broadway al

Q: sleepmode virus

Last two days my iMac won't come out of sleep mode. I wind up with a question marked folder blinking. I install the system disk and restart and things seem to straighten out strangely as I can eject the disk and keep going. I've tried to run disk utility off the disk but it's not compatible with the Snow Leopard I'm using.

All I can conclude is that I managed to get that malware bug from an email someone sent me. Time Machine won't let me restore my system folder.

Posted on Jul 4, 2015 7:32 PM

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Q: sleepmode virus

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  • by Kurt Lang,

    Kurt Lang Kurt Lang Jul 6, 2015 6:02 PM in response to broadway al
    Level 8 (37,939 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 6, 2015 6:02 PM in response to broadway al

    I still have no idea what is restoring, or to where.

     

    As I mentioned in red text above, having somewhere else to backup your data before proceeding was necessary. That can only mean another external drive separate from the one you were using for TM.

     

    I'm not sure where you are in the process now, or what is going to where. We can only hope all goes well with whatever backup you have going.

  • by broadway al,

    broadway al broadway al Jul 6, 2015 7:12 PM in response to Kurt Lang
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 6, 2015 7:12 PM in response to Kurt Lang

    As of right now Kurt I'm running my system off the external drive. I'm about to start time machine but the choice to set up a time capsule or a back up disk is confusing me. I'm simply going to start a new back up on Time Machine starting today.

  • by broadway al,

    broadway al broadway al Jul 6, 2015 7:27 PM in response to broadway al
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 6, 2015 7:27 PM in response to broadway al

    Now this is troubling me. I partitioned and chose the correct destinations for the OS and Time Machine. Now when setting up Time Machine and choosing the large partition I created on the external I'm getting this message!

     

    Are you sure you want to back up to the same device your original data is on?

    The volume “time machine” you have chosen for storing backups is on the same device as the volume “Macintosh HD” which is being backed up.

     

    To fully protect your data, you should back up to a volume on a different device.

  • by broadway al,

    broadway al broadway al Jul 6, 2015 7:46 PM in response to broadway al
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 6, 2015 7:46 PM in response to broadway al

    I know I chose the correct disk but Time Machine is telling me it is backing up 1,270,969 items. It looks like it's going to take as long as the hd restore.

  • by broadway al,

    broadway al broadway al Jul 6, 2015 9:54 PM in response to broadway al
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 6, 2015 9:54 PM in response to broadway al

    Kurt I created the partitions and named them. I made the HD partition big enough to accept the system restore. I transferred the HD to the partition on the external (took a long time) and it's working famously. I turned on Time Machine and chose the larger partition on the external hard drive and got a message questioning my choice as both the hard drive and time machine were now on the same device. After choosing this Time Machine began a back up of over a million files and so I quit the back up. Along with the time it was going to take I heard the sound my internal hard drive was making when it was looking for a start up disk. That stopped after I put the iMac to sleep and woke it up. If you don't know I put all those folders that were on the external onto a thumb drive.

    Other than the TM not being used everything else seems to be AOK.

    But it looks to me like a lot of things are in the system folder that are on the hard drive. For instance, if I spotlight "applications" I get "applications external mac hd" (which is what I called the start folder on the external drive. And I get "applications-applications" which is an empty folder located in the first applications. I just threw that one away since it was empty.

    Do you remember conflict catcher?

  • by Kurt Lang,

    Kurt Lang Kurt Lang Jul 7, 2015 6:01 AM in response to broadway al
    Level 8 (37,939 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 7, 2015 6:01 AM in response to broadway al

    Ah, it sounds like you're mostly finished, then. You've got your main drive cloned to the external so you can boot and run off of that.

     

    The only thing I'm somewhat confused by is why TM would balk at using the other partition on the same drive. Other than it's not really a backup strategy when you do that. If the drive you're booted from fails, your backup goes with it since they're on the same physical drive.

  • by broadway al,

    broadway al broadway al Jul 7, 2015 6:38 AM in response to Kurt Lang
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 7, 2015 6:38 AM in response to Kurt Lang

    Yes thank you for your assistance. I still don't know what to do about the Time Machine backing up all those files. I let it try and after an hour very little progress was being made. This am when I woke the iMac I heard the clicking and spin down noise and then it stopped. If I'm only using the external for a start up disk shouldn't the internal still be used? On the external partition used for the start up disk there are 7 folders. Applications, Library, System, Macintosh HD, User Guides and Information (which has an alias arrow), Users, Developer and two items (log txt, properties xml)

    The folder Macintosh HD is the name of the internal hd and it's empty.

