Disk Repair without CD

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Level 1

25 points

Disk Repair without CD

Hi!

Not sure if this is the correct forum to post this but thought I'd give it a go. I'm not experiencing any problems with HD, but imagine that I will eventually have to do so form of repair if onyx or verification reveals something...fingers crossed that this won't happen. I don't have any original install discs as I purchased my powerbooks used from ebay and CL. Is it possible to repair HD without discs at all? I've read that booting up in safe mode will repair HD by default. Is this correct?

Thanks in advance if you can shed any light on this matter. Cheers!

Pismo 400/512MB/40GB, Mac OS X (10.4.11), PB G4 12" 1.33/1.25MB/250GB/Tiger

Posted on Dec 21, 2009 9:48 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

cornelius

Level 6

17,826 points

Dec 21, 2009 10:30 AM in response to new pismo

new pismo:

Is it possible to repair HD without discs at all? I've read that booting up in safe mode will repair HD by default. Is this correct?

Not quite. See What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode? (Mac OS X) for what Safe Mode does. Safe Boot is a recommended procedure, although it doesn't do everything for you.

To run Repair Disk without the install disks using the method describe in the article Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck will do what DU on the drive does. In addition you can download Applejack and run it inside fsck as in the above article to do actual repair.

Here are a couple of other options:
1. While you are still not having issues, get an external firewire HDD, and clone your entire volume to it using either SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner. This will create a bootable clone from which you option boot your computer and run Disk Utility on the internal HDD.
2. Since Disk Utility essentially does directory repairs you can get a third party utility like Tech Tool Pro, Disk Warrior, or DriveGenius. These utilities will do directory repairs, and TTP and DriveGenius will do a number of other things as well.

Good luck with you new pismo. They are wonderful machines.

😉 cornelius

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Answer 2

Dec 21, 2009 10:51 AM in response to new pismo

You can get replacement System Install & Restore CD/DVDs from Apple's Customer Support - in the US, (800) 767-2775 - for a nominal S&H fee. You'll need to have the model and/or serial number of your Mac available.
If you're not in the US, you may need to go through the regional Apple Store that serves your location to find the contact number. Here's a list of links to all of those -
http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/intlstoreroutingpage.html

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Answer 3

new pismo Author

Level 1

25 points

Dec 21, 2009 11:45 AM in response to Baby-Boomer-USofA

Thanks Cornelius and Baby Boomer. I like the external harddrive option. Will also contact an Apple Store here in Toronto to see if they have replacement discs. I wonder how much support they'll give to a 10 year-old and 5 year-old product though. Cheers.

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Answer 4

Dec 21, 2009 11:59 AM in response to new pismo

"Apple Store here in Toronto to see if they have replacement discs."

You have to get the system DVDs directly from Apple. The "stores" do not sell system DVDs.

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Answer 5

Limnos

Level 10

411,187 points

Dec 21, 2009 12:49 PM in response to new pismo

Replacement discs will be for the version that came with the computer originally, which might not be Tiger.

Go with the bootable hard drive option. Have a second boot drive for doing running maintenance and minor repairs. Keep up to date on back ups so if something should go wrong you can clone back from the backup drive with only minor loss in recently edited files. If you really do need to rescue a hard drive you will probably end up having to buy Diskwarrior, but you may be able to hold off that day.

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Answer 6

cornelius

Level 6

17,826 points

Dec 21, 2009 1:57 PM in response to new pismo

new pismo:

I wonder how much support they'll give to a 10 year-old and 5 year-old product though.

Not much. Some folk with older hardware report they were not able to get replacements. In any case, as Limnos pointed out, any replacement disks will likely be for OS 9.0.2 since that is what our Pismos had installed when they shipped. You can't run repairs on Tiger with that, nor can you reinstall Tiger. If you need further assistance with setting up a bootable clone, do post back and ask.

😉 cornelius

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Answer 7

new pismo Author

Level 1

25 points

Dec 22, 2009 6:39 AM in response to cornelius

So is it correct to say that creating an externally bootable cloned copy of my harddrive will help me perform disc repairs but not help me if I want a fresh install of the OS (whether it's tiger/leopard/9.02/etc.)? And that in order to do a completely fresh install of any OS, discs are required? I assume this only because a cloned copy of my HD will be exact replica of it including apps and files.

I'll be looking for an external HD when boxing day sales start so what should I be looking for in terms of size? My PB G4 12" has 250GB and the Pismo has 40GB. Will I need an external drive large enough to clone both drives completely on separate partitions? Neither drive is even half full.

Thanks.

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Answer 8

cornelius

Level 6

17,826 points

Dec 22, 2009 7:46 AM in response to new pismo

new pismo:

So is it correct to say that creating an externally bootable cloned copy of my harddrive will help me perform disc repairs but not help me if I want a fresh install of the OS (whether it's tiger/leopard/9.02/etc.)? And that in order to do a completely fresh install of any OS, discs are required?

That is correct. The clone is an exact copy of the volume on your internal HDD. You can boot from it. You can keep it updated as a backup so it is always current. To install a fresh OS you will need the installation disk for that OS.

Will I need an external drive large enough to clone both drives completely on separate partitions?

You will need to partition the drive to have each computer on a separate volume. I suggest that you get a large enough drive, as you may want to upgrade the HDD in the Pismo after a while. The Pismo HDD will have been replaced at some point as the largest HDD with which they came is 20 GB. The largest HDD you can install in a Pismo is 120 GB, as the BootROM will not see more than 128 GB. I suggest that you get a minimum of 500 GB HDD and you can partition it into three partitions with the third being a scratch drive for storing odds and ends.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

😉 c o r n e l i u s

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