Install Failed - Disk is damaged

KMSR09 wrote:

… Someone help, please. At least to just get me out of this installer boot mode.

Earlier in this topic, three steps. Try those.

Aim to start from your Snow Leopard DVD and use its Disk Utility, first for a verification.

I already did, it doesn't help. As you can see from the log I posted the repair attempt came out futile 😟

Now I'm stuck in limbo....I can only use safari right now because its part of the installer utilities.

Wherever there is live verification it is properly impossible to repair that volume.

Try the traditional c key to start from your Snow Leopard DVD then use its Disk Utility to verify the volume. Don't rush to repair, let's see whether what's reported is significantly different.

Okay I just tried that and it wouldn't work. At the grey apple screen it just gave me the spinning grey wheel/gear and stayed like that for several minutes until I eventually held the power key and started normally.

I also tried holding down option and it brought me to the boot selection, but it only had one option - "OSX Installer"

I have the EXACT same thing happen. I am now in limbo with no where to go. In my disc utility, repair disc is greayed out. Cannot exit the installer, and do not want to reinstall Snow Leopard, I do not want to wipe my HD clean. Someone needs to fix this. I've never had a problem like this, my computer is in limbo.

Thanks, Steve M

Likewise same problem here.

Tried also selecting the boot disk to the original, internal disk and it says it hasn't got enough information etc, same error.

Tried the restore from TimeMachine option as well, but with no luck since it does not show the internal disk as an option to restore the data?

Did I understand correct that the next steps would be:

1) Try to boot from SL installation disk and repair the disk from there

2) If that fails, erase the current partition and restore from TM, assuming it will now show the volume as an option?

Thanks.

Hey I just spent half the day trying to install Lion—never ending loop of rebooting, disk is damaged, etc. I tried taking out 3rd party ram. I tried a differnt drive—thinking it was my 3rd party SSD.

I zapped the p-ram as mentioned by Graham Perrin and we're finally installing.

Good to know, must try that next.

Well in tried the pram and command r. Put in my snow leopard disk and all it does is spinning stop and go blank. Guess I'll be calling tel support. This is on my 2010 mbp. My 2011 iMac no problem on the install. If anyone comes up with something new to try before tech support opens plaz post

These disk repair errors are so usual to me over the years even before Lion. I assume you are stuck having files on internal hard drive, no way to copy them as the only way to get operating system working again would be reformatting the internal drive first. There are 2 things you could do to copy the files out of the broken partition:

- use unix console commands in Terminal that you can run from OS X install dvd, to copy files to some external memory (too difficult for some users)

- use OS X install DVD to make a temporary install to some external memory like a large USB disk or a unused USB hard disk. Then you can boot it off that and use Finder to normally copy files from the broken partition to somewhere safe.

KMSR09 wrote:

… only had one option - "OSX Installer"

To escape from that limitation, try another reset of PRAM and NVRAM.

I had the same problem in the Lion install. I was able to reboot from the SL DVD (holding c during boot) and it was able to repair the hard disk (which Lion could not). I was then able to re-boot from the SL hard disk, and am now frantically backing up (which I of course should have done prior to the Lion download). I think I'll stick to SL for a while...

About 3 this morning I managed to reformat my hard drive using my snow leopard disk. Right now I am copy files from the time machine. Should take another 2 hours, I think. Can't wait to see what registration info or photographs I've lost. Can't imagine why the damaged drive info happened but shame on Apple for not giving us a way to get back to our previous condition so early in the install. Especially since this is a download and any flick of the Internet could change the installing files.

Anyway, hoping to have things clean with capability of actual upgrade to Lion.

I'm stuck at the same spot. I've tried resetting the PRAM and starting up holding command-c and both just bring me back to the lion installer with the installer being my only my onlly startup option. All of this is with the snow leopard installer in the drive. I've had all of the same "cannot repair disc errors" as everyone else. I've even tried to restore the disc and back everything up onto a different drive to no avail. More errors. Has anyone had anything else that works?