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ApMaX Author

Level 2

152 points

How to PREVENT a volume or disk mounting when booting?

This thread has been labeled as solved:

How to hide/not mount a partition

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4271735?start=0&tstart=0

So, I am starting this new one. I am using Macs with OS X 10.8.3 (Mountain Lion).

1. sadhuram said:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Launch terminal, then:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Press enter. It will prompt you for your administrator password, type it and enter (don't worry if you can't see if you are actually typing anything).

You will be in nano editor, now you have to write the desired configuration. In my case the partition I don't wanna be mounted is called "Arch". I must open "Disk Utility" and then search on the left bar the partition, select it and press CMD+I. Search for the UUID (Universal Unique Identifier) and copy it, mine was: 3CA41C88-3E86-3A39-88CE-9379FF44B6A5

Go back to terminal and write:

# fstab

# Identifier mount point fs type options1

UUID=3CA41C88-3E86-3A39-88CE-9379FF44B6A5 none hfs rw,noauto

Remember to change my UUID with the UUID of your partition. Once you've finished editing the document you moust press CRTL+O (to save changes) and then press CRTL+X to quit nano editor.

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2. Then, I said:

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sadhuram, many thanks. I will appreciate your feedback on these three things:

1. FIRST

After

sudo nano /etc/fstab

I pressed the carriage return and I got something like this (without the lines ---):

--------------------------------------------------

UUID=3C236DAC-45CD-8ADB-8J8A-KI87K756L875 none hfs rw,noauto

UUID=9DKL76JH-859G-9865-87L7-TN59694I6K47 none hfs rw,noauto

--------------------------------------------------

and then I pasted below what you indicated to read (without the lines ---):

--------------------------------------------------

UUID=3C236DAC-45CD-8ADB-8J8A-KI87K756L875 none hfs rw,noauto

UUID=9DKL76JH-859G-9865-87L7-TN59694I6K47 none hfs rw,noauto

# fstab

# Identifier mount point fs type options1

UUID=U4766497-8TBE-9Y79-M4IH-K7OT4G49475H none hfs rw,noauto

--------------------------------------------------

I understand that it is not required to press the carriage return after pasting that.

If now I press/type:

ctrl O

nothing happens.

If then I press/type:

ctrl X

nothing happens either.

2. SECOND

Imagine that the booting OS X 10.8.3 above is an external disk used to boot two different iMacs (one at work and other at home, for instance). One iMac has the UUID indicated above, but the other has a different UUID, of course. How to prevent that none of such internal Mac hard disks automounts when either of the iMacs (at work or at home) is booted from the external disk?

3. THIRD

On the other hand, how to reverse the unmount feature and make such iMac internal disks automatically mount (if required in the future)? In other words, how to revert this change if required in the future?

Thanks again.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Could someone please answer to my questions above. Thanks.

Posted on Apr 30, 2013 1:35 AM

26 replies

ApMaX Author

Level 2

152 points

May 1, 2013 10:24 AM in response to etresoft

Could you please stop polluting my thread? You do not get it again. All wrong. Please, let people that can help reply. Stop.

lrr394

Level 1

5 points

May 3, 2013 4:15 AM in response to ApMaX

Would you like to share screen with me. Im a visual person, I would like to see what happens.

Do you actually use DiskWarrior?

ApMaX Author

Level 2

152 points

May 3, 2013 4:45 AM in response to lrr394

Actually, it is not my Mac but the Mac of other person. This is what DiskWarrior reports if the above procedure to prevent automounting at boot is implemented (no problem at all on the very same disk if the prevent automounting is not implemented):

DiskWarrior has successfully built a new directory for the disk named "Macintosh HD." The new directory cannot replace the original directory due to a Mac OS services failure.

Try rebuilding again. If the problem persists, please restart from the DiskWarrior CD and then try rebuilding again.

All file and folder data was easily located.

In the case ot Time Machine, it just does not make incremental backups, but full backups if a previously backedup disk that automounts is later on configured using the above procedure to prevent automounting at boot and then re-backuped again (Time Machine does a full backup then, instead of an incremental one). Actually, a Time Machine interference is also described at:

Prevent a given partition from mounting at boot

http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20060930150059172

where "andrewwynn" says:

Super helpful with one major caveat; breaks time-machine restore capability. Backups still happen but you can not restore items that are within the drive mounted to a mount point!

Yet, none of those problems (DiskWarrior and Time Machine) arise using "TinkerTool System - System Settings - System - Volumes - Exclude volumes from automatic mounting", which demonstrates that such feature is possible.

Thanks.

