Install Failed - Disk is damaged

Same problem. Stuck in endless loop disk repair is greyed out will not let me change startup disk back to harddrive. Updating operating system should not brick a perfectly good working computer for ******** technical reasons, no? Installed on my other computer with no problems, something is wrong with this install. When I can get to my office I can fix this with time machine backups but still strongly resent apple for wasting hours of my life on something they should have fixed by now.

I spoke with an Apple Tech tonight when I had this problem who took me into the disk utilities to repation the McIntosh HD volume, after that Lion OsX is updating perfectly 🙂

I FIGURED OUT HOW TO FIX THIS! Mavericks royally messed up my HD and I was freaking out because I didn't have a back-up. After much research online and going back and forth from different forums here is how to fix your "damaged" HD.

So basically to save your data (if your disk is cannot be repaired in Disk Utility or you can't access it or if you keep getting stuck in the loop), you have use an external hard drive as the start up disk and install Lion or Mavericks on that then transfer your files from the HD to the external. Then shut down the computer, remove the external (so it tries to boot up on its own), go into Recovery Mode then to Disk Utility and do a level 7 erase (it will be in your security options under erase. It's the Most Secure one that the US Department of Defense uses. This will take about 12 hours and once that is done, restart your computer in Recovery Mode then reinstall Lion. To transfer your data back on your computer, plug in the external and use it as a hard drive, your data will be under the User folder and whatever username you use. I bolded the most important part as it seems most of the forums don't include it. TAKE THAT APPLE.

Taramason, this is the same problem I've been battling all evening after upgrading to Maverick. How do I install maverick on an external hard drive? And then how do I transfer my files from my HD to the external since I currently cannot get to my HD?

Thanks for your help!!!

Plug your external in to your computer in which the "damaged" HD is in, then go to Reinstall OS, when it asks which drive, select the external. Once it's installed it will ask if you want to transfer info from another Mac then click that and select your HD. Make sure your external is partitioned in the GUID format. You can do that in Disc Utility.

Thanks, I tried that but it is telling me that my external drive is used for time machine back ups so it will not let me install it there. My other option is the the Recovery HD but it tells me that is locked. I'm just stuck in limbo on these screens with no where to go on to. I wish I never would have tried to install Maverick.

If you have a recent Time Machine back-up then your data will already be on that. You either need to move your time machine back up to another computer or another external if you still have data on your HD you need to recover. Your external needs to be empty for this to work. If you already have a Time Machine back-up then you can just simply erase the HD.

In addition to what I just said, in order to erase your external, use Disk Utility (just do a soft erase not the level 7) then create a new partition. Before you apply, go to options and select GUID Partition Scheme. Make sure it is also MAC OS Extended (Journaled).