"[!] OS X can’t repair the disk "Ext SSD"" = Bad SSD?

[dix]

(!) OS X can’t repair the disk "SSD VI-1"

Got this message this morning when I booted up. Been on Mojave for awhile, but have never seen it before. The [?] button suggests backing up the data and reformatting the drive. I've backed it all up, but I'm wondering if there's anything else I might try before I reformat. It's a VI library drive so reformatting>restoring it will likely mean freaking out the VI's that access it.

It seems to be working for the VIs I'm using in the current project, but I can't write to it...I haven't actually installed or written anything to it for months, but I notice it won't let me drag anything to it since the message appeared.

Should I assume this SSD is going south, or is reformatting really all it really needs?

[Michael Canavan]

Assume it's going south. Those are pretty much similar symptoms to the two SSDs that died on me. Definitely copy everything off of it now!

Also Everyone should get a copy of DriveDX
https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx

[dix]

Assume it's going south. Those are pretty much similar symptoms to the two SSDs that died on me. Definitely copy everything off of it now!

Also Everyone should get a copy of DriveDX
https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx

Very cool. I downloaded DriveX, and it confirms a problem (with just that drive amazingly. thankfully). Nice to get a 2nd opinion.

So your experience is that reformatting, as suggested by the OS Help, won't help this Michael? ...the drive is all backed up with a replacement SSD waiting in the wings if needed.

Thanks so much!

[Michael Canavan]

Assume it's going south. Those are pretty much similar symptoms to the two SSDs that died on me. Definitely copy everything off of it now!

Also Everyone should get a copy of DriveDX
https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx

Very cool. I downloaded DriveX, and it confirms a problem (with just that drive amazingly. thankfully). Nice to get a 2nd opinion.

So your experience is that reformatting, as suggested by the OS Help, won't help this Michael? ...the drive is all backed up with a replacement SSD waiting in the wings if needed.

Thanks so much!

Mike H is the resident drive expert, but I've had three SSDs do what you describe, one was fixable by reformatting and not dying. the other two eventually just stopped working altogether. I'm pretty sure this was my cats fault, she walks behind my computer display where the USB hubs are that the drives were attached to, momentarily dismounting the drives by stepping on the hubs, which shortened the life of the two drives that died.

DriveDX was recommended by a friend of mine who retired a few years ago from working on drives for Apple at their HQ in Cupertino, so it's well worth it to pay attention to what it says about the drive.

[mikehalloran]

DriveDX is a good utility for diagnosing but it does report non-problems. Make sure that you Google what you find before telling the SSD vendor that they owe you a new one (UDMA CRC errors, for example). There's a person on MacRumors who'll scream at anyone who'll listen that Apple owes her a new iMac under warranty because of a DriveDX info message—no the SSD is not bad and has years of life before going south.

OTOH, DriveDX and TechTool Pro found serious SMART errors in every Crucial MX300 I bought before the 3 yr warranty was up. Every one was replaced by an MX500 with much better 3D NAND and 5 year warranties. Gotta love that.

Reformatting only helps drives that have been corrupted which is not impossible to do. The ol' "My cat knocked the TB Cable out…" normally corrupts a drive only … or two when they're in the same TB2 caddy. Yep, she's a curious beastie.

SSD recovery utilities do exist. Not inexpensive, takes forever just to build the directory and no guaranty that the recovered data will be useful. Have a backup!

Now that 14 – 18TB HDDs are affordable, I back up my VI drives to Time Machine along with my iMac Pro. Only the first backup takes a long time.

[dix]

Ironically, or coincidentally (or something) there was a mouse hanging out back behind where all my Mac connection cables were a while back. I was worried it would naw or unplug something. I was thinking a cat might be a solution...I guess not!

Make sure that you Google what you find before telling the SSD vendor that they owe you a new one (UDMA CRC errors, for example).

DriveDX is reporting UDMA CRC error actually. DriveDX and the internet says that error could just indicate a bad cable, but since the error shows up no matter which dock I swap the drive to that doesn't seem possible. Also, the internet says the error can be ignored, but given that the drive can't be written to I'm inclined to ignore the advice to ignore it. Another indicator of possible doom is that the Status Bar, when viewing the drive, is no longer displaying the available space as other drives do (Get Info says 12.5GB of 1TB available). Only the Item count is there.

Tomorrow I'm just going to set up a new SSD and transfer the VI libraries. DriveX tells me that this is the oldest SSD in my rig at 24 months/2300 power cycles. I'll investigate whether reformatting corrects the error after I've done so. If it does, I'll just have a fallback backup SSD in case there's a need.

Now that 14 – 18TB HDDs are affordable, I back up my VI drives to Time Machine along with my iMac Pro. Only the first backup takes a long time.

