20" iMac 2007, El Capitan, 1gb.HD. I have 3 partitions, one for OS x, 1 with 969MB and 1 for Bootcamp. I tried to reformat the drive with 1 partition but it will not let me. Tried " Recovery" over wifi but still would not let me reformat. I can change the size of the partitions but cannot get rid of the 2 smaller ones. Help.
SOLVED Formatting HD with a Bootcamp partition
- Thread starter Seanog
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Need some more clarification:
1. Is the 1 TB HD (I assume that is what you meant when you typed "1gb.HD", as that little space would not support a partition for El Capitan and your other "stuff", the small 969MB partition, and the one for Bootcamp) internal, or external?
2. If it is internal, do you have a backup to an external device? That is so, so critical!
3. To make sure the drive is OK before you Erase and Format it, launch Disk Utility, select the drive itself (not any of the partitions), and click on First Aid, Hoepfully, taht will not reveal any serious issues.
4. To Erase and Format the complete drive, you would need to launch Disk Utility (externally, if the drive is your internal one), select the drive itself (not any of the partitions), then click on Erase, and make the Format "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)", and the Scheme "GUID Partition Map". Next, click on "Security Options", and on the screen that appears, move the slider to somewhere near the middle. It will then Erase and Format the drive, although it will take some time.
1. Is the 1 TB HD (I assume that is what you meant when you typed "1gb.HD", as that little space would not support a partition for El Capitan and your other "stuff", the small 969MB partition, and the one for Bootcamp) internal, or external?
2. If it is internal, do you have a backup to an external device? That is so, so critical!
3. To make sure the drive is OK before you Erase and Format it, launch Disk Utility, select the drive itself (not any of the partitions), and click on First Aid, Hoepfully, taht will not reveal any serious issues.
4. To Erase and Format the complete drive, you would need to launch Disk Utility (externally, if the drive is your internal one), select the drive itself (not any of the partitions), then click on Erase, and make the Format "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)", and the Scheme "GUID Partition Map". Next, click on "Security Options", and on the screen that appears, move the slider to somewhere near the middle. It will then Erase and Format the drive, although it will take some time.
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Yes, sorry, 1 TB. First Ais shows no problem. It will not let me resize the partitions. Now I have 4!! the main one being 967GB. I assume using "Recovery" over the internet is like an external drive? I tried this. I can erase each individual partition but still cannot reformat whole drive. Then whan I restore from Time machine I'm back where I started after hours of work.
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I have never used "Recovery" for this purpose, as my backups (bootable) are created with SuperDuper!. When I want to do what you are trying to do (typically when I want to install a new version of the Mac OS, or just do a re-installation of the most current one), I just start my Mac from that backup, select Disk Utility there, and then proceed as I mentioned above (select the disk/drive name, not the partition). From this:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314
when you get that screen, I assume you can select the 4th choice, Disk Utility, and that should be just like using Disk Utility in any other manner, ie, select the drive/disk you want to Erase and Format, and go from there. You would then next select the second option from that screen, "Reinstall macOS", and when that's complete, you will be offered the opportunity, via Migration Assistant, to "migrate"/copy your stuff from your Time Machine backup. Of course, I do not know which Mac OS you'll get with this, as I do it differently.
So, the question is, when you select Disk Utility from that screen, can you select the drive/disk at that "level", ie, above all the partitions?
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314
when you get that screen, I assume you can select the 4th choice, Disk Utility, and that should be just like using Disk Utility in any other manner, ie, select the drive/disk you want to Erase and Format, and go from there. You would then next select the second option from that screen, "Reinstall macOS", and when that's complete, you will be offered the opportunity, via Migration Assistant, to "migrate"/copy your stuff from your Time Machine backup. Of course, I do not know which Mac OS you'll get with this, as I do it differently.
So, the question is, when you select Disk Utility from that screen, can you select the drive/disk at that "level", ie, above all the partitions?
Forgot I had the old drive from this computer and it had OS Yosemite on it. Used that as you said with the security settings and Bingo, made one partition of the whole drive and installed Yosemite. Then tried "Migration assistant" but something went wrong so used the "Time machine " backup and it worked fine. Thanks for that.
The reason I wanted the partitions removed was because I am getting the "Spinning ball" often. I have an older White Macbook with an SSD drive and it performs better than this, although I have very little on it. Removing the Partitions hasn't helped either. It's a Segate Hybrid 1 TB with only 2.13GB used. Any ideas please.
