JMPC

Q: EtreCheck question: Partition not Mounted

Hello.

Used EtreCheck after noticing a few problems with my MacBook Air - 2014 with OS X Yosemite.

I got this information... (check below my question, please).

 

Question: Under 'Disk Information', why does Recovery HDD appear in light grey (on the app, of course) and why do I get the information 'Not Mounted'? How can I solve this problem? I can access it by pressing 'Cmd + R' when I boot my Mac... but I can never see it via Disk Utility...

 

Thank you.

 

EtreCheck version: 2.0.11 (98)

Report generated 15 de Novembro de 2014 às 22:11:01 WET

 

Hardware Information: ℹ️

  MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014) (Verified)

  MacBook Air - model: MacBookAir6,2

  1 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core

  4 GB RAM Not upgradeable

  BANK 0/DIMM0

  2 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

  BANK 1/DIMM0

  2 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

  Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported

  Wireless:  en0: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

 

Video Information: ℹ️

  Intel HD Graphics 5000 -

  Color LCD 1440 x 900

 

System Software: ℹ️

  OS X 10.10 (14A389) - Uptime: 1:12:26

 

Disk Information: ℹ️

  APPLE SSD SD0128F disk0 : (121,33 GB)

  S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified

  EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

  Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>  [Recovery]: 650 MB

  Macintosh HD (disk1) /  [Startup]: 119.45 GB (42.17 GB free)

  Core Storage: disk0s2 119.82 GB Online

 

USB Information: ℹ️

  Apple Internal Memory Card Reader

  Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

  Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

 

Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️

  Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

 

Gatekeeper: ℹ️

  Mac App Store and identified developers

 

Launch Agents: ℹ️

  [not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist Support

 

Launch Daemons: ℹ️

  [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support

  [invalid?] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist Support

  [running] com.iobit.AMCDaemon.plist Support

  [loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist Support

 

User Launch Agents: ℹ️

  [loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support

  [running] com.c-command.SpamSieve.LaunchAgent.plist Support

  [running] com.iobit.MacBoosterMini.plist Support

  [running] com.spotify.webhelper.plist Support

 

User Login Items: ℹ️

  smcFanControl Aplicação (/Applications/smcFanControl.app)

  iTunesHelper Aplicação (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

 

Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

  JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 15.0.0 - SDK 10.10 Check version

  FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 15.0.0.223 - SDK 10.6 Support

  Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10

  AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.09 - SDK 10.6 Support

  AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.09 - SDK 10.6 Support

  Flash Player: Version: 15.0.0.223 - SDK 10.6 Support

  QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

  SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.6 - SDK 10.6 Support

  iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0

 

Safari Extensions: ℹ️

  iTube Studio

  Open in Internet Explorer

 

3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️

  Flash Player  Support

  Perian  Support

 

Time Machine: ℹ️

  Time Machine not configured!

 

Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️

      5% WindowServer

      1% hidd

      0% fontd

      0% AppleSpell

      0% notifyd

 

Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️

  112 MB Finder

  107 MB mds_stores

  107 MB Twitter

  87 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

  77 MB Safari

 

Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️

  122 MB Free RAM

  1.59 GB Active RAM

  1.33 GB Inactive RAM

  743 MB Wired RAM

  4.00 GB Page-ins

  96 MB Page-outs

MacBook Air, OS X Yosemite (10.10)

Posted on Nov 15, 2014 2:16 PM

Close

Q: EtreCheck question: Partition not Mounted

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Linc Davis,Helpful

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Nov 15, 2014 5:54 PM in response to JMPC
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Nov 15, 2014 5:54 PM in response to JMPC

    Please describe the problem in as much relevant detail as possible. The "etrecheck" fad hasn't made that step any less necessary. The better your description, the better the chance of a solution.

    For example, if the computer is slow, which specific actions are slow? Is it slow all the time, or only sometimes? What changes did you make, if any, just before it became slow? Have you seen any alerts or error messages? Have you done anything to try to fix it? Most importantly, do you have a current backup of all data? If the answer to the last question is "no," back up now. Ask if you need guidance. Do nothing else until you have a backup.

  • by Esquared,Helpful

    Esquared Esquared Nov 16, 2014 5:12 AM in response to JMPC
    Level 6 (8,410 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 16, 2014 5:12 AM in response to JMPC

    The Recovery Disk shows up in light grey BECAUSE it is not mounted. Which is normal, because it only gets mounted when you start-up withe cmd-R.

