No good deed goes unpunished

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Level 1

133 points

No good deed goes unpunished

After lots of recommendations to upgrade to High Sierra, I took the plunge. And I did it just yesterday, so a couple of point releases have come out. Well, no good deed goes unpunished. So far I have the following problems:

1) Reminders don't display on my Mac. They display on my iOS devices. Any ideas?

2) No audio for Messages alerting me to a text message. ideas?

3) Various apps that worked under Sierra no longer work under High Sierra. Obviously I'll have to work with the vendors for support there.

Posted on Nov 11, 2017 1:49 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Nov 11, 2017 1:55 PM in response to DesertRatR

Possible Fixes for High Sierra

You should try each, one at a time, then test to see if the problem is fixed before going on to the next.

Be sure to backup your files before proceeding if possible.

Shutdown the computer, wait 30 seconds, restart the computer.
Resetting your Mac’s PRAM and NVRAM
Reset the System Management Controller (SMC)
Start the computer in Safe Mode, then restart normally. This is slower than a standard startup.
Repair the disk by booting from the Recovery HD. Immediately after the chime hold down the Command and R keys until the Utility Menu appears. Choose Disk Utility and click on the Continue button. Select the indented (usually, Macintosh HD) volume entry from the side list. Click on the First Aid button in the toolbar. Wait for the Done button to appear. Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu. Restart the computer from the Apple Menu.
Create a New User Account Open Users & Groups preferences. Click on the lock icon and enter your Admin password when prompted. On the left under Current User click on the Add [+] button below Login Options. Setup a new Admin user account. Upon completion log out of your current account then log into the new account. If your problems cease, then consider switching to the new account and transferring your files to it - Transferring files from one User Account to another.
Download and Install 10.13.1 High Sierra Update
Reinstall OS X by booting from the Recovery HD using the Command and R keys. When the Utility Menu appears select Reinstall OS X then click on the Continue button.
Erase and Install OS X Restart the computer. Immediately after the chime hold down the CommandandRkeys until the Apple logo appears. When the Utility Menu appears:

Select Disk Utility from the Utility Menu and click on Continue button.

When Disk Utility loads select the drive (out-dented entry) from the Device list.

Click on the Erase icon in Disk Utility's toolbar. A panel will drop down.

Set the Format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.)

Click on the Apply button, then wait for the Done button to activate and click on it.

Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu.

Select Install OS X and click on the Continue button.

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Answer 2

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Nov 12, 2017 3:18 PM in response to DesertRatR

Sorry, no. I'm running all SSDs, and SMART utilities do not work properly with them. Usually, SMART output should let you know if the drive is failing. Anything more than that is information about what is failing and what isn't failing. The readouts don't mean much to most people like you and me. You can use Disk Utility to select the physical drive (out-dented) entry. It will show you if the drive's SMART is Verified.==>

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Nov 12, 2017 10:55 AM in response to DesertRatR

You would need to use a SMART test suite to check the drive thoroughly. Or you can try running the Apple Hardware Test: use Apple Hardware Test. Also, see How to invoke and interpret the Apple hardware tests - CNET. You would need to run the AHT for a long time in order for it to catch any errors.

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Answer 4

DesertRatR Author

Level 1

133 points

Nov 19, 2017 4:02 PM in response to DesertRatR

Kappy, after speaking to Apple tech support I was told to do the following Terminal commands inside the Recovery partition. This is supposed to properly erase the Fusion drive, and write zeros:

diskutil cs list

diskutil cs createVolume <LVGID> jhfs+ Macintosh\ HD 100%

1) Does this look correct to you?

2) I am guessing that the list provides the LVGID and that is goes in place of <LGVID> (without <> symbols)

3) Should jhfs+ be lower case? In the diskutil commands I found they are all capital (JHFS+). The page is https://developer.apple.com/legacy/library/documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPag es/man8/diskutil.8.html

Most importantly, does this do what I want to do: erase the Fusion drive and write zeros to check the media?

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Answer 5

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Nov 19, 2017 12:21 PM in response to DesertRatR

The tech is wrong. You can do first aid from the Recovery HD.

For the installation you can do this:

Install El Capitan or Later from Scratch

Backup if possible before continuing.

