Will Mounting a hard drive erase the content?

RJEslinger:

Welcome to Apple Discussions.

As noted in previous posts mounting the HDD will not, in and of itself, erase the contents of the HDD. However, since you have serious directory corruption which cannot be repaired by Disk Utility you need to repair and replace the directory before it can be mounted. Here is what I suggest:
• Use Firewire Target Disk Mode with the assistance of a second firewire Mac to backup your data. If you are not able to access your HDD via FW-TDM it might mean that your directory is too badly corrupted. In that case you may want to use a utility like DataRescue 3 to salvage whatever you can of your data. You can download and run the demo version to see if it find your files. If it does you will need to purchase the license to be able to recover the data.
• Once you have backed up your data you will need to use a utility like Tech Tool Pro, DriveGenius or Disk Warrior to repair and replace your directory. If you are not in a position to lay out money for one of those utilities at this time and you have backed up your data you can use your install disk to do an Archive and Install.
• If your Hard Disk Drive hardware is the original HDD it may be failing or failed, in which case you will need to replace it.

Please do post back with further questions or comments.

😉 cornelius

Welcome to the Apple discussions.

When you have that error from Disk Utility, it means that Disk Utility can't repair it. In addition to the programs mentioned by Niel, TechTool Pro is another one that can help. One of the programs can likely repair that type of error. Many people tend to use Disk Warrior, which will cost around $100.

In the unlikely event one of the programs can't repair it, then the hardware is shot, and you can either have a data retrieval company pull the data contents off for you, which is not inexpensive, or buy a new hard drive, and either restore the system from a backup if you have one, or just reload from your OS X disks and start again.

Simply mounting will not erase everything. The disk does get modified slightly each time you mount it, though. If you wanted to guarantee that a disk is untouched, you would have to connect it with a "forensic" enclosure or cable which is designed to be completely write-blocked.

Can I Mount the HD?

Not until it's repaired. Use a product such as DiskWarrior or FileSalvage depending on your needs.

Will it erase everything?

No.

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