How to mount internal Powerbook drive
 

I've had problems with my Powerbook and this is my current situation.

My internal disk drive is not mounted. Moreover, when I use Disk Utility, and select it and choose "mount", nothing happens.

I am currently booting up OS X from an external firewire drive. I would like to know how to mount the internal drive so I can reinstall Mac OS X.

If you don't need any data off of the disk, go into Disk Utility and start over by erasing the drive.

I have erased the drive (using Disk Utility) but that doesn't seem to help.

One thing I find curious is that it doesn't rename the volume. It's name is "Macintosh HD". When I try to erase and give the volume a new name (say "PowerbookHD"), the erase program works as usual, but in the end the name of the volume stays the same.

In case this helps anyone to help me, here's some info which may or may not be relevant.

In Terminal when I type "diskutil list" I get:

/dev/disk0
#: type name size identifier
0: Apple_partition_scheme *74.5 GB disk0
1: Apple_partition_map etc.
2: Apple_Driver43 etc.
3: Apple_Driver43 etc.
4: Apple_Driver_ATA etc.
5: Apple_Driver_ATA etc.
6: Apple_FWDriver etc.
7: Apple_Driver_IOKit etc.
8: Apple_Patches etc.
9: Apple_HFS Macintosh HD 74.5 GB disk0s9
/dev/disk1
etc.
5: Apple_HFS LaCie Disk 233.7 GB disk1s6

It's disk0s9 which I want to mount. disk1s6 is the external disk from which I'm starting up.

When I type "/bin/ls -lq /Volumes" I get:

total 0
drwxr-xr-x 3 root wheel 102 Apr 10 13:45 Macintosh HD

When I type "/bin/df" I get:

Filesystem 512-blocks Used Avail Capacity Mounted on
/dev/disk1s6 490186944 126142272 363532672 25% /
devfs 195 195 0 100% /dev
fdesc 2 2 0 100% /dev
<volfs> 1024 1024 0 100% /.vol

When I type "diskutil info disk0s9" I get (I'm suppressing blank lines):

Device Node: /dev/disk0s9
Device Identifier: disk0s9
Mount Point:
Volume Name: Macintosh HD
can't open: /dev/disk0s (Permission denied)
File System: HFS+
Partition Type: Apple_HFS
Media Type: Generic
Protocol: ATA
Total Size: 74.5 GB
Free Space: 0.0 B
Read Only: No
Ejectable: No

When I type "sudo diskutil info disk0s9" I get:


Device Node: /dev/disk0s9
Device Identifier: disk0s9
Mount Point:
Volume Name: Macintosh HD
File System: HFS+ (Journaled)
Partition Type: Apple_HFS
Media Type: Generic
Protocol: ATA
Total Size: 74.5 GB
Free Space: 0.0 B
Read Only: No
Ejectable: No


The command "diskutil mount /dev/disk0s9" has no effect. On the other hand "diskutil verifyDisk /dev/disk0s9" works and reports no errors.

I have to ask...how do you know it's not mounted? Is it because it isn't showing up on the Desktop?

Chris

The volume doesn't show up on the Desktop.

In Disk Utility the volume is listed as Not Mounted (and doesn't mount when you use the Mount command).

When booted up with the T key held down, another computer cannot read the volume.

And it has no mount point when you ask with diskutil.

Note: using the following will remove EVERYTHING from this hard drive, you should then make sure you have backed up what you want backed up.

Something to try: Go to the Partition tab. Click on Volume Scheme, and change to 2 volumes. Then click on the Partition button. This will create 2 partitions. If this is successful, do this again to revert to a single partition, choosing 1 partition under Volume Scheme. Now you should shutdown, so the drive will also shut completely down. restart, and your hard drive name should now be 'Untitled' and you can rename it whatever you like.

