Repair Macintosh HD with Disk Utility and Safe Mode

If you are concerned about your Mac drive as it is continuously showing issues while accessing the operating system or stored files, then there could be either mechanical or logical issues with the hard drive. In order to repair Macintosh HD, first you need to diagnose the problem and try to resolve the issues with disk utility.

Here are he steps you can follow to identify the actual issues along with most possible way to resolve them:

Using Disk Utility:

Mac provides a Recovery Mode that lets you to diagnose the hardware issues, restore Time Machine backups, manage hard drives, and even reinstall OS X itself. Therefore, Recovery Mode should be your initial steps to diagnose and resolve the Mac drive problem.

1. To use Recovery Mode, reboot or start the Mac while holding the Command and R keys as soon as you hear the startup sound. 
2. Keep holding the key until you will not be able to view a screen along with multiple Mac utilities. 
3. Here, select ‘Disk Utility’ when it opens and click on your hard drive and then ‘Repair Disk’. Now, wait till the computer completes its process. 
4. After successful process exit the installer and also Quit Disk Utility and go to Utilities > Start-Up Disk.
5. Now, select the disk with Mac OS X and click Restart

After successful process the result either resolves your system problem or the hard drive might show failure indications.

What if you don’t have Mac OS install DVD?

In case the Mac OS install DVD is not available right now but you have access to another Mac and a firewire cable then you can also try to boot the Mac in Target Disk Mode. To do this follow the below steps:

1. Turn on your targeted Mac machine while holding the T key
2. A gray screen will appear with a large moving Firewire logo
3. Now, you can connect the two Mac systems via firewire cable and then boot the healthy Mac while holding the Alt/Option key as described above
4. The sick Mac’s hard drive in target disk mode will appear as a boot option on your healthy computer. Select it and initiate the process
5. If you will be able to boot through the selected drive successfully, you can try again to run Disk Utility from Applications->Utilities and verify/repair the hard drive
6. If this works, the again try to reboot your computer normally and check if the problem has been solved.  

Booting the Mac in Safe Mode

When you boot your Mac in safe mode it will automatically attempt some disk repair measures. Here are the steps to start up into standard Safe Mode

1. Shut down the Mac
2. Now, turn on the system by pressing power button
3. Immediately hold the Shift key after the startup tone
4. Hold the Shift key until the Grey Apple icon and the progress indicator doesn’t appear

Note: In order to start up a Mac machine into Safe Mode with display of the progress in a command line UI, follow all above mentioned steps except hold the Command and V keys along with Shift.

Alternative solution

If nothing worked for you, then possibly your Mac has a severe problem that needs a special treatment to resolve. In order to do that a professional drive repair software should be the preferred choice of professionals. You can repair corrupt drive directory with Stellar Volume Optimizer software. Yes, it also repairs bad disk permissions and creates bootable media to repair Mac startup drive.

All of the above explained solutions might take you to data loss situation if anything goes wrong; therefore, backup is the most preferred solution you should always follow if you can before performing any data recovery method. In case, you your hard drive is having these issues due to any reason then it is better to go with a professional method instead of trying multiple repair trials as they might end up with a data loss situation.

Upgrade MacBook Pro Hard Drive to SSD Now

You might have been tired of MacBook Pro random slow downs.  Or say, you want your MBP to have lightening speed especially on startups & shutdowns. Then my friends, upgrading your old MacBook Pro hard disk drive with a solid-state drive is the next big thing. Upgrading your MacBook Pro to SSD is actually celebrating Christmas for your Mac.

But Why Upgrade to SSD?

Traditional hard disk drives are bound to slow down after decades of read and writes.  At some point of time your existing RAM & Hard Drive will fall short to provide you enough speed. This time is right to upgrade the Mac’s hardware and to begin with SSDs are the best choices. Moreover, HDD are prone to crashing due to their traditional technology of spinning platters and use of magnetism. Solid State Drives have advantage of having chip based storage over HDD.

Benefits of installing SSD on Mac?

