ChrisJordan
Level 1 (4 points)
Desktops

Q: iMac 5K fusion drive invalid volume free block count"

My 8 month old iMac with Fusion drive, acted funny yesterday by not allowing me to copy and files to it saying I didn't have permissions or it was locked. So I reset the computer. It would get to 1/4 of the loading bar screen and then shut down. everytime.

 

Long story short:

All this was done in Triage mode at the Apple store:

BOTTOM LINE: In net recovery mode it says "invalid volume free block count" needs repair

When repaired, it says "invalid volume free block count" ....

When going into reinstall OSX in recovery mode, the HD isn't visible.

 

Is there any hope of getting my content off the drives without sending this off to a cleanroom?

Apple said it's the firmware, not the drive. But they can't do anything else without formatting it they said.

Posted on Jul 23, 2016 8:30 AM

Close
ChrisJordan

Q: iMac 5K fusion drive invalid volume free block count"

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by macjack,

    macjack macjack Jul 23, 2016 8:42 AM in response to ChrisJordan
    Level 9 (55,709 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 23, 2016 8:42 AM in response to ChrisJordan

    You can remove the drive and put it in an enclosure, so you can connect it as an external on another Mac and copy the data. Also, you can use Target Disk Mode . if you have another Mac available. Connect the Macs with a Thunderbolt or Ethernet cable follow the steps in the link, except you are using target disk mode to make the hard drive on your target act as a connected drive. Then copy the data.

  • by ChrisJordan,

    ChrisJordan ChrisJordan Jul 23, 2016 9:02 AM in response to macjack
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 23, 2016 9:02 AM in response to macjack

    Well, the Fusion drive is 2 drives, and they aren't connected. Apple took them out for me to send in to someone. So I have a esata and a SSD stick sitting here in a static bag. Not sure how i'd be able to do it on my own? I can pick up a enclosure no problem. The problem is, as mentioned in the post, the drive isn't seen when mounted as an external. At least not through Triage mode at the apple store.

  • by ChrisJordan,

    ChrisJordan ChrisJordan Jul 23, 2016 9:06 AM in response to ChrisJordan
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 23, 2016 9:06 AM in response to ChrisJordan

    What I mean was: at the apple store, when the iMac was plugged into the network in Triage mode, the drive wasn't seen at all as an external.

     

    I haven't tried plugging it in via enclosure yet, and not sure how I'd connect it and the ssd together.

  • by macjack,

    macjack macjack Jul 23, 2016 9:26 AM in response to ChrisJordan
    Level 9 (55,709 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 23, 2016 9:26 AM in response to ChrisJordan

    ChrisJordan wrote:

     

    Well, the Fusion drive is 2 drives, and they aren't connected. Apple took them out for me to send in to someone. So I have a esata and a SSD stick sitting here in a static bag. Not sure how i'd be able to do it on my own? I can pick up a enclosure no problem. The problem is, as mentioned in the post, the drive isn't seen when mounted as an external. At least not through Triage mode at the apple store.

    How are you setup, isn't the SSD the system and the HDD the data?

     

    Next time, keep a backup on an external disk with either Time Machine and/or a cloning utility like SuperDuper or CarbonCopy Cloner.
    One Time Machine and one up-to-date clone is a good combination.

     

    Then you can use TimeMachine to backup or restore your Mac. And use your clone as a platform you can boot from and continue to work normally if anything happens to your system or internal drive.

  • by ChrisJordan,

    ChrisJordan ChrisJordan Jul 23, 2016 10:34 AM in response to macjack
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 23, 2016 10:34 AM in response to macjack

    Yes I had a time machine going for a long time, but it stopped a while back and I neglected to fix it. Definitely my fault there.

     

    Fusion drives are built with firmware that tells them both they are the same thing, and also that whatever is the most "important" or the most accessed, gets put on the SSD. that could happen hundreds of times a day, and who knows what happened. It has to be together. I believe, that if I just copied the esata drive, it would jus be numbers without the firmware of the fusion drive to tell it where to go.

  • by macjack,

    macjack macjack Jul 23, 2016 11:05 AM in response to ChrisJordan
    Level 9 (55,709 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 23, 2016 11:05 AM in response to ChrisJordan

    Yes, core storage would mean you'd need both. I guess the data recovery service route would be the only way. It's a shame, they are the high-priced spread.