DeltaMac: Thanks for your suggestion. I had a try, but it didn't work. I've never partitioned my drives before, so I can't be sure, but it seems to me the first step (partitioning into two) didn't work. That is, I chose "2 partitions" in volume scheme and clicked on Partition. I got the message "Preparing drive...unmounting old volumes" and the "Macintosh HD" line, under "74.53 GB Hitachi" (my internal drive), disappeared from the list on the left. But when the procedure had finished, the list on the left reverted to what it was before, with "Macintosh HD" under "74.53 GB Hitachi."

Just to be sure I continued the steps you suggested, partitioning into one and then rebooting. But the end result is the same situation as before.

Well, OK ? Now go back to Disk Utility. Go to the erase tab, click on your drive, and then click on the Options button. Select the box 'Zero All Data', and click 'OK', and then click on the Erase button. This 'Zero' option will probably take a couple of hours, maybe longer, so if it's done in less than a minute, you know something is really wrong.
You have never said if you see the box asking if you know that all data will be lost... This will always come up when starting an erase/partition.

DeltaMac, I chose the Zero all data option and hit "Erase". I got the pop-up saying "Erasing a disk will destroy all information on the volumes of the disk. Are you sure you wish to erase the disk '74.53 GB Histachi'?" I hit "Erase". It's now twirling away. I see "Setting up partition map", "Creating Filesystem", and a minute or so later it's done.

And, I'm guessing, is still named Macintosh HD??
What is the result when you try to Repair the Disk (from the first Aid tab)?

My guess is - pass or fail, replace the hard drive.

Yes it is still named "Macintosh HD".

Repair => I'm not in front of my Powerbook, but from memory when I ask to "Verify" it outputs very normal-looking lines (Verifying Category?) and says at the end it has found no errors. I've tried maybe once or twice to "Repair" and (again from memory) it outputs pretty much the same lines and finds nothing to repair.

Replacing the HD doesn't break my heart, especially if I can get in a 100 G drive...

But my impression is the HD was working perfectly and the original problem came from the Mail application, so my impression is that the HD is actually in fine working order (well sort of!), if only I could talk to it in the right way.

If you can't erase/format the hard drive, that is a serious issue. It is certainly not in 'fine working order'

OK. Sorry I had to ask the stupid question. I thought maybe your Finder prefs were set not to display hard drives on the desktop and that the disk was, in fact, mounted.

Chris

Perhaps you should try running the Hardware test that came with your system. At least that way you would know it isn't a hardware issue.

Rather than trying this from your Firewire drive, what happens when you boot the Powerbook from the system CD that came with it? You could also try a general system CD, but one designed for a specific model may not work. For example, the system CD that came with my laptop will not boot my G4 tower.

"Perhaps you should try running the Hardware test that came with your system. At least that way you would know it isn't a hardware issue."

Good suggestion! Unfortunately, I can't find it. I can find the Hardware test disk for my old Ibook and for my Imac, but not for my Powerbook. I don't suppose I could download it from somewhere and then burn a CD or DVD ?

"Rather than trying this from your Firewire drive, what happens when you boot the Powerbook from the system CD that came with it?"

Do you mean the CD which installs OS X? It boots and gets me into Installer. When I run the Install procedure, I get to the point where I should be able to choose a disk on which to install - but there is no disk to choose.

yep, that's the one. Boot from it and look under the file menu, you will find Disk Utility. Do this instead of running the installer.

Here's some more info, if it helps anyone.

When I'm in single user mode, "Pdisk /dev/rdisk0 -dump" gives:

disk0: 0x8 (Undefined).
disk0: 0x8 (Undefined).
disk0: 0x8 (Undefined).
disk0: 0x8 (Undefined).
disk0: 0x8 (Undefined).
disk0: 0x8 (Undefined).
disk0: 0x8 (Undefined).
disk0: 0x8 (Undefined).
disk0: 0x8 (Undefined).
/dev/rdisk0 map block size = 512
# type name length base (size)
1: Apple_partition_map Apple 63@1
etc.
9: Apple_HFS Untitled 156299656@1824(74.5G)
10: Apple_Free 0+@ 156301480
Device block size etc.

depending on the model of the powerbook it is possible that your AHT is on the disk labelled as software install and restore. Not sure if this is your model but you could check (ie this may be why you can't find the disk. see this link http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86645

"yep, that's the one. Boot from it and look under the file menu, you will find Disk Utility. Do this instead of running the installer."

