iCloud "bricked" my computer

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Level 1

4 points

iCloud "bricked" my computer

I have an Apple Mac Mini (late 2018) computer with a 2TB SSD running OS vs. 10.15.5. My qualifications are: a M.Math. in Computer Science; a Ph.D. in Ocean Physics; 30 years of experience using Apple computers professionally for numerical modelling. I use both iCloud and Dropbox extensively to share files between devices and to reduce space used on my hard drive. My use of iCloud has revealed a fatal flaw in the Apple OS (Catalina 10.15.5).

Recently I was moving directories and files from iCloud to Dropbox because iCloud has an annoying habit of automatically down-loading files until almost all disk space is used up. In fact, while I was moving files that day, iCloud started downloading files as I tried to free up space until I had about 70K bytes left on the system disk!! That is about 0.000004% of my disk capacity. I had started the day with about 120GB of space available. My computer froze and I rebooted - it would not re-boot. I tried again - no luck. I tried Rescue Mode - no luck. Hoping to move files off my Mac Mini I tried Target Mode - no luck. I called Apple support and talked to two tech reps - one who was a senior technician. They basically repeated what I’d already done - no luck. I was told that the disk could no longer be used and needed to be erased and re-initialized. The Sr. technician made an appt. at the nearby Apple store service dept.. I went there with my dead computer and after an hour of trying what I’d basically already tried, I was told that the disk was unusable - it could not be erased, re-initialized, or ever used again. Mac OS had bricked my computer. I was then informed that I needed a new logic board with a new 2TB SSD and because the computer is OW (out of warranty) this would cost me $630. Fortunately, I believe I have a recent backup of my system.

This incident has clearly identified a fatal flaw in the Apple Mac Catalina OS with respect to using iCloud to manage disk usage. No operating system should allow its host computer to fill up the system hard drive until it fails. I strongly urge Apple to investigate this issue immediately and correct what for me has been a very expensive and inconvenient experience.

Mac mini, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jun 27, 2020 2:05 PM

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Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

158,208 points

Jun 27, 2020 5:58 PM in response to Don D

Don D wrote:

This incident has clearly identified a fatal flaw in the Apple Mac Catalina OS with respect to using iCloud to manage disk usage. No operating system should allow its host computer to fill up the system hard drive until it fails. I strongly urge Apple to investigate this issue immediately and correct what for me has been a very expensive and inconvenient experience.

You should know that this is an Apple User-to-User forum. Apple representatives, may or may not, respond to posts here. I suggest that you submit your findings directly to Apple here: Product Feedback - Apple

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Answer 2

Jun 28, 2020 4:34 AM in response to Don D

One additional learning, cloud services should never be used as

"additional storage". They are great for sharing limited amounts

of data across devices or as a very, very last resort backup plan.

"Additional storage" should always be maintained on a local external drive

and backed up to an additional external drive if the data is important enough.

It is reliable and always available and with backup issues are easily resolved.

As additional comment, FWIW, if things are used heavily enough there is always a random

possibility of "breaking", just like everything else. No one item can be blamed for it,

it just happens.

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Answer 3

hcsitas

Level 6

13,964 points

Jun 27, 2020 9:41 PM in response to Don D

The failure of the system SSD appears to have been over time due to high usage. Nothing surprising, given that SSD failure rates are known higher than non-SSDs, especially under heavy use.

What you should have done (and do going forward) was reduce your SSD usage for numeric modeling and migrated them to an external drive.

The second learning for you is that when spending $$$ on options, extending warranty is a no-brainer, especially if much is riding on them.

The third learning is that Apple/iCloud has nothing to do with your bricked computer. High usage kills, that’s just plain common sense.

The fourth learning is that your machine isn’t fit for purpose; you need a Mac Pro or iMac Pro.

These learnings are basic; wouldn’t have been necessary if you had put more thought into your purchase, even better consulted someone with an EE degree.

Nevertheless, better late than never. Your mini 2018 looks great even when bricked, a great decoration item for your bookshelf. So don’t repair it, showcase it. Then proceed as suggested above. Good luck.

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iCloud "bricked" my computer

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