Restart the computer. Immediately after the chime hold down the CommandandRkeys until the Apple logo appears. When the Utility Menu appears:
Select Disk Utility from the Utility Menu and click on Continue button.
When Disk Utility loads select the volume (indented entry, usually Macintosh HD) from the Device list.
Click on the Erase icon in Disk Utility's main window. A panel will drop down.
Set the Format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.)
Click on the Apply button, then wait for the Done button to activate and click on it.
Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu.
Select Install OS X and click on the Continue button.

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Answer 6

DesertRatR Author

Level 1

133 points

Nov 11, 2017 2:42 PM in response to Kappy

I am at the .1 installation. I reset NVRAM and SMC. The rest of that is nonsense. The audio fixed itself. So did the gray safari logo. Reminders properly display on my desktop, until a text message shows up. When the text messages pop up the reminders disappear. A reboot brings them back. I am guessing there is simply an OS bug that someday Apple might fix.

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Answer 7

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Nov 11, 2017 7:44 PM in response to DesertRatR

You might try the "nonsense" to fix your computer. There is no OS bug involved. No fix from Apple. The fix will have to come from you. But I doubt that is what you wanted to hear, so you are on your own. I can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped.

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Answer 8

DesertRatR Author

Level 1

133 points

Nov 11, 2017 9:02 PM in response to DesertRatR

I tried the Disk Utility First Aid. Got a green at the end. Here's the log file. No problems reported.

Verifying storage system

Performing fsck_cs -n -x --lv --uuid 0B192D47-2A8B-420A-A3E5-02BD1AB2D4FD

Checking volume

disk1s2: Scan for Volume Headers

disk0s2: Scan for Volume Headers

disk1s2: Scan for Disk Labels

disk0s2: Scan for Disk Labels

Logical Volume Group 0B192D47-2A8B-420A-A3E5-02BD1AB2D4FD spans 2 devices

disk0s2+disk1s2: Scan for Metadata Volume

Logical Volume Group has a 1609 MB Metadata Volume with double redundancy

Start scanning metadata for a valid checkpoint

Load and verify Segment Headers

Load and verify Checkpoint Payload

Load and verify Transaction Segment

Incorporate 58 newer non-checkpoint transactions

Load and verify Virtual Address Table

Load and verify Segment Usage Table

Load and verify Metadata Superblock

Load and verify Logical Volumes B-Trees

Logical Volume Group contains 1 Logical Volume

Load and verify 3861CB70-F4F0-460A-8844-D91DF0B0877A

Load and verify 327419C5-77ED-4E1A-9519-8687314F6CEF

Load and verify Freespace Summary

Load and verify Block Accounting

Load and verify Live Virtual Addresses

Newest transaction commit checkpoint is valid

Load and verify Segment Cleaning

The volume 0B192D47-2A8B-420A-A3E5-02BD1AB2D4FD appears to be OK

Storage system check exit code is 0.

Verifying file system.

Volume could not be unmounted.

Using live mode.

Performing fsck_hfs -fn -l -x /dev/rdisk2

Performing live verification.

Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.

Checking extents overflow file.

Checking catalog file.

Checking multi-linked files.

Checking catalog hierarchy.

Checking extended attributes file.

Checking volume bitmap.

Checking volume information.

The volume Macintosh HD appears to be OK.

File system check exit code is 0.

Restoring the original state found as mounted.

Operation successful.

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Answer 9

DesertRatR Author

Level 1

133 points

Nov 11, 2017 9:33 PM in response to DesertRatR

I ran the above in normal mode. Just for grins I ran DU in recovery mode. First aid failed because HD is Fusion drive. I booted normally and ran DU First Aid a second time. The first run reported "Incorporate 58 newer non-checkpoint transactions". The second run reported "Incorporate 23 newer non-checkpoint transactions". I ran a third time and got "Incorporate 22 newer non-checkpoint transactions". What are non-checkpoint transactions and why the difference from run to run?

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Answer 10

DesertRatR Author

Level 1

133 points

Nov 12, 2017 10:16 AM in response to Kappy

Hmmm ... not good news. Couple of questions, please

1) How do I know the base HD or SSD is not physically damaged, requiring replacement?

2) It seems odd that an OS upgrade would corrupt the drive. I want to ensure I don't get another corrupted drive after reinstalling.

3) I have the installer app on a thumb drive. Isn't it recommended to erase and reinstall from that, rather than the recovery partition? Or am I confused?

