Can't change partition from 1.39 GB on MacBook

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9 points

Can't change partition from 1.39 GB on MacBook

Replaced a HD in my daughter's Macbook and OS X only creates a Mac OS X Base System drive and locks me out of changing the partition to use the entire drive. I have tried various drives ranging from 750 - 160 GB and it does it every time. I thought I could just stick a new drive in and reinstall a Time Machine backup. But can't get a drive larger than 1.39 GB.

Disk0 shows a Apple Disk Image and Apple Partition Map. Thinking it should be GUID and Logical Partition but that's not an option when setting up the drive. Terminal shows 12 partitions on the drive (maybe that's normal). I prepared the drive via a newer Macbook using Yosemite. The Macbook with the problem 2012 era that started out either as Lion or Snow Leopard. Can't recall if I updated this Macbook to Yosemite. I have my Lion and Snow Leopard disks but never able to setup the drive via the disk since I'm never offered a drive to select via Mac OS install.

Have tried to fix this via Time Machine backup, Terminal and via Target Disk mode. Even asked my nephew whose an Apple Genius and he's not sure what the problem is or how to fix it. Can't find this type of problem online either. I'm thinking the problem may be due to trying to prepare the new drive via a Yosemite Macbook instead of a Lion based Macbook.

Any suggestions on how to fix this problem?

Posted on Nov 26, 2015 10:41 AM

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Answer 1

BDAqua

Level 10

238,955 points

Nov 27, 2015 1:22 AM in response to eaayoung

How didyou get the restore partition this drive in the first place?

What was the original OSX on this Mac?

Booted from the Restore Partition & using terminal, what this report for Hardare: & Volumes?

system_profiler

Hardware:

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: iMac

Model Identifier: iMac7,1

Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo

Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz

Number of Processors: 1

Total Number of Cores: 2

L2 Cache: 4 MB

Memory: 6 GB

Bus Speed: 800 MHz

Boot ROM Version: IM71.007A.B03

SMC Version (system): 1.21f4

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Answer 2

BDAqua

Level 10

238,955 points

Nov 26, 2015 11:30 AM in response to eaayoung

Hi,

Disk Utility is kind of messed up in higher versions of OSX. 😟

In Terminal exactly what does diskutil list come up with?

diskutil list

/dev/disk0

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: GUID_partition_scheme *479.9 GB disk0

1: EFI 209.7 MB disk0s1

2: Apple_HFS Macintosh HD (10.10.1) 479.1 GB disk0s2

3: Apple_Boot Recovery HD 650.0 MB disk0s3

/dev/disk1

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: GUID_partition_scheme *3.0 TB disk1

1: EFI 209.7 MB disk1s1

2: Apple_CoreStorage 1.5 TB disk1s2

3: Apple_Boot Boot OS X 134.2 MB disk1s3

4: Apple_HFS Storage 2 1.5 TB disk1s4

/dev/disk2

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: GUID_partition_scheme *2.0 TB disk2

1: EFI 209.7 MB disk2s1

2: Apple_HFS Recovery HD 50.0 GB disk2s2

3: Apple_HFS 10.6 Install 16.0 GB disk2s3

4: Apple_HFS 10.6.8 970.0 GB disk2s4

5: Apple_HFS 10.7.x 963.7 GB disk2s5

/dev/disk3

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: GUID_partition_scheme *2.0 TB disk3

1: EFI 209.7 MB disk3s1

2: Apple_HFS Spare2TB 2.0 TB disk3s2

/dev/disk4

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: Apple_HFS Flash10.6 *1.5 TB disk4

/dev/disk5

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: Apple_partition_scheme *17.2 MB disk5

1: Apple_partition_map 32.3 KB disk5s1

2: Apple_HFS Flash Player 17.1 MB disk5s2

im24%

Perhaps you've seen or know this already...

http://www.theinstructional.com/guides/disk-management-from-the-command-line-par t-1

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Answer 3

eaayoung Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 26, 2015 12:14 PM in response to BDAqua

When I type this into Bash 3.2#:

diskutil list /dev/disk0 #:

/dev/disk0

0: Apple_partition_sheme *1.4 GB disk0

1: Apple_partition_map 30.7 KB disk0s1

2: Apple_Driver_ATAPI 2.0 KB disk0s2

3: Apple_HFS Mac OS X Base System 1.4 GB disk0s3

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Answer 4

eaayoung Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 26, 2015 12:52 PM in response to BDAqua

I have seen and read that article. I used it get into to Terminal. But if the answer is there, I don't have enough knowledge to understand what is needed to fix my problem.

I'm going to try and installing OS Lion on an external drive then install the HD and see it that gets me to the point where I can do a TM restore to the Macbook.

