Verify Disk Explanation

[balofagus]

I was reading a recent post by cablejohnston and I tried to figure out what exactly he had done to get those scans and results. Well, I finally found it under Disk Utility, and just to check, I ran it.

I came up with these results and was wondering if someone could tell me what it all means (I have never Verified my Disk before):

Verifying volume “iBook G4”
Checking 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.
Volume Header needs minor repair
The volume iBook G4 needs to be repaired.

Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit


1 HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair

 

[mklos]

Disk Verification is kinda like a ScanDisk in Windows. It will go through and check the structure of the disk, file system, etc. and if it see's errors, reports back to you that it such and such reported an error and needs to be repaired. You cannot repair the disk while the OS is running as the file system is in use. Its kinda like swinging your arm up and down while the doctor is looking at it. If you want to repair the disk, boot from your restore CD or DVD and then launch Disk Utility from there and do a repair.

 

[calebjohnston]

I just got the same error a few minutes ago, I've actually gotten it quite a few times. Look at my thread a few down.

However, what he just said is sound advice. Boot from the CD, and run disk utility. It should fix that sucker right up.

 

[balofagus]

Thank you for the speedy reply, is the problem it gave me in need of repair and what exactly is the "volume header"

Thanks

 

[calebjohnston]

Volume header needing minor repair is a very very teeny weeny problem. You can just look up how to do "fsck" and that will fix it. However, that's a little less user-friendly.


For all intents and purposes, volume header is just a garbledeegook problem. There's nothing physically wrong with the drive.

 

[balofagus]

Alrighty, thanks. I'll get around to that later because at the moment I am trying to help my family PC get through a little syware trouble (i hate the PC now that I have a Mac)

 

[berg]

Hi balofagus ...

The verify disk command should only be considered accurate if run from disk utility on your install disk ...

From Apple ...

"If the computer is started up from the Mac OS X hard disk (or disk partition) and Disk Utility finds errors on it, there is not necessarily anything wrong. Only when started up from the CD should Disk Utility reports of errors on the Mac OS X hard disk (or disk partition) be considered accurate."

Can Only Verify Disk Properly from CD
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106270

Cheers ...