Corrupted Volume Found

[Gixene]

MacRumors Community,

I have been ignorant ever since I had purchased this MacBook 7,1, 6 years ago for collage as a first computer. I have been irresponsible in regards managing the content I store. I have also been oblivious to the wonderful features that the macOS provides.

Once I decided 3 months ago to purchase the next MacBook Pro release, I vowed that I would become more knowledgeable and take advantage of the benefits of macOS. I also vowed to be more responsible of the content I store. Since then, I have bought a Samsung T3 Portable SSD - 250GB - USB 3.1 External SSD that I plan to use with Carbon Copy Cloner once I take delivery of the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and Touch ID. I use iCloud, but I also plan to use other forms of backup solutions once I begin using Carbon Copy Cloner.

However, today I learned of a feature that I have never used before, Disk Utility. I discovered that I have a volume(s) that are corrupt. I have spent the remainder of the day researching to better understand. Though there are some questions I can't seem to find the answers for. I apologize in advance for the following ignorance you will read.

1.) 'If' the files I store are corrupted, will they remain corrupted and/or continue corrupting once I move them to the new MacBook Pro?

2.) 'If' these files are corrupted, can the corrupted files corrupt other files that are not corrupted?

3.) Disk Utility says, "needs to be repaired." How important is it that I repair it? Does this repair the files or the volume? I'm not knowledgeable on what a volume is, one of the many items I need to put on the list to learn more about.

4.) How does corruption impact the content I store on iCloud that syncs with the iPhone 6 Plus I have? Can a corrupted picture, file, etc. that is corrupted also be corrupted on the iClould and iPhone 6 Plus?

5.) To transition to the MacBook Pro I will receive, what is the best solution to ensure that I do not transfer these issues from the MacBook?

Please share any other knowledge that could be beneficial. I'm more than welcome to provide more information or screenshots. Below is the report I received for both drives (not sure why there are two).

TOSHIBA MK2555GSXF Media

Checking prerequisites
Checking the partition list
Checking the partition map size
Checking for an EFI system partition
Checking the EFI system partition’s size
Checking the EFI system partition’s file system
Checking the EFI system partition’s folder content
Problems were found with the partition map which might prevent booting
Operation successful.

Untitled

Verifying file system.
Using live mode.
Performing live verification.
Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
Checking extents overflow file.
Checking catalog file.
Checking multi-linked files.
Incorrect number of file hard links
Checking catalog hierarchy.
Invalid directory item count
(It should be 91121 instead of 91123)
Invalid directory item count
(It should be 34 instead of 33)
Checking extended attributes file.
Checking volume bitmap.
Checking volume information.
The volume Untitled was found corrupt and needs to be repaired.
File system check exit code is 8.
Operation successful.

Thank you, Gixene

 

[JohnDS]

You drive is corrupted and it is sufficiently corrupted that Disk Utility can no longer fix it. If you ignore the problem it will get worse and you may lose all your data.

It may be that the drive itself is physically failing. Pull down the Apple Menu to About This Mac, then, depending on which version of the system software you have, click on More Info or System Report. In the resulting window, in the left under Hardware, scroll down to SATA and look for a line that says "S.M.A.R.T. Status". If it says anything other than "verified" your drive is failing and needs to be replaced.

If you drive is not physically failing, you need to make a complete backup of it using Carbon Copy Cloner, then erase it and use Carbon Copy Cloner to copy your data and OS back to the newly reformatted drive.

 

[Gixene]

You drive is corrupted and it is sufficiently corrupted that Disk Utility can no longer fix it. If you ignore the problem it will get worse and you may lose all your data.

It may be that the drive itself is physically failing. Pull down the Apple Menu to About This Mac, then, depending on which version of the system software you have, click on More Info or System Report. In the resulting window, in the left under Hardware, scroll down to SATA and look for a line that says "S.M.A.R.T. Status". If it says anything other than "verified" your drive is failing and needs to be replaced.

If you drive is not physically failing, you need to make a complete backup of it using Carbon Copy Cloner, then erase it and use Carbon Copy Cloner to copy your data and OS back to the newly reformatted drive.

Thank you. I followed your instructions and I can confirm that it shows "Verified" for S.M.A.R.T. status.

 

[JohnDS]

What OS are you using?

 

[Gixene]

What OS are you using?

macOS Sierra Version 10.12.1
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What OS are you using?

Unless you have a significant reasoning. I see no benefit of cloning all of the content and clutter I have on this MacBook when I take delivery of a new MacBook Pro next week.

