Hard disk bricked after using file vault with time machine

Question

Hi,I used an external hdd for time machine with my mid-2007 iMac with file vault turned on. Last month I replaced the hdd inside my iMac and tried to recover my iMac with the time machine back up. However the migration assistant told me that there was an error in the image and I cannot restore from the back up. I was okay with that and reinstall everything from scratch. Then i decided to format my external hdd for my newly installed OS X. I used disk utility to erase the partition, but after that it failed and my external hdd is bricked. I cannot create any partition with any software (I tried both OS X and Windows software). I guess it was file vault which "protected" my hdd?May I know if anyone has encountered this situation? How could I format my external hdd for future use?Thank You.The image shows what my external hdd looks like in disk utility. The tab for erasing partition is gone...

Linc Davis · Accepted Answer

Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens. ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.Triple-click the line below to select it, then drag or copy the text — do not type it — into the Terminal window and press return:diskutil cs listPost the lines of output that appear below what you entered — the text, please, not a screenshot.

bkccheung · Answer

Thank you!This is the output from terminal:CoreStorage logical volume groups (2 found)|+-- Logical Volume Group 974EAA68-8BAB-41E1-B963-6D964470F903|   &#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;|   Name:         Macintosh HD|   Size:         499248103424 B (499.2 GB)|   Free Space:   16777216 B (16.8 MB)|   ||   +-&lt; Physical Volume D945AB35-BB7F-4EC2-9551-C78EEC641052|   |   ----------------------------------------------------|   |   Index:    0|   |   Disk:     disk0s2|   |   Status:   Online|   |   Size:     499248103424 B (499.2 GB)|   ||   +-&gt; Logical Volume Family 2146F346-CB4F-48EF-9579-A9AF5CAE4BCC|       ----------------------------------------------------------|       Encryption Status:       Unlocked|       Encryption Type:         AES-XTS|       Conversion Status:       Complete|       Conversion Direction:    -none-|       Has Encrypted Extents:   Yes|       Fully Secure:            Yes|       Passphrase Required:     Yes|       ||       +-&gt; Logical Volume 00949C4F-4CB8-4E82-80F3-8FE37AC53DD6|           ---------------------------------------------------|           Disk:               disk1|           Status:             Online|           Size (Total):       498912555008 B (498.9 GB)|           Size (Converted):   -none-|           Revertible:         Yes (unlock and decryption required)|           LV Name:            Macintosh HD|           Volume Name:        Macintosh HD|           Content Hint:       Apple_HFS|+-- Logical Volume Group D335C131-0884-4A08-A3A3-90F2256AB6BB    &#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;&#x3D;    Name:         Time Machine    Size:         499763888128 B (499.8 GB)    Free Space:   499344449536 B (499.3 GB)    |    +-&lt; Physical Volume F15F1FF8-68F2-4E32-BC06-A06ADA91F407        ----------------------------------------------------        Index:    0        Disk:     disk2s2        Status:   Online        Size:     499763888128 B (499.8 GB)

Linc Davis · Answer

You must back up all data to another drive before doing anything else.Enter the following command in the same way as before (no typing):sudo diskutil cs deleteLVG D335C131-0884-4A08-A3A3-90F2256AB6BBYou&#x27;ll be prompted for your login password, which won&#x27;t be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning not to screw up. If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before you can run the command.The external drive will be erased.

bkccheung · Answer

My hdd is fixed!!Thanks a lot for your help!

barubin · Answer

Linc,I tried your technique on a locked 64GB USB thumb drive without success. FileVault 2 "issue" with an encrypted thumbdriveDo you have any suggestions for me besides disposing of my device?TIA.