  • by Kurt Lang,

    Kurt Lang Kurt Lang Jul 7, 2015 7:11 AM in response to broadway al
    Level 8 (37,939 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 7, 2015 7:11 AM in response to broadway al

    It sure sounds like you got the internal drive cloned just in time! Consider that drive dead and replace it. Then you can clone the external drive back to it and boot to the new internal drive. I wouldn't use the internal drive for anything at this point. Whatever you put on it stands a very high chance of being lost.

     

    I can't guess what's going on the TM, either. You sure don't have millions of files to backup.

     

    If that empty "Macintosh HD" folder is alongside Applications, Library and the others, you can just delete it.

  • by broadway al,

    broadway al broadway al Jul 7, 2015 7:38 AM in response to Kurt Lang
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 7, 2015 7:38 AM in response to Kurt Lang

    Aren't both these drives being used? If I click on the only image of a drive on my desktop (the external) it has eight items in it. If I click on one, say Library,

    it opens and has 57 items in it. If I click on one of them, say Mail, it has one folder "Account Types" and if I click on that it's empty. I thought the idea was to use the external drive as the start up disk. I partitioned it to 163 gigs. My whole internal can't be there? And if it is why are there so many empty folders?

  • by Kurt Lang,

    Kurt Lang Kurt Lang Jul 7, 2015 8:10 AM in response to broadway al
    Level 8 (37,939 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 7, 2015 8:10 AM in response to broadway al
    Aren't both these drives being used?

    Technically, yes. If you startup from the external drive, it will see any mounted drive and show its icon on the desktop. So your Mac knows the internal drive is there, but not being the startup drive, it's just a drive with a bunch of files on it.

     

    My whole internal can't be there? And if it is why are there so many empty folders?

    Hmm. It sounds like something didn't clone correctly, or wasn't done properly.


    It's difficult to tell where you are at this point. Especially if the internal startup drive and the new external startup partition are the same name. Change one or the other by highlighting the icon, pressing enter and giving it a unique name. That will make it much easier to determine which one you're referring to.


    Am I correct that you currently have no Time Machine backup? If so, I would purchase another external drive before doing anything else. And as long as you're out shopping, another internal drive to replace the failing one. I don't how comfortable you are in knowing what type of internal drive to purchase for your model Mac, or how to replace it. So it would be up to you whether or not you'd want to attempt that.

     

    But a second external drive is pretty important right now. You need a way to separate your TM backup from the other external drive so your backup and startup partition aren't on the same physical drive. And so you have a backup.

  • by broadway al,

    broadway al broadway al Jul 7, 2015 8:53 AM in response to Kurt Lang
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 7, 2015 8:53 AM in response to Kurt Lang

    I had a conflict when I first tried to restore Macintosh HD to the external with the same name so I renamed it External Mac HD. I see no reference to the internal anywhere except for that empty folder I threw away. I was hoping to use Disk Utility to run "repair" but the internal isn't showing up even there.

    So far every application I open runs fine. My music, photos, internet etc etc. Flawlessly.

    I've looked at a couple of youtubes on replacement of the internal and as a former tech in Electro Optics it's well within my grasp to replace it.

    I just can' figure out how to get the information to it from the external if my imac can't see it.

    It's true I have no back up but I've lived for years using macs without having Time Machine or any backups. I know I know. But I also believe you get what you pay for. At this point I need to figure out why Time Machine is going to back up over a million files before. I can't see how, if I let it start, it will all fit within a 600 gig partition.

  • by broadway al,

    broadway al broadway al Jul 8, 2015 6:57 AM in response to broadway al
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 8, 2015 6:57 AM in response to broadway al

    so everything is working great. It looks like Apple creates lot of "items" when you perform back ups and I still have plenty of room on the drive. Time Machine is working great and I'll be getting a new drive tomorrow. "ifixit" has a great guide. I want to thank everyone that helped out. Thanks Kurt.

  • by Kurt Lang,Solvedanswer

    Kurt Lang Kurt Lang Jul 8, 2015 8:47 AM in response to broadway al
    Level 8 (37,939 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 8, 2015 8:47 AM in response to broadway al

    Excellent. I'm certainly glad you got the internal drive cloned before it croaked.

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