How to Fix My SSD Partition with "Unknown Format"

My system has recently crashed. I couldn't do any type of recovery, so I bought a new SSD and installed the OS on it. Now all of my files are on the spare SSD which I cannot fix and access the files. It is 240 gigabytes but only 3 gigabytes is visible. I had Mac OS which took more than 200 gigabytes and some 15 gigabytes allocated for Parallels to run Windows 10 when necessary. Now disk1s2, the main volume that I was using, and the other 15 gb volume, disk1s3, is "unknown format" and I cannot access my files. I am a master degree student and writing my dissertation. All of my files are in the unknown formatted volume. I need to reformat or repair it without losing data. When I try to change the format of these volumes, I get a warning that the disk would be erased. I know that there are ways to recover data using some software but I want my files back the way I organized. I mean I want it back as it was a week or two weeks before. To be clear enough, I will attach some screenshots from disk utility. Any useful help is appreciated. Please help me get everything back. Thank you in advance.

The first one is overall view of my elderly SSD.




This one is the volume that the main OS was installed. Most of my necessary stuff is in it. As you can see the format is unknown.



And this was probably the windows part, or it might be Linux part I am not sure.


Can I make the volumes visible and usable again. Thank you so much.


Posted on May 1, 2020 9:56 AM

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63 replies

May 3, 2020 1:00 PM in response to Loner T

I did it and here is the output:


Last login: Sun May  3 19:57:06 on ttys000
Murats-MacBook-Pro:~ muratsenocak$ diskutil repairDisk disk1
Repairing the partition map might erase disk1s1, proceed? (y/N) y
Started partition map repair on disk1
Checking prerequisites
Checking the partition list
Adjusting partition map to fit whole disk as required
Checking for an EFI system partition
Checking the EFI system partition's size
Checking the EFI system partition's file system
Checking the EFI system partition's folder content
Checking all HFS data partition loader spaces
Checking booter partitions
Reviewing boot support loaders
Checking Core Storage Physical Volume partitions
The partition map appears to be OK
Finished partition map repair on disk1
Murats-MacBook-Pro:~ muratsenocak$ 


Edit: I restarted and still cannot mount the disk. It looks like that in the disk utility.


May 3, 2020 3:01 PM in response to Loner T

I tried it and got this output:


Last login: Sun May  3 23:13:53 on ttys000
Murats-MacBook-Pro:~ muratsenocak$ sudo fsck_apfs -y /dev/rdisk3
Password:
** Checking volume.
** Checking the container superblock.
** Checking the EFI jumpstart record.
** Checking the space manager.
error: (oid 0x1a599) cib: invalid o_cksum (0x0)
error: failed to read spaceman cib 0x1a599
   Space manager is invalid.
** The volume /dev/rdisk3 could not be verified completely.
Murats-MacBook-Pro:~ muratsenocak$ 


However I tried a lot to mount disk 3 but it failed every time. So it is already unmounted. Maybe this is the problem.

May 3, 2020 3:42 PM in response to Loner T

Sorry, but I don't. And here in Istanbul, people mostly use Windows, so I don't think I can find any other Mac around. You've worked so hard on this stubborn SSD. I hope we can fix it, or else I don't really know what to do. Because I tried to erase and reformat the empty 3gb partition in this very disk, but it failed. I think it will be difficult to erase and use it in the future too if I can't do anything.

May 3, 2020 4:14 PM in response to Loner T

This mac software detects all of my files as in the screenshot below, and claims to recover my files for $100. What is very good about this software is that my files are in order. The one you recommend is $50.


Just asking Loner, is it possible to upgrade my mac, although unsupported, to Mojave. People use some sort of patcher to do it. Then my mac would both run Mojave, and solve the problem of the SSD at the same time. Do you recommend it?


May 4, 2020 2:20 AM in response to Loner T

I can no one around who has a mac actually. If a find any, I'll let you know. If I can't within a couple of days probably I'll try to patch because I need to proceed writing my dissertation as soon as possible, and the softwares are way more expensive than the SSD. By the way there is nothing in the new SSD so there is not much risk upgrading I guess. After I finish, I can figure out how to downgrade maybe. If I were where you live I would find a friend but here this is my only option.

May 4, 2020 11:56 AM in response to Loner T

Hey. Good to see you again, Loner. Thanks. Here is the output for diskutil list:


Last login: Mon May  4 16:33:28 on ttys001

MacBook-Pro:~ muratsenocak$ diskutil list

/dev/disk0 (internal, physical):

   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER

   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *240.1 GB   disk0

   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1

   2:                 Apple_APFS Container disk3         219.8 GB   disk0s2

   3:           Linux Filesystem                         15.8 GB    disk0s3

   4:                  Apple_HFS Untitled 3              3.9 GB     disk0s4



/dev/disk1 (internal, physical):

   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER

   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *500.1 GB   disk1

   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk1s1

   2:                 Apple_APFS Container disk2         499.9 GB   disk1s2



/dev/disk2 (synthesized):