 

[KALLT]

Disk Utility does not tell you whether some of your files are corrupted. It will tell you whether the file system or partitioning scheme is corrupted. Corruption can happen for various reasons and it is not always fatal. You can repair your main disk (Macintosh HD) only from outside of the system. You need to reboot into Recovery and perform the First Aid from there.

 

[Gixene]

Disk Utility does not tell you whether some of your files are corrupted. It will tell you whether the file system or partitioning scheme is corrupted. Corruption can happen for various reasons and it is not always fatal. You can repair your main disk (Macintosh HD) only from outside of the system. You need to reboot into Recovery and perform the First Aid from there.

Is this something you would recommend I do before taking delivery of the new MacBook Pro? I had planned on moving the content via Samsung T3 Portable SSD - 250GB - USB 3.1 External SSD depending on how iCloud integration as far as restoring upon set up.

 

[KALLT]

You can just connect both MacBooks via USB and transfer the data at the installation or with Migration Assistant. This has nothing to do with the file system. I do recommend that you repair it. It will only take a couple of minutes.

 

[JohnDS]

Depends on how long you expect to wait for delivery. I wouldn't use the computer much without fixing it as you may lose your data. I would suggest that the very first thing you do is to use CCC to make a complete backup to the external. You can then just connect the backup by USB to the new MacBook Pro and migration assistant will bring everything over.

 

[Gixene]

You can just connect both MacBooks via USB and transfer the data at the installation or with Migration Assistant. This has nothing to do with the file system. I do recommend that you repair it. It will only take a couple of minutes.

I plan to only transfer items associated with iCloud. This is Desktop & Documents Folders, Photos, Mail, Contacts, Calanders, Reminders, Safari, Notes, Keychain and Find My Mac. So I'm unsure if you would recommend USB between MacBook and MacBook Pro or Migration Assistant.

What exactly do you mean, "this has nothing to do with the file system"?

Do you recommend I do a backup repairing? If so, via Carbon Copy Cloner or by just manually moving content onto the Samsung T3?

Note: I have yet to open the Samsung T3 package or download Carbon Copy Cloner as I had planned to wait until the MacBook Pro arrives. I can however download and begin the process if this is your recommendation.
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Depends on how long you expect to wait for delivery. I wouldn't use the computer much without fixing it as you may lose your data. I would suggest that the very first thing you do is to use CCC to make a complete backup to the external. You can then just connect the backup by USB to the new MacBook Pro and migration assistant will bring everything over.

I will take delivery of the MacBook Pro next week according to Apple. I had ordered 30 minutes after the keynote. I would really prefer to have a clean slate when I set up the MacBook Pro. However, I will transfer the contect associated with iCloud. Though I'm unsure if iCloud will do this for me in the manner it's supposed to. I have not used iCloud to restore before. Is it to be trusted in this manner?

 

[Clix Pix]

For what it's worth, the way I handle things when doing backups to my T3 or other external drives and the way I manage setting up a new computer is to copy the Desktop, Documents, Movies, Music and Pictures folders from my older machine to the T3, and then simply copy the contents of each of those folders to the new machine. I do it manually and, yes, it takes some time but this way I am certain that I'm not inadvertently transferring some cruft or unwanted stuff from the older machine's actual configuration to the new machine. I am interested in just copying the data, not the inner workings of the machine. This means I also then set up my email accounts manually and add in any apps which have not automatically come over with iCloud. I also do not put everything on the computer anyway -- some folders and files are kept only on my external drives, as while they are important they are not necessary to have actually in the computer but can be easily and quickly accessed by plugging in the external drive and the appropriate cable. The T3 , by the way, comes with just one cable, a USB-C end that plugs into the T3 itself with the other end being a USB-3 cable. I found and purchased a G-Drive USB-C 1 TB portable External drive and the main reason I bought it was because it comes with two cables: one like the one that is in the T3 box and one which is USB-C to USB-C on both ends, and is conveniently short -- this latter cable is perfect for my T3 SSD drives when I'm using them with my rMB....no need for an adapter in this case.