     

    That it is not visible in Disk Utility is normal too.

     

    BTW: I strongly suggest uninstalling MacBooster. These cleaning utilities are more often the cause of problems than the solution.

  • by JMPC,

    JMPC JMPC Nov 16, 2014 5:16 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (25 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 16, 2014 5:16 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Hello.

    Indeed this past week has been stressful... I've had a few serious problems with my others Mac in other occasions (problems that were hardware related and to cause by me). So, I guess I was a bit worried, after all, I've only had my MacBook Air - 2014 for almost a month... Also this is my first 'new generation' Mac... still used to keyboards without light and HDD's instead of SDD's...

     

    I have a Firmware password. It wasn't allowing me to do anything, when booting my Mac... (for example, with such password activated, I couldn't access Safe Mode, Dic Diagnostics, Reset PRAM, ...). Naturally, the other problem, for me, was the fact that I can't access Recovery HD (though I have an DS card with OS X Yosemite backup) simply by pressing 'R'. I actually need to press 'Cmd + R', otherwise, my Mac boots normally.

     

    I enjoy OS X Yosemite a lot. But I've found several small bugs which are normal for a first OS X version, but I've also found a few, I hope, will be solved soon with an update! For example, is it supposed to consume so much Ram?! My Mac has 4 GBs but I hardly have 2 GBs free... Not that I feel it's slower... but it just made me worried a bit: I use a lot Adobe software, so I need the much free Ram has possible.

     

    When EtreCheck announced that Recovery HD isn't mounted, what does it mean?

    Hopefully today I'll do a clean installation of OS X Yosemite with the bootable SD I created.

     

    Thank you so much the help.

  • by JMPC,Solvedanswer

    JMPC JMPC Nov 16, 2014 5:21 AM in response to Esquared
    Level 1 (25 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 16, 2014 5:21 AM in response to Esquared

    Thank you for the help.

     

    I used to have CleanMyMac 2... but it caused me some trouble with OS X Mavericks...

    Also I have SpamSieve, MacSan and now, MacBooster.

     

    I know OS X has several tools to help my Mac function normally... but I always feel I require a few more just in case.

    For example, with MacBooster I can, sometimes obtain free Gigabytes, that were full with files I no longer require!

     

    Without such tools, how can I make sure Apple tools - the one's OS X have - are going to help me keep my Mac clean?

     

    Thank you.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Nov 16, 2014 6:09 AM in response to JMPC
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Nov 16, 2014 6:09 AM in response to JMPC

    I have no use for etrecheck and I don't comment on its output. It's normal for the Recovery HD not to be mounted. It only mounts when you start the computer in Recovery mode.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Nov 16, 2014 6:10 AM in response to JMPC
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Nov 16, 2014 6:10 AM in response to JMPC

    How to maintain a Mac

    1. Make two or more backups of all your files, keeping at least one off site at all times in case of disaster. One backup is not enough to be safe. Don’t back up your backups; all should be made directly from the original data. Don’t rely completely on any single backup method, such as Time Machine. If you get an indication that a backup has failed, don't ignore it.

    2. Keep your software up to date. In the App Store or Software Update preference pane (depending on the OS version), you can configure automatic notifications of updates to OS X and other Mac App Store products. Some third-party applications from other sources have a similar feature, if you don’t mind letting them phone home. Otherwise you have to check yourself on a regular basis.

    Keeping up to date is especially important for complex software that modifies the operating system, such as device drivers. Don't install such modifications unless they're absolutely necessary. Remove them when they are no longer needed. Before installing any Apple update, you must check that all system modifications that you use are compatible. Incompatibility with third-party software is by far the most common cause of difficulties with system updates.

    3. Don't install crapware, such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” "boosters," “extenders,” “cleaners,” "doctors," "tune-ups," “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, such stuff is useless or worse than useless. Above all, avoid any software that purports to change the look and feel of the user interface.

    It's not much of an exaggeration to say that the whole "utility" software industry for the Mac is a fraud on consumers. The most extreme examples are the "CleanMyMac," "TuneUpMyMac," and “MacKeeper” scams, but there are many others.

