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Incorrect number of thread records when running Disk Utility

When running disk utility, I get the following error message:
Incorrect number of thread records

The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.

Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit

The repair button is greyed out so I would have to run disk utility from the boot up Leopard disk. I am afraid that if I try to repair it, I may lose some of my data.

Has anybody run into this issue before?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Fernando

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.1)

Posted on Oct 6, 2008 8:46 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Oct 6, 2008 9:23 AM

abillef wrote:
When running disk utility, I get the following error message:
Incorrect number of thread records

The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.

Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit

The repair button is greyed out so I would have to run disk utility from the boot up Leopard disk. I am afraid that if I try to repair it, I may lose some of my data.

Has anybody run into this issue before?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Fernando

It's possible that the drive can be repaired when it is unmounted so do this first:
Insert Leopard DVD and reboot - hold down "C" key to boot into DVD.
After the language screen you will see top left a menu with Utility. In Utility is disk utility.
Run DU as usual and see if you get better results.
If not, you should consider buying DiskWarrior and running it.
Here's a link to the site:
http://www.alsoft.com/
Good Luck
9 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Oct 6, 2008 9:23 AM in response to abillef10

abillef wrote:
When running disk utility, I get the following error message:
Incorrect number of thread records

The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.

Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit

The repair button is greyed out so I would have to run disk utility from the boot up Leopard disk. I am afraid that if I try to repair it, I may lose some of my data.

Has anybody run into this issue before?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Fernando

It's possible that the drive can be repaired when it is unmounted so do this first:
Insert Leopard DVD and reboot - hold down "C" key to boot into DVD.
After the language screen you will see top left a menu with Utility. In Utility is disk utility.
Run DU as usual and see if you get better results.
If not, you should consider buying DiskWarrior and running it.
Here's a link to the site:
http://www.alsoft.com/
Good Luck

Oct 6, 2008 9:03 AM in response to abillef10

Hi abillef;

You need a more powerful tool then Disk Utility to repair that problem. I would suggest you get and run DiskWarrior on it.

As far as I know your only other alternative is to reformat the drive. This will of course remove all data from the drive. So you will need to back it up first.

Since this is your system drive, I recommend that you get an external Firewire drive and clone you system drive to the external. You can then boot from the external and run DW or reformat from there.

Allan
User uploaded file

Oct 6, 2008 10:25 AM in response to nerowolfe

Thanks for your responses. My MBP is less than a year old. I am surprised that I am already having issues with my HD. I am not sure if my MBP is still under warranty but if it is, should I try to repair it myself? Perhaps it would be better taking it to the store and get it fixed/replaced. Any thoughts/similar experiences? Thanks again.

Fernando

Oct 6, 2008 10:31 AM in response to abillef10

abillef wrote:
Thanks for your responses. My MBP is less than a year old. I am surprised that I am already having issues with my HD. I am not sure if my MBP is still under warranty but if it is, should I try to repair it myself? Perhaps it would be better taking it to the store and get it fixed/replaced. Any thoughts/similar experiences? Thanks again.

Fernando


I believe all Apple computers are covered 100% for the first year.
Remember that Notebooks are delicate in the sense that one should never even move it without first putting the HD to sleep. Yes, we all ignore this rule, but the gyroscopic forces on the HD are quite high when it is moved, especially quickly or jerked or yanked while running. This is true with all NBs not just Apple's. I had a drive fail on a Dell a few years ago when it was relatively new. They replaced it free of charge, but it was annoying just the same.

It's possible that the HD is not bad, but that something else corrupted the filesystem, like an app run wild or even an improper shutdown.
And then even Apple NBs sometimes have early failures. The HD is usually the first to go, but the Optical Drive runs a close second, although they fail rarely, I am just recalling the failures from these boards which, of course, only report issues and failures, etc.
I would take it to Apple and while there get a copy of DiskWarrior.

Oct 7, 2008 7:49 AM in response to nerowolfe

Good news! I ran Disk Utility from the Leopard CD and I was able to repair the HD (got the message saying that the disk was repaired successfully). Then, I ran the 'verify' utility from Leopard after restarting the computer and everything checked out OK. I haven't seen any strange behavior of my computer before/after the repair so I don't think I should really worry about it. Do you think I should still take my computer to the MAC store to verify the integrity of the HD? Thanks again for all your tips.

Oct 7, 2008 8:17 AM in response to abillef10

abillef wrote:
Good news! I ran Disk Utility from the Leopard CD and I was able to repair the HD (got the message saying that the disk was repaired successfully). Then, I ran the 'verify' utility from Leopard after restarting the computer and everything checked out OK. I haven't seen any strange behavior of my computer before/after the repair so I don't think I should really worry about it. Do you think I should still take my computer to the MAC store to verify the integrity of the HD? Thanks again for all your tips.


Great!
It's always a good idea to pursue all avenues until they are exhausted before either reinstalling or replacing hardware.
Since we may never know why this happened, it's a good idea to check your HD on a regular basis at least for a while to be sure it was a one-time event.
I would also recommend getting a copy of DiskWarrior and running it also to verify the HD integrity. I believe that this is all Apple would do anyway, although they might use TechTools instead. They sell both products.

Nov 17, 2008 1:41 PM in response to abillef10

Had this problem this week. The MacBook Pro started not wanting to boot up, single user mode and fsck showed incorrect number of thread records, persistence, mutiple fsck, reboots, battery outs etc often managed to get the thing booting again. Also the 45 degree DVD out trick also occasionally worked. However it was getting harder each time, and I knew I was being a bit random about it, and that time was running out.

The problem is always precipitated by the MacBook making the startup noise, then getting stuck on the pin wheel with the very loud three beeps on a regular basis.

So purchased a cheap USB 2 disk built 10.5 on it, booted from it, stuck disk warrior on it and cleaned the boot disk. Disk Warrior fixed it first time. Now only time will tell as to whether its a failing disk or just the fact that I carry the MacBook about a lot and am none too careful when shutting the lid and moving off.

BTW backed up to the cheap disk while I was at it.

Dec 30, 2008 6:51 AM in response to Longmang

Just as a footnote to this. I subsequently had a memory bank fail on me a few weeks after this. Which I think is what the three beeps is meant to be telling me. No amount of trying to get it to boot worked, even off the backup bootable disk. Removing the memory SIMMS showed the defunct SIMM, it booted with only one bank, new SIMM works fine back to 4GB.

However it was probably the memory SIMM that started this off as it would hang for no apparent reason, often after the lid being shut, meaning I had to do a hard reset, and we all know where that leads.

Message was edited by: Longmang

Incorrect number of thread records when running Disk Utility

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