Loner: "Your disk could not be partitioned" error. Please help

Question

Level 1

5 points

Loner: "Your disk could not be partitioned" error. Please help

Hey, Loner

After recovering the disk space, I tried to run BCA. I used an 64bit Win10 .iso downloaded from Microsoft. BCA created the install disk, downloaded the support files, and allowed me to choose my partition size (even split) on my 3TB Fusion drive. Then I got the error.

I reset SMC

Rest PRAM

No external devices are plugged in.

I repaired the drive in disk utility, as well as rebooted in single user mode and performed a /sbin/fsck -fy repair.

Also, I booted into safe mode to try BCA from there, but it couldn't find the Win install disk even though disk utility could find it.

Here is my current diskutil list:

diskutil cs list

That is as far as my current research into the problem has brought me. I do remember seeing a bunch of odd disks added to diskutil when run in repair mode. There were about ten of them. I am not sure if they were repaired during the previous processes.

Ideas? Thanks!

iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), OS X El Capitan (10.11.4), null

Posted on Apr 14, 2016 8:06 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Apr 14, 2016 8:35 PM in response to Redcloud111

As a test, can you use Disk Utility to create a FAT partition of 1TB or larger, and check the output of diskutil list disk1 and sudo fdisk /dev/disk1 and check if it works. If it does, you can always delete the partition and use BC Assistant.

Reply

Answer 2

Redcloud111 Author

Level 1

5 points

Apr 14, 2016 9:25 PM in response to Loner T

Thanks. I tried to add a 1TB Fat partition that failed. I went into recovery to look at diskutil list. I took of a photo of the screen because I have no idea how to screenshot from recovery.

I am not sure how exactly to use sudo fdisk /dev/disk1. From recovery?

Reply

Answer 3

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Apr 15, 2016 5:26 AM in response to Redcloud111

There is a tedious mechanism in Recovery Console of 'switching' between applications like Safari and Terminal by quitting the current application (say Terminal) and start a different application (e.g. Safari). This can potentially avoid taking photographs.

If the FAT partition creation failed, then there is no need for the fdisk command. "sudo" is needed under normal OS X boot up, but Recovery console does not need the "sudo" part since you have root privileges in Recovery console.

Do you have a backup of your OS X partition via Time Machine (or another mechanism) on an external disk? If not, please create one, before we try to fix this issue.

Reply

Answer 4

Redcloud111 Author

Level 1

5 points

Apr 15, 2016 8:53 AM in response to Loner T

Yep, I have a Time Capsule backup. What's next? Thanks!

On Apr 15, 2016 4:26 PM, "Apple Support Communities Updates" <

Reply

Answer 5

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Apr 15, 2016 9:38 AM in response to Redcloud111

Can you post a text version of the diskutil cs list output, so I can cut-and-paste the values into commands?

Reply

Answer 6

Redcloud111 Author

Level 1

5 points

Apr 15, 2016 9:49 AM in response to Loner T

Do you mean this one:

+-- Logical Volume Group 23B74634-AC44-45FC-9C0C-6667F41B0DF9

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

Name: Internal Drive

Status: Online

Size: 3120722075648 B (3.1 TB)

Free Space: 0 B (0 B)

|

+-< Physical Volume 5D9118CD-1F24-401A-91B9-1B8CE040FF9D

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

| Index: 0

| Disk: disk0s2

| Status: Online

| Size: 120988852224 B (121.0 GB)

|

+-< Physical Volume 45FD2166-9C01-46B4-98D2-FE6ED92F26BE

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

| Index: 1

| Disk: disk1s2

| Status: Online

| Size: 2999733223424 B (3.0 TB)

|

+-> Logical Volume Family 29965B76-DB38-4911-BD29-4FFDE6C0ECAD

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

Encryption Type: None

|

+-> Logical Volume 13D6F74D-5EC4-4E76-8B61-F6060A2BCDBE

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

Disk: disk2

Status: Online

Size (Total): 3115202658304 B (3.1 TB)

Revertible: No

LV Name: iMac

Volume Name: iMac

Content Hint: Apple_HFS

LVG Type: Fusion, Sparse

Or the one from recovery? If so, I assume there's a browser in recovery, and that I'll have internet access.