4) I clone my HD every 2 weeks using Super Super. And I also have a TM backup. My three critical folders are Documents (with pretty much all my files), music and photos. I can drag the Documents folder from the clone. Can I also do that for the photos and music?

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Answer 11

DesertRatR Author

Level 1

133 points

Nov 12, 2017 3:58 PM in response to Kappy

I did check the physical drive (base drive) and SMART status is verified. And I also checked it thru About This Mac. I also found some of your older posts from several years ago on this subject, one of which you mentioned you thought that if the status was verified then the drive had a 75% chance of not incipient failure (my paraphrase). So I'll sit tight until the Apple tech runs the SMART diagnostic on the drive. Then once that is verified I'll R&R the OS. BTW, my 1 TB Fusion drive will run something over $200 for parts and labor, if needed. Not bad.

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Answer 12

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Nov 12, 2017 7:54 PM in response to DesertRatR

SMART has always been questionable because they can only test based on what the drive maker programs into the firmware. Suffice to say that if you read a post of mine from awhile back then you understand that statistically there is an important distinction between Verified and Not Failing. SMART is not always right all of the time. It is more likely to report a drive as Verified when the drive is actually failing about 25% of the time. So you cannot always trust SMART. In statistics, it is the difference between a real positive vs. a false positive (also known as Type I and Type II errors.) This is probably TMI, eh?

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Answer 13

DesertRatR Author

Level 1

133 points

Nov 12, 2017 8:43 PM in response to Kappy

No, it isn't TMI. I think it is pretty interesting. Failure of pretty much anything that isn't deterministic (e.g. the earthquake load exceeded the building design load) is probabilistic, and applies to a lot of things. I thought I read somewhere that HDs haven't been spinning long enough to actually reliably measure enough failures to get meaningful MTBF data and make real failure predictions (or set warranty limits), so the manufacturers end up with a somewhat ragged probabilistic life predictions. The distribution for failure would be interesting. SMART is just one tool in the mix.

BTW, I have no outward signs of imminent HD failure. Just the log file from the Disk Utility examination of the drive listing the non-checkpoint transactions that you tell me is indicative of some sort of HD problem. I've run DU several more times and the non-checkpoint transaction count seems to have settled at 1 each time. No idea if that is good, bad, or irrelevant. And if I understood you, that problem isn 't necessarily hardware. It could just be something went haywire with the upgrade, so erase and reinstall might be just fine.

I'll have Apple run the SMART test. If the drive comes back with problems the answer is obvious. The question then is, if the SMART analysis reveal nothing, should I reduce the probability of a future failure by R&Ring the drive? The cost is low, not much over $200. On the other hand, infant mortality of electronics is non-negligible, so am I really lowering the risk of a failure if I replace a functional HD?

BTW the original complaint I had about niggling problems after HS upgrade have all seem to disappeared.

Lastly, my last HD clone was a week ago (I do it every 2 weeks with Super Duper), before I upgraded. And I have my Time Machine backups. So either way, I should be minimally impacted.

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Answer 14

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Nov 13, 2017 10:37 AM in response to DesertRatR

There are all sorts of third-party disk checking/repair software. One of the best is Disk Warrior, but the High Sierra compatible version is still in the works. I'm not familiar with SpinRite so I can't really give you much more but you can check what's at the App Store or MacUpdate.

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Answer 15

DesertRatR Author

Level 1

133 points

Nov 14, 2017 9:58 AM in response to Kappy

Kappy, I have an encrypted sparsebundle, close to 1 GB in size. Its got important stuff in it. Since I did the HS upgrade it has been intermittently slow to open. With all prior OS versions the image opened promptly. Now it occasionally takes 20-30 seconds to open. While that is happening the machine is pretty much frozen. Other times, when I open it, it promptly opens.

I am wondering if that is indicative of a potential drive problem, and I should stay out of it until Apple runs the SMART check (later this week - they are extremely backed up) and I get the drive wiped and OS reinstalled. What are your thoughts?

Spinrite is a very old DOS/Windows utility that checked the media, sector by sector, lots of read/writes. It was the best thing going for drive diagnostics, back in the day. It is still out there. Takes hours to test. It will test OS X formatted drives, if I slave it to a Windows machine. BTW, I downloaded DriveDX. It can at least check the SMART parameters. It thinks everything is in excellent condition. However, as you previously pointed out, false positives are a risk .....

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