Number : 0
Partition Number : 2 <------ I just noticed this.

 

[paddyhazard]

"Funnily enough I have always backed up my uni and work related stuff to and external drive because I have never had enough space to save everything on my HD, so there is no real threat of losing any thing more than a few old moves and my bad taste in music collection."

Sounds like you mean you store all of your work on your external harddrive as there isn't enough space to store it on both. If this is the only place you store your up to date work then it's not a backup. If that drive fails, then you've lost it. A backup is only a backup if it's redundant. If that is the only place you store it then backup that work to another harddrive or your most important files to dropbox for free online backups. It's amazing that some people think that because they store their work on an external hard drive that they think that it's backed up!

 

[peyo]

Sorry, like I said I am not a computer guy, I study civil engineering; buildings, steel, concrete, deep holes that sort of thing. It feels safe enough to me and is always there when I need it. I am not inclined to save my stuff online as I don't know who has access to it. It is not as if I have any real secrets, but there are some pieces of my work that I would prefer were not saved into the infinity of the internet.

I guess this isn't going to solve it's self here. I wonder if someone could tell me how to erase and reinstall my operating system?

 

[BlueRevolution]

oh most certainly not! ive never come across an issue where HDD space is read as HIGHER then the actual capacity of the hdd - but it cannot be good! it indicates to me that the major parts of the hdd are corrupt/corrupting.

i guess it could be a problem with software (osx). once backed-up, i would try an archive and install.

Honestly, while it's always safest to assume hardware failure and take preventative measures, it's sounding to me like the OP has just been using a corrupted or incomplete partition for years.

I disagree with the archive and install suggestion. If the volume is corrupted and/or the drive has bad sectors, the best solution is to completely reformat the entire drive. Back up everything that matters to you and reboot to the Mac OS X install disk. Open Disk Utility from the Utilities menu and select the unindented icon representing your hard drive (this line should start with the drive size and include a bunch of letters and numbers). Click Erase -> Security Options -> (select) Zero Out Data -> OK -> (enter new name) -> Erase.

The process should take an hour or two. Once it has finished, your hard drive will now contain one partition of the right size to fit the drive correctly. You can now quit Disk Utility and proceed to finish a clean Mac OS X install. Once you're up and running again, you can copy your data back in place.

Funnily enough I have always backed up my uni and work related stuff to and external drive because I have never had enough space to save everything on my HD, so there is no real threat of losing any thing more than a few old moves and my bad taste in music collection.

Unlike DoFoT9, I'm not breathing a sigh of relief here. It's not a backup if you don't have two copies of every important file. Your external drive could fail just as easily as your internal. I once lost a 250 GB extern by knocking it off a desk while it was running. No backup, although it didn't contain anything that couldn't be easily replaced.

Sounds like you mean you store all of your work on your external harddrive as there isn't enough space to store it on both. If this is the only place you store your up to date work then it's not a backup. If that drive fails, then you've lost it. A backup is only a backup if it's redundant. If that is the only place you store it then backup that work to another harddrive or your most important files to dropbox for free online backups. It's amazing that some people think that because they store their work on an external hard drive that they think that it's backed up!

Yeah. Ideally you should maintain an on-site hourly backup as well as one or more off-site backups updated on a regular basis. I maintain one local backup and two off-site, although one of them (the full bootable copy) is getting a bit outdated now.


Neglecting the fact that a drive reporting inconsistent information is a Very Bad Sign, I can't help but be slightly amused by the premise of the thread: "Help, my computer has 40 GB more hard drive space than I thought it did!"

 

[DoFoT9]

Partition Number : 2 <------ I just noticed this.

dont worry about that, mine is partition #2 aswell! and i only have one partition. there is an invisible partition at the beginning of the drive for startup procedures and all that crap.

Honestly, while it's always safest to assume hardware failure and take preventative measures, it's sounding to me like the OP has just been using a corrupted or incomplete partition for years.

it could be, but after reading the previous posts that he posted (wth), im not so sure anymore.

I disagree with the archive and install suggestion. If the volume is corrupted and/or the drive has bad sectors, the best solution is to completely reformat the entire drive. Back up everything that matters to you and reboot to the Mac OS X install disk. Open Disk Utility from the Utilities menu and select the unindented icon representing your hard drive (this line should start with the drive size and include a bunch of letters and numbers). Click Erase -> Security Options -> (select) Zero Out Data -> OK -> (enter new name) -> Erase.

until we narrow down the cause, we dont know if thats even necessary. if the hdd is gone, then zeroing out data will be useless (as will archiving and installing lol). i suggested the A&I because it would help to show us if its a OSX related issue, or if its possibly a software related issue/direct hardware issue. SMART has been checked i believe? so that brings down the severity of the hdd failing.

Unlike DoFoT9, I'm not breathing a sigh of relief here. It's not a backup if you don't have two copies of every important file. Your external drive could fail just as easily as your internal. I once lost a 250 GB extern by knocking it off a desk while it was running. No backup, although it didn't contain anything that couldn't be easily replaced.

true that, and you can never disagree with having 2 backups - but now i am reconsidering the actual cause of the slow downs after reading the previous posts.

Disk Identifier : disk0s2
Mount Point : /
File System : Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Connection Bus : Serial ATA 2
Device Tree : /PCI0/SATA@1F,2/PRT0@0/PMP@0/@0:2
Writable : Yes
Universal Unique Identifier : 322AC6D4-CAAA-3386-B0B1-BA6D9B11B8FF
Capacity : 111.5 GB (119,690,149,888 Bytes)
Free Space : 56.6 GB (60,795,744,256 Bytes)
Used : 54.8 GB (58,894,405,632 Bytes)
Number of Files : 656,708
Number of Folders : 159,182
Owners Enabled : Yes
Can Turn Owners Off : Yes
Can Repair Permissions : Yes
Can Be Verified : Yes
Can Be Repaired : Yes
Can Be Formatted : Yes
Bootable : Yes
Supports Journaling : Yes
Journaled : Yes
Disk Number : 0
Partition Number : 2 <------ I just noticed this.

see ^^^

its actually meant to have a 120GiB hdd. im beginning to presume that the slowdowns are from software or something.

 

[BlueRevolution]

Yeah. Well, let's rewind a bit. How did you originally know that the drive was 80 GB? It could be simply that you never looked at System Profiler or Disk Utility before. Most people don't have a reason to.

Could you send us a screenshot of the Partition tab in Disk Utility? Open the app, select the unindented item I mentioned earlier, and click the Partition tab. Press and release command+shift+4, then press the spacebar. Click on the Disk Utility window, which should highlight as you move your mouse over it. A file called Picture 1.png should appear on your desktop. Reply to this thread and attach that image to your post.