Reply

Answer 7

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Apr 15, 2016 9:59 AM in response to Redcloud111

Recovery will give you identical information. This will work.

1. Boot into Internet Recovery (not Local Recovery) using Command+Opt+R.

2. Erase the Macintosh HD Logical Volume - diskutil cs deleteVolume 13D6F74D-5EC4-4E76-8B61-F6060A2BCDBE

3. Erase the Macintosh HD Logical Volume group - diskutil cs delete 23B74634-AC44-45FC-9C0C-6667F41B0DF9

4. Erase the the SSD part of the Fusion drive - diskutil eraseDisk jhfs+ SSD disk0

5. Erase the HDD part of the Fusion drive - diskutil eraseDisk jhfs+ HDD disk1 (Please ensure disk1 is your HDD)

6. Re-create the CS LVG - diskutil cs create OSX-Macintosh-LVG disk0s2 disk1s2 (please ensure the SSD disk is first, otherwise you will have bad performance).

7. Re-create the CS LV - diskutil cs createVolume TheLongStringFromStep6 jhfs+ "Macintosh HD" 100%

8. Restore OSX from TM Backup.

9. Retry your Windows installation using BC Assistant.

Reply

Answer 8

Redcloud111 Author

Level 1

5 points

Apr 18, 2016 9:40 AM in response to Loner T

Hey, Loner.

All has gone well. I am stuck on step 7.

I enter:

diskutil cs createVolume OSX-Macintosh-LVG Jhfs+ "Macintosh HD" 100%

and it returns

Error creating CoreStorage Logical Volume: Not a valid CoreStorage Logical Volume Group UUID (-69778)

Thoughts? Thanks!

Reply

Answer 9

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Apr 18, 2016 9:42 AM in response to Redcloud111

You need TheLongStringFromStep6 as shown in step 7. Please post the output of diskutil cs list.

Reply

Answer 10

Redcloud111 Author

Level 1

5 points

Apr 18, 2016 10:02 AM in response to Loner T

Loner, you'll have to forgive me.

Am I reading this correctly that I replace TheLongStringFromStep6 with a string in step 6, ie., something other than OSX-Macintosh-LVG? If so, please clarify because I am confused.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bf7xwag5u77qxnv/20160418_205301.jpg?dl=0

Reply

Answer 11

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Apr 18, 2016 10:14 AM in response to Redcloud111

1. diskutil cs delete E552F8B9-D1CF-4BC4-AD31-A3274A1F6D75

2. diskutil cs create OSX-Macintosh-LVG disk1s2 disk0s2 (the order MUST have the 121GB disk first, otherwise the performance is really bad).

3. Step 2 will generate a new long string (UUID) similar to E552F8B9-D1CF-4BC4-AD31-A3274A1F6D75. Copy this string.

4. diskutil cs createVolume PasteTheStringFromStep3Here jhfs+ "Macintosh HD" 100%

Reply

Answer 12

Redcloud111 Author

Level 1

5 points

Apr 18, 2016 10:34 AM in response to Loner T

That step succeeded, but now I am getting an error when I try to restore. It tells me:

An error occured while adding a recovery system to the destination disk.

Restart your computer, and then try restoring again.

Thanks!

Reply

Answer 13

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Apr 18, 2016 10:51 AM in response to Redcloud111

Can you run a SMC and NVRAM Reset and boot into Internet Recovery and then try to restore your TM backup? Please disconnect the USB once you have booted in Internet Recovery.

Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac - Apple Support

How to Reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

Reply

Answer 14

Redcloud111 Author

Level 1

5 points

Apr 18, 2016 8:53 PM in response to Loner T

Hey. I reset SMC and PRAM. But same error when trying to restore. You said to disconnect the USB during recovery. I did, but I had to plug it back in for my backup, which is a on an external hard rive.

Thoughts?

Reply

Answer 15

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Apr 18, 2016 9:03 PM in response to Redcloud111

The sequence should be...

1. Disconnect USB.

2. SMC/NVRAM Reset.

3. Boot Into Internet Recovery

4. Connect USB.

5. Restore from USB.

Step 2 clears any residual information. If you have used this sequence before, then install a fresh copy of OS X between steps 3 and 4. Once you are able to boot from the internal disk, run a restore from the TM backup in Local Recovery (not Internet Recovery).

Reply