Disk error: invalid volume file count & directory count message

Same problem, both with my old MacBook, when running Leopard and Snow Leopard, and now with my brnad new MacBook Pro, running Snow Leopard. Problem fixed with Disk Warrior, but reappears within 2-3 days. No obvious problems using eiher MacBook or MacBookPro when this error is present. Certainly not a failing hard drive, as the problem has been present for about 15 months with MacBook and 1 month with new MacBook Pro. Have not been able to identify software which is causing the problem.

Same problem here with second generation MacBook Air, has been ongoing for months. After repairing with disc utility invalid file count returns in a few days. Seems to operating similarily both before and after repair.

Solution suggested to me by Crashplan Support. Any software which makes use of Spotlight Index (such as Crashplan) will have problems if the Spotlight Index has become corrupted and the Invalid Volume file count andInvalid volume directory count errors will occur. The fix is to re-index the Spotlight Index.

To re-index Spotlight, follow the instructions here:

http://support.crashplan.com/doku.php/client/troubleshooting/real-time#spotlight

Following re-indexing of Spotlight, the Invalid Volume file count andInvalid volume directory count errors have not recurred.

Ronald Gold: Solution suggested to me by Crashplan Support. Any software which makes use of Spotlight Index (such as Crashplan) will have problems if the Spotlight Index has become corrupted and the Invalid Volume file count andInvalid volume directory count errors will occur. The fix is to re-index the Spotlight Index.

I really don't understand the logic of this. I don't see why the volume directory should depend on proper Spotlight indexing.

The explanation from Crashplan Support was that since Crashplan uses Spotlight Index in order to perform its backups (to compare current state with previous backup), if the Spotlight Index has become corrupted, then Crashplan cannot do its job properly and volume and directory errors creep in.

"It appears from the log files that there is a lag in retrieving file information from Spotlight. Often, this is caused by the Spotlight index being corrupt or damaged in some way. Fortunately, this is an easy issue to resolve. We simply need to re-index Spotlight and we should see normal behavior."

Yes, but if this is only backup software -- which I understand relies on Spotlight -- what does that have to do with directory damage? This would seem to be a fix for Crashplan errors only. I would think Spotlight works independently of the directory and vice versa. Spotlight can be completely disabled without affecting the directory.

It may be a fix for Crashplan only. I did have Spotlight disabled before I started using Crashplan and did not see these errors in Directory. However, I also saw these errors when I tried to use Sophus Antivirus for Mac. I solved that my uninstalling Sophus.

Crashplan needs Spotlight to work properly. If Spotlight Index is corrupt, Crashplan continues to work, but errors appear in Directory. I don't know how. But at least re-indexing Spotlight seems to solve the problem.

Running Disk Warrior always corrected the problem, but it would recur quickly unless I re-indexed Spotlight.

Crashplan/Spotlight may appear to be the cause of the directory problems, but I think that may be faulty post hoc logic. You may still be right, but I'd be looking elsewhere for the underlying problem. And if this turns out to be correct, I'd get rid of any backup software that is causing directory damage.

Do you know about free (but donation-ware) Carbon Copy Cloner?

Most decent backup software excludes the Spotlight V-100 directory anyway.

http://www.bombich.com/

I use SuperDuper! for my backup to external hard drives and CrashPlan for real-time backup, especially when traveling.

I will chime in on all of this, I have an almost one year old iMac, 10.6.8 and keep getting the same thing when running Disk Utility. I have done a restart using the DVD and after a period of days it returns when running DU again.

On a simple internet search, you will find that this is happening to a lot of people. I also now have a Finder issue, don't know if it's related but thinking it is, as the referenced info in DU mentions the desktop database file, which I removed and let it rebuild but the problem always returns.

I think there is something else going on here that the normal solutions are not working, including Disk Warrior and Tech Tool Pro!

Wish we could get a Pro in here, because nothing is working.

Why hasn't Apple fixed the SUID file warnings in there also?

That's been going on for years.

To me, this problem is software related. I had this recurrent problem until i removed vmware 2.0. This solve the problem for months. Until vmware be removed I had semanal errors. Months later I installed Logic Pro and other audio and video related stuff. Some days after the erros starts show up again.

I noticed, at least in my case, the number of file errors is the inverse of directories number errors. What I mean is: if I have 100.006 files and should be 100.000 (+6), I have 39.994 directories and should be 40.000 (-6). Every time, if one increase the other one decrease at the same amount. This fact lead me to believe some program has a issue with the file attributes. But, unfortunately, I don't know, yet, which program is causing the mess.

My 2 cents

A little late to the party here...but I have noticed the issue on 3 Macs in my office.

Computers:

1. Mac Pro

2. iMac 2.26 GHz

3. MacBook Pro

Respective Volumes/Devices:

1. Samsung Galaxy Prevail (Android)

2. Blackberry
3. A digital camera

The one thing I feel these 3 Macs have in common is they are all on 10.6. Even though each of these computer users (one is myself) are sure to eject these devices properly, all 3 machines get this error. My conclusion is that this is a glitch in 10.6 that doesn't properly eject external devices. Has anyone else determined the problem and/or solution?

I believe I have found a solution to the hard disk coruption issue were Disk Utiity reports:

Invalid volume file count

Invalid volume directory count.

I located a web page that was very helpful: Fix invalid volume count error of Mac OS X v10.6 (link is below)

http://www.datarecoveryformac.org/datarecoveryformac/invalidvolume-filecount.php

"Basically invalid volume file count is a disk error generally occurs in Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard. Sometimes you may receive disk error message which is similar to below written error message:

• Invalid volume file count


• Invalid volume directory count

Or

• Invalid volume file count(it should be 520176 instead of 520178)
• Invalid volume directory count(it should be 152750 instead of 152748)
• Invalid volume file count (It should be 712836 instead of 712840)
• Invalid volume directory count (It should be 171417 instead of 171413)"

and

"Some causes of invalid volume file count error:

There could be various kinds of reason behind this error message some of them are: compatibility issue. If you have installed such kinds of software which is incompatible then it may cause this error. Bad user account on the computer, RAM related problems: if there is something wrong in RAM then it may also cause this issue. "

This site recomended running METEST from the terminal to test the computer's RAM. Instead download and use Rember (make sure you get the latest version) which basically is MEMTEST with a User Interface added so you do not have to use the terminal and is a lot easier. Rember will take at least 1/2 hour to run.

I though my computer's ram was okay but Rember reported an error.

After replacing my computer's RAM memory the Invalid volume file count and Invalid volume directory count has not re-occured.

There may be more than one cause for this error, Check you memory. Bad memory was creating this error on my computer.

My computer: 24" iMac 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GB (RAM) Mac OS X 10.6.8

Rember reported my RAM to be OK. So there is some other problem, presumably software conflict not yet identified, causing the

• Invalid volume file count


• Invalid volume directory count

Run Rember again. It may not detect an error on the first run through.