 

[Gixene]

For what it's worth, the way I handle things when doing backups to my T3 or other external drives and the way I manage setting up a new computer is to copy the Desktop, Documents, Movies, Music and Pictures folders from my older machine to the T3, and then simply copy the contents of each of those folders to the new machine. I do it manually and, yes, it takes some time but this way I am certain that I'm not inadvertently transferring some cruft or unwanted stuff from the older machine's actual configuration to the new machine. I am interested in just copying the data, not the inner workings of the machine. This means I also then set up my email accounts manually and add in any apps which have not automatically come over with iCloud. I also do not put everything on the computer anyway -- some folders and files are kept only on my external drives, as while they are important they are not necessary to have actually in the computer but can be easily and quickly accessed by plugging in the external drive and the appropriate cable. The T3 , by the way, comes with just one cable, a USB-C end that plugs into the T3 itself with the other end being a USB-3 cable. I found and purchased a G-Drive USB-C 1 TB portable External drive and the main reason I bought it was because it comes with two cables: one like the one that is in the T3 box and one which is USB-C to USB-C on both ends, and is conveniently short -- this latter cable is perfect for my T3 SSD drives when I'm using them with my rMB....no need for an adapter in this case.

I completely agree. I will most likely manually move the content. Though I thought that it may be best to wait until I set up the MacBook Pro. This is because I'm unsure how the iCloud will restore during set up. All other content outside of iCloud can be left behind as most of it is clutter. The remaining can be downloaded which consists of applications. This is the best solution as most applications have clutter from previous updates. These applications I speak of are applications downloaded outside of the App Store.

I bought a Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Cable (0.5 m) to use with the Samsung T3 for Carbon Copy Cloner, though I will most likely purchase another external SSD brand as a second bootable clone to diversify, but I'll cross that bridge at a later date.
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For what it's worth, the way I handle things when doing backups to my T3 or other external drives and the way I manage setting up a new computer is to copy the Desktop, Documents, Movies, Music and Pictures folders from my older machine to the T3, and then simply copy the contents of each of those folders to the new machine. I do it manually and, yes, it takes some time but this way I am certain that I'm not inadvertently transferring some cruft or unwanted stuff from the older machine's actual configuration to the new machine. I am interested in just copying the data, not the inner workings of the machine. This means I also then set up my email accounts manually and add in any apps which have not automatically come over with iCloud. I also do not put everything on the computer anyway -- some folders and files are kept only on my external drives, as while they are important they are not necessary to have actually in the computer but can be easily and quickly accessed by plugging in the external drive and the appropriate cable. The T3 , by the way, comes with just one cable, a USB-C end that plugs into the T3 itself with the other end being a USB-3 cable. I found and purchased a G-Drive USB-C 1 TB portable External drive and the main reason I bought it was because it comes with two cables: one like the one that is in the T3 box and one which is USB-C to USB-C on both ends, and is conveniently short -- this latter cable is perfect for my T3 SSD drives when I'm using them with my rMB....no need for an adapter in this case.

By the way, do you mind answering one of the 4 other questions in the original post?

Thank you for sharing by the way.

 

[Clix Pix]

I have never had to deal with corrupted files, folders or disk drives in my many years of using computers.....so wouldn't be much help in that respect except to say that yes, Disk Utility is a valuable tool and you should learn more about it. The most recent versions are somewhat different than in the old days when most of us were very familiar with it and frequently hopped into it to "repair permissions," which seemed to be the Apple mantra for fixing anything that seemed wonky with one's Mac! As for your other questions regarding iCloud and the possibility of something corrupted affecting what you've got in there, I really can't answer since I don't know.

 

[Gixene]

I have never had to deal with corrupted files, folders or disk drives in my many years of using computers.....so wouldn't be much help in that respect except to say that yes, Disk Utility is a valuable tool and you should learn more about it. The most recent versions are somewhat different than in the old days when most of us were very familiar with it and frequently hopped into it to "repair permissions," which seemed to be the Apple mantra for fixing anything that seemed wonky with one's Mac! As for your other questions regarding iCloud and the possibility of something corrupted affecting what you've got in there, I really can't answer since I don't know.

Well I appreciate you at least not speaking of something you aren't knowledgeable of instead of providing the wrong information. Do you know if iCloud is able to restore after or during setup? I love iCloud, it's perfect for syncing. Though I don't have much experience or trust further than that.

 

[Clix Pix]

Ah, a question I CAN answer! When you are setting up the new machine, at some point you will be asked to put in your Apple ID (which usually is also your iCloud ID) and at that point iCloud will set up the parts you've already synced with them previously: bookmarks, photos, contacts, etc., etc. That is really a huge time-saver!

 

[Gixene]

Ah, a question I CAN answer! When you are setting up the new machine, at some point you will be asked to put in your Apple ID (which usually is also your iCloud ID) and at that point iCloud will set up the parts you've already synced with them previously: bookmarks, photos, contacts, etc., etc. That is really a huge time-saver!

Perfect! Then there is truely no need to move any content from MacBook to MacBook Pro. Since everything is in Desktop & Documents Folders! Thank you!