Yes I've done that many times. Under "Hitachi" I have "Macintosh HD" but greyed out. I can't erase or mount.

Chutem - yes thanks, I found it. I'm running the extended test now.

Damn. On running Apple Hardware Test there does seem to be an error.

Mass storage: Error detected.

***ERROR*CODE***ERROR*CODE***
2STF/8/3:ATA-100 ata-6- Master

***ERROR*CODE***ERROR*CODE***

I guess that's bad?!!

I found this on the web here (it's in French)

http://forum.macbidouille.com/lofive...hp/t65825.html

He got the same error message as me. He had to replace his hard disk - his apparently was still under guarantee, but mine is 18 months old. I found this part interesting (I'm translating):

"I'd like to repeat one thing the technician told me...apparently there's a series of IBM/Hitachi 80 Go hard drives which come back a lot. They have even named it 'deathstar' (rather than deskstar)."

Effing Apple !!!

I would imagine that means that your drive has something bad with it. I don't know what the error means, but the fact that the hardware test found it would indeed suggest it is a drive issue. The good news is that it shouldn't be that difficult for you to replace the hard drive yourself. This is unfortunately something that can happen. Hard drives fail...I think you should have plenty of replacement options though.

Thanks very much for all your help !! It was much appreciated!

I ms hsving this same problem with HD having essentially disappeared. when i run disk util from the system CD it doesn't even see it. i backed up a week ago and even though it will really stink to lose this last weeks work, it's not the end of the world. having a $2k paperweight is. can anyone help?

Three questions:
1. What happens on boot?
2. Can you hear the drive running?
3. Do you have an external or the install CDs?

yes. boot from and can't reinstall os and can't see drive in disk util.

The flashing question mark means that your computer can't find a system to boot from. This can happen even if you have a usable system on your machine if it is looking for the wrong one.

You can possibly solve this by holding down the option key at boot. With luck, you'll get a list of bootable systems (for example, all the partitions that have a system will appear across the screen). This boot will take a bit of time. See if you get a system that appears. If you get more than one, try them one at a time to see if you can get your computer to boot. If it boots, you should be good to go.

If you can't see your HD when booted from your install CD, make sure your CD is for the computer you have. Some CDs will not boot some computers, so you either need a full system CD, or the one that came with your computer, not one that was meant for a different one.

Let us know what you find out. Oh, and please give your specs, hardware type, OS version, etc.

huummm #:-???
 

I have been getting a similar problem with a powerbook.. This machine fails to boot, showing the flashing question mark.. When the OS X install disk is inserted, installation cannot be performed as the ATA hard disk cannot be detected. The disk tools within the installation program can only display the DVD / CD drive and with no amount of fiddeling will enable the hard disk to be displayed.

When I eventually succeeded to boot from a OS 9 disk, the desktop appears with no hard disk. All the diagnosis tools provided with this OS point to the fact that the drive is unmounted.

I am relatively new to these machines, and thus do not know how to enter a terminal and re-mount the device. I have tried all the obvious GUI methods that I could think of with no success. - erm, can you please explain to me how to do this?

We tested the powerbook with the hardware tests CD, passing with flying colours, unfortunately it seams the tests are unable to pickup filesystem problems.

This problem has happened before to the laptop in question, the user informing me that it can correct itself, it would seam by fluke. using a process of booting from the OS X CD, restarting, opening / closing CD tray, holding option key, etc, etc until the smiley face and normal booting resumes..??

Unfortunately this is no longer the case, with none of the old tricks working. The fact that this intermittent fault can sometimes be solved as above leads me to believe that the problem could be hardware related??

Your advice is warmly welcomed!

Yes - it seems likely that the drive is failing intermittently. I have heard of older drives having "sticktion" problems.
I would replace the drive as soon as possible.

One thing you could try in the meantime is to mount the drive on another Mac using firewire "target disk mode":
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58583

Please post your computer's model and specs. Does there seem to be a run of bad hard drives in Powerbooks recently??