I do this too nowadays, also to Backblaze. My plan was to drag the VI libraries from the errant SSD to the fresh one. Is there any reason I should restore it from Time Machine instead?

Thanks guys! The advise is appreciated, as is the DriveDX tip - I can now see what any drive had for lunch on any given day since it was installed!

[mikehalloran]

Some SSD vendors state that UMA errors are not drive problems. I don’t know other than my Samsung SSDs don’t show them and others to — in the same dock, same cables and swapping positions in the dock doesn’t make a difference. After looking at them for years and never seeing a performance issue, I’ve dismissed it as a non-issue for me.

[dix]

Some SSD vendors state that UMA errors are not drive problems. I don’t know other than my Samsung SSDs don’t show them and others to — in the same dock, same cables and swapping positions in the dock doesn’t make a difference. After looking at them for years and never seeing a performance issue, I’ve dismissed it as a non-issue for me.

In this case, this particular drive (Samsung 840 EVO) was definitely the problem. I wasn't even able get everything transferred from it before it died completely (i had to restore from a different backup). Even after reformatting it, the OS and DriveDX still reported the issue, and nothing can be written to it. I'm considering it e-waste. DriveX confirmed it, but the Mac OS warning got it right. ...a bit of a modern miracle in and of itself!

This was the very first SSD I put into my system, several years ago, and the one with the most hours on it (I'd say 2 years in-use is a pretty good run). I'll definitely be keeping my eye on the other SSDs in my rig via DriveX as they age.

Thanks again

[HCMarkus]

I doubt you'll have to worry about SSDs produced more recently. The 840 EVO had real issues; you're lucky you got as much use out of it as you did.

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/1 ... by-samsung

[dix]

I doubt you'll have to worry about SSDs produced more recently. The 840 EVO had real issues; you're lucky you got as much use out of it as you did.

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/1 ... by-samsung

^ From 2015! Good to know. I have one other 840 EVO that’s only a little newer (22 months in-use). I’ll definitely keep an eye on it and make sure it’s backed up.

Thanks for the heads up!

[James Steele]

Yikes. I have an 840 EVO I use as a boot drive that’s been in my Mac for quite some time. I better retire it soon. Times like these I like iLok a lot. Not sure how many apps/plugs I have that are disk authorized.

[HCMarkus]

Yikes. I have an 840 EVO I use as a boot drive that’s been in my Mac for quite some time. I better retire it soon. Times like these I like iLok a lot. Not sure how many apps/plugs I have that are disk authorized.

Might be a great time to get an NVMe PCIe SSD and do The Final Upgrade for the old Mac Pro James... High Sierra supports NVMe, and as long as you have PCIe slot available you can easily add a fast drive for just a skosh more than a similarly-sized SATA SSD will run you. Install the drive and format, then clone your current OS drive to the PCIe drive. You may find you have nominal authorization issues.

You can spend a fair amount of money on a PCIe x8 & x16 switch PCIe adaptor for your new NVMe drive if you wish. Such a card will maximize the speed available, but cost is high. I went for a very simple, inexpensive approach that doesn't realize the full speed of my PCIe SSD when it comes to transferring large files but has no appreciable impact on perceptible speed as a boot drive. Inateck M.2 PCIe SSD Adapter is under $10, but has an effective heatsink and includes the screws you need to install it. My PCIe SSD is an ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB; there are many other compatible drives available.

While you are at it, you may also want to give Mojave 10.14.6 a try (assuming you have a Metal Compatible GPU). If you don't already have the GPU, now is a terrible time to look for a new one... limited supple and demand from the cryptocurrency miners has pushed prices into the stratosphere.

[daniel.sneed]

Just saying, but a 840 PRO is still system HD in my alternate daw.
Never a glitch since 2013! Crossing fingers, though.

[HCMarkus]

Just saying, but a 840 PRO is still system HD in my alternate daw.
Never a glitch since 2013! Crossing fingers, though.

The 840 Pro is an MLC (as opposed to TLC 840 EVO) drive. It is a solid SSD and should last pretty much forever.

[dix]

Just saying, but a 840 PRO is still system HD in my alternate daw.
Never a glitch since 2013! Crossing fingers, though.

Well, of course my 840 EVO, like all drives, was glitch free until it wasn't. In all my years, this was the very first time I actually got a heads-up from the OS that directed me to take action, but I'm not assuming it will always do so. It's hard to say, but I suspect DriveX might have given me an indication even sooner (thx again for the reccomendation michael).

Unless DriveX were to give a warning or there were some other indications, I'm not the type that's inclined to swap out old drives preemptively. Although I guess a lot of people do that.