Error code when clicking erase

I have gotten to the Disk Utility Page but i am getting an error code when clicking erase. The error code is "ST3500418AS".

Posted on Aug 25, 2019 11:54 AM

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Posted on Aug 25, 2019 12:09 PM

That is the model of your hard drive. That is not a traditional error code.


FYI, you cannot erase a drive you are booting from. If you are trying to erase your boot drive, then first boot into either Recovery Mode (Command + R) or Internet Recovery Mode (Command + Option + R).


If you are trying to erase an external drive which is using a third party app to manage the drive or utilize the drive's hardware encryption, then you may need to first disable the hardware encryption or have the app release control of the external drive before Disk Utility can erase the drive.


More details on the setup and what you are trying to do would be helpful as I'm just guessing here.

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 25, 2019 12:09 PM in response to dbakerphd

That is the model of your hard drive. That is not a traditional error code.


FYI, you cannot erase a drive you are booting from. If you are trying to erase your boot drive, then first boot into either Recovery Mode (Command + R) or Internet Recovery Mode (Command + Option + R).


If you are trying to erase an external drive which is using a third party app to manage the drive or utilize the drive's hardware encryption, then you may need to first disable the hardware encryption or have the app release control of the external drive before Disk Utility can erase the drive.


More details on the setup and what you are trying to do would be helpful as I'm just guessing here.

Aug 25, 2019 12:20 PM in response to dbakerphd

If you are using WiFi, then try connecting the computer directly to the router using an Ethernet cable for a faster and more reliable connection. If you still have the problem, then maybe knowing the exact model of your computer and the OS you are using would be useful. You can get the exact model of the computer by entering the serial number here.


See if you can run the Apple Hardware Test or Apple Diagnostics.


What is the reason for reinstalling macOS?

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Error code when clicking erase

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