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

May 3, 2013 4:48 AM in response to ApMaX

ApMaX wrote:

Actually, it is not my Mac but the Mac of other person. This is what DiskWarrior reports if the above procedure to prevent automounting at boot is implemented (no problem at all on the very same disk if the prevent automounting is not implemented):

DiskWarrior has successfully built a new directory for the disk named "Macintosh HD." The new directory cannot replace the original directory due to a Mac OS services failure.

Try rebuilding again. If the problem persists, please restart from the DiskWarrior CD and then try rebuilding again.

All file and folder data was easily located.

In the case ot Time Machine, it just does not make incremental backups, but full backups if a previously backedup disk that automounts is later on configured using the above procedure to prevent automounting at boot and then re-backuped again (Time Machine does a full backup then, instead of an incremental one). Actually, a Time Machine interference is also described at:

Prevent a given partition from mounting at boot

http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20060930150059172

where "andrewwynn" says:

Super helpful with one major caveat; breaks time-machine restore capability. Backups still happen but you can not restore items that are within the drive mounted to a mount point!

Yet, none of those problems (DiskWarrior and Time Machine) arise using "TinkerTool System - System Settings - System - Volumes - Exclude volumes from automatic mounting", which demonstrates that such feature is possible.

Thanks.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

Pete

ApMaX Author

Level 2

152 points

May 3, 2013 5:01 AM in response to petermac87

Pete, that has been sent to Apple Feedback and Apple Bug Reporter

https://bugreport.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/RadarWeb.woa/wa/signIn

many times in the past years.

Please, do not include the full post before (maninly if it is long as in this case) just to include the feedback link to Apple as you have done. Let's keep the thread compact. Thanks.

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

May 3, 2013 5:05 AM in response to ApMaX

ApMaX wrote:

Pete, that has been sent to Apple Feedback and Apple Bug Reporter

https://bugreport.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/RadarWeb.woa/wa/signIn

many times in the past years.

Please, do not include the full post before (maninly if it is long as in this case) just to include the feedback link to Apple as you have done. Let's keep the thread compact. Thanks.

Compact???? 😁

Pete

ApMaX Author

Level 2

152 points

May 17, 2013 5:52 AM in response to ApMaX

Could someone please help?

In summary, I want to prevent the internal disk from mounting on two different iMacs (one at work and other at home) when booted from the same external SSD disk. And without interfering with DiskWarrior and Apple Time Machine.

Thanks!

ApMaX Author

Level 2

152 points

May 25, 2013 3:31 AM in response to ApMaX

Somebody knows? Thanks.

May 30, 2013 3:14 PM in response to ApMaX

At the risk of raising your ire because I am not offeing a step by step solution, it seems you have already provided one in at least two posts. You have said, in the post I am replying to, that none of the problems [...] occur when using the Tinkertool method.

Tinkertool is nothing more than a GUI interface to the same tools available to you in Terminal. It is not magic. But it is not allowed to be in the Mac App Store because it doesn't follow Apple's rules to NOT access the files that it can (that has already been explained to you). There are many effective and helpful utilities that are NOT allowed on the Mac App Store for exactly the same reason. That does not mean they are not safe, that does not mean they aren't helpful. As a matter of fact, they are probably safer than using Terminal where a simple failure to write a command exactly as you should can cause drastic and very difficult to correct problems; even a complete loss of all your data!

But you seem somehow afraid to use Tinkertool while blthly typing in commands with absolutely no knowledge of what they might do or any assurance of the veracity of the person offering you the instructions. (I mean no offense to the people who have done that and I assume you meant no harm, but I also take the effort to determine what any Terminal commands will do before using them. 😉 ) That just seems like a recipe for disaster and not logical. Your fear of Tinkertool is irrational. Your use of commands entered in Terminal without understanding what they do is irrational. You abuse of the offerings of some is seriously missplaced and is likely discouraging anyone from offering any help. You post irrelavant opinions by telling others how to keep "your" thread compact. Sounds like you need to re-read the Rules on using these forums. And you can stop wasting your time thinking that this thread belongs to you! 😝

You say you know a solution (Tinkertool). So, why aren't you using it? Beats me! Have a great weekend. S'long.

ApMaX Author

Level 2

152 points

May 30, 2013 3:25 PM in response to xairbusdriver

Thanks for the message. I do really appreciate it, as I have always appreciated any sincere reply to help. What I did not like was people writting nonsense again and again. I do not want to use TinkerTool System because Apple does not like it. That is all, and I am trying to use alternative ways. I will appreciate any help. Thanks again.

Jun 28, 2014 12:22 PM in response to etresoft

If it's INSIDE the mac it is NOT unpluggable. Especially an iMac. Unless you want to break into the case and have a different nightmare on your hands that requires an apple specialist. People, STOP second-guessing people's very questions.

How to PREVENT a volume or disk mounting when booting?