Disk Utility: 'error: Cross Check' failures during check

[DeltaMac]

If you disregard the errors that you get when running First Aid in your Disk Utility, what problems are you having when actually using your Mac?
If you only get the First Aid errors, and are not experiencing actual problems, you could choose to ignore the First Aid results.
But, try the First Aid after some simple steps: Shut off your Mac, (shut off completely, not just a simple restart) then boot to the Recovery system, then Disk Utility, and run First Aid on the container, not the snapshot. If you do not see any Container listed, Go to the View menu, and choose "Show all Devices", then select the container, and run First Aid.
Does it run clean this time?
(note - It seems that you figured this out already, and I was too quick to post. But, it is something that you can do, if you decide to try First Aid again without removing the TM snapshots first. (First Aid results get more challenging after Big Sur, as the system keeps live snapshots which are not the same as TM snapshots. And, can make interpreting First Aid results a bit more confusing as a result.)

 

[zlloyd1]

If you disregard the errors that you get when running First Aid in your Disk Utility, what problems are you having when actually using your Mac?
If you only get the First Aid errors, and are not experiencing actual problems, you could choose to ignore the First Aid results.
But, try the First Aid after some simple steps: Shut off your Mac, (shut off completely, not just a simple restart) then boot to the Recovery system, then Disk Utility, and run First Aid on the container, not the snapshot. If you do not see any Container listed, Go to the View menu, and choose "Show all Devices", then select the container, and run First Aid.
Does it run clean this time?

As I thought I mentioned in my original question, I have tried running it from Recovery Mode, and get the same issues.
However, I did find a way to use the Terminal to delete all snapshots - https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/06/26/how-to-delete-time-machine-local-snapshots-in-macos
This seemed to remove the issue, as it could not go through each individual snapshot anymore, because I deleted every one!!

 

[jim0266]

As you can see here, it completely skips Checking Snapshots, because they are all gone....

View attachment 1880744

You just need to make sure, when using the above method, that you remove every single one of them in the Terminal.
Plus, that may clear up other stupid problems associated with that mountain garbage that is Time Machine snapshots on your device!!

I am seeing this error but do not have any time machine snapshots. None appear when I run tmutil listlocalsnapshots /
/ -- I've never run Time Machine either.

I've run disk util about 9 times now and it has not fixed the error. I will have to try the CC backup and restore fix.

 

[IR Corva]

As you can see here, it completely skips Checking Snapshots, because they are all gone....

View attachment 1880744

You just need to make sure, when using the above method, that you remove every single one of them in the Terminal.
Plus, that may clear up other stupid problems associated with that mountain garbage that is Time Machine snapshots on your device!!

Macintrash? I’m still using a 10-yr-old MacBook Pro I bought new in Mid 2012 that I upgraded years ago with extra RAM and a 1TB SSD. It has always worked great and I still have no need for a newer machine. I guess we all have our own experiences, though.

I recently had the exact same error codes in Disk Utility regarding a snapshot for one of my two external Time Machine backup drives that Disk Utility couldn’t correct, despite repeated attempts. After reading several forums, I decided to follow one poster’s successful fix by downloading Carbon Copy Cloner, and would use my 2 TB Time Machine backup drive for the CCC backup. According to the guy on the forum, you would then reformat and reclone the Mac’s internal HD to solve the snapshot error situation.

Well- I first told Time Machine to stop using that external drive for backups. Then I reformatted it with Disk Utility. Then I had CCC clone the Mac HD to that drive. I made zero other changes to the Mac itself at that point.

I then booted from the CCC clone. Before erasing the Mac’s internal drive I decided to check the HD one last time with Disk Utility. Guess what? NO errors. Booted from Recovery partition -Ran it again. No errors. So I started up from a bootable USB flash drive I had. Again- Disk Utility showed no errors.

I have no doubt that the guy who hates “Macintrash” knows a LOT more than I do. Even so, my ultra dependable MBP is fine, and I didn’t do anything more than stop using one of my two Time Machine external drives. It seems like one bad snapshot just went away. Just saying. I still love my ancient MBP and will either use it until it dies or is no longer viable.

 

[bradp015]

What I'd do:

Get an external drive to serve as a backup.

Use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to create a BOOTABLE cloned backup of your current install on a backup drive.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT USE time machine. You need to create a BOOTABLE backup!

CCC and SD are FREE to use for 30 days.
Doing what I suggest will cost you nothing.

Now... BOOT FROM the cloned backup drive.

Open Disk Utility. Go to the view menu and choose "show all devices" (VERY important step).

Select "the top line" that represents the physical drive inside your Mac.

ERASE it.
- For High Sierra and earlier, choose Mac OS extended with journaling enabled, GUID partition format.
- For Mojave and later, choose APFS with GUID partition format.
(Looks like you need APFS)

Now try disk utility's "first aid" function again.
Do you still get the same errors, or have they been "cleaned up".

If they're gone, and the disk now looks good, quit Disk Utility and re-open CCC (or SD).

Next, RE-clone the contents of the cloned backup BACK TO the internal drive.

That should do it.

I realize this is "some work" and will take some time, but sometimes the only way to clear up problems with disk corruption is to just erase it and start over.

my friends imac, had this issue.... viruses too..... i used CCC on my macbook pro, with imac in target mode. Did a clamx av scan, got rid of all the malware, cloned to external, erase imac internal, cloned back to imac from external.... a few hiccups but dealt with.... ALL FIXED AND WORKING!!!!! THANK YOU FISHR!!!