Help! Partition Failed! I wanted to repartition my backup drive…

[GeneL]

…using Disk Utility, but it didn't work.


Then I tried to erase the drive, but same thing.

I checked the drive using DU's "Verify Disk and it was shown as OK.


I want to use this drive for my backup. It's been working fine for quite a while, but something is wrong and I don't know how to fix it,

Can anyone suggest what I need to do to either erase or partition this drive, so that I can start over?

[olnacl]

If the drive mounts when you connect it, drag it to the trash to dismount it and then try to partition it using Disk Utility.

[TheCaber]

Hi Gene,
In the alert, the words "Couldn't unmount disk." mean that some app, somewhere, has accessed the disk (or one of its partitions (if more than one partition), or the partition). Has the disk been removed from the backup utility's use? I don't recall which you use: Time Machine, perhaps, or Carbon Copy Cloner (or both), or something else.

In a new Finder window, see if you can 'Eject' the volume that is the backup drive.
If the Finder says the volume is in use, then you have to locate the guilty party.

Sometimes, that's the Finder itself, if you have the volume displayed in a Finder window; a browser or editor pointing at a file on the volume would also prevent unmounting.

Good luck,

[GeneL]

Thanks guys. Those suggestions make sense to me.

I'll give them a shot in the AM.

I better knock off now. :zzz:

[Chakravartin]

GeneL wrote:
Can anyone suggest what I need to do to either erase or partition this drive, so that I can start over?

Reboot your computer.

[Sam3]

Chakravartin wrote:
[quote=GeneL]
Can anyone suggest what I need to do to either erase or partition this drive, so that I can start over?

Reboot your computer.
And while rebooting, unplug the drive so that it doesn't mount during startup.

[GeneL]

...I did reboot. That was one of the basic ideas I already tried.

The drive is internal, so no unplugging.

[TheTominator]

GeneL wrote:
...I did reboot. That was one of the basic ideas I already tried.

The drive is internal, so no unplugging.

Double-check that this internal "backup" drive does not contain your boot volume. The boot drive cannot be unmounted (and you also shouldn't be repartitioning it).

If the target drive is actually safe to repartition, try rebooting again,
and hold down the shift key during booting to boot up in "safe mode".
Do the work you need on the drive using Disk Utility.
Then reboot again normally (without the shift key).

[GeneL]

FYI, dragging the drive's icon to trash ejected it and that did the trick!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

By the way, I have been using Intego's Personal Backup for years without any problems.

It's simple to use and affords a lot of customization in the way it does its job.

I use it to make a bootable clone and over the many years that I've used it, I've rarely had a problem.

I highly recommend it.

It has come up at a good price as a promo a lot of times over the years.

Next time it does, I suggest giving it a test.

All my best to you for your help,

Gene

[tompatrick]

GeneL wrote:
…using Disk Utility, but it didn't work.


Then I tried to erase the drive, but same thing.

I checked the drive using DU's "Verify Disk and it was shown as OK.


I want to use this drive for my backup. It's been working fine for quite a while, but something is wrong and I don't know how to fix it,

Can anyone suggest what I need to do to either erase or partition this drive, so that I can start over?

Try to repartition the drive using a non-apple partition utility.