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Mac OS X forum: Should i be worried? (Formatting problem)

by: Javarod August 3, 2009 10:22 AM PDT

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Should i be worried? (Formatting problem)

by Javarod - 8/3/09 10:22 AM

Ok, i'm running an old G4 1.42 Mac Mini mildly customized with a large hard drive (original died on me) and 1G of memory.

Basically forever i've had various problems primarily with browsers hanging, freezing and basically acting weird, though the problems have shown up in other software, even Finder. I figured it'd be a good idea to start with a clean slate so i backed up everything (or so i thought, all of my apps and a few of my settings vanished), and reinstalled.

Problem one was that the installer failed, using the original Mac Mini disks. Opened Disk Utility and wiped the drive there with a basic format. Odd part (and this is what i'm worried about) was that after formatting Disk Utility reported 2 folders and 2 files on the drive using 54M. Shouldn't the drive be empty? Also the second round of the install froze on the second disk, but completed error free after a forced restart.

So, what are those files and folders that were still there after a format, should i be worried, and if so, what should i do? ClamXav says that it can't check the boot disk, no way, no how, so i can't sweep the whole disk for virii or other problems.

Thank y'all for any help you can offer.


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There should not be any folders visible

by mrmacfixit Moderator - 8/3/09 4:46 PM

In Reply to: Should i be worried? (Formatting problem) by Javarod

after the basic format but bear in mind that you did not actually format the drive, you only initialized it.
There is a subtle difference.
During an initialization, the directories are changed to indicate that everything has been deleted and that the whole disk is available, with a few exceptions, for writing.
ALL the original data is still there! It is also recoverable!

Formatting is slightly different in that it writes data to the whole drive, I believe, which could account for the length of time this process takes on a Winbox or if you choose one of the other options in Disk Utility.

If you have the time, or inclination, I would suggest another round of initialize and install to clear up any gremlins that may still be lurking.

Not sure why your apps disappeared after you had backed them up though. Still, you had the installers for them anyway.

P


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Re: There should not be any folders visible

by Javarod - 8/3/09 6:22 PM

In Reply to: There should not be any folders visible by mrmacfixit Moderator

Actually i never saw the folders, i was using an install disk, so there was no way to go and look as it doesn't have finder on it or at least not the normal finder. At the bottom of the window where Disk Utility shows you what's on the drive, it listed 2 folders and 2 files oddly enough.

As to the installers, nope, didn't have those, i dragged and dropped everything from my primary drive to my external, but for some reason it never copied the contents of the applications folder. So i've had the join of downloading and reinstalling everything.


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