disk error keeps returning, do I need a new Mac?

1) Startup in macOS Recovery Mode, open Disk Utility and run First Aid.

see > Repair a storage device in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support

Note: If you’re checking your startup disk or startup volume, restart your computer in macOS Recovery. See the Apple Support article About macOS Recovery on Intel-based Mac computers. Next, select Disk Utility in the macOS Recovery window, then click Continue. If you check your startup volume (Macintosh HD), make sure you also check your data volume (Macintosh HD - Data).

Then post a screenshot or copy and paste the Disk Utility report.

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2) Get and run EtreCheckPro on your 2018 Mac mini.

see > https://etrecheck.com/en/index.html

Then post the EtreCheckPro report using the following instructions,

at > How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

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3) Third-party Utilities, AV-ware, Cleaning-ware, Optimizing-ware and VPN's can reek all sorts of havoc on macOS and should be avoided.

macOS has built in Security and is self Cleaning, it does not need help to stay safe, clean and fast.

see > macOS - Security - Apple

Backup your data:

Backup now, or forever hold your peace - … - Apple Community

Run http://www.binaryfruit.com/ DriveDX to make sure your hard drive isn't in poor health.

If the hard drive is healthy, get a copy of Alsoft Disk Warrior to repair the directory of your computer.

Notice the number of unsafe shutdowns. That's indicative of a machine whose directory has never had a chance to really repair itself.

George Colpitts wrote:

This was consistently reproducible until sometime recently. I am currently on 13.5.2 and the problem has disappeared. I see that the version of Disk Utility I am using is 22.6. It's modification date is Sep 2 as is the date for Time Machine.app so maybe there was a bug and the new version of one or both fixed it.

It still does not replace the requirement to backup your data religiously. It is not a question of if storage will fail, but when. Bug or no bug, many systems are not always reproducible when reporting errors. The complexity of such systems is such, that inconsistancy in reporting errors is to be expected, and when errors do happen, they are to be taken seriously.

Backup now, or forever hold your peace - … - Apple Community

If one day you get a flashing question mark boot over a floppy disk or folder, then more often than not, the drive is toast. Data recovery may still be possible with the right tools, but nothing substitutes having a separate, current, tested backup.

DuaneEH

It sounds like your hard drive is close to failure. Please start a new topic thread so we can give you more focused attention.

Please indicate if you have a working backup on a drive that has no errors.

Please do not reply to threads unless you have solutions to offer, or questions about the approach taken. It is very difficult to follow multiple problems from multiple people on the same thread.

a brody wrote:

Run http://www.binaryfruit.com/ DriveDX to make sure your hard drive isn't in poor health.

The OP already has the SSD's health report. The SSD has 121TB written which is a lot, but should still be within the lifetime limits of the SSD, but Apple doesn't publish those specifications.

If the hard drive is healthy, get a copy of Alsoft Disk Warrior to repair the directory of your computer.

Notice the number of unsafe shutdowns. That's indicative of a machine whose directory has never had a chance to really repair itself.

FYI, Disk Warrior does not support APFS volumes yet AFAIK. Alsoft only just recently started working on APFS file system repairs. As far as the "Unsafe Shutdowns" listed for the SSD, I have seen that with much higher values while supporting our organization's thousands of Macs. I usually ignore that attribute. I don't see anything concerning in the SSD's health report.

The problem is that First Aid is not repairing the errors. First Aid tends to pass even when errors remain unfixed.

Since the errors shown in the screenshot are only in reference to TM backup snapshots, these errors are irrelevant since they should disappear once the affected APFS snapshots are deleted. If there are unfixed errors on the main APFS "Data" volume, then the OP will need to take the more drastic option below.

If First Aid is unable to repair the errors and the errors are on the "Data" volume instead of a snapshot, then the SSD must be erased before reinstalling macOS & restoring from a backup. Currently that is the only way to resolve APFS file system issues which First Aid is unable to repair. If the errors come back quickly after the SSD has been erased, then it likely indicates a hardware issue of some sort with the Logic Board which will be an expensive repair (doesn't matter if it is the SSD or the memory causing the problem).

Base Variables:

Ventura 13.6.

DiskUtil 22.6.

Time Machine 1.3.

2018 Mac Mini.

1TB SSD.

I can reproduce this problem every day. I have deleted the 'bad' files with tmutil. I have deleted all the snapshots. I have reinstalled Ventura from the Web. Twice. With and without deleting the snapshots first.

I have made Time Machine run manually and not automatically. Prior to and after deleting all snapshots. I tried that after finding a suggestion TM in manual mode would delete the snapshots after several hours. That did not work after 48 hours.

Something still produces this error 3 times out of 10.

When I started looking for an answer I had the error on 12 of 23 snapshots.

Checking snapshot 11 of 23 (com.apple.TimeMachine.2023-09-19-025307.local)

.........

Checking snapshot 21 of 23 (com.apple.TimeMachine.2023-09-19-143233.local)

Checking snapshot 22 of 23 (com.apple.TimeMachine.2023-09-19-153237.local)

warning: mismatch between extentref entry reference count (0) and calculated fsroot entry reference count (-1) for extent (157469158 + 4)

warning: mismatch between extentref entry reference count (0) and calculated fsroot entry reference count (-1) for extent (157548727 + 4)

Checking snapshot 23 of 23 (com.apple.TimeMachine.2023-09-19-163321.local)

error: mismatch between extentref entry reference count (0) and calculated fsroot entry reference count (1) for extent (157469158 + 4)

error: mismatch between extentref entry reference count (0) and calculated fsroot entry reference count (1) for extent (157548727 + 4)

......

Performing deferred repairs.

error: missing/invalid physical extent (183005506 + 1) with refcnt -1 at snapshot 2640258

Skipped 12/12 repairs of this type in total.

Deferred repairs skipped.

The container /dev/disk0s2 could not be verified completely.

Storage system check exit code is 8.

Storage system verify or repair failed. : (-69716)

In my search for an answer I see the issue goes back several OS generations on multiple machines. Apple should have fixed this long, long ago.

I cannot recall ever seeing this error on my 2012 MacBook Pro. Which I replaced with the Mini about 9 months ago. It ran TM every hour.

Hello,

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253595285?answerId=256729051022#256729051022