   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER

   0:      APFS Container Scheme -                      +499.9 GB   disk2

                                 Physical Store disk1s2

   1:                APFS Volume Untitled 1              47.7 GB    disk2s1

   2:                APFS Volume Preboot                 22.7 MB    disk2s2

   3:                APFS Volume Recovery                507.4 MB   disk2s3

   4:                APFS Volume VM                      3.6 GB     disk2s4



/dev/disk3 (synthesized):

   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER

   0:      APFS Container Scheme -                      +219.8 GB   disk3

                                 Physical Store disk0s2

   1:                APFS Volume Macintosh SSD           208.6 GB   disk3s1

   2:                APFS Volume Preboot                 22.7 MB    disk3s2

   3:                APFS Volume Recovery                512.1 MB   disk3s3

   4:                APFS Volume VM                      4.3 GB     disk3s4



May 4, 2020 2:22 PM in response to Loner T

No, it is not mounted and I can't mount it.



Here is first aid output:


Running First Aid on “Macintosh SSD” (disk3s1)

Repairing file system.
Volume is already unmounted.
Performing fsck_apfs -y -x /dev/rdisk3s1
Checking the container superblock.
Checking the EFI jumpstart record.
Checking the space manager.
error: (oid 0x1a599) cib: invalid o_cksum (0x0)
error: failed to read spaceman cib 0x1a599
Space manager is invalid.
The volume /dev/rdisk3s1 could not be verified completely.
File system check exit code is 0.
Restoring the original state found as unmounted.

Operation successful.


May 4, 2020 3:22 PM in response to Loner T

If I can fix my corrupted SSD with your assistance, I'll use it, on which high Sierra is installed. I mean I'll delete mojave installed SSD and use it for data storage.


Here is the output:


Last login: Tue May  5 01:18:39 on ttys001
MacBook-Pro:~ muratsenocak$ sudo fsck_apfs -s -o -y /dev/rdisk3
Password:
dev_init:607: Using /private/var/folders/zz/zyxvpxvq6csfxvn_n0000000000000/T/fsck_apfs.42290.1/apfs and /private/var/folders/zz/zyxvpxvq6csfxvn_n0000000000000/T/fsck_apfs.42290.1/nx for device-io.
** Checking the container superblock.
** Checking the EFI jumpstart record.
** Checking the space manager.
error: (oid 0x1a599) cib: invalid o_cksum (0x0)
error: failed to read spaceman cib 0x1a599
   Space manager is invalid.
** The volume /dev/rdisk3 could not be verified completely.
MacBook-Pro:~ muratsenocak$ 


May 4, 2020 3:56 PM in response to Loner T

Yes, Mojave is in the Seagate Barracuda, but it is inside the laptop in the primary hard drive bay. The Macintosh SSD (disk3s1) that we're trying to get working properly is installed instead of the optical drive. So, does disconnect mean literally "take it out" or something like unmount? I can be confused with terms now and then because while English is not my native language, what we are speaking to fix a mac is another language.

May 5, 2020 6:41 AM in response to snckmrt

snckmrt wrote:

I have a copy of it. As far as I understand you are recommending me to boot from the installer and select the SSD part that we have been dealing with and reinstall HS on it. That way the SSD will open with HighSierra without losing any data. Am I right?

Yes. The first test is to check if the USB Installer will be allowed to boot, since you have Mojave on the Seagate.

May 5, 2020 7:42 AM in response to Loner T

I think the USB stick that I have is 2.0. I am not sure about that, but it is very slow. I used this one to install Mojave, though. When i boot with install disk and go to disk utility, macintosh ssd is not mounted. I am not able to mount it.


This is the result of first aid. Following the first aid, I attempted to mount the disk. Still no chance.


When I hit ”install macOS“ Macintosh SSD is the only option fortunately, with zero KB available on it. When I click on Macintosh SSD, “unlock“ button appears as the proceed option. When I go for it and enter a wrong password it rejects to do anything. Luckily, the password matches with the one starting with 9EF... I choose it and enter the password and hit “unlock”. The box showing me the partition unlock option disappears when the password matches, otherwise it shows me vibrating password stars, in which case I know that password is wrong. I am elaborating because I am sure that the password is correct.


This time the Macintish SSD is still there with unlock option but when I hit that button nothing happens. I cannot go further.

May 5, 2020 11:04 AM in response to Loner T

Here in Istanbul, there is no technical support provided by Kingston. When I go to the contact page of kingston, technical support for Turkish customers in only in English, which is not problem until when I realize that the number provided for us starts with the country code +1 which, you know, is the United States. And there is no guarantee that they can fix it. Also probably it costs a lot. Apfs recovery tools are also very expensive. The one iboysoft data recovery accesses all my data with the exact paths, but it is $100, which I cannot afford. I hope I can find a way out of this. I will look for someone specialized in apple software that hopefully gives me online support, teamviewing maybe. If this does not solve my problem, then I'll buy a software to recover my files. This will be my last option. By the way thank you a lot for devoting great deal of your time and effort on this for many days since the first time I identified my problem. We've come a long way to fix this. We're almost there actually. I think from this point there are certain ways to get my files back. Thank you again.

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How to Fix My SSD Partition with "Unknown Format"

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