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2017 Mac showing only 27.69GB of storage

My Mac came up with a message telling me to update to Monteroy so I did, however when I returned to my computer it had a dark screen with a prohibitory symbol. I tried to follow instructions I found online to reinstall the OS however in the process I managed to wipe all my files and mess up the SSD!


Now my computer is telling me 'Your disk is almost full' even though there's pretty much nothing on it and I can't even save a document or download a file. As you can see in this screenshot, it's only showing 27.69GB of memory in total!



I'm not very computer savvy but from my research it looks like my main hard drive is gone? Or just not showing up? I've run recovery mode first aid and am not getting any error messages so I'm not sure what to do next?

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 10.13

Posted on Feb 27, 2022 12:25 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 27, 2022 1:25 AM

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities.


You have a split Fusion Drive. Follow these steps to correct it: How to fix a split Fusion Drive - Apple Support.


Performing the steps will erase all data, so make sure you have a backup first!


Jack

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9 replies

Feb 27, 2022 2:12 AM in response to Sio_7

It looks like the hard drive is failing. You essentially have three options.


One - Contact Apple Support for service options.

If you go this route, only go to Apple, an Apple Authorized Service Provider, or send your device to Apple for service (if applicable or available). Do not go to a 3rd party/unauthorized repair center or attempt a repair yourself. This is for the assurance of authorized and professional repairs that use genuine Apple parts. Please refer to this from Apple Support:


Beware of counterfeit parts
Some counterfeit and third party power adapters and batteries may not be designed properly and could result in safety issues. To ensure you receive a genuine Apple battery during a battery replacement, we recommend visiting an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. If you need a replacement adapter to charge your Apple device, we recommend getting an Apple power adapter.
Also non-genuine replacement displays may have compromised visual quality and may fail to work correctly. Apple-certified screen repairs are performed by trusted experts who use genuine Apple parts.


Two - Another option is to use an external SSD as your startup disk to run macOS and all your data from that. For more info, instructions, and what external SSD to buy, please see: How to Setup and Use an External SSD as your Startup Disk on a Desktop Mac - Apple Community.


Three - Finally, another option is to replace this Mac with a new Apple Silicon Mac: Mac - Apple. If you go this route, it is generally recommended that you purchase 16GB of Memory with the largest SSD that you can afford.


Jack

Feb 27, 2022 2:18 AM in response to Jack-19

If you choose option 2, then you would need to follow modified steps due to your particular situation.


Instead of upgrading macOS and downloading the macOS installer, just use Internet Recovery Mode to install macOS on the external SSD. To do this, shut down your Mac, then startup into Internet Recovery Mode (Option-Command-R) by immediately pressing and holding those keys at startup. Then, install macOS: How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support. Choose the external SSD to install to.


Jack

Feb 27, 2022 1:46 AM in response to Jack-19

Hi there


Thanks for your reply.


I’ve just tried that but run into an issue- in the linked article it says “Usually the identifiers are disk0 and disk1. One of them should be 128GB or less in size. The other at least 1TB in size.” however my disk0 and disk1 are 4.1GB and 28GB respectively.


The list goes all the way up to disk21 however none of them are any larger than 28GB.

2017 Mac showing only 27.69GB of storage

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