    As a rule, you should avoid software that changes the way other software works. Plugins for Photoshop and similar programs are an obvious exception to this rule. Safari extensions, and perhaps the equivalent for other web browsers, are a partial exception. Most are safe, and they're easy to get rid of if they don't work. Some may cause the browser to crash or otherwise malfunction. Some are malicious. Use with caution, and install only well-known extensions from relatively trustworthy sources, such as the Safari Extensions Gallery.

    Only install software that is useful to you, not (as you imagine) to the computer. For example, a word processor is useful for writing. A video editor is useful for making movies. A game is useful for fun. But a "cache cleaner" isn't useful for anything. Cleaning caches is not an end in itself.

    Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it. Otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve. Do not rely on "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.

    4. Don't install bad, conflicting, or unnecessary fonts. Whenever you install new fonts, use the validation feature of the built-in Font Book application to make sure the fonts aren't defective and don't conflict with each other or with others that you already have. See the built-in help and this support article for instructions. Deactivate or remove fonts that you don't really need to speed up application launching.

    5. Avoid malware. Malware is malicious software that circulates on the Internet. This kind of attack on OS X was once so rare that it was hardly a concern, but malware is now increasingly common, and increasingly dangerous.

    There is some built-in protection against malware, but you can’t rely on it—the attackers are always at least one day ahead of the defense. You can’t rely on third-party protection either. What you can rely on is common-sense awareness—not paranoia, which only makes you more vulnerable.

    Never install software from an untrustworthy or unknown source. If in doubt, do some research. Any website that prompts you to install a “codec” or “plugin” that comes from the same site, or an unknown site, is untrustworthy. Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must come directly from the developer's website. No intermediary is acceptable, and don’t trust links unless you know how to parse them. Any file that is automatically downloaded from the web, without your having requested it, should go straight into the Trash. A web page that tells you that your computer has a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with it, is a scam.

    In OS X 10.7.5 or later, downloaded applications and Installer packages that have not been digitally signed by a developer registered with Apple are blocked from loading by default. The block can be overridden, but think carefully before you do so.

    Because of recurring security issues in Java, it’s best to disable it in your web browsers, if it’s installed. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This action is mandatory if you’re running any version of OS X older than 10.6.8 with the latest Java update. Note: Java has nothing to do with JavaScript, despite the similar names. Don't install Java unless you're sure you need it. Most people don't.

    6. Don't fill up your disk/SSD. A common mistake is adding more and more large files to your home folder until you start to get warnings that you're out of space, which may be followed in short order by a startup failure. This is more prone to happen on the newer Macs that come with an internal SSD instead of the traditional hard drive. The drive can be very nearly full before you become aware of the problem.

    While it's not true that you should or must keep any particular percentage of space free, you should monitor your storage use and make sure you're not in immediate danger of using it up. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of free space on the startup volume for normal operation.

    If storage space is running low, use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper to explore the volume and find out what's taking up the most space. Move seldom-used large files to secondary storage.

    7. Relax, don’t do it. Besides the above, no routine maintenance is necessary or beneficial for the vast majority of users; specifically not “cleaning caches,” “zapping the PRAM,” "resetting the SMC," “rebuilding the directory,” "defragmenting the drive," “running periodic scripts,” “dumping logs,” "deleting temp files," “scanning for viruses,” "purging memory," "checking for bad blocks," "testing the hardware," or “repairing permissions.” Such measures are either completely pointless or are useful only for solving problems, not for prevention.

    To use a Mac effectively, you have to free yourself from the Windows mindset that every computer needs regular downtime maintenance such as "defragging" and "registry cleaning." Those concepts do not apply to the Mac platform.

    A well-designed computing device is not something you should have to think about much. It should be an almost transparent medium through which you communicate, work, and play. If you want a machine that needs a lot of attention, use a PC.

    The very height of futility is running an expensive third-party application called “Disk Warrior” when nothing is wrong, or even when something is wrong and you have backups, which you must have. Disk Warrior is a data-salvage tool, not a maintenance tool, and you will never need it if your backups are adequate. Don’t waste money on it or anything like it.

  • by wardropper,

    wardropper wardropper Apr 21, 2016 6:39 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apr 21, 2016 6:39 AM in response to Linc Davis

    In 24 years of using Mac computers, I have never seen such clear, frank and convincing general advice on how to look after your digital well-being.

    Fiddling around with things and "fixing them when they ain't broke" is, of course, addictive once you get started...

    Thank you, sir.