Resolved Unable to read ext. HDD (note: ext. HDD *works*)

[lolol Filip]

Hi.

I've got an external hard drive (Toshiba) that I've been using for storage for maybe two years now. It's been working perfectly and I've got it on HFS+. As of today I've been unable to use it with my iMac (2015, 27"). I cannot browse it as it doesn't show up in Finder etc, although I can see it in Disk Utility. Trying to repair it results in errors, saying it's unable to control it. "Invalid key length" and "invalid post count" (might be incorrect, translating from Swedish).

The strange thing, I suppose, is that the hard drive is working. I've got a Windows laptop with Paragon installed, and I can still browse it from within the Windows computer. I don't have another Mac at home, unfortunately, and so I'm unable to try and pair it with another computer running OS X.

Any help with regards to what may be the problem is greatly appreciated. And if there is an alternative to Disk Utility that *could* help me out, please do hook me up.

Regards.

 

[JohnDS]

You might try Disk Warrior: http://alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/

Otherwise, back it up, reformat it and copy back.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"The strange thing, I suppose, is that the hard drive is working. I've got a Windows laptop with Paragon installed, and I can still browse it from within the Windows computer."

Solution (some work involved):
1. Get a SECOND external drive
2. Connect both drives to your Windows laptop
3. Copy everything you wish to save from the Toshiba drive to the second drive
4. Now, take the Toshiba drive to the Mac
5. RE-INITIALIZE the Toshiba drive to HFS+ with journaling enabled
6a. When done, run Disk Utility's "repair disk" option on it five times in succession.
6b. Do you get a "good report" each and every time?
7. If so, I'd consider the drive good-to-go.

Now, connect the second external drive to the Mac, and "copy back" (to the first drive) that stuff you wish to be on it.

 

[lolol Filip]

You might try Disk Warrior: http://alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/

Otherwise, back it up, reformat it and copy back.

Thanks, Disk Warrior fixed it.
[QUOTE="Fishrrman, post: 23448968, member: 283487"
Solution (some work involved):
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I figured it might've had to come to that. Glad I could sort it out in a more convenient manner.