The reason I wanted the partitions removed was because I am getting the "Spinning ball" often. I have an older White Macbook with an SSD drive and it performs better than this, although I have very little on it. Removing the Partitions hasn't helped either. It's a Segate Hybrid 1 TB with only 2.13GB used. Any ideas please.
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OK, from what you are saying:
1. You were able to Erase and Format the Seagate 1 TB internal "Hybrid" drive.
2. You were able to install Yosemite on it.
3. You needed to use your Time Machine backup to have Migration Assistant complete the task of "migrating"/copying needed "stuff" from your (applicable) backup.
4. You are no longer using El Capitan on your iMac.
Assuming all that is correct, a couple of more questions/comments:
1. First, is this your iMac?
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-2-duo-2.0-20-inch-aluminum-specs.html
2. I assume you did a clean, fresh, "virgin" installation of Yosemite onto the Seagate drive. Accurate or not?
3. I assume the Seagate drive was installed either when you purchased the machine (new), it was there already (purchased used), or you installed yourself. Again, accurate or not?
4. I am not very familiar with "hybrid" drives. But, if the speed of that drive is 5400 rpm (rather slow, especially by today's SSDs), the machine will, unfortunately, not be a "speed demon". I had a 1 TB Hitachi 5400 rpm drive (not a hybrid drive) inside my late 2012 Mac Mini when I purchased it new, and even with 1) not using much space on it, and 2) keeping it "lean, mean, and clean", including weekly File and Volume Optimization (via Tech Tool Pro), it still was slow compared to what I had previously experienced with the machine it replaced. So, I removed that drive, installed a Samsung 840 Pro 256 gig SSD, and the performance improved dramatically. It might help if you could provide the exact model of that Seagate drive.
1. You were able to Erase and Format the Seagate 1 TB internal "Hybrid" drive.
2. You were able to install Yosemite on it.
3. You needed to use your Time Machine backup to have Migration Assistant complete the task of "migrating"/copying needed "stuff" from your (applicable) backup.
4. You are no longer using El Capitan on your iMac.
Assuming all that is correct, a couple of more questions/comments:
1. First, is this your iMac?
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-2-duo-2.0-20-inch-aluminum-specs.html
2. I assume you did a clean, fresh, "virgin" installation of Yosemite onto the Seagate drive. Accurate or not?
3. I assume the Seagate drive was installed either when you purchased the machine (new), it was there already (purchased used), or you installed yourself. Again, accurate or not?
4. I am not very familiar with "hybrid" drives. But, if the speed of that drive is 5400 rpm (rather slow, especially by today's SSDs), the machine will, unfortunately, not be a "speed demon". I had a 1 TB Hitachi 5400 rpm drive (not a hybrid drive) inside my late 2012 Mac Mini when I purchased it new, and even with 1) not using much space on it, and 2) keeping it "lean, mean, and clean", including weekly File and Volume Optimization (via Tech Tool Pro), it still was slow compared to what I had previously experienced with the machine it replaced. So, I removed that drive, installed a Samsung 840 Pro 256 gig SSD, and the performance improved dramatically. It might help if you could provide the exact model of that Seagate drive.
1. No . This is a 20" mid 2007 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo with 4 GB ram.
2 No, I used the "Restore" command in Disk utility to copy Yosemite. Now with El Capitan.
3 Installed it myself.
4 Seagate ST1000DX001 3.5 inch 1TB Hybrid Internal Solid State Drive
I wanted to install an SSD drive but I did this once before in another iMac. The shop that sold me the Drive told me there was no need to reconnect the Drive heat sensor as a SSD drive produces little heat. Well the fan ran non stop and it wasn't long before the computer gave up.
2 No, I used the "Restore" command in Disk utility to copy Yosemite. Now with El Capitan.
3 Installed it myself.
4 Seagate ST1000DX001 3.5 inch 1TB Hybrid Internal Solid State Drive
I wanted to install an SSD drive but I did this once before in another iMac. The shop that sold me the Drive told me there was no need to reconnect the Drive heat sensor as a SSD drive produces little heat. Well the fan ran non stop and it wasn't long before the computer gave up.
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. Did you do a fresh, clean, "virgin" installation of El Capitan? That is the preferred way to go.
Also, I've never been a fan of hybrid/fusion drives, preferring to go with "pure" SSDs. So, I have no experience with the performance of such drives.
Also, I've never been a fan of hybrid/fusion drives, preferring to go with "pure" SSDs. So, I have no experience with the performance of such drives.
Thanks, I will try a Clean Install as it's getting so many spinning wheels. Was also thinking about upgrading to 6GB ram(4 at the moment) but 4GB modules are very expensive over here.