Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > macOS > Unable to Repair external HD

Unable to Repair external HD
Thread Tools
mkerr64
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 8, 2010, 03:27 PM
 
Hi there

I have a 2TB external Western Digital MyBook drive and just yesterday it "disappeared" from my desktop... I am using it at my backup and has some other important information on it.

I go to Disk Utilities and try and repair it.... however i only get this error
Whoops! - TinyGrab

What can i do to fix it/ recover the data?
Should i try use a program such as Drive Genius and "Duplicate" the data to another drive?

Any help would be of great help !!!
Thanks allot !!!
( Last edited by mkerr64; Oct 8, 2010 at 03:37 PM. )
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
AKcrab
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Wasilla, Alaska
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 8, 2010, 04:42 PM
 
Your drive is hosed. You could try having Disk Warrior attempt a repair, which may get it to a point where you can get data off, or get it to a point where you could try Data Rescue and recover data.

(Both of those are commercial programs available for $100.)
     
flmiller
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Somewhere in Time
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 8, 2010, 04:43 PM
 
This sounds like a problem DiskWarrior can handle - maybe. That said, I would certainly try to retrieve any critical files from the disk before attempting any fixes. One of the Mac data recovery programs, e.g. Data Recovery from ProSoft, might work. Recent WD drives (probably the enclosures and WD installed software) have been problematic for me. HTH.

Frank
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 8, 2010, 07:28 PM
 
RMA. Start the process now, even as you try to get some data off it. WD has a service where they send you the replacement drive first - invaluable for copying any data you might be able to recover.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
amazing
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 8, 2010, 10:46 PM
 
If for some reason you can't do an RMA (perhaps you don't want to send the HD back because it has sensitive data on it) I suspect that the enclosure may have died on you (not the HD).

We've got a couple of dual-interface My Books where one of the interfaces is dead, but the other interface works (the HD is OK.)
     
mkerr64  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 8, 2010, 10:56 PM
 
Thank you so much. I will give Disk Worrier a try tomorrow or when i have a chance.. but if anyone else has any other recommendations please pass them on
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 9, 2010, 08:09 AM
 
Originally Posted by mkerr64 View Post
Disk Worrier
This is a way better name than the official one.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
mkerr64  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 9, 2010, 08:41 PM
 
I got this as an error...
Whoops! - TinyGrab

i know i have about 30gb of free space on that drive only.... could that be the reason of the error?
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
reader50
Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 9, 2010, 08:51 PM
 
That error refers to computer RAM. Your sig doesn't say how much RAM you have installed. DiskWarrior ran out of memory space to hold the drive's directory tree during the repair.

You can reboot from the DiskWarrior CD as suggested. If you don't have it on CD, then quit everything else you can. The Finder too, using TinkerTool or Onyx or other utility to add the Quit command. Lot out from all other user accounts. Then try rebuilding again.
     
mkerr64  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 9, 2010, 08:57 PM
 
I have 8gb of RAM in my Nehalem Mac Pro (quad)

Whoops! - TinyGrab
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
Doc Juansinn
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: A crappy place in Canada
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 10, 2010, 12:26 AM
 
I've encountered this DiskWarrior error as well. I had plenty of RAM, but the hard disk was getting close to being full. There was what appeared to be plenty of free space to write an optimized directory, however DiskWarrior just wouldn't finish the job. I finally figured out that the drive was so full and badly fragmented that there wasn't enough contiguous free space for the rebuilt directory. I deleted a rather large file (a disc image that I could easily replace) and ran DiskWarrior again. Then it worked fine.

If you have a 1.82TB disk and have only 30GB free, your fragmentation of available free space might be the issue.
     
mkerr64  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 10, 2010, 01:15 AM
 
Originally Posted by Dr. Wahnsinn View Post
I've encountered this DiskWarrior error as well. I had plenty of RAM, but the hard disk was getting close to being full. There was what appeared to be plenty of free space to write an optimized directory, however DiskWarrior just wouldn't finish the job. I finally figured out that the drive was so full and badly fragmented that there wasn't enough contiguous free space for the rebuilt directory. I deleted a rather large file (a disc image that I could easily replace) and ran DiskWarrior again. Then it worked fine.

If you have a 1.82TB disk and have only 30GB free, your fragmentation of available free space might be the issue.
I've got a file which should be about 1.5 tb which i can delete however i cannot excess the drive. How can i delete it, its the TimeMachine Backup files?
only the "other" 200gb or so are important
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
reader50
Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 10, 2010, 01:46 AM
 
That is not so good. Where do you get the memory error, when DW tries to write the new directory? If so, right before that step it offers you the chance to "preview" the repaired drive. Clicking on the Preview button will mount a virtual copy of the repaired drive on your Desktop. And you could copy the 200 GB from the preview drive to somewhere safe. Then reformat the 2 TB drive and forget about the repair.

If you're getting the error before it offers a preview option ... you might have to use Data Rescue to get the important data. With the drive not mounting, there is no obvious way to delete files or copy to another drive. And you certainly can't defragment a damaged drive even if it mounted.

hmm ... if you had a larger drive available, such as one of those 3 TB Seagate externals, or a RAID drive. You might be able to do a block copy from the damaged 2 TB drive to the bigger volume, then enlarge the partition to match the bigger volume size. Disk Warrior would then have free space to work in. This might work if Disk Utility will do a block copy from an unmounted drive.
     
mkerr64  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 10, 2010, 02:43 AM
 
Originally Posted by reader50 View Post
That is not so good. Where do you get the memory error, when DW tries to write the new directory? If so, right before that step it offers you the chance to "preview" the repaired drive. Clicking on the Preview button will mount a virtual copy of the repaired drive on your Desktop. And you could copy the 200 GB from the preview drive to somewhere safe. Then reformat the 2 TB drive and forget about the repair.