Intermittent problems are the worst! :mad:

Have you gone through the trouble-shooting list posted here? It is a bit long, you may want to skip to the last couple of pages.

I called tech support one time years ago and a technician told me the same thing, suggesting I take the drive out, hold it about three feet above the desktop, and drop it. :eek: At the time, I thought maybe the janitor had answered the phone and was playing a joke on me. :rolleyes:

How old is your drive?

Hi, Have just been informed that the machine is 3 years old, and is the original drive. ..

ibook G3.
500Mhz
256Mb
15Gb
DVD

Just had a quick look at the trouble shooting list.. looks like the main advice is to run a filesystem check such as "Disk Warrior", "Norton" or "TechTool/Drive 10",...

I'm unsure if these would work as no volume's are mounted.. Is there anyway to mount unmounted volume's yourself, through a terminal for instance, :confused: or do mac's rely on automatic detection only?

Also, on a mac are these utilities available on self booting CD's?? :confused:

If you boot off the OS Install disk, you are booting off a 'self-booting CD', aren't you? Not sure what you mean by this.

You aren't going to be able to issue any commands that aren't already issued when booting off the install CD. If you want to try it, boot into single user mode by holding down the apple and the 'S' key (together) after the computer chimes during startup. If you get anything then, we might have something to go on.

If you have another Mac, you can try hooking up your laptop and starting it in FireWire mode (hold down the apple and 'T' keys at the same during boot). The laptop might become available as an external drive to the other Mac.

Jono, Macs are really good at automount. If a volume is readable, it'll show up. If it doesn't, there's a problem. And while 3 years is on the early end, there are a lot of drives that fail after that much time, especially in a portable computer that's always getting banged around. Booting from the OS X installer disc and using Disk Utility can at least tell if you the hard drive is functioning. If it doesn't even show up there, you've either got an IDE bus problem (not likely) or a dead hard drive. If it does, you can try Disk Utility's Repair feature or a fancier utility like DiskWarrior.

The problem is, as the originator of this thread seems to have experienced, sometimes the device is still responsive -- the computer knows it's there and can talk to it -- but it just doesn't work. Evidence of this is, for example, when you are unable to format the drive.

In my experience, with hard drives there really aren't that many things you can try. If the device has failed, it's usually pretty obvious and nothing will bring it back to life. If the problem is just data corruption, DiskWarrior is the best utility out there (and it comes on a bootable CD). Disk Utility's Repair feature can do pretty well too though.

I was asking if the utilities disk would boot the system... perhaps if OS 9 is actually bootable the operating system CD can be removed and the disk utilities can be run? If the OS can function resident in memory.

I have been unable to boot OS X from the install CD, holding 'c' during boot simply loads the installer... :o Guess this is correct... :confused: from this state the drive door button is unresponsive.. if I can get the door to open, are other programs executable from this primitive OS (the installer boot) :confused: (doubt it..)

If I get a prompt, does anyone know the command to mount a drive?
Unfortunately, none of the GUI functions will detect this disk.

I suspect a faulty device, "sticktion" seams the most likely.. on power on, unusual mechanical noises can be heard originating from the disk.. I now presume these must be the read / write heads trying to maneuver??

Or, and predominately more dangerous, the centre baring may have gone and the disk is now unable to turn.... :( the noises being the heads moving usually just unable to pick up any data. .... In normal operation with these laptops, do the disks only rotate when data is required or do they continue to turn until sleep mode is entered?? - if they keep turning, further diagnosis may be possible by listening to machine upclose,...(for that high pitched hard drive spinning sound, I guess)

If this is the case, and the disk hauled I guess its unrecoverable... I contacted the user last night with the potential remedy of tappin the powerbook fairly hard underneath with the intention of freeing the heads,,,... unfortunately she's had no luck :(

I read a similar case study, where this looks to have been the cure... quoting..

source: http://listserver.themacintoshguy.co...st/009289.html

Erm, Guess this also just answered my question about the disk utilities booting :rolleyes:

& giskard, thanks... sori, guess hadn't woken up when read your post earlier :o

No problem. If you're hearing unusual noises from a hard drive -- assuming you have a good feel for what "usual" noises sound like -- that's a terrible sign. Time to replace it, whether it's completely failed already or not. If you've got any really crucial data on it, you can try Drivesavers, but it'll cost you a pretty penny.