• Consume Less Power as compared to HDD
• OS X boot time is reduced dramatically
• Unlike HDD, SSDs are quite
• No or extremely low issues of overheating
• SSD doesn’t require defragmentation
• Write Speed is enormous in comparison to HDD
• Access speed is 30% faster than a normal HDD
• Unlike HDD, SSDs aren’t affected by magnetism

Downside of installing a SSD on MacBook Pro

• Low on space
• High on cost

Search for Best SSD Manufacturers:

Don’t just buy a SSD without spending few hours researching on the best available hardware. Below is the checklist to follow while selecting a SSD:

1. Manufacturer or Brand
2. Compatibility with your OS X
3. Price
4. Storage Capacity
5. Warranty
6. Return/Replace/Refund Policy

Use Google as the best tool to check out for best SSD manufacturers for MacBook Pro machines. Among the top providers are the Samsung, Toshiba Q Series Pro, Seagate, SanDisk Extreme and OCZ Vector.

Backup old Mac Hard Disk Drive before an upgrade

Don’t use Disk Utility to backup your old HDD data to the new Solid State Drive. At times, there are issues related to size difference between SSD & HDD that can bother you for a while. Instead, use a third party Mac SSD Cloning software and copy all the content of the old HDD to the Solid State Drive. The cloning of the entire Macintosh HD to its new destination will take some time to complete. Till now, the task is simple and doesn’t require a technical expertise to monitor. After some time, the third party cloning application will successfully clone your HDD to SSD.

Replacing the HDD with SSD on MacBook Pro 

For a technical user, replacing the MacBook Pro’s hard drive with SSD will take matter of minutes. However, f you are completely unaware of replacing the drive then use Google Search to find an authenticated method for the same. Usually, you need approximately ten screws to unbolt from the bottom case and remove the old drive, replace with the SSD. In total, it may take 10-15 minutes from unbolting to bolting again.

What After Successful Installation?

Power up your Mac OS X and check if it boots normal after a successful installation of the SSD. You may not notice the quick boot up at the first attempt. When Mac logs in completely, move to System Preferences<<Startup Disk<<Select Your Newly Install SSD and press Restart. Now, your MacBook Pro system will experience the real speed change.

Read, repair, burn and recover Mac hard drive on Windows

Windows & Mac OS X is neither friends nor foes, I believe they are simply competitors and offers advanced operating interface to the users.  Hadn’t there been both the operating systems, the human race still might be using an Abacus. But for an individual, who switches from PC to Mac, finds a great deal of learning while operating OS X. Though there arises dozens of challenges on Mac but thanks to web that offers solutions to almost all the queries.

1. How to read a HFS formatted hard disk drive on Mac?

The answer to this solution is software called Mac Drive developed by MEDIAFOUR INC. This software reads the content of a Mac drive with HFS file structure. And, not only it reads but user is allowed to perform multiple operations on Mac formatted drive on Windows using Mac Drive software.

A user can perform below useful tasks using Mac Drive software:

• Access HFS drives, CD, DVD etc.
• Create partitions on drives
• Repair disk drives
• Burn media
• Manages media
• Access Time Machine data

Image Courtesy: Mediafour.Com

Why you need Mac Drive on Windows?

• To access your Mac formatted hard disk drives on PC (Windows 10, 8, 8.1 and Server 2012)
• To manage your Mac drive data in case your Mac is unable to do so
• Mac Drive becomes a bridge between your PC & Mac OS X
• Mac Drive becomes a saviour when you badly need to access a HFS hard drive but you don’t have a Mac around

2. How to recover Mac data from hard drive on a Windows system?

The answer to recover deleted, formatted or initialized Mac hard drive (HFS) on Windows platform is Stellar Phoenix Mac data recovery on Windows, developed by Stellar Data Recovery Inc. This software is designed to recover a Mac hard disk drive using a Windows system. Sounds strange but it does read, analyze, scan and recover your HFS formatted disk using a Microsoft PC.

User can perform below powerful tasks using Stellar Mac recovery software for PC version:

• Quick Recovery
• Deleted File Recovery
• Formatted Media/Lost File Recovery
• Search Lost/Deleted Volumes
• iPod/Photo Recovery
• Resume Recovery
• Create Image

Image 1: Select HFS drive on PC

Image 2: Files are previewed & recovered on PC

Why you need Stellar Phoenix Mac recovery for PC version?

