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Unrepairable HD... what to do next?

B

benapp03

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 16, 2011
3
0
Shortly after connecting a new mouse my MacBook Pro (OS X 10.5.5) started slowing down before finally crashing and then wouldn't proceed past the blue startup screen. Trying to start in safe mode wouldn't work either.

I tried to repair the HD from Disk Utility using the install DVD but I get the following:

Incorrect number of thread records
Invalid volume file count
Should be 651985 instead of 651982

This happened 3 times and then it said that the repair failed. Starting in verbose mode gives me 'I/O error'.

Is there anything else I can try before erasing the HD?

I don't have a back-up of my most recent files. Will creating an image of the disk on an external drive help me get these or is it already too late? Is there any other way of getting to these files?

I would be extremely grateful for any help anyone can give me. I have some files on that computer that I need to get at ASAP.
 
DiskWarrior can repair drives that Disk Utility can't.

You should never try to repair with Disk Utility.
 
cube said:
DiskWarrior can repair drives that Disk Utility can't.

You should never try to repair with Disk Utility.
Click to expand...

I agree with the first statement, but the second is BS.

OP, get your data off that drive as soon as possible. Then take measures at repairing the logical errors with Disk Warrior/or similar.

Keep in mind, this often points to problems with the drive itself. Which is why it is key to get your data somewhere safe.
 
Definitely DiskWarrior. I've seen it repair just this time of problem.
 
I had a similar problem, which started form a failed backup so I may have lost all my data now :( :confused: :eek: :mad: and I've booted from an external that I installed OSX on, I started retrieving my data but I got an error and it was stow so I tried sorting the error but still nothing, then I get the improper ejection warning for my INTERNAL HDD now it won't show up at all, on a scale of 1-10 how screwed am I???

EDIT: the internal HDD does sound like it's still spinning, what does that mean??? and I'm not spending $100 on DiskWarrior unless I now it will save me
 
Last edited:
DiskWarrior comes with a bootable DVD. Make sure to get the latest version.
 
Like I said I've booted from an external, but $100 is a bit steep unless it's guaranteed to save me, and OSX can't see the drive AT ALL, but it is still spinning, is that good or bad???
 
Look in the System Profiler if it really can't see the drive, or it just can't mount it because it's corrupted.
 
Thank you very much for the quick replies.

It looks like DW is the way to go but I'm in Japan and don't have time to wait for the DVD to be delivered. I have another MacBook. If I download DW, buy a firewire and follow the method below, will this work as well as the DVD would?

If you have another computer handy, you can purchase the application online, install it and hook up the affected machine via firewire as a target disk. Target mode: Shut down the machine you want to fix, connect it by firewire to another Mac and after hitting the power button immediately hold down the "t" key, the hard drive on that machine should appear as a firewire external drive on the other Mac.
Click to expand...
 
Also, just wondering why no-one recommends making an image of the disk with DU? Is it because the image would also be damaged in the same way?
 
cube said:
Look in the System Profiler if it really can't see the drive, or it just can't mount it because it's corrupted.
Click to expand...

it really can't see the drive, it shows "Intel Series 6 Chipset" the link speed (6Gb/s) and stuff but nothing is connected there

(the ODD is still there and fine)
 
cube said:
There's a caution note in the DiskWarrior manual that you shouldn't try other repair utilities first because they can render the drive unrepairable even for DiskWarrior.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a problem with DiskWarrior, not Disk Utility. Pretty daft to suggest that the utility built in for correcting logical volume issues is somehow worthless.
 
benapp03 said:
Thank you very much for the quick replies.

It looks like DW is the way to go but I'm in Japan and don't have time to wait for the DVD to be delivered. I have another MacBook. If I download DW, buy a firewire and follow the method below, will this work as well as the DVD would?
Click to expand...
Order DW online and select the download version, they will send you the DVD by slow mail and you can get the application immediately online. Install the application on an external HD, boot up from the external and let DW try to repair the internal HD. The folks at Alsoft are among the best experts around at software HD repairs, if DW can't repair the drive, you will most likely have to try using a hardware data rescue expert (very expensive).
If the damage to the directory is severe, even DW can take a long time so be patient. We had a badly corrupted hard disk at a company I used to work at that took 24 hours to repair! (but we saved all the data, thanks to DW)
As for the complaint above, by someone not the OP, about the cost, how much is your data worth to you? Your decision, and there are no warranties involved when you are dealing with 1s and 0s on a spinning platter. However, DW is considered by many to be the best choice in this situation. Of course, many people also recommend having your data backed up in at least 2 or 3 separate locations too.:)
 
calderone said:
That sounds like a problem with DiskWarrior, not Disk Utility. Pretty daft to suggest that the utility built in for correcting logical volume issues is somehow worthless.
Click to expand...

No, because they explain that other tools modify the disk trying to repair in place and then give up.

DiskWarrior does not do the recovery in place, but gives you a preview that you can choose to commit.
 
How important are your files? If they have substantial personal or professional value, I would use a company that specializes in data recovery systems as opposed to doing it yourself, as many of them are very good at what they do. The problem is that this can get very, very expensive. You will spend at least $100, and I have heard of people spending in the thousands to recover files from unusual head crashes. This def shows the importance of backing up.

Personally, I would throw the hard drive away once you get the files off of it and use a new one; the mouse may have caused an existing part to fail or the timing may be coincidental. The WD Black line seems to be pretty reliable and its somewhat cheap, but no HDD has anywhere near the reliability/durability of a good SSD, which is why I use a SSD myself. Still I back-up all files but having that extra security makes me feel better, especially for 'mission-critical' data.
 
yeh I fully intend on a new HDD once my data is recovered, and as much as I didn't want to spend the $$$ I'm never buying a platter based HDD again after this, I just have no idea who to contact, and I'm in Australia so anyone you recommend is probably too far away
 
Yeah it would be some major shipping to get it to anyone I have used, and if possible I would avoid shipping it simply due to the additional impact. Some eBay sellers guarantee results or your money back but I have no first hand experiences.

If you are on a budget, a HDD is surely the way to go. I've previously used the WD Caviar and Scorpio Black with great success; many people on here like the SpinPoint and Momentus as well, among others. You can get these things for 50 USD new if you shop a bit and as a general rule, they will run faster, longer, and more silently than the factory drives. The 7200 RPM Caviar does not make audible noise that I can hear, but that is just my individual hearing so some people will say the opposite.
 
well tbh this is the firs HDD I've ever had fail, and whenever I buy a HDD it's a WD, I can get one for $60 here (which was super cheap until the AUD surpassed the USD :p and it's still pretty cheap) in fact to be honest when I saw the HDD that came in my laptop was an Hitachi I felt a little uncomfortable.

and I'm almost regretting not going with an SSD when I ordered it (I'm lazy so I would have just gone with the Apple one) 'cause I almost did but in the end I couldn't justify the extra $1,500 when without it the machine was only about $3,200 I was soooo close to getting the SSD it's not funny so maybe I can use this as an excuse to shell out for an SSD now.

I'm still going to call Apple Care (they should open any min) and see what they can do 'cause I'd rather have it fixed for free before I spend any money on it (or maybe have Apple pay for the data recovery ;) 'cause all this started with a failed Time Machine backup :mad:
 
calderone said:
That sounds like a problem with DiskWarrior, not Disk Utility. Pretty daft to suggest that the utility built in for correcting logical volume issues is somehow worthless.
Click to expand...

This,
I have never had any issues. They probably just say that to make people only use/trust DiskWarrior.
 
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