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hart · Dec 26, 2007, 05:08 PM

here's the story: my roughly 2 year old powerBook won't start up. It's running some version of 10.4, I've forgotten which. Starting from the install disk I get the following when running Disk Utility:

Invalid Volume Header

Invalid key length
Volume check failed

Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit.

My theory is that cats napping on the keyboard somehow typed something in that caused this as the problem started after the powerBook was sitting open on my desk.

Other threads with similar topics recommend buying Disk Warrior. Unfortunately, now I know why I never bought it: Yoiks, $100!. I'm not really eager to shell out $100 at the moment. Is this really the only option? I hate paying someone else to fix it but they'd probably charge $100 anyway. TechTool Pro comes up during my searches. Is this app good, better, worse?

I only feel mildly smug that I've diligently backed up all the photos on this machine. I haven't bothered with a full disk back up in 6 months or so. I guess I get 1/2 credit for back-up preparedness.

Amorya · Dec 26, 2007, 05:14 PM

DiskWarrior's never yet failed me. Make of that what you will...

reader50 · Dec 26, 2007, 06:48 PM

Disk directory damage is not caused by typing unexpected characters on the keyboard. It comes from the system crashing during a disk-write operation, buggy drivers, or a hardware issue like a power interruption.

DiskWarrior is the best repair utility around. TechTool Pro will usually get the job done too, but it's not as good. It does do a few other things that DW doesn't do.

TETENAL · Dec 26, 2007, 06:52 PM

If you have a recent backup you can simply format the disk and restore from the backup. That's free.

hart · Dec 26, 2007, 07:10 PM

Urgh. I'd prefer not to zap the various bits and pieces that aren't on my backup. But that WOULD be $100 NOT down the drain.

Formatting sounds quick and simple, however destructive of data. Is it possible that I'd still have to go get Disk Warrior or is this the kind of thing that would be fixed by formatting if it was fixable at all?

I've actually never had a disk problem (sound of wood being knocked on) with 6 or 7 Macs and even one Dell lingering unattractively amongst the Apple beauties. Not to mention a rotating pack of external drives. I always look on these things as learning experiences and usually try to fix my own problems.

TETENAL · Dec 26, 2007, 07:34 PM

There is no file system issue that a disk repair software could solve but formating couldn't. If you reformat you don't need Disk Warrior. If that doesn't help then the drive is failing in hardware.

reader50 · Dec 26, 2007, 07:55 PM

How valuable is your work (data) to you? I consider Disk Warrior to be a one-time insurance payment. It need only save a single recent file to pay for itself, depending on how much you needed that file, and how little time you have to recreate it.

I've never regretted paying for Disk Warrior.

amazing · Dec 26, 2007, 07:56 PM

Wouldn't an archive-and-install work and also preserve the data at the same time?

TETENAL · Dec 26, 2007, 08:03 PM

Archive & Install doesn't work of course. It doesn't fix file system issues.

hart · Dec 28, 2007, 10:53 AM

OK, I'm off to the Apple store today for my copy of Disk Warrior.

Big Mac · Dec 28, 2007, 11:43 AM

Disk Warrior saved my iBook's drive from an errant installer that crashed in OS 9. It wouldn't boot until I ran Disk Utility. The very same drive is still working years later, and that was the only maintenance I ever performed on it.

forkies · Dec 28, 2007, 01:59 PM

if there were one thing to make me consider a super-being's existence, it'd be disk warrior.
that and hedgehogs.

hart · Dec 29, 2007, 12:37 PM

OK, "NO progress" report.

I seem to be sinking deeper. First time through with Disk Warrior the app stalled out in the middle. After quite a long time trying to create a directory with a window saying step 5 looking for disk info (or something like that) and a progress bar saying speed delays from disk errors or something similar and a number that slowly climed to 140 the spinning mac OS rainbow ball appeared and no further progress was made. I restarted the whole process but this time the only disk found by DW was itself. Clearly not a good sign.

Now I'm going to get the disk out (one useful thing I found out: holding down the click button on the track pad during start up ejects any disk in the CD drive) and read the manual which is not-so-conveniently on the application disk itself in PDF form. However, meanwhile I was lying awake last night thinking maybe I could start up the powerBook in firewire disk mode from another computer that can run DW more efficiently. Is this a possible procedure?

Thanks.

angelmb · Dec 29, 2007, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by hart

However, meanwhile I was lying awake last night thinking maybe I could start up the powerBook in firewire disk mode from another computer that can run DW more efficiently. Is this a possible procedure?

Thanks.

Yes, it is possible, DiskWarrior would see the PowerBook as another hard disk, kinda like if you had installed DiskWarrior onto an external hard disk to repair the internal one. As stated on DW manual:

Directory cannot be rebuilt because DiskWarrior resides on this disk.

DiskWarrior cannot rebuild the directory of the disk on which it resides. To rebuild the directory of this disk, copy DiskWarrior to another disk, such as a FireWire disk, and run that copy of DiskWarrior.

Good luck.

reader50 · Dec 29, 2007, 01:43 PM

hart, check the SMART status for your HD. With DW having trouble, the chances of it being a hardware issue have gone up. SMART is the drive's built-in diagnostics. You can check them two ways:

Boot from the DW disk. Select the Hardware tab, choose your HD from the popup (if it appears) and click "Test Device".
Or boot from the OSX Install Disk, and use Disk Utility - it's available in the Installer's menu bar. Select the hardware icon for your internal HD (not the volume icon below the hardware icon). The "SMART Status" will be shown at the bottom of Disk Utility.

AKcrab · Dec 29, 2007, 02:08 PM

Your drive is bad. I would stop trying to fix it and start thinking about recovering your data.

Sherman Homan · Dec 29, 2007, 02:28 PM

Sounds like your hard drive is failing. You must (IMHO) start up in Target Mode for the Firewire trick. Copy your entire Home Directory onto the other Mac, immediately. Do not continue to try to repair the drive until you have backed up as much of that folder as you can. Then you can try to run DW. If DW succeeds, then you have dodged a bullet. But remember, the repair process is a bit of a workout for your drive.
If, as reader50 suggests, the SMART status is failing, no repair will work. Get a new drive!