Downloaded OS X-fuse. How to start it?

Question

Downloaded OS X-fuse. How to start it?

My old Linux box died rather suddenly and I replaced it with a slightly less old iMac, running El Capitan.

Tried to use my Seagate drive backup and found that it wouldn't read the Linux Ext format that I was using. Don't want to re-format it because that's where my backups are. I just want to recover the contents of the drive before re-formating it.

Diskutil list shows it as /dev/disk1.

Tried force mounting it via the terminal - no success.

Searched the web for a solution and came across OS X-fuse as a possible solution.

Downloaded it but can't seem to get it to start. As far as i can tell, it keeps re-loading the software instead of opening it.

Any suggestions on either recovering the drive contents OR making OSX-fuse work enough to achieve the same result?

Thanks

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.1)

Posted on Nov 23, 2015 12:42 AM

Reply

Answer 1

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,494 points

Nov 23, 2015 7:25 AM in response to dexter_y_ximena

Dexter,

You should be in touch with the developer of the app, they would know best how to support it.

Reply

Answer 2

Nov 27, 2015 3:20 PM in response to dexter_y_ximena

Make sure you have an up-to-date version. See https://github.com/osxfuse/osxfuse/releases

The way OSXFuse works is that you need to first install OSXFuse as above, but then you need to install the specific file system module you need. In your case you need EXT3 or EXT4 support. This module is a totally separate piece of software. See http://sourceforge.net/projects/fuse-ext2/

This article maybe of some help. See http://www.cnet.com/uk/how-to/how-to-manage-ext2ext3-disks-in-os-x/

Finally, there is a commercial solution to use EXT3/4 files systems on a Mac. See https://www.paragon-software.com/home/extfs-mac/. This is likely to be a much more polished and easier solution and will have official support from Paragon Software the authors.

Reply

Answer 3

Nov 27, 2015 3:36 PM in response to John Lockwood

Thanks,

I installed OSX-FUSE and the associated ext3 extension, but despite reading everything I could find on the FUSE website, I still didn't wake up to the requirement to mount the external drive under the Fuse drive. That's more a comment on my natural-born stupidity than on the vagueness of the website. The cnet article you linked was somewhat clearer to me.

I'll give it a try and if all else fails I'll try the paragon-software solution.

That would still be cheaper than getting an old PC and swapping out hard drives, which is what I was contemplating!

Cheers

Reply

Answer 4

BobHarris

Level 9

56,945 points

Nov 28, 2015 10:14 PM in response to dexter_y_ximena

Or you could dig a deeper hole, and install VirtualBox, then install a Linux distribution via VirtualBox, then access the drive via Linux.

Reply

Answer 5

Nov 30, 2015 10:03 PM in response to BobHarris

Hmm.... That didn't go as well as I'd like!

I downloaded the latest ext2/3 module and when I tried to install it, was advised (by the installer) that it was incompatible with OS X El Capitan.

Looks like it's time for plan C (or is it D by now)!

Reply

Answer 6

Dec 2, 2015 7:47 AM in response to dexter_y_ximena

.

Reply

Answer 7

Dec 18, 2015 12:43 AM in response to BobHarris

Thanks Bob,

The problem I can see with using Virtualbox for this problem is that the external drive would first have to be mounted on the host OS (El Capitan) before the guest OS (Linux Mint) can "see" it. El Capitan doesn't recognise the drive so it doesn't mount. I haven't yet checked whether the guest OS would "see" the drive if it was force mounted.

Cheers

Reply

Answer 8

BobHarris

Level 9

56,945 points

Dec 18, 2015 5:54 AM in response to dexter_y_ximena

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/125225/how-to-set-virtualbox-in-order- to-access-external-hard-drives-in-guest-win7

http://www.serverwatch.com/server-tutorials/using-a-physical-hard-drive-with-a-v irtualbox-vm.html

If these links do not help, start Googling for "virtualbox external disk", "virtualbox external file system", etc...

Reply

Answer 9

Dec 18, 2015 6:24 PM in response to BobHarris

Thanks Bob,

With the first link, the thread seems to assume that the host OS had already mounted the drive (mine is "seen" by the disk utility, but won't mount.)

I tried it anyway.

I plugged the external drive in; the host OSX spotted it and advised that it was not a readable format. It offered the option buttons for ignore, eject or initialise. I selected "eject" and also unplugged it. I then started VirtualBox with the Linux Mint guest and when that settled down, re-plugged the external drive. The guest OS did not pick it up but the host OS spotted it again it and offered the same options as before.

With the second link, I followed the instructions for creating the .vmdk drive, using the host OS terminal and cut-and-paste of the terminal code. I got the message "Cannot open the raw disk '/dev/disk1' : VERR_ACCESS_DENIED".

(I had previously determined via the OSX Disk Utility, that the external drive was identified as disk1, containing the main file disk1a1 and the swap partition disk1a5. I inserted the identifier into the cut-and-paste from the instructions. I tried pointing to disk1 and then to disk1a1, but neither worked.)

What next?

I feel a bit like the gold miner who wouldn't abandon his mine until he dug it down another foot!

Reply

Answer 10

Dec 18, 2015 6:34 PM in response to dexter_y_ximena

More on this: Tried again as Sudo and got this.

DexterBhamsiMac:~ dexterboneham$ sudo VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -filename "/dev/disk1s1.vmdk" -rawdisk /dev/disk1s1

Password:

VBoxManage: error: VMDK: could not create new file '/dev/disk1s1.vmdk'

VBoxManage: error: Error code VERR_NOT_SUPPORTED at /Users/vbox/tinderbox/5.0-mac-rel/src/VBox/Storage/VMDK.cpp(3384) in function int vmdkCreateRawImage(VMDKIMAGE*, VBOXHDDRAW*, uint64_t)

VBoxManage: error: Cannot create the raw disk VMDK: VERR_NOT_SUPPORTED

VBoxManage: error: The raw disk vmdk file was not created

Not sure what it means, though. Back to the manual - like wading chest deep through molasses!

Reply