Disk Utility frozen during SSD format

Question

Disk Utility frozen during SSD format

I am trying to format a new SSD for installation into my 2011 MacBook Pro (you can read this thread, about the problems I have been having with this installationHow to format a third party SSD to be compatible with High Sierra?)

Using my MacBook Air (10.13.4), I connected the new SSD via USB SATA, and ran Disk Utility, selected APFS, case sensitive & encrypted. The erase command only took a second, but now Disk Utility is stuck with the following info:

Unmounting Disk

Creating Partition Map

Waiting for Partitions to Activate

Is there a way to force-quit Disk Utility, without rebooting the computer?

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), third party SSD

Posted on May 31, 2018 9:09 AM

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Answer 1

May 31, 2018 9:51 AM in response to Shirley_LeGitte

You MUST use the Disk Utility VIEW by Devices, not Volumes, and select the device to be erased by Hardware-name.

.

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Answer 2

May 31, 2018 9:26 AM in response to Shirley_LeGitte

I used option-command-esc to force quit Disk Utility, and rebooted the MacBook Air into Safe Mode, but now that the Mac is in Safe Mode, Disk Utility doesn't present me with an option to format APFS.

I will quit out of Safe Mode, and try it again, in regular mode...this time I will not select the encrypted APFS option...

Also: which scheme should I use? Master Boot Record, GUID Partition Map, or Apple Partition Map?

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Answer 3

leroydouglas

Level 10

203,256 points

May 31, 2018 9:33 AM in response to Shirley_LeGitte

You want to format GUID Partition Map extended journaled.

When you install the High Sierra it will do its own conversion to APFS. (Unless you tell it not to.)

How to choose between APFS and Mac OS Extended when formatting a disk for Mac

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Answer 4

y_p_w

Level 6

17,794 points

May 31, 2018 11:20 AM in response to Shirley_LeGitte

I've had problems like that. My only solution was to completely reformat on a different machine that didn't care if there were partition/format issues.

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Answer 5

May 31, 2018 10:07 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Now, running First Aid in Disk Utility is showing the partition map is damaged, and it seems to be unable to repair it...further attempts to erase the disk stall.

I give up...I'm returning this SSD to Amazon, I already wasted a whole day on this fiasco.

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Disk Utility frozen during SSD format

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