• To recover a dead Mac’s hard drive using PC
• To recover HFS drive on a Windows when no other Mac OS is around

Conclusion: Both Mac Drive & Stellar Phoenix Mac recovery for PC version fills the gaps that have between the both operating systems. Both of the software creates a bridge that helps users go beyond cross platform compatibility issues and perform their tasks freely.

How to Perfectly Optimize the Mac Disk File System

Mac is one of the most popular OS from Apple Inc., which is used by millions of users worldwide. There are many added advantage of using Mac OS X over other OS. One of the main advantage of Mac is it doesn’t require any specific process to defrag the Hard Drive. If you have files of very large size, then it is normal for the hard drive to be fragmented and it reduce the overall speed of the system.

Fragmentation: - Fragmentation is the process that occurs when large size files are created and deleted from the Mac hard drive. The Hard drive may not be able to store all the data of same files together, which increases the hard drive activity, as it has to look more than two places for a single file, which reduce the speed of the system?

On the other hand defragmentation is the process, which keeps the same data together on the hard drive. This process recognizes the similar data and keeps them together, so that the hard drive will get all similar files in the same place without searching.

Difference between Defragmentation in Windows and Mac Operating System:-

In Windows, fragmentation is a very common issue and Microsoft provides the lots of utilities to support it. That is why the users who switch to Mac from Windows have the tendency to defrag their hard drive within the regular interval.

Though, the latest version of Windows include with the improved file fragmentation feature, but users who are using this OS for years continuing doing regular defragmentation process. In the newest version of Windows the 'Disk Defragmenter' function is renamed as 'Optimize Drives’, which is more capable of doing defragmentation of Windows hard drive.  

However, Mac system do not includes any of such defragging utility or any derive optimization tool. If a user feels that his Mac drive is fragmented and he is looking for an inbuilt solution in disk utility, then it will be a completely waste of time, as there is no such inbuilt tool provided by Mac.

There are reasons why Mac does not have any hard drive optimization tool; one is Mac OS X HFS Plus file system, which defrag all the files automatically under Hot File Adaptive Clustering (HFC) process. Another reason is latest Macs ship with SSD, or Flash Storage drives, which do not need defragmentation process as they already have their own processes, known as TRIM.

Some Exceptional Defragmentation Cases in Mac Systems:-

Usually users who regularly upgrade their hard drive will not get such fragmentation issue in their Mac system. However, if you are a stick on a same hard drive since many years and you have hundreds or thousands of large files such as a music files, creative documents, etc.

And these files use tools like Logic Pro, Photoshop, Adobe Premier, Final Cut, or many similar apps that create or run many large multimedia files.
So you may face the fragmentation issue and also require tools to defrag your data with any utility.

Remember Below mentioned Facts at the time of Defragmentation of Your Hard Drive:

• Use defragging process only with hard drives not with SSD's
• Don’t defrag your Mac drive regularly, as OS X always writes small files in one batch which automatically eliminates most of the fragmentation issues.
• Hard drives are usually fast in the beginning and with increasing data storage they becomes slowest. Data can’t be magically moved to up to take available space, there can be many holes developed with lots of read and write operation. 
• The first 50% drive is faster than last 50% because of more sectors in each track, so that the heads have less data to move and can gather more data on a single time. So if you have maintained the first 50%, the drive works faster.
• Over the time Mac hard drive can get slow down because of lots of new file creation and old file deletion?

Stellar Drive Defrag is one of the most trusted tools for Mac defragmentation. This utility has also available in a free demo version by which you can check its efficiency and is compatible with latest OS X Yosemite.

This tool helps you to increase the speed as well as the performance of your Mac hard drive. It runs on your Mac hard drive and searches for all the scattered data fragments as well as organizes them in a proper way to optimize the speed of your system. It creates a free contiguous memory space instead of fragmented empty space.

You can see all the similar data file into the same color so that you can identify all similar block in the hard disk. This efficient utility can also monitor the drive temperature fluctuation at the time of defragmentation Free.

