Harddisk unexpectedly has split into 2 partitions

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Harddisk unexpectedly has split into 2 partitions

Hello, I have an iMac from 2017 with OSX Catalina version 10.15.6 with 2 TB drive.

After making a full back-up today, I wanted to make a clean instal of Catalina. Suddenly it appears I do not have 1 harddrive Macintosh HD with 2 TB, but instead I now have 2 MacIntosch HD with each 1 TB and also a nameless partition of 23,55 GB instead of the Macintosh HD Data. All these partitions are full,

so I cannot transfer from one to the other.

When I try to install Catalina it is asking me witch harddrive I want to use. I have spend hours trying to delete 1 of these harddrives but did not succeed. When I try to erase, the procedure is running on the screen but never the less the partitions are still there and are not empty.

How can I return to the situation that all these partitions are again only one?

Gilbert

Posted on Aug 28, 2020 8:59 AM

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Answer 1

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a brody

Level 10

84,043 points

Aug 28, 2020 9:54 AM in response to gilbert3191

This is normal. These drives are actually part spinning, part solid state. The spinning part typically is for your data, and the solid state part is to handle the operating system restore and other components. Do not try to delete the other partition, as that's where the system restore happens.

Use command-R boot to re install the operating system after erasing the data partition only. Use the View menu of Disk Utility to show all partitions to allow the erase to happen properly.

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Harddisk unexpectedly has split into 2 partitions

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