If you're getting the error before it offers a preview option ... you might have to use Data Rescue to get the important data. With the drive not mounting, there is no obvious way to delete files or copy to another drive. And you certainly can't defragment a damaged drive even if it mounted.

hmm ... if you had a larger drive available, such as one of those 3 TB Seagate externals, or a RAID drive. You might be able to do a block copy from the damaged 2 TB drive to the bigger volume, then enlarge the partition to match the bigger volume size. Disk Warrior would then have free space to work in. This might work if Disk Utility will do a block copy from an unmounted drive.
The error comes up when i go to --> directory --> select drive --> Rebuild it (Whoops! - TinyGrab)
it runs for about 10 min and gets the error. I have not witnessed the "preview" feature

should i try and go under "files" or "Hardware" the drive is not present..

I have another 8TB drive which i can transfer to if necessary. How would you do a block copy using Disc Utilities?

Thank you so much for the help
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
reader50
Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 10, 2010, 02:55 AM
 
The Preview option comes up at the end of the rebuild. It gives the Alsoft DiskWarrior Report window, with details on the results. You have buttons to [Cancel] or [Replace], and there are square icons for [Details] and [Preview].

If Disk Utility can do a block copy from an unmounted drive, it would be in the Restore tab. Use the unmounted drive as the source, and the RAID volume as the target. If it works, the target will get wiped and replaced by the 2 TB drive, so make sure that RAID volume contains nothing of value.

I don't know if Disk Utility will allow a block copy from an unmounted drive though. If it does, the RAID volume will not mount either after the copy is done. If it worked, you'd use Disk Utility's partition tab to grow the partition size. Then finally use Disk Warrior on it.

I've never tried this trick, so there's no guarantee it will work.
     
AKcrab
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Wasilla, Alaska
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 10, 2010, 04:28 AM
 
I'm pretty sure Disk Utility won't copy a drive that won't mount.
     
mkerr64  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 10, 2010, 01:41 PM
 
How would I be able to select an image if it cannot be mounted .. and the destination is simple the 8tb drive, if so how would I be able to select it? Whoops! - TinyGrab

Since i cannot "preview" anything i've decided to go with Data Rescue II... Currently I am doing an "Thorough Analyze" to see if it can spot anything.. 7.4 hours to go.. yay
or should i be doing a clone??
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
seanc
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Cambridge, UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 10, 2010, 02:01 PM
 
Originally Posted by mkerr64 View Post
How would I be able to select an image if it cannot be mounted .. and the destination is simple the 8tb drive, if so how would I be able to select it? Whoops! - TinyGrab
Drag it over from the left hand column?
     
reader50
Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 10, 2010, 02:17 PM
 
If it won't drag, try typing in the name (assuming Disk Utility sees the name). Or type the bsd drive name. I didn't have the guts to try it on my system, since I don't have a spare drive to overwrite.

Long scan runs with Data Rescue are normal, especially for huge drives. Let it keep going.
     
mkerr64  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 10, 2010, 02:54 PM
 
I will let data rescue continue.6 hrs left 1/2
if all else fails i will do a block copy via disc utilities
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
AKcrab
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Wasilla, Alaska
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 10, 2010, 04:48 PM
 
Just for future reference, there is a bug in 10.6 (maybe earlier) that refuses to let you drag/drop into the source and destination fields in Disk Utility when attempting to restore.

If this happens, you should still be able to ctrl-click on the volumes in the left column and choose "set as destination" and "set as source".

If Data Rescue has been going this long, I'm pretty sure it's going to recover what you need. I certainly would NOT trust this drive any more.
     
mkerr64  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 11, 2010, 12:13 AM
 
it started to slow down... im at 2/2 4.5 hours to go and its been creeping down very slowly... .1 hr per like 30 min
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
reader50
Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 11, 2010, 12:46 AM
 
Let it run. Under the circumstances, Data Rescue is your best bet anyway. I tried to come up with the other method in case you didn't want to buy DR.
     
mkerr64  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 11, 2010, 10:33 AM
 
From doing this long analysis.. this is what i got... i dont think it was of any use
Whoops! - TinyGrab
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
Cold Warrior
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Polwaristan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 11, 2010, 10:34 AM
 
If you use the img tags not an http link, you can insert pictures inline with your post like so:
     
mkerr64  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 11, 2010, 11:00 AM
 
ok thanks, ill keep that in mind for next time

But what does this "Media Access Time" mean to me?
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
reader50
Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 11, 2010, 01:49 PM
 
Data Rescue should present a folder tree, with files. Check other windows - I haven't used DR in awhile, but that window is not the one you want. Do NOT quite Data Rescue - you'd have to scan all over again.
     
mkerr64  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 11, 2010, 02:07 PM
 
Dont worry she is still running hahha

i cant seem to find that folder tree...

here are my options for the time being


What else should i try and do with Data Rescue before attempting block copy?
( Last edited by mkerr64; Oct 13, 2010 at 02:16 PM. )
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
mkerr64  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 18, 2010, 12:42 AM
 
anyone??
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
reader50
Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 18, 2010, 01:09 AM
 
With the scan file open, click on the drive name above: "WD My Book Media". It looks like the found file tree will appear in the blank box to the right. Navigate to the files you want, select them, and recover to a different drive.

I haven't had to use Data Rescue in awhile, I don't recall where every control is. I was hoping someone with more recent experience would speak up.
     
   
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:54 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,