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Answer 5

BDAqua

Level 10

238,955 points

Nov 26, 2015 1:04 PM in response to eaayoung

Good idea to try, but the terminal info seems to indicate OK!???

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Answer 6

eaayoung Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 26, 2015 1:48 PM in response to BDAqua

Didn't work. When I try to restore via Internet Recovery and a Time Machine restore, it searches for the destination drive but the drive doesn't come up. I checked the drive via Disk Utility first and once again it saying the drive is only 1.39 GB in size. The drive I used this time is 250 GB. I would think it should be almost the entire drive except for a small portion used for the OS. When I check my other drives they show an amount close to the actually size.

As I said previously, the drive shows up in Disk Utility as OS Base and not Macintosh HD. It also list a Apple Partition Map instead of a Logical Partition.

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Answer 7

BDAqua

Level 10

238,955 points

Nov 26, 2015 2:44 PM in response to eaayoung

So, you can't format/partition it GUID when booted from another drive?

See this on Mac OS X Base System & the 1.4 GB partition...

http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/22941/what-is-the-mac-os-x-base-system- disk-image-on-my-2011-macbook-air

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Answer 8

eaayoung Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 26, 2015 4:16 PM in response to BDAqua

That's exactly what the HD look like. Disk Utility (in Recovery) shows a disk0 and Mac OS X Base System for the drive. disk0 is listed as Apple Disk Image with Apple Partition map. the Mac OS X Base System portion is listed as Mac OS Extended with 1.39 GB. Maybe thats normal but I can't install the OS where I can boot and drive and restore it via TM. I've tried to install OS directly to the drive via ext drive hooked up to another Macbook. When I try to boot the drive I get the flashing file folder with question mark. If go into Recovery (with or without Internet) the system never give me a drive to install the OS and notes it's searching. When I go into Disk Utility and inspect the drive I see what was discussed in the link.

Any thoughts on what I need to do to install the OS?

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Answer 9

a brody

Level 10

82,841 points

Nov 26, 2015 6:48 PM in response to eaayoung

The only 1 GB partition that will boot a modern Mac (last 4 years) is the restore partition.

Go to Apple menu -> About This Mac to tell us what Mac OS X version is?

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Answer 10

BDAqua

Level 10

238,955 points

Nov 26, 2015 7:10 PM in response to eaayoung

In Disk Utility, is there a big unformatted partition below the Base system, in the partition tab?

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Answer 11

eaayoung Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 26, 2015 8:15 PM in response to a brody

I can't install the OS on the drive. That's my problem so can't check. However, when in Recovery and trying to install the OS it shows Lion so I assume it had Lion but as previously noted, I may have updated the OS to Yosemite.

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Answer 12

eaayoung Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 26, 2015 8:38 PM in response to BDAqua

I pulled the HD and looked at it via another Mac through an external drive. The drive looks normal with a large partition for the data area. Disk Utility shows 2 partitions. Disk2s2 shows a capcity of 249.2 GB ith 249.66 GB of free space. The file system is Mac OS Ext ) Journaled) . But when I look at the drive in Recovery it only shows the 1.39 GB in OS Base System. I was thinking that since it was only shows a Mac OS Base System with the 1.39 GB when in Recovery, that was my problem. Maybe thats what the drive looks like in Recovery.

Whatever the reason, I can't install an OS to get to my TM backup. I've tried to installing with Leopard and Snow Leopard OS via disc, and Lion via Recovery Internet. It seems it will install but when it looks for the destination drive, the drive in the computer never becomes available for installing the OS on.

I'm going to check this computers drive in Recovery to see if it also shows only the Mac OS Base System and the 1.39 GB in Disk Utility.

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Answer 13

eaayoung Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 27, 2015 7:33 AM in response to BDAqua

I'm starting with a clean HD since the original crashed. So no restore partition on the drive.

When I looked at the Disk Utility in Recovery for this computer, it also shows the Base OS System with 1.33 GB (instead of 1.39 GB). But this computer also shows has the Macintosh drive listed above the Base OS System drive which the problem Mac doesn't. So, showing the 1.39 GB appears to be normal in Recovery.

My issue is that I can't restore a Mac running Lion or originally running Lion. I'm almost positive I installed Yosemite on that Mac a while back. When I boot into Recovery it gives the option to install Lion but never finds a HD to install to. If I plug in an external while in Recovery, it will let me install Lion on the external. Doing that now. After it installs, will move that drive to the Mac and see if it boots.

I'm wondering if my problem is not preparing the HD properly before installing it in the Mac? As mentioned, in Recovery Disk Utility only shows the 1.39 GB Base System and not the Macintosh portion of the drive. I'm thinking that's why an installer never finds the drive to install OS to. I've installed new drives before and not had a problem like this. But I had either a disk or the OS was current.

If this doesn't work, may be time to visit a Genius.

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