I've got an 80 GB external USB 2.0 Loadstar hard drive hooked up to my 'puter.
Previously, it was FAT32 formatted, with three partitions. I didn't want three partitions, and I didn't want it to be FAT32 formatted either, since this means I can't add it to my 'Private' folders in Spotlight.
Therefore, I copied all the stuff I had on it to my internal hard drive, DVD's, iPod, etc., and went to format the drive.
Being new to formatting drives on a Mac, I just guessed my way (which might not have been all that clever, retrospectively): I opened Disk Utility, selected the drive, and did an Erase (Delete Data) in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) 'mode'.
Okay, a couple of hours later, it's done writing zeros, and I expect to be able to go back and partition the drive like I want (ie. one partition).
But no - to my dismay, it won't make the drive active, and suggests I run First Aid. Running First Aid, it gives me this most informative of messages:
Verifying volume “disk1s3”
Invalid Volume Header
The volume needs to be repaired.
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
1 HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair
Aha, it reported failure on exit. I see. Err...
Anyway, I try to do a Repair Disk, and get this:
Verify and Repair disk “disk1s3”
Invalid Volume Header
Volume check failed.
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
1 HFS volume checked
1 volume could not be repaired because of an error
Hm, also a no-go.
I then try to partition the drive anyway, thinking that it can't hurt, since currently, the drive is unusable, and maybe it just means that the volume header is invalid because there are no partitions on the drive or something (did I mention I don't know the first thing about hard drives and partitioning and all that?).
I make one partition, name it 'Video', and click 'Partition'. It starts the process all right, but after about three or four seconds, the status indicator seems to just stop moving, and the red/green flashing on the activity indicator on the hard drive becomes a constant red light, which usually means that it's stuck and won't get any further. Still, I leave it to its business and go read a book in the meantime.
When I come back, I see that it's done, and I think, “Great!”. Only it's not so great: there's still no real partition, only the 'fake' one strangely named disk1s3 (a name I certainly never gave it!), and I still can't mount neither the drive nor the ('fake') partition; I get the same error messages as before.
So, after this far too lengthy introduction, my question to the external hard drive gurus of the boards (of which I am hoping there are many) is this: Is my hard drive as good as dead, and completely unusable, or is there some way for me to get it back? And if there is, how?