How to recover inaccessible files on OS X Mac?

It has been said, Mac is more reliable and safe as compared to other operating systems but still many nasty errors make OS X platform clumsy. Till today, Mac users come across many unknown data loss situations by attempting wrong steps in a hassle manner. Either during drive formatting or installing new software phase, just a wrong step leads a user to face unexpected events of data loss. To overcome from those situations, users try to restore Mac files from Time Machine backup or seek data recovery programs to regain the lost data. To get an efficient Mac data recovery software with in best prices is not always a worth deal. Above all, wouldn’t it be the best if users get more aware and stay away from the causes of data loss? If you support this viewpoint then take a look at the causes mentioned below that why data gets inaccessible? 

What causes inaccessibility of data?

• Interrupted read/write operations

An interruption during file Read/Write process may lead to data loss. The chances of file corruption get increased and on-going process becomes inactive or halted in mid of the way if such kind of the interruption occurs at an extreme point.

• Human mistakes

Sometimes, due to accidental deletion of files/folders or incorrect formatting Mac drive makes data inaccessible.

OS X Mac troubleshoot tips for novice

In this technological era, many of us who jump from Windows to Mac platform aren’t aware about expert tips to work with an optimized Mac machine for a long time. Although time-to-time, Mac experts roll out awesome tricks to maintain an equalize performance of Mac but still newbies face nasty complications. If you are in the support of using Mac but little afraid in switching to Mac platform then before moving towards take a look at these manual skillful tactics. These are the simple solutions for a novice to stay away from cryptic errors very easily and hoax the worst circumstances while working with OS X system.

Tip 1: How to Know about Mac System?

To quickly know about Mac system specifications (like OS X version, processor, RAM, HDD size etc.) use ‘About This Mac option’.

• Click on Apple menu (situated in upper left corner)

• Select ‘About this Mac’ option from drop down menu list

To know detailed information like (RAM upgrade slots, installed hardware etc.) apart from processor & installed OS X version, access ‘System Profiler’ option

How to reduce MacBook Pro heating Issue?

MacBook is getting thinner, lighter and more powerful to please more and more Mac users and allow them to keep MacBook in their lap for better working. If we talk about MacBook Pro with retina display, then it has inbuilt fans which work hard to keep CPU status cool and operating at uniform and stable temperatures. Despite these built-in fans, temperatures of Mac’s CPU can go from 50 Celsius to 60 Celsius while handling some CPU-intensive tasks. However MacBook Pro can handle that kind of heat, but it starts to suffer as temperature cross 75 Celsius.

Electronic components like processor, memory, battery and even hard drive gets overheated after a time period and creates physical discomfort to user. Nowadays, overheating problem related to Macs especially MacBook can be observed significantly. Heating issues not only reduces the life span of electronic components but also it won’t allow MacBook Pro to work for long last.  

How to check the System Heat Temperature?

There are many free apps like ‘Temperature Monitor’, ‘Marcel Bresink Temperature Monitor’ that help in monitoring the temperature level of MacBook Pro’s components like CPU, processor, graphics card, memory, battery and even your hard disk.

How to regain Mac data from erased hard drive?

Mac users are always suggested to create a successful backup of entire hard drive and store it to a different storage media like CD/DVD, USB Flash media drive before initiating any operation/experiment on Mac system. Mac system has a built-in feature called Time Machine for creating and maintaining backup on the behalf of a user. If Mac has a proper set up for Time Machine then this app needs an external media drive to store the backup. Usually it’s good to keep duplicate copy on another storage media rather on the same physical storage location. Now the main point arises; what if external drive hard drive becomes inaccessible and it’s difficult to fetch the stored data. Either it seems like the drive is inaccessible or accidentally erased.

There are plenty of ways to examine the drive status and to recover the amount of lost data. If the case is related with the hard drive failure then the first step is to check the health of hard drive.

If the drive is physically damaged (broken/bent pins) then drive couldn’t be connected properly with another system for attempting data recovery.

In case, if there is no physically harm but data can’t be accessed then avoid overwriting on drive. The more you overwrite on drive more you lose chances of data recovery.