I might not be understanding you here, but it seems as if you have a slight misunderstanding of what tools you have available. Don't worry about the OS9 Utilities disk, you don't need that. The OSX Disk Utility program is actually on the OSX install CD and IS available when you boot your computer with it. So instead of proceeding with the install, you can look under your (File?) menu and launch Disk Utilities from there.

Yeah, that disk tool does not recognize anything other than the CD DVD drive. :mad:

I'm fairly sure this is because the volume contained on it is not mounted. .. the only thing left to try, besides :eek: dropping it down a flight of stairs, it seams is to try and manually mount the device using a terminal.

Dunno if anyone could help me with a command, or point me in the right direction for reference. :o

You may use the command line tool 'diskutil' from a terminal session. Unfortunately you have a boot-strap problem; you need a bootable system to run Terminal in.

I would suggest connecting your laptop to another Mac with a firewire cable, booting the laptop into Target Disk Mode, and attempting to mount it that way. You can simply type 'diskutil' at the command line to get a list of possible options.

This won't do anything that the system itself hasn't tried generally, but you can have the satisfaction of banging on it yourself.

If your drive spins, there is a good chance that other disk utility programs will be able to get the data off of it. I have had good luck with Data Rescue X myself, though Disk Warrior seems to be the program of choice around here. These will often work even when the system can't mount the drive.

Good luck!

Jono, you seem a little obsessed with getting the volume to "mount", and we can all assure you that if your Mac isn't automatically mounting the volume it's because there's a problem with it. :) Your Mac will refuse to mount the volume until repairs are made, if that's even possible.

Boot from your OS X cd again and open Disk Utility. It doesn't just look for volumes (which are the logical segments of disks). It takes a look at the IDE and SCSI buses and shows you the physical storage devices that are available. Whether it can actually find any readable volumes on them is irrelevant.

What this means is that if you launch Disk Utility, in the list on the left you should see something like '58.2 GB IBM 7Y250P0' with a little hard drive icon. If you don't see anything with a hard drive icon next to it that matches your internal drive, it means the physical device isn't even talking to the computer. There's no point in trying to find some way of accessing it with the command line, because the drive is completely dead. You almost certainly have to replace it, and only someone like DriveSavers has any possibility of getting data off it.

Now, if the internal hard drive does show up in the list, does it have anything listed under it? It should show either the name of your missing volume (like 'Macintosh HD'), or something like 'disk2s3'. If it doesn't show any of those things, it either means the device is responding but not really working properly (bad hardware), or the partition table is destroyed (a software problem). There's no way to tell the difference until you try something like DiskWarrior or Data Rescue X. If they can locate the device and read data off it, you've still got a chance. If they can't, you 100% need to replace the hard drive, and the data is gone unless you pay DriveSavers a ton of money to try to recover it.

I hate to be a big downer, but you really seem to have a great deal of faith in the power of the command line, and I don't think it's going to get you much of anywhere. :(

In my experience, this isn't entirely true, Data Rescue X was able to 'see' a drive that wouldn't list in any of the other tools I threw at it, Disk Utility or the 'diskutil' command line program. How it accessed it and recovered the data is beyond me, but from what I have read and experienced, if the drive spins, you can get something off of it. ;)

I did have to put the drive in question into another computer that had a bootable system of course...

That's cool, I've never been that fortunate. Do you think Target Disk Mode would work for that functionality, or would having the IDE-Firewire bridge prevent Data Rescue from getting to the drive?

I couldn't answer that authoritatively as I have only used this when pulling out the drive and installing it inside my G4 tower. I should think it would work fine, though you could check that out on the website. Maybe someone else can chime in if they have actually pulled that off?