Help - my ssd is missing 40gb, after I tried to install Bootcamp

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Level 1

16 points

Help - my ssd is missing 40gb, after I tried to install Bootcamp

Here is the situation. A few weeks back I tried to install bootcamp and windows. It did not go well, but lets forget windows for the moment.

The problem is that I partitioned my Macbook Air's ssd, creating a new windows 40gb in size. The win install did not work, but now, I cannot recover the 40gb. In fact, it is invisible. I thought I could fix this myself, I waited for this weekend when I had the time. I superdupered a copy of my ssd to an external drive, and attempted to reformat the entire ssd, with the intent of copying the external drive contents back onto the ssd. It did not work.

Disk utility could not erase my ssd. The message was that there was a discrepancy with the drive size, and that was that.

I have no more ideas. Can anyone suggest how I can get my missing 40gb back?

Many thanks to anyone who can help.

MacBook Air, OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Apr 10, 2016 8:00 AM

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Answer 1

Apr 10, 2016 8:37 AM in response to Ian999

If you used boot camp to partition the drive you would use it to remove that windows partition. Run bootcamp again and pick remove bootcamp partition.

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Answer 2

Ian999 Author

Level 1

16 points

Apr 10, 2016 8:55 AM in response to Community User

Thanks. A good idea, but I just ran bootcamp. I could not see an option to remove the windows partition. BC just wanted to install windows.

If I don't reply immediately, it is because I am in timezone plus 7, and it is not sleepy time.

Good night.

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Answer 3

Apr 10, 2016 9:22 AM in response to Ian999

Did you originally use bootcamp to create the partition to install windows? If yes then it would give you the option to remove. But if you used some other method to create the partition - disk utility or some other program - what you used and how you did would help to help you.

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Answer 4

Ian999 Author

Level 1

16 points

Apr 10, 2016 11:54 PM in response to Community User

I used bootcamp, nothing else.

Disk utility correctly states 500gb capacity, but also shows only one partition of 467gb. No mention of the missing space.

If this helps, from DU:

Incorrect size for volume

Problems were found with the partition map

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Answer 5

Apr 11, 2016 10:05 AM in response to Ian999

Do you have a bootable install usb? If yes try this. Boot to the installer got to disk utility. Try to expand the drive to include the lost space. Run first aid on the disk.

http://www.macworld.com/article/2987201/operating-systems/hands-on-with-disk-uti lity-in-el-capitan-tool-for-storage-devices-gets-a-facelift.html

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Answer 6

Ian999 Author

Level 1

16 points

Apr 11, 2016 6:23 PM in response to Community User

Here is what I did.

I have a bootable external drive (superduper copy of my ssd). I booted from that and ran disk utils. The report was:

Incorrect size for volume "The Garden" (my volume)

Problems were found with the partition map which might prevent booting

I then tried to erase my ssd, while still booted from the external drive. The error message was:

Unmounting disk

Couldn't open device

Operation failed...

So, no joy. It appears that the missing space is invisible, due to an error with the ssd? Any advice on how to proceed appreciated.

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Answer 7

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Apr 11, 2016 6:44 PM in response to Ian999

Apologies for barging in Acm001.

Ian999 , please post the output of

diskutil list

diskutil cs list

sudo gpt -vv -r show /dev/diskN

Please substitute the value N where N points to the internal SSD. It should be disk0, but please verify.

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Answer 8

Ian999 Author

Level 1

16 points

Apr 11, 2016 7:15 PM in response to Loner T

I did a and b. Option c looks a bit dramatic.

Could you please check these outputs to see if option c is warranted.

Thanks.

Here goes:

a.

Traveller:~ Traveller$ diskutil list

/dev/disk0 (internal, physical):

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: GUID_partition_scheme *500.3 GB disk0

1: EFI EFI 209.7 MB disk0s1

2: Apple_CoreStorage The Garden 499.4 GB disk0s2

3: Apple_Boot Recovery HD 650.0 MB disk0s3

/dev/disk1 (internal, virtual):

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: Apple_HFS The Garden +467.1 GB disk1

Logical Volume on disk0s2

1186F0BF-8586-4158-B847-09C7117298AA

Unencrypted

b.

Traveller:~ Traveller$ diskutil cs list

CoreStorage logical volume groups (1 found)

|

+-- Logical Volume Group 6C6A3224-4CE2-4C9E-B855-A3B4B293A74A

=========================================================

Name: The Garden

Status: Online

Size: 499418030080 B (499.4 GB)

Free Space: 31998951424 B (32.0 GB)

|

+-< Physical Volume D3111097-D4D0-41AA-9386-C3044127EB6E

| ----------------------------------------------------

| Index: 0

| Disk: disk0s2

| Status: Online

| Size: 499418030080 B (499.4 GB)

|

+-> Logical Volume Family DC4F222C-31C7-43CA-B50A-4B54DEE9D56A

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

Encryption Type: None

|

+-> Logical Volume 1186F0BF-8586-4158-B847-09C7117298AA

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

Disk: disk1

Status: Online

Size (Total): 467082481664 B (467.1 GB)

Revertible: No

LV Name: The Garden

Volume Name: The Garden

Content Hint: Apple_HFS

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Answer 9

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Apr 11, 2016 7:22 PM in response to Ian999

Free Space: 31998951424 B (32.0 GB)

This is your missing disk space. There is no need for the last command. Boot into Internet Recovery (not Local Recovery), and run the following two commands.

diskutil cs resizeVolume 1186F0BF-8586-4158-B847-09C7117298AA 0g

diskutil repairDisk disk0

Reboot and test.

Here is the help for both the commands.

diskutil cs resizeVolume

Usage: diskutil coreStorage resizeVolume

lvUUID|MountPoint|DiskIdentifier|DeviceNode size

Resize a logical volume, which is one of one or more disks that consume storage

out of a logical volume group. The logical volume group will have more or less

available space after this operation, if it was a shrink or grow, respectively.

Specifying zero as the size asks for an "automatic" fit-to-fill-LVG operation.

Example: diskutil coreStorage resizeVolume

11111111-2222-3333-4444-555555555555 10g

diskutil repairDisk

Usage: diskutil repairDisk MountPoint|DiskIdentifier|DeviceNode

Repair the required layout and components of the partition map of a whole disk.

Ownership of the affected disk is required.

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Answer 10

Ian999 Author

Level 1

16 points

Apr 11, 2016 7:25 PM in response to Loner T

Ok, will do. Fingers crossed.

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Answer 11

Ian999 Author

Level 1

16 points

Apr 11, 2016 7:50 PM in response to Ian999

I cannot boot into internet recovery mode. Is booting from an external drive effectively the same? Same commands and so forth?

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Answer 12

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Apr 11, 2016 8:05 PM in response to Ian999

Yes, as long as the external drive and the internal drive have the same OS X version (10.n.m) installed. For example, you want to avoid booting from 10.8.5 to fix this, if you are on El Capitan (10.11.4). Minor versions (like the .4 in 10.11.4 - that is m ) can be different